Cheers to Gary

My father-in-law, Gary, has been planning for retirement for several years.

We’ve talked through the numbers, the income sources, the“what ifs,” and the bigger question: Could he retire at 60?

The answer was yes.

And on January 8th, Gary officially stepped into the next stage of life.

Over the years, we had countless conversations about different scenarios and possibilities. He eased himself into retirement intentionally — using vacation time to take Mondays off for six months beforeretiring and working very little during his final month.

He didn’t just plan financially. He planned emotionally.

About three months before he retired, I realized something interesting.

I talk about retirement every day. I help people run the numbers. I help them decide when the time is right. But I’ve rarely been this close to watching someone transition from pre-retirement into retirement inreal time.

And I noticed something else: we don’t celebrate it enough.

So today, we are.

Fridays at the Dead Canary

Every Friday from about 4:00 to 7:30, we start our weekend at DeadCanary Brewing Company here in Philipsburg.

It’s become a bit of a tradition:
Carmela and Gary.
Jenna and Johnny.
Jill and me.
And whoever else happens to wander in.

It’s our way of marking the end of the workweek and the beginning of the weekend.

A few Fridays ago, I decided I wanted to talk more intentionally with Gary about retirement — about what this next season might look like — and, naturally, to play Jenga.

Jenga on a slightly wobbly table is far more intense than it sounds.

I had hoped to proudly say I never knocked the tower down.

That night? I knocked it down twice.

The first time, I was confident.
The second time, I was humbled.

Right before Jenna and Johnny arrived — and before the Jenga chaos — I received a text:

“Got a question for you? Look behind you.”

For a split second, I felt like I was in a suspense movie.

Instead, it was Matt and Mary Ann, longtime clients, stopping in as part of the Central PA Tasting Trail. Dead Canary was on theirlist that evening.

Moments like that are special.

It’s one thing to meet in the office to review income plans and projections. It’s another to catch up in the community, outside ofpaperwork and appointments. Even better when Jill gets to put a face to a nameshe’s seen on documents for years.

Retirement planning is about numbers.

But it’s also about relationships.

The First Month of Retirement

Financially? Gary is right on track.

Personally? He’s figuring it out — just like most new retirees do.

His big goal was to get in better shape. He mapped out a five-day-a-week routine.

Day one? Great.
Day two? Still great.
Day three? He informed us that his abs hurt so badly he could barely get out of his chair.

He described the situation as feeling “like a turtle stuck on its back.”

Days three and four were canceled.

Then the snow hit. And hit again.

So his workout plan shifted to snow shoveling — including helping keep the sidewalk in front of our Philipsburg office cleared. As the weather warms, walking will be added to the routine.

That’s retirement in real life.

It starts feeling like a long vacation. The routine takes time to develop. The freedom is new. The schedule is wide open. And gradually, you shape it into what you want everyday life to look like.

One of the biggest gifts? Gary and Carmela can now spend more time in Florida with Jill’s brother and sister — without watching the calendar and rushing home because of work.

That freedom is powerful.

New Ideas and New Energy

Retirement has also sparked some creativity.

Gary is currently exploring the idea of recreating a nostalgic summer beverage from decades past — complete with research into filtrationsystems and recipe possibilities.

Whether that project makes it to production remains to be seen.

But the bigger point is this: retirement creates space.

Space to explore.
Space to experiment.
Space to pursue ideas that never quite fit into a full-time schedule.

Celebrating Our Newest Retirees

Gary’s transition reminded me of something important.

At K Financial, we don’t just “process” retirements.

We celebrate them.

This month, four individuals and couples stepped into retirement.

Some are planning travel-filled calendars.
Some are thoughtfully considering where they want to live next.
Some spent years preparing meticulously and can now finally exhale.

While we won’t share names publicly without permission, please know this: if you are one of them, we are honored to walk alongside youin this new chapter.

Retirement isn’t the end of something.

It’s the beginning of something new.

Sometimes it begins with a wobbly Jenga tower.
Sometimes with a snow shovel.
Sometimes with simply waking up on a Monday morning and realizing there’s nowhere you have to be.

To Gary — and to all of you beginning this season —congratulations.

You’ve earned this freedom.

Now go live it well.

More thoughts from behind my desk in a couple weeks…