Retirement Wisdom: Recent Episodes
Retirement Wisdom
By Bev Bachel
What did you say?
Can you repeat that?
Would you mind saying that again?
If you’re having trouble hearing, you’re not alone.
Almost half of U.S. residents older than age 65 have some degree of hearing loss.[1] And, according to an article in the October 2022 issue of the AARP Bulletin, 30 million Americans struggle to hear what is being said, whether in person, on the phone, via Zoom or while watching TV.
Some even find themselves choosing or feeling forced into retirement as a result of their hearing loss. That was the case for my father. Deaf in one ear due to a childhood accident, he struggled to communicate over the noise in the factory where he worked.
Thankfully, help is now more available—and more affordable—for everyone who struggles to hear. One big reason is a recent Biden-Harris Administration law change that allows hearing aids to be sold over the counter/without a prescription at pharmacies, big-box stores and other retailers.
Another reason is advances in technology.
“Many hearing aids on the market today are far, far better than their larger, clunkier and more visible forerunners,” says Brian Felsen of Your Ears Rock, a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservation company committed to reducing noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus, which is ringing or buzzing in one’s ears.
Today’s models are also more affordable, with some costing less than $500.
“But no matter how good or affordable today’s models are, the best thing you can do is protect and preserve your hearing health and treat any issues in a timely manner with properly fitted hearing aids,” says Felsen.
Protect your hearing
Here are Felsen’s top five tips for doing so:
- Turn down the volume. According to the CDC, you can lose some of your hearing in just a few minutes when using headphones at the highest volume, so do your ears a favor and turn down the volume.
- Minimize exposure. “Some loud sounds, including those from guns, power tools, leaf and snow blowers, music at rock concerts and cheering at sporting events can cause permanent hearing damage in only a few seconds because of their intensity, also referred to as their decibel level,” says Felsen.
- Wear earplugs or safety earmuffs. “Earplugs and other hearing-protection devices are easy to use and affordable,” says Felsen. “But they don’t do you any good if you don’t wear them, so keep them in your pockets, glove compartment, toolbox, workshop or other easy-to-access spot.”
- Download SoundPrint. This free app makes it easy to search for restaurants, bars and other public venues with healthy sound levels.
- Stop smoking. My dad was a lifelong smoker but only now, 20+ years after his death, have I learned that smokers may be more likely than nonsmokers to suffer hearing loss.[2]
Learn more
Wonder if your hearing is causing you to miss out? If you’re an AARP member, take this free hearing test from the comfort of your own home.
Think you might need hearing aids but wonder which ones might be right for you? This article from the Mayo Clinic is a good place to start.
For a list of the National Council on Aging’s top hearing aids based on fit, features, price and more, click this link.
Bev Bachel is a Twin Cities freelance writer and the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go for It! A Guide for Teens.
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20373072
[2] https://www.hear-it.org/Cigarette-smoking-and-hearing-loss
The post Three Cheers for Better (and More Affordable!) Hearing appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel
_____________________
Enrollment for the Design Your New Life in Retirement April Group is Open Learn more_____________________
If you’re like most of my friends and colleagues, you’d like to help your children and/or grandchildren pay for college. Many do this by opening a 529 College Savings Plan account and naming a child or grandchild as beneficiary. But did you know there’s another way to reduce the cost of college?
“School districts and state legislators throughout the country have given high school students in every state the ability to earn free college credit,” says Joe Nathan, director, Center for School Change. “This can help families save thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars on college tuition, books and fees.”
These programs are available for both academic and career/technical college courses.
Yet, according to the U.S. Department of Education, only 34% of high school students take advantage of these programs, despite the fact that 88% of high schools offer them.
Free college credit
Students earn free college credit in two basic ways:
- By taking courses online, in their high school or on a college or university campus
- By passing an exam
But students—with parental and grandparent guidance—need to act fast as many high school students will register this month or next for 2023-24 courses.
Five options from which to choose
- College in the Schools, Concurrent Enrollment. Federal statistics show that 82% of all U.S. public schools offer this option. Colleges train high school faculty to teach these courses. Free college credit depends on how well the student performs over the entire semester or class year, not just how well the student does on the final exam, which is typical for Advanced Placement (AB) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
- Advanced Placement. More than 1.1 million high school students took AP exams in 2021, according to the College Board, which runs this program. The courses are free, but to receive free college credit, students must score well on a final exam
- International Baccalaureate. These free courses are offered in about 950 U.S. high schools. As with AP, free college credit is awarded to students who do well on a final exam. Financial arrangements for this exam are the same as those for AP. Students also can earn an IB Diploma.
