Mike Shell of Sylacauga has been a musician all his adult life. He’s a DJ, a Karaoke DJ, a singer and a bass guitar player in local bands. It’s all he has ever wanted to do, and he’s been musicianing since he was 15.
Shell has been a familiar face and voice at venues all over north and east Alabama. Grey Bar in Greystone. Sonny Duke’s. Bandits in Sylacauga. Odds and Ends in Cropwell (Pell City). Dee Ford’s West. High school proms. So many they can't all be listed.
As a result, he never held a real job, working for a real company, drawing a real salary, with a real retirement plan.
It’s that last part that could have been a real problem for Shell. What does a person do when they get ready to retire and never had a retirement benefit? Live on just Social Security? That would be a meager subsistence.
Mike Shell, 72, is now retired for about the third time. He has not been good at staying retired. He announced his retirement on social media, but the calls to play gigs keep coming in. He loves playing music so much that he continues playing.
Shell does have Social Security plus a monthly retirement check that he earned by a decision he made. He traded in buying and smoking cigarettes for saving money.
Here is his story in his own words:
I was introduced to cigarettes by my friend Fredie Williams at 16 years old. Salem Menthols. We thought we wuz cool. As the years past I graduated to Kent King size. Of course my family hated my smoking and kept on me to quit. And I tried several times....and failed.
On December 7, 1979, my father's birthday, Peal Harbor Day, I finally quit. For good. I was working at the largest night spot East of the Mississippi, Sonny Duke's in Birmingham. My family had gathered from all over to celebrate the birthday. My aunt, Scottie Shell, came from Milwaukee. She saw me smoking and chastised me good. Then she said she'd give me a hundred dollar bill if I quit. I think that was the final push I needed.
On the way home that night I threw 7 packs out of the window. One at a time. And have not had one since.....of any kind. lol. But that's not all.
The next day I thought about what I'd do with my cigarette money I was saving. A carton a week. About $50 a month. I contacted an old friend, Andy Rector, from IDS. I asked his opinion. He suggested a tax deferred IRA. So for the next 30 years I kept up with the price of cigarettes and put that amount into my 'cigarette' account. Religiously. As a self-employed musician, I knew I'd need it one day.
At 58 1/2 years old, the time came. My cigarette money had reached the sum of $86,000! I contacted several of my friends who where financial planners. They all had different opinions. Stocks, Bonds, savings account, and more. I finally settled on an annuity that would pay me $538 a month for the rest of my life. I needed the monthly assured income. I plan to live a long time and get my 86 grand back and a lot of theirs too! lol. I'm 73 now and that cigarette money has paid a lot of bills and I'm alive and healthy. But that's not all.
In 1980, a year after I quit, our family gathered back at Sonny Duke's for daddy's birthday. Of course Aunt Scottie was there. I had completely forgotten our deal. She looked at me and said in that Milwaukee Yankee accent "are yous still smoooking"? Ding ding ding! A bell went off in my head. I remembered our deal! " No, I haven't had one since last year. And you owe me $100"! Good ole Aunt Scottie gave me $100 and I have not had even a smoke in over 45 years!
What an inspiring story for all Alabama folks who buy cigarettes. If musician Mike Shell can trade smoking for saving and produce an extra retirement income for life, so can they.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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