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In the 80’s when I started to learn about investing and mutual funds I would devour magazines and books on the subject. I even fell for some goofy newsletter that claimed to have market timing figured out. Now at age 72, with investments in index funds I’ve lost my passion for ways to get rich quick. I’m content with my investment mix, just doing the minimum to manage allocations.
I used to stay on top of changes to tax law each year and did my best to convey pertinent information to my friends and clients. Then I sold my tax practice the year I turned 70. Now I’m mostly happy to let the tax software fill in the blanks when I do my and the family’s simple tax returns.
In the past century when I was a union guy and beer truck driver I constantly put myself out there to advise my guys about how take full advantage of the 401K match. But the fellas that needed advice wouldn’t listen and the guys that did listen were the ones that were already doing the right things. I’m still happy to talk to anyone who seeks me out, but I’ve lost all interest in trying to help people extract their heads from where the sun don’t shine.
How about work? I was one of those irritating people who liked their jobs. I liked my job in the beer business when I was both a driver and a salesman. I did not care for the work after the company took away the sales part of the job. So instead of being miserable for another 15 years I quit and ended up preparing taxes, which I also enjoyed and was not so different from the beer job when looking at it from the customer/client service aspect. Now retired I have zero interest to committing myself to show up someplace every day at the same time, all year long. What a drag.
On working, I actually did just commit to be a volunteer tax preparer for the AARP TaxAid program. It’s Wednesday and Thursday in February and March, noon to 5. So not such a major commitment.
I’ve lived in a dozen houses not counting the one I grew up in, trying to make money with each move, but really just spinning my wheels. Had a few rental properties too; not my thing, lost interest. We recently moved into what we intend to be our last home and I have no interest in moving again. I want to expire here while listening to my cherished record collection in my vinyl resting place.
How about you? Are there things no longer of interest to you?
Gigging. I have received a lot of invitations over the course of my career to travel around California, the West Coast, and the U.S.—and occasionally abroad—to give workshops, papers, or keynote presentations. A lot of this derives from my books, which make people aware of me, or when someone sees me give a conference presentation (I’m no Barack Obama, let alone Michelle, but for an academic, I’m a pretty good speaker.)
I started pulling back on such travel in 2018 when I became chair of my department and it was harder to get away, and the whole “industry,” such as it was, has really dialed back since COVID. I have given a few Zoom keynotes over the past few years; don’t love it.
Anyway, I never did it for the money or even for book sales. I enjoyed seeing new places, meeting teachers, and hearing about what they were thinking. I’m extroverted and can handle myself with strangers. I also felt somewhat professionally obligated to share my expertise with other teachers if I could.
But I spent a lot of time over the years making inconvenient trips to stay at a Holiday Inn or Hampton by an expressway, and it took a lot out of me. It just doesn’t sound appealing to me at all anymore, and I now wonder why I ever did it. If I do any more of it, it will only be because it’s to some cool place that I really do want to visit. For example, I was invited to speak at an academic conference outside of Barcelona in April 2023, and I happened to be on sabbatical, and Spain was at the top of our list of places we wanted to visit, so off we went. I’ve also twice happily accepted invitations to speak at conferences in Auckland, New Zealand, and I’m eyeing a January 2026 conference in Sydney now.
Glad to see you are volunteering for AARP TaxAid. With your experience, you can be a big help. I’m in my third year.
Things I once cared about but have lost interest in:
ROFL…several relatives! 🤣