Rob (age 70) and Paula (age 68) Grey who live in downtown Denver just sold their investment management/financial planning business. The concept of retirement didn’t seem to fit their colorful lifestyle so they have come up with a new concept…”ReFirement” rather than retirement.
How colorful, you ask. Rob grew up in Ohio and Florida because his parents could never decide which state they liked best. Rob was in his high school’s debate club and attended a national debate competition in Denver. He decided that’s where he wanted to live. This was the basis of his first marriage...finding a women who wanted to move to Denver (how romantic). After his "starter wife", Rob met Paula.
Paula’s dad was in the Air Force and they moved around until she was 10. Her family rooted in Los Angeles where Paula graduated from high school and University of California, Santa Barbara. Paula married a high school friend but neither that marriage or her second marriage lasted. Then she met Rob.
Rob hired Paula to work with him in the insurance business. They were great business partners and soon Paula was making more money than Rob so he asked her to marry him. Rob's investment management business was launched with Paula's income from the insurance business but soon became their main business venture. This all happened 36 years ago, proving, at least for Paula, that 3 times is a charm when it comes to marriage.
Paula explains that she still hasn’t decided what to be when she grows up because she has had so many “careers” and/or business ventures. Rob served his military time as an Army Corpman working with amputees from the Vietnam war then mentally ill inpatients. With that knowledge he decided to get his masters in Religious Education at the Iliff School of Theology (he was the only recovering-Catholic in this Protestant seminary). After serving as a youth pastor, he was prepared for the insurance and then investment business...right?
Through their 36 years together they have raised 4 children and now have 6 grand children and 8 grand dogs. In addition to the investment and insurance business, they also had a multi-level marketing business, Aspen-based personal growth seminar business, shampoo & conditioner business, motorcycle customizing business (each rode their own Harley for 25 years) and Paula is a hair stylist.
They have a lot of experiences to share plus ideas about how to “refire” rather than retire...so this blog was born. They hope you find it entertaining, informative and inspiring.