Retirement Woes

I had a conversation the other day that got me thinking about retirement (not from bodybuilding lol - I'm talking about real-life retirement). Someone very close to me, over the course of the past year, has lost over 50% of their retirement account due to the current economic crisis. Now while that would hurt (a lot!) for someone my age, I can't even imagine what it must feel like for someone within 5 years of retirement. Think about that. You're getting ready to set sail for the Golden Years of your life, when all of a sudden, you no longer are be able to support yourself as initially intended. This means (1.) either you work for several more years to try and replenish your savings account to the best of your ability, or (2.) you severely cut back on your quality of living. Neither option really sounds very appealing to me.

I've already started a Roth IRA, but I really haven't put much thought into what I was going to do with it until now. Stocks, mutual funds, CDs...frankly I don't have much faith in any of them due to their volatility or they offer such pathetic returns it's not even worth considering. Well after quite a bit of research, I think I might have a better solution...

It's called a self-directed IRA. And I'm talking about TRULY self-directed IRAs - not these 'self-directed' IRAs that only allow certain investments. With these financial instruments you're able to invest in everything from real estate, tax liens, tax certificates, make loans (and therefore collect interest and points), and everything else a normal IRA can invest in.

My personal plan is to eventually use my Roth IRA to lend out money to real estate investors at 10-15% interest and charge points. I can secure my money by having a mortgage on the property so if something happens, at least I'm somewhat protected. Sure seems to be a better option than the stock market to me.

Do yourself a favor - look into it yourself and educate yourself as to your options. Most of you reading this still have plenty of time to plan for retirement. Don't put it off too long though! The company that I've been considering due to their reputation is Equity Trust (www.trustetc.com), however I know there are other good companies out there as well.

Go to their site - they have tons of free info. With Equity Trust there is a small set up fee ($50) and a yearly maintenance fee, so if you just plan on letting your money sit there it's probably not worth it. However, if you plan on actively investing (either on your own or with others), it's probably worth considering. The woman that I've been dealing with is Kari Robbins (k.robbins@trustetc.com). If any of you end up signing up she agreed to waive the $50 set up fee (I told her that we'd give them good PR :)

Best of luck - hope this info helps some of you in 20-30 years! LOL.

Jason

Wojo's Wisdom Part 3!

I remembered to post this here this time and not just on YouTube! =)

Hope you guys enjoy it! I probably won't do too many more segments, at least for a while, as my contest dates approach.

5-24-09 progress pics

Hey guys here's some pics we took this morning. I'm 2 weeks out from the Atlantic States (Bev and Steve's show in NY). I still have some tightening up to do, but I think I'll be ready. The show should be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to it. My mom and sister are flying in to watch, which is great; and me, Rae, and my daughter Ari are all driving up together. It's also Ari's birthday that next week so we're gonna try and do some of the NY tourist stuff while we're there. I've never been in NY either so it should be fun! :)

My Secret Weapon...

One of the most crucial people on my bodybuilding support team is a skilled chiro/ART/SASTM practitioner. This individual is priceless when faced with rehabilitating an acute or chronic injury or avoiding a potential future injury (and if you train hard and long enough, you will get injured).

I've had extensive work done on my rotator cuffs, forearms, low back, hamstrings, and chest in the past. Now I'm adding calves to the list.

Strangely, over the past several years the interior heads of both my calves have slowly atrophied. I haven't had any acute injury that I know of, yet they have significantly shrunken and become much weaker over time. I was truly at a loss of an explanation and was getting pretty depressed about it; my calves were a weak point already - now they were becoming non-existant!

Out of desperation I described the situation to Dr. Skopp (see my YouTube clip for more detail) of Alexandria VA (www.skoppchiro.com) and we started working on my calves a few weeks ago. He found tons of grizzly scar tissue and believe it or not, after several treatments my calves have already begun to see improvements. We theorized that the scar tissue was likely impeding the nerve signal to the muscle, resulting in a gradual atrophy.

I've started working them in the gym, but because my outer heads are so much stronger, I have to really concentrate to feel the inner heads working. It'll probably be a while, but we hope that in time, they will return to their normal state.