- Project Lead the Way. Some high schools offer free college-level courses focused on engineering, computer science and biomedical science.
- Other options. Free courses on college/university campuses or online are available through programs such as Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) (in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Dual Enrollment in Florida, Running Start (in Washington) and in other states. Many of these programs include both academic and technical/vocational courses.
No high school offers all these options, so check with counselors and with high school and state Department of Education websites.
How one student saved roughly $26,000
Jonah participated full-time in PSEO his junior and senior years of high school at the University of Minnesota. He earned 61 college credits, saving roughly $26,000 in college costs. With these savings, Jonah continued at the University of Minnesota, pursuing degrees in Economics and Finance, planning to graduate in Spring 2023.
PSEO significantly reduced financial stress on Jonah and his family. After working in consulting and the nonprofit space, Jonah will pursue a law degree and work in public service. Taking full-time courses on campus exposed him to perspectives and experiences not available in high school. By the time he enrolled as a full-time student, Jonah had a strong support network that helped throughout his remaining university experience.
College credit can also be obtained via the College Level Exam Program (CLEP) which gives 90- to 120-minute exams that can lead to free college credit. CLEP payment arrangements vary by district.
“Dual-credit enrollment is a winning strategy with huge, multiple benefits for students and their families,” says Nathan. “Not only does such enrollment help students better prepare for full-time college studies, it can also dramatically lower costs and reduce debt.”
Nathan believes the best single source of information, state by state, has been published by the non-partisan Education Commission of the States. It’s a good place to start researching what’s available in your state. More free information is available in Minnesota from People for PSEO, or nationally, by contacting Nathan at joe@centerforschoolchange.org.
Bev Bachel is a Twin Cities freelance writer who was able to afford college thanks in large part to the financial aid she received. She is also the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go and For It! A Guide for Teens.
___________________________________________________________________________
Listen to The Retirement Wisdom Podcast – it’s a free retirement school.
The post Paying for College: Free College Programs for High School Students appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel
What gradually increases during our late teens and begins to decline after age 60?
Our self-esteem, according to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.[1] (Bone mass, too, but that’s another blog post.)
However, there are many ways we can boost our self-esteem, even during retirement when we no longer have the status associated with our careers. Mental health author Judith Belmont who wrote A Year of Care: Daily Practices and Inspiration for Embracing Your Worth offers six helpful tips:
1: Start the day off right. “Begin each day with words of wisdom or an inspirational quote,” says Belmont. “Doing so will help you stay positive.” You might even want to give this miracle-morning routine a try. It features six practices: silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading and writing.
2: Choose a growth mindset. “Don’t define yourself by your imperfections but by your efforts to overcome them,” advises Belmont. To help cultivate a growth mindset, embrace positive self-talk. Instead of saying “I can’t believe I screwed up again,” try “I learned a lot this time so I’ll do it better and more quickly next time.”
3: Focus on the whole, not the hole. When you picture your favorite bagel or donut, do you see what you have or only what isn’t there (the hole in the middle)? Being aware of what’s missing is important, but if you pay it too much attention, you’ll struggle to feel motivated and may never even get started.
4: Develop a self-care ritual. Such rituals can be as simple as jotting down an intention for the day, maintaining a stretching routine or spending time outdoors, an activity research shows improves both health and happiness.
5: Reflect and forgive. “Forgiving ourselves and others can be difficult, but it’s one of the most important gifts we can give,” says Belmont. However, rather than “forgive and forget,” she advises that we:
- Reflect on our feelings, including feelings of sadness, bitterness and betrayal.
- Acknowledge the harm we may have caused.
- Try to understand what prompts us, and those we interact with, to act the way we do.
- Let go of resentment.
6: Write yourself a love letter. “When we think of sending love letters, we typically think of sending them to someone else,” says Belmont. “However, the most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself, so spend some time writing about why you are lovable.” (And, with the love you have left, write a letter to someone else. The World Needs More Love Letters makes it easy.)
