The Story of Rich: A Financial Fable of Wealth and Reason During Uncertain Times

Chapter 8

The Marathon Runner and Time Horizon

Winter flew by for the Vivas, as Rich settled into a retirement routine and tried to keep busy. He exercised on a daily basis at the gym at the Houstonian, read books he’d been meaning to open for years, and paid visits to his old friends. Rich even joined the board of directors for the Association of Independent Oilfield Service Companies, the trade group he had chaired earlier in his career. The job required only a few hours of work per month. Rich enjoyed the work, especially because it provided a way to keep in touch with the industry.

The holidays were a blur of activity with family and friends. The only downside was that Rich and Peg’s son, Patrick, had declined to visit for the holiday, opting instead to experience Christmas in Paris. The Vivas tried to convince their son to come to Houston, but he’d become enamored of the French lifestyle and was determined to spend the season there.

Rich had continued to work on developing his financial plan, although he worked on it in fits and starts. The process nagged at him and tended to create stress. He thought about investment con­cepts quite frequently, read investing guidebooks, and contemplated his goals and objectives. He and Peg had set a goal of finalizing their plan by the summer. Rich liked having time to consider his options, but the process weighed on him despite the general relaxation of retirement.

By the third month of retirement, Rich had grown accustomed to the new pace ...