Our members come to The Motley Fool for many reasons -- for advice, for developing portfolios, for our charm. Some come with definite plans, and others' futures are a bit more open-ended. Randy, though, came to the Fool with a plan and ended up with a community that reflected his own family.

Back then, Randy lived in Tulsa, Okla., with his wife, Kelley, and five daughters. He was a second-generation business owner and operator; he didn't have a lot of time to focus on investing. In 2001, Randy joined The Motley Fool after realizing that his investment advice wouldn't allow him and his wife to retire when they had hoped. In 2013, Randy wrote to The Motley Fool and offered his Fool Story as he neared his 10-year Fooliversary:

At about age 44 we had a good start on our retirement nest egg in our IRAs and the investment newsletter we subscribed to timed investing in sector funds. They had just said that returns would probably be minimal over the next 15 years as we recovered from the Dot-Com bubble bust. I knew we couldn't get to the financial state we needed to retire without some better investment advice.
My wife (better go thank her after I finish this) said, "Have you ever thought of checking out the investment advice from those Motley guys in the paper?" Well, I had heard the radio show, but never thought to check out Motley Fool for something as important as our retirement. I checked you out and felt the Stock Advisor newsletter could be a good fit for my investment experience and temperament.
Well, now at 54 we are halfway to our retirement goal in our IRA's. Now admittedly contributing to our IRA most of those years is part of the increase, but without the insights, education, and encouragement of the Stock Advisor team and fellow subscribers on the boards, we would be lucky to have 20% of our retirement needs trying to time the market. NOTE: Because of the Motley Fool and Foolish teaching I ignored others and stayed fully invested through the 08-09 downturn. To the extent I could, I was "greedy when others were fearful" and bought a few stocks in early 2009 with what cash I had in the IRAs. So given that downturn, averaging a 12-13% annualized gain is a dream come true.
One last thing... We now have our first grandchild. He's 19 months old. I'm looking forward to buying his first stock to start his education in Foolish ways. Who knows. Maybe HE'LL start an investment column someday. ;-)

Randy sees the information offered from The Motley Fool as better than mere stock picks: "I've been taught the psychology of investing smartly; of purchasing companies (and quantities of each company) that match my investing temperament. I've been given skills which enable me to expand my investing comfort zone." The support and advice that Randy found from the Fool reinforced and developed his own personal comfort level, but the Fool also reflected his past experiences with the stock market.

Randy's grandfather gave him AT&T stock, instilling in him from a young age the idea that a person should invest in solid companies. Randy says that experience, along with the prodding of his Foolish wife, readied him him to take advantage of The Motley Fool's advice and community. Randy came for retirement help, but he stays for all that The Motley Fool continues to offer: "I have so much more to learn, thus, I keep subscribed, turning to the boards for insights and listening every day to Market Foolery and Motley Fool Money."

Randy's Fool Story reflects the investment goals of many of our Foolish investors -- so many, in fact, that The Motley Fool has its own "Retirement Section" that helps investors learn about their IRAs, 401(k)s, and more. Additionally, our newsletter Rule Your Retirement discusses topics from estate planning to the transition to retirement -- and everything in between. Both include opportunities to join the larger Motley Fool community on our boards and discussion pages.

In looking toward his retirement, Randy already has plans. He and Kelley spend time with grandchildren, gardening, and finding vintage items, and he's looking forward to Foolishly jumping into options.