Throughout the vast, vast majority of modern history there is no concept of retirement. Financial independence yes, but the idea that you work hard for X number of years and then get put out to pasture was not only not around, it was widely protested when it was first introduced in the last century.

Retirement was a political solution to a perceived economic problem. Depending on which economic historian you want to trust it started in either Germany or more saliently for myself, the U.S. In the case of the latter the idea of retirement cam about because of the high unemployment. During the Great Depression unemployment was looking like a long term systemic problem, or at least people of that day began to see it that way. So the instituted the idea of mandatory retirement at 65. This eliminates a significant portion of the work force which not only means there are more jobs for younger works but also changes the denominator so to speak which then means unemployment comes down because everyone over 65 is no longer unemployed, they're "retired". This decision was met with widespread protests. Turns out people don't like to be put out to pasture. It's not until the 1950s, that heyday of Don Draper and his ilk that the idea of retirement as ":your golden years" becomes a sales pitch and Americans embrace the notion that playing golf is somehow not, quite literally being put out to pasture.

So to those who say the perpetually traveling are not *really* (really, really) retired it is perhaps best to just smile and agree. If someone wants to embrace the notion of their own obsolesce and pasturing who am I to argue?

This is similar to, parallel even in the sense that the government is trying to effectively get rid of a group of people it no longer wants to do with, to the birth of the elementary school system which was at least as much, perhaps more about reigning in perceived "juvenile delinquency:" than about education. The legacy of the system bears that out, particularly on the low income side of the equation.

Pat Sheult's investing advice:

- Start small
    - open an account with low/no fees
    - learn the interface
    - make a few trades
        - buy companies you know and like
        - stuff you use
        - places you eat 
        - etc
    -trade 10-20 stocks you know