Though we may no longer have our careers, we can continue to feed our self-esteem, no matter our age.
Bev Bachel is a Minneapolis freelance writer who is working to boost her own self-esteem as well as that of family, friends and colleagues. She’s also the author of What Do You Really Want: How to Set a Goal and Go for It! A Guide for Teens.
[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/regain-your-confidence
The post Six Strategies for Boosting Your Self-Esteem in Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.” I’ve been aware of this quote from best-selling author and successful business owner Harvey Mackey my entire adult […]
The post Make the Most of Your Time in Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Thinking about becoming an expat in retirement? Anne Nicolai, a fellow writer and long-time friend, did exactly that. Nicolai gave up her full-time corporate job and her Minnesota home in favor of becoming a part-time freelancer and karaoke host in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I asked Anne, an expat since 2008 […]
The post Five Lessons from an Expat on Retiring Outside the US appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Ever been on your way to work and thought, “I’m not sure I can do this anymore”? If so, you’re not alone. That’s exactly what happened to Andy Zimney, a consultant who helps companies improve their cultures. “It was 2019, and I was in Alabama on a work trip when the Uber […]
The post Time for a Sabbatical? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel I’m a people pleaser. As a result, I often find myself saying yes when I’d rather say no. So do many of my retired friends who admit to feeling overwhelmed by requests from their friends, family, neighbors and former colleagues who assume they now have all sorts of free time for everything […]
The post The Two-Letter Word that Can Save Your Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel I’m a big believer in the power of mornings. And the closer I get to retirement, the more important my mornings become. If I use them wisely, I can plow through my to-do list, all the while feeling relaxed and optimistic. If I waste them, I run the risk of being unproductive […]
The post Miracle Mornings appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel More happiness. Less anxiety. Increased feelings of calm. Lower blood pressure. Greater capacity for concentration. Reduced loneliness. Less irritability. Better short-term memory. According to Chris Heeter, founder of The Wild Institute, these are some of the benefits of spending time outdoors, benefits that can go a long way toward our physical, mental […]
The post Get Wild: How Being Outdoors (Even in Winter) Can Improve Your Health and Happiness appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey I know what you’re thinking. How can Tom Brady’s decision to retire be helpful to me? He’s uber-wealthy, he’s the best ever at his profession, and he’s married to a supermodel. Maybe you don’t share his love of avocado ice cream. All of those things may be true. But there are some […]
The post Lessons from Tom Brady’s Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
A few months ago I accidentally stumbled on the trailer for The Do-Over, a “2016 dunderhead comedy” (ala Rotten Tomatoes) starring David Spade and Adam Sandler who fake their deaths in order to start their lives anew. While I didn’t watch the movie, the trailer got me wondering about what retirees would do differently if […]
The post Time for a Retirement Do-Over? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Fifty-plus and looking to learn while traveling and making new friends? Road Scholar and other similar programs could be your ticket. Just ask Pauline Nelson. “Road Scholar bills itself as ‘the university of the world,’ and that’s exactly what it’s been to me,” says Nelson, who’s been enjoying Road Scholar trips since […]
The post Travel the World, Learn As You Go appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel I am. I’m not. I can. I can’t. Confidence—the feeling of self-assurance that comes from appreciating our abilities and accomplishments—often takes a hit in retirement, in large part because we’ve come to rely on our careers to define who we are and bolster our self-worth. Leave the career behind, and many of […]
The post Boost Your Post-retirement Confidence appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Two years ago, Allison Pearson and her husband Scott were looking forward to their retirement dreams: traveling, volunteering, learning new skills, spending time with family and friends, and more. Unfortunately, their dreams have changed. That’s because Scott was diagnosed with early-onset frontotemporal dementia. Since his 2018 diagnosis, he’s gone from running his […]
The post A Diagnosis Leads to a Retirement Course Correction appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Our society shuns aging and favors youth. That’s no secret, but what should you and I do with this real yet unfortunate truth? Develop an “aging with gusto” mindset. “How we think about aging has a big impact on how we age,” says Donna Comer, coordinator/facilitator for Aging with Gusto, a Vital […]
The post Aging with Gusto appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Don’t just retire, retire to something. That’s the advice of many retirees I’ve talked with recently. And what are they retiring to? Hobbies. According to experts, hobbies in retirement can go a long way to ensuring a happy post-career life. They’re enjoyable, of course, plus they offer a host of mental and […]
The post Hobbies in Retirement: How to Find One That’s Right For You appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Years ago, a writer friend told me that when you’re self-employed you never really retire, you just wake up one day and realize all your clients are gone. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened to me, at least not yet, but it has got me thinking about my own path to retirement. While it’s […]
