Early in their marriage, Matt and Rebekah decided to plan ahead for their retirement and make sure they had ample money to live on. By necessity, they lived in the city to be close to their workplaces, but they couldn’t imagine retiring here. They wanted to live and enjoy life somewhere much more scenic and both relaxing and invigorating.
Over the next year, they researched many places and found one several hundred miles away that seemed like an optimal place to spend their golden years. They found a reputable financial institution in that location and began placing some of their income each month in a retirement account there.
As the years went by, Matt and Rebekah spared themselves habits they knew would drain their means, like frequently eating at restaurants like some of their friends did. They avoided some of the other pleasures that friends indulged in whenever doing so would reduce their ability to put money away for retirement. They did eat out and take a trip now and again, but they avoided lavish, expensive vacations. Sometimes they struggled with envy and sadness as they saw photos and heard excited descriptions of the fun experiences their friends had. They felt tempted to ask if they were forgoing and sacrificing too much. But they encouraged each other and stayed committed to their plans, and they went on inexpensive dates together in order to nurture their relationship so they would want to spend their retirement together.
Because of the care they took with their finances, they never took a trip to the place where they would move upon retirement. They relied on their research, which included pictures and reviews, to look forward to their time there. They reviewed this information regularly to maintain their excitement, and they frequently assessed their finances to ensure they would meet their goal of retiring there and enjoying the wonderful benefits available.
When the time finally arrived for Matt and Rebekah to retire, they left the city and flew the hundreds of miles to their new home. They met with a representative of their financial institution, who told them that because of their faithful deposits into their account over so many years, they had become eligible for a special program that boosted their return on investment.
For the next 25 years, Matt and Rebekah enjoyed the fruits of their labors with ample activity and rest. Their choice of retirement location turned out to be much more wonderful to them than they had imagined. They now received congratulations and heard expressions of envy from their friends, who admitted shortsightedness in spending their money earlier in life, and who now had little on which to live in retirement.
Photo by Greta Hoffman on Pexels.com
On commenting: Please share your thoughts! You can leave an email address, but it’s not required. Leaving an email address may prompt you to sign in with a social media or WordPress account.
The Weekly Parable 
One thought on “The Retirement Account”