The Godfather: On Retirement
Yes, financial discipline and literacy are crucial for retirement, yet there is something far more important.
It is about numbers. It is not about money.
The greatest business lesson isn’t even about business.
It’s about life, and the years to come.
The Math
Average Retirement Age: 63
Average Life Expectancy: 79
Post-Retirement Years: 16
Contemplate this.
Make it yours.
The life in the years since 2002 (19 years prior to this writing). The highs, the lows, those who have come, those who have gone—the events, the people, the places, the pivotal moments—all of it.
The same amount of time awaits in retirement.
The Movie
The theme of The Godfather is brilliantly depicted in one image:
Michael outdoors in his chair, after selling his soul for business, and power, and position.
He closes the door on Kay; business over family:
He betrays the wishes of Don Corleone:
“I never wanted this for you. I worked my whole life—I don’t apologize—to take care of my family, and I refused to be a fool, dancing on the string held by all those bigshots. I don’t apologize—that’s my life—but I thought that, that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the string. Senator Corleone; Governor Corleone”.
Michael’s response: “we’ll get there, pop. We’ll get there”. All that follows betrays the Don’s plea; Michael is intoxicated by power and unwilling to abandon the old ways.
Most tragic of all, the murdering—in cold blood—of his own brother. Unable to forgive; unwilling to understand. Power over family.
“I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart”.
The Lesson
What will matter most during your sixteen years?
For all of us those years are fast approaching.
Far faster than we realize.
The purpose and pride of a career doing what you love is critical for the life well lived. Financial security as well. Neither is the most important investment.
The devastating consequences of an unhealthy work/life balance are well known.
We can all cite examples witnessed. Broken marriages, time and distance from friends and family, memories missed with the children who arrive, stay, then embark on their own lives.
Countless moments that can never be replaced.
Family first—in everything, always.
Family first means continuing to invest in your relationship with your adult children, and investing just as heavily in your other relationships—with siblings, with extended family, with your own parents. Retirement’s greatest gift is the time it allows us to do just that.
When the sun sets for each of us, it won’t be a job we reflect on—it will be the love of those who surround us, and care for us, who love us and we love in return.
That will be the legacy you leave.
Work will be sixteen years removed. Sixteen years.
Family first—in everything, always.
The Godfather films are a cautionary tale for each of us. Once again, view the above photograph of Michael Corleone.
Look closely.
Study the face; recognize the emotion behind it. Michael is haunted by the tragedy of all he has done, and the monster he has become.
He has failed, and knows it.
He will sit in that chair alone. And forever.
Family first—in everything, always.
Mark Joseph Huckabee