The post Semi-retirement: One Way to Engage in More Meaningful Work appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Save $10,000. Run a marathon. Declutter the entire house. So often we’re encouraged to think big about our goals. But one of the things I’ve found most powerful when it comes to achieving my goals, and helping others achieve theirs, is to begin by thinking small. And one of the best small […]
The post Tiny Habits That Deliver Big Changes appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel For many of us, one of the freedoms that comes with retirement is getting to choose where we live now that we’re no longer tied to the specific city where we work. But how do we decide? Matt Pittman and Kris Jennings keep track of the annual “best places to retire” lists […]
The post Where to Retire? Think Livability. appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Resilience. That’s the word Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global, chose as her Word of the Year last year. And while resilience is often thought of as simply “getting through” challenges, Huffington, in an email announcing her choice, called out what she believes is key: not just bouncing back from life’s challenges, […]
The post Put the Bounce Back in Your Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel With social distancing limiting our ability to connect in person, most of us—whether working full or part-time or already retired — are spending considerable time in front of our screens, which are increasingly becoming our primary way of engaging with the world. Unfortunately, all that screen time, which even before the pandemic averaged […]
The post Screen Time: How to Make the Most of Yours appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Are you at a point in your life where you’re wondering what’s next? If so, you may want to power up your ability to connect. According to Richard Lieder, life purpose guru and coauthor of Life Reimagined: Discovering Your New Life Possibilities, connecting is one of six guideposts that can help you […]
The post Ready, Set … Connect appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Juanita Pienaar Aging well is so much more than just taking care of your physical body. While eating well and exercising is essential, taking care of yourself mentally and emotionally is a powerful way to live your very best life as you get older. Spending time to learn new skills and doing the things […]
The post Aging Well in a World of Avocado Toast & Insta-Everything. appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Lost your goalsetting mojo now that the coronavirus has you stuck at home? Get it back with the help of a goal buddy. A goal buddy is a person who cares about you and your goals and offers you the tools and support you need to succeed. A goal buddy benefits from […]
The post Buddy Up for Success appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Need to revamp, recharge or even re-invent? In times like these, standard approaches just won’t do. Career coaching can have a big impact. Joe Casey, an executive coach in Princeton, NJ, who also helps people create meaningful second careers, was included in a piece in Business Insider of innovative career coaches who are making a […]
The post Business Insider’s List of Innovative Career Coaches appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Dr. Thelma Reese “I’m Retired!” What does that mean? The word has definitely lost its meaning. In fact, it’s time to retire the word “retired.” Retirement used to immediately signify either an arbitrary age — usually sixty-five, or whether or not one was still being paid to work. It could imply, however, any one […]
The post Retiring? Congratulations! You’ve Got Seniority! appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Bev Bachel Actor Jim Carrey wrote his future self a $10-million check for “acting services rendered.” Polar explorer Ann Bancroft spent her days in a walk-in freezer to prepare her future self to ski across Antarctica. Singer Jennifer Hudson named her dogs Grammy and Oscar as a reminder that she had award-winning plans for […]
The post Say Hello to Your Future Self appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Artur Meyster Losing your job at any point can feel as if everything has fallen out of place and leave you wondering about the future. These feelings are only exacerbated by the current pandemic and millions of Americans have lost their jobs. In fact, a study from the Wall Street Journal found that around […]
The post How to Get Back on Your Feet After Losing Your Job Due to Covid-19 appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel From graphic designer to children’s book author. From Fortune 500 consultant to product developer. From mental-health therapist to organic bread baker. These are just some of the ways people I know have stretched out of their comfort zones in recent years. Some of the stretches were intentional, such as a move from […]
The post Stretching Out of Your Comfort Zone appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Retirement Wisdom’s Joe Casey is quoted in this piece by Patrick Hruby for The Atlantic’s Re:think series sponsored by Equitable on how the pandemic is affecting retirement planning This article originally appeared in The Atlantic Visit When Tomorrow Becomes Today, Atlantic Re:think and Equitable’s series of stories that shed light on planning for retirement and the […]
