What is it that you always wanted to do?

Retirement means different things to different people.  What would you do if it wasn't for the need to earn an income?  Maybe you want to travel, spend time with family, golf, fish, read, whatever.  Retirement is your golden opportunity to do whatever it was that you never got around to doing when you were busy working.  Maybe you always wanted to start your own business.  If so, it's likely that you have a passion for that line of work but providing for your family came first and you stayed at a job for 20 or 30 years to make sure that they had every thing they needed.  Well, it's never too late.  Forget bingo! 80 is the new 30. 

Then comes the question of how to finance your dream.  There are creative ways to finance your small business.  One that not may people know about is a self-directed IRA.  There are companies that can assist you in rolling over your IRA to a self-directed one that would then own your company.  That way, you don't get hit with taxes and maybe penalties for surrendering it.  Another advantage is that once your business becomes profitable, you are still in control of how much personal income you draw and the subsequent taxes you pay.  These companies usually charge a fee but it is worth it in the right situation because of all of the other benefits.  I have a company that I trust to handle these transactions for my clients.