Green Retirement Blog

Dear Class of 2008:

Today you graduate, leaving your college or university lives behind, and enter the world of wage slavery. Too be sure, some of you will have fulfilling and rewarding careers, that will bring you personal satisfaction and happiness. Careers that will help others, help your family, help save the planet. However, the fact is most of you won’t be so lucky, many of you will find yourselves stuck in jobs or careers that truly suck.

It doesn’t have to be that way, working to pay the bills, spending your life in a soul killing job. There is an alternative, an escape from wage slavery, it is called retirement. If you want to, and if you follow my advice, you can graduate and retire by 35. At the age of 35, you can say goodbye to your mind numbing career, your monotonous repetitive routine. And spend more than half your life in financial freedom. How? Don’t change, continue living your college lifestyle, even after you graduate and find a job.

If you continue your frugal college habits, and avoid the temptations of consumption, you can easily save enough money to be able to retire at the age of 35. If your monthly salary is $5,000, and you save 25% percent of your salary or $1,250 per month, you will have $400,000 at the age of 35. Enough to retire. If you happen to find Mr. or Mrs. right, and he or she follows the same advice, the two of you will have $800,000 by the age of 35. If you and your spouse-to-be want to retire with a million dollars, work one extra year, and each save an extra $250 per month.

However, if like most of your college classmates, you become seduced by the pursuit of materialistic happiness, you will find yourself working until you are 65. And you probably won’t be any better off financially, spending your earnings, and saving very little towards retirement. You will be forced to work into old age to support your big house, big cars, big t.v.’s, big lifestyle.

I know that you are anxiously waiting for me to shut up, so that you can get to the graduation party, or start your post graduation trip. But I hope that in a couple of years time, if you find yourself in a cubicle and are asking yourselves the questions, “What the hell am I doing here?” And, “How the hell do I get out?” You will remember today’s commencement speech, and with a little bit of time and savings, you can escape a lifetime of wage slavery. Good Luck Class of 2008!