Cars need tires. My 1950 Chevrolet convertible with Dynaflow needed tires in 1965. Recaps worked; they met my high school budget, and worked. Makes me wonder if recapping is better than retiring.

Television advertisements offer services and products for retirement. You can retire to the beach or the bedroom. Or, you can start a recap of your life.

My recapped tires needed new tread; recapping does that. Recapping your life stages makes more sense than retiring.

Ashley Kahn, wrote “The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records”. You can hear him on National Public Radio (NPR).

In the Wall Street Journal article (January 10, 2007), “A Cultural Conversation with Jerry Wexler”, Kahn celebrates Mr. Wexler’s 90th birthday (January 10th). Mr.Wexler receives accolades for his “role as producer and former president of Atlantic Records”.

Anyone ninety years old suffers the loss of friends and family. You can read all about his career in the article. What strikes me is his memory and preservation of his past, but no interest in what happens in the music industry today. “In what way could it possibly engage me? I’m not involved in it.” He is not retired; he is recapped.

Kahn visited Mr. Wexler’s home; he observed Jerry Wexler moving “…briskly from room to room, and from task to task.” Life is not over. Wexler exhibits drive and purpose. “Everybody seems to be coming to my door; BBC, NPR.”

Here is the lesson for all of us, “…there aren’t too many people at the age of 90 that are coherent or even alive.” Life provides perpetual opportunity to act, to do, to live. The past is behind; we are presented with “now” not to retire, but maybe just to recap for new trips forward.

Whether rich or less-rich, leave the word “retirement” in the dictionary.

Client wrote about a neighbor who celebrated her 106th birthday! He asked, “If my wife and I live that long, will we have enough money?” His question suggests the fear of not having enough money, and nothing I say will guarantee that his money will last until his last day or that his money will run-out on his last day.

Limiting cash distributions within a range of 5% to 7% assures that the principal amount of the account will benefit from market adjustments (upward, we hope). Exceeding annual distributions of 7% could jeopardize account growth.