On the Saturday Personal Finance Edition of the Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing Podcast, host Robert Brokamp continued his conversation with Wes Moss, a certified financial planner, chief investment strategist at Capital Investment Advisors, host of the Retire Sooner podcast, and author of "The Retire Sooner Method." The discussion delved into both the non-financial and financial aspects of a successful retirement, emphasizing income investing, "SWAN money," and the crucial role of friendship and community.
Moss began by highlighting the importance of "retiring to something" rather than "from something," introducing the concept of **core pursuits**. He defines these not as mere hobbies, but as "hobbies on steroids" or "super activities" that are done regularly – weekly, a couple of times a week, or at least monthly – and eagerly anticipated. Unlike simple pastimes, core pursuits involve love, anticipation, and a desire for improvement, providing daily purpose and a schedule. Moss's research found that happy retirees spend significantly more time on these pursuits, aiming for five or more.
A notable insight from his research is the special role of **adventure-related core pursuits**. While the type of core pursuit generally didn't show a significant difference in happiness, adventure-related activities like travel, RVing, hiking, hunting, fishing, or mountain climbing proved an exception. Happy retirees averaged almost two such pursuits compared to just one for unhappy retirees. This is linked to "anticipatory happiness," where the excitement leading up to an adventure can be as enjoyable, or even more so, than the experience itself. Moss suggests identifying these by starting with personal values and then brainstorming commitments, creating "happy retiree life maps" – a visual, drawn plan of activities. This act of drawing helps embed intentions and makes pursuing them more likely.
Another cornerstone of a happy retirement is **community and friendship**. Brokamp cited a powerful statistic from Moss's survey: 81% of happy retirees felt they had enough friends, compared to only 38% of unhappy retirees. Moss described this as being in a "friendship recession" in America, noting a significant increase in people with zero friends or two friends or fewer since 1990. He attributes part of this to demographics, as making new friends becomes harder with age, and the current population is aging. Intentionality is key to cultivating and replenishing one's community, as friends and colleagues from work naturally drift away in retirement. Moss likened investing in relationships to investing financially: just as one wouldn't expect a retirement account to grow without regular contributions, relationships require continuous investment, ideally starting before retirement. He warned against the "point of no return" where an exclusive focus on work leaves little time for building these crucial social connections, making it difficult to "start the engine" of community later in life.
Transitioning to the financial side, Moss discussed the shift from wealth accumulation to **distribution** in retirement. He advises starting this transition roughly five years before retirement, focusing on creating "SWAN money" (sleep well at night money), which often means having about three years' worth of safety assets from a spending perspective. This psychological buffer helps manage the fear of running out of money, especially given market volatility.
Moss is a proponent of **multi-asset class income investing (MACI)**. He explained that all investing boils down to total return (TR) equals growth (G) plus income (I). Income investing strategically harnesses both G and I by diversifying across various asset classes like bonds, stocks, REITs, and energy investments. Each asset class generates cash in its own way, offering both payments (income) and potential appreciation (growth). In a market where the S&P 500 might have a low dividend yield, MACI allows retirees to incorporate assets with higher yields (2%, 3%, 4%, 5%), balancing growth with more predictable income streams. This mix provides psychological comfort and contributes to overall total return during retirement.
Finally, Moss stressed the importance of having a **written plan**. He noted that the happiest retirees are far more likely to have a concrete, written plan rather than just a concept in their minds. He suggests starting with a timeline: visualizing the number of years until retirement and the expected lifespan. Then, assess current assets and savings, projecting their growth with a conservative rate of return. This simple, mathematical exercise can alleviate significant anxiety about the future and increase the likelihood of achieving what Moss calls the "Aristotle brand of happiness" – a sense of fulfillment derived from life purpose and community, as opposed to purely hedonic happiness. Brokamp concurred, thanking Moss for his invaluable insights into a fulfilling retirement.