The post The Coronavirus Is Scrambling Retirement, But There Are Ways to Move Forward appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel As you head into retirement, one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is where you are going to live. Many opt for retirement communities but increasingly people are choosing to live with younger members of their own families. According to Marc Freedman, founder of Encore.org and author of How to […]
The post One Family’s Return to Intergenerational Living appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Trout Lowen went from freelance writing and editing to selling real estate. Lynn Barber pivoted from managing a work comp claims center for a Fortune 500 insurance company to teaching residents in her community how to build sustainable gardens. Barry Scanlan transitioned from serving as a school district crisis response coordinator to […]
The post How to Change Lanes to a Second Career appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Dan Petkevich In the same way that you put on layers before going outside on a cold day, you put on layers of health insurance when it comes to Medicare. And just like you wouldn’t put your coat on before your undershirt, there’s an order to these layers of health insurance. Your First Layer: […]
The post Medicare 101 appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
The best midlife transitions are not linear or predictable. You find your calling or life’s mission in different ways. The paths are winding. Unexpected events serve as catalysts to redirect you in ways you could not have imagined earlier in life. The story of Steve Javie’s journey to find his life’s mission is remarkable. And […]
The post From the NBA Hardwood to the Altar – Steve Javie appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey What will your narrative be for your retirement life? Well, it just might be taking shape these days, whether you’re aware of it or not. Like most people, I have more time to reflect on my daily walks. And I’ve been thinking about the power of stories lately. The stories we tell […]
The post What Will Your Narrative Be? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
I’ve been saving for retirement since I was in my early 20s. And as someone who has been mostly self-employed as a freelance writer for my entire career, that often meant forgoing time off in favor of billable hours.
The post My Retirement Test Drive appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
We’re living life differently these days. Many people are rethinking their definition of what retirement and good living will be in the future. We’re getting used to quarantine life in some ways.
The post How Will You Show Up in the New Normal? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
A stack of handwritten letters and dozens of unsent postcards. Six water bottles. My high school yearbooks. Three plastic bins full of receipts. A still-in-the box bike helmet.
The post Seven Practical and Emotional Benefits of Decluttering appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Adaptability. Resourcefulness. Ingenuity. Resilience. These are words to keep in mind during these difficult times. We’re facing a serious health situation with a great deal of uncertainty, anxiety, and stress. There are real economic consequences. The routines of daily life have been disrupted and many people have been ordered to stay at […]
The post Make the Most of Social Distancing appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey At some point in your career, you’ll be faced with choosing a retirement gift for your boss or one of your employees. Or maybe you’ll want to come up with some gift ideas for retiring co-worker. Many people assume they’ll be able to find the perfect gift, only to discover that it’s […]
The post How to Give a Retirement Gift That’s Meaningful appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel According to Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson, the founder of Heartwood Healing and my favorite self-mastery guru, mindfulness is the practice of paying attention—intentionally and without judgment—to our thoughts, emotions and body states in the present moment. Not rehashing the past or fretting about the future. However, staying in the “now” is often easier […]
The post Three Mindfulness Practices to Try Before You Retire appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Retirement offers ample opportunities to volunteer. And once they’ve earned the freedom to retire, it’s no surprise that so many retirees choose to volunteer in their community. Volunteering offers tangible opportunities to make a difference in your community and the world at large, in ways both small and large. For some, it’s […]
The post Find the Volunteer Opportunity That’s Right for You appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams We are currently experiencing a labour shortage in North America. In the US, there are now more jobs than people looking for work and this situation is no different in Canada. If you think this is a good thing unfortunately this isn’t necessarily the case. If left unchecked for too long, this situation […]
The post Hiring Older Workers: Reasons To Close The Gap appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Over the past few months, I’ve been asking people 50+ a simple question: How do you find purpose in retirement? Here are a handful of their answers: “I’m spreading the word about phone scams so other people don’t lose their money the way I did.” “Caring for my wife. She […]
The post Power Up Your Purpose: Now’s The Time appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Remember Kobe Bryant’s retirement? It didn’t take long, but he was thriving in life after retirement. He was passionate about his second career in retirement. And he had already won an Oscar. You’ll always remember where you were when you heard the news. And again later when you heard that his 13-year-old […]