None of this would have been possible without Dr. Skopp so I really need to thank him for his expertise and skill. Without him I probably would be walking directly on my tibia and fibula in another year or two. LOL. Seriously though - he's been invaluable to my physique and training. Thanks Dr. Skopp if you ever read this! If any of you have the opportunity to work with him or someone else similarly skilled in the areas I mentioned, I highly recommend it - you can thank me later!!!

OOPS! Wojo's Wisdom Part II...a bit delayed

Most of you may have already realized this, but I put up Wojo's Wisdom segment 2 on YouTube last Sunday. I totally forgot to post it here. My bad!!! Part 3 will be up this Sunday.

What is YOUR vision for your life?

Those of you who have been following the blog for a bit may recall me mentioning Steve Cook, a truly outstanding individual who I think very highly of and respect immensely. I recently was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend an event with him in a small group intimate setting.

The purpose of the event was to establish and identify an 'action plan' towards achieving one's life goals (i.e."vision"). As I discovered, this is actually a lot more difficult than I originally imagined and it forced me to think about what I really want to achieve in life, what I want my life to look like on a day-to-day basis, and how I plan on getting there.

We can all dream, and that's fantastic because that's where it all starts, but how many of us achieve those dreams? If not, WHY? Furthermore, are those dreams even REALLY what you want? Are you sure a big house, a nice car, and a six-figure salary will bring you happiness? Really think about that. Ask yourself...what is important to YOU. I think you'll be surprised at the answers you discover. Also, are you living a life someone else thinks you should be living or are you pursuing your own destiny?

Only you can answer these questions, but please be honest with yourself because it truly is your life to live. Make sure you're living how you want to live and pursing your life vision, because in the end we're only here once and we all deserve to be happy and live fulfilling lives if we so choose.

Jason

Wojo's Wisdom Part I

Here's Part I guys - hope you enjoy it! Keep the great questions coming by emailing me at jasonwojo@gmail.com or posting them online in the Doggpound at IntenseMuscle.com or in the General Discussion forum at MuscleMayhem.com.

Birds of a Feather...

I want to talk about something really important that will profoundly impact your life - whether for better or worse. It's a principle you've all heard many times before and that is: "Birds of a Feather Flock Together". While this phrase has certainly become a cliche, do not let that undermine the weight of the statement. I cannot even begin to tell you how this principle has affected me throughout my life, both positively and negatively.

Simply stated, if you want to be successful at something (bodybuilding or whatever), you need to surround yourself with people that are successful in that endeavor. Doing so will greatly facilitate your own progress and development. If you surround yourself with positive, energetic, goal-orientated, upbeat people, you will feed off their energy and be more positive yourself. Similarly, "misery loves company" so if all your friends and associates are negative, you too will eventually succumb to those thought patterns and actions. The life and enthusiasm will be sucked out of you.

For example, I am part of a mastermind investing group comprised of like-minded, driven individuals that strive to succeed. Also, I have several close friends that are serious bodybuilders. The synergy of these interactions and groups helps everyone achieve a higher level of success.

The basic lesson you need to take away from all this is to hang out and associate with people that have the same goals as you, and avoid people that will drain your energy and spirit. This includes friends, family, co-workers, etc. - even though it's not as easy as it sounds.

Hope this wasn't too "preachy" but it's really an important principle that I've learned over the years.

'till next time...

J

SORRY!!!

Hey guys I want to apologize for not getting the Wojo's Wisdom clips up yet. I have several recorded but haven't finished editing them yet.

I picked up an investment property to rehab and I've been absolutely slammed making the scope of work and materials list, screening contractors and getting bids, working with the lender, title company, etc. It's taking up a ton of time.

Of course all this is in addition to dieting, work, etc. LOL

Part I will be up by the end of the weekend at the LATEST. I've had a ton of questions come in and I think you'll enjoy the clips once they're up.

In addition to the clips I have another surprise for you guys that I'll unveil in the next month or so... :)

Hope everyone is well!!!