The post Lessons from Kobe Bryant’s Life After Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Everyone wants a happiness in retirement. But sometimes when you plan to retire, your visions don’t fully match up with the realities of retirement life. And there’s value in testing them so you can make adjustments ahead of time. There’s a lot of wisdom in the maxim Try Before You Buy. What about retirement though? […]
The post Test-Drive Your Retirement – Kiplinger appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
The podcasts most popular with people looking for smart well-being tips in 2020? The Retirement Wisdom Podcast is included in this list by Thrive Global of 24 inspiring podcasts recommended for 2020: If you’re planning for retirement or pursuing early retirement, The Retirement Wisdom Podcast will give you a leg up on the the non-financial […]
The post These Inspiring Podcasts Will Help You Thrive in 2020 appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Bev Bachel Just eight weeks before Maery Rose retired from her 30-year career as a business-process analyst, she went curling as part of a company teambuilding event. The result was a broken shoulder and torn rotator cuff. While such injuries would be upsetting to anyone at any time, they were devastating to Rose, […]
The post Your Greatest Retirement Asset Could Be Your Attitude appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Retirement planning is more multi-dimensional than some people think. Creating a strong financial foundation is critical. But once you’ve achieved financial independence, other non-financial factors come into the picture. It becomes less about how you’re going to invest your money and more about how you plan to invest your time. Retirement Happiness is Multi-Dimensional […]
The post Retirement Facts You Need to Know appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Retirement Wisdom Deciding what age to retire at goes beyond your financial planning. To retire smarter, it’s wise to evaluate non-financial factors, such as longevity, part-time work, social connectivity and purpose. Retirement today is often much longer period of time than it used to be. So, you’ll want to factor in how you envision making […]
The post What Age to Retire At? Look Beyond the Money appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Retirement coach Joe Casey of Retirement Wisdom is quoted on the importance of transitioning well into retirement. It has led to retirement coaching being given as a unique retirement gift to people they care about as they approach retirement. Planning for retirement is about much more than money today. A well-trained retirement coach can help […]
The post Consider the Gift of a ‘Retirement Coach’ – MarketWatch appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Retirement coach Joe Casey of Retirement Wisdom is quoted in this Wall Street Journal article by Carol Hymowitz. The desire to work longer is colliding with ageism in the workplace. The piece looks at how many older workers choose to handle disclosing their age in the workplace and considerations in their thought process. Older Workers […]
The post Older Workers Have a Big Secret: Their Age appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Early retirement is a big achievement that’s years in the making. It takes vision, planning, discipline, and sacrifice to reach the point where work becomes a choice and not a financial necessity. But there are some early retirement traps you may not be planning for yet – and they could create challenges […]
The post Early Retirement Traps You’re Not Planning For Yet appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Who needs a retirement coach? There will be over 3.6 million people in the US turning 65 each year for the next two decades. [1] And with many pursuing early retirement, there are more people than ever before navigating the transition to retirement. And there’s a growing cadre of retirement coaches […]
The post Hiring a Retirement Coach? Here’s What to Look For appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
What retirement podcasts should I listen to? As podcasts become more popular, this question comes up more and more. And what if you’re planning for retirement or striving to retire early? Or pondering when to retire? The Retirement Wisdom Podcast and retirement coach Joe Casey are highlighted in this article on how the best retirement […]
The post Listening to These Podcasts Might Push You to Save for Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey Can an elite athlete’s early retirement give clues on how to retire? I woke up extra early on Sunday morning and was surprised to learn that Andrew Luck, the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts had suddenly announced his retirement the night before. At age 29. News of his retirement leaked on […]
The post What An Elite Athlete’s Early Retirement Teaches You About How to Retire appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey A great retirement speech takes a little preparation. At some point in your life, you may be asked to give retirement speeches for a friend, colleague – or even your boss. Well, you’ll want to be prepared and navigate some of the unique nuances presented by this type of speech. And you’ll […]
The post How to Give a Great Retirement Speech appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey Do you envision working longer after the “traditional” retirement age? I had a great experience this month going to FedEx Field in the Washington, DC area to see The Rolling Stones in concert. It was surreal to see a band that I first saw when I was 18 in the mid-’70s with […]
The post What Can The Rolling Stones Teach Us About Working Longer? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey When Can I Retire? It’s a harder question today. And it’s less often triggered by a specific date or age – or even a number. It’s more about your readiness. The essence of retirement is freedom. If you’ve earned the freedom to retire, you can taste what it will be like to […]
The post Freedom is Just Another Word for … Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Graduates who flock to Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and big law in search of prestige might be in for a harsh wake-up call only a few years later Retirement coach Joe Casey of Retirement Wisdom comments about what people are more interested in when changing jobs later in their careers. [pdf-embedder url=”https://www.retirementwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Business-Insider-article.pdf” title=”Business Insider […]
The post Prestige may not be enough – Business Insider appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey What will the next chapter be in the story that you’re writing? I had the pleasure of attending a CIRKEL intergenerational networking event in New York City this week with our 21-year-old daughter. It was a great experience – and it was interesting to compare notes on the way home on our […]
The post What Story are You Writing? 6 Lessons to Fuel Your Next Chapter appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams I read a really interesting article in the New York Times recently entitled “When Is The Surgeon Too Old To Operate”. The article highlighted that similar to many other professions, the population of physicians is aging. It then went on to raise the question of how to determine whether an aging physician […]
The post Is the Real Issue Age or Competence? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey When it comes to planning for retirement are you an optimist, pessimist or a realist? I consider myself a dyed-in-the-wool Optimist. But there’s no doubt that a lot can go wrong. That’s why we have so much insurance. It’s necessary to protect against the risks we all face in life. Yet there’s […]
The post Are You Really Planning for Retirement Without a Back Up Plan? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Retirement Wisdom’s Joe Casey comments on what one can do if considering a phased retirement. Is Phased Retirement a Good Fit for You? -US News & World Report (by Rachel Hartman)
The post Is Phased Retirement a Good Fit for You? – US News & World Report appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams There was some interesting research published by Stanford Business School recently. In their post they shared that 40% of American retirees would prefer to be working. For anyone who dreams about retirement, this could be quite a shocking statistic. For many people, counting down the days to retirement is part of a working ritual […]
The post When It Comes To Working – Let’s Get Flexible appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey Are New Year’s Resolutions passe’? The eye test says Yes. You see the crowd of new people at the gym on January 2nd, only to see them fade away by Valentine’s Day. Data also backs this up. One survey showed that “only 16.3% of people over the age of 50 achieve their […]
The post Upgrade Your New Year’s Resolutions – 6 Helpful Tools appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey The best retirement gifts aren’t the most obvious ones. Thinking about the special gifts you’ve personally received over the years just might lead you to find the best retirement gift ever. One of the greatest gifts I ever received came from my mother. My grandfather was the Fire Chief in my hometown […]
The post Looking for a Better Retirement Gift in 2020? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Are you or your loved ones vulnerable to fraud? It’s worth thinking about. A study by Annamaria Lusardi at George Washington University and her colleagues found that “nearly one-third of respondents reported that someone had used or attempted to use their financial accounts in the past five years.” (1) It takes a lot […]
The post Are You Staying Ahead of the Fraudsters? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey Finding balance is challenging in your working life. When you transition to retirement, how you structure your days in retirement can be a key factor in how satisfied you are. Remember when you were a kid? A frequent question from adults was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” […]
The post Are You Heading for a Busy Retirement? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams You are thinking about retirement and would like to transition into it. Maybe working part-time to start would be great. Or even just having some more flexibility in your hours would be a bonus. Your employer realizes that you’re getting close to retirement and would like to retain your skills or have […]
The post The Retirement Discussion Dilemma appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey Will your retirement happiness be soley linked to your bank account? State Street Global Advisors recently released their 2018 Global Retirement Reality Report titled The Happiness Formula. The survey is macro-focused and the formula consists of three factors – Trust in the Savings Systems, Ownership of Retirement Role and (financial) Preparedness. Of […]
The post Does Money Buy Happiness in Retirement? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Different things can prompt you to ponder the question of whether or not to become an entrepreneur in the mid-to-late stages of a corporate career. An acquisition. A restructuring. An early-retirement buyout offer. A new boss who wants his or her own people. There’s a cyclical nature to life in the corporate world that […]
The post Could You Reinvent Yourself as an Entrepreneur? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey It’s Back to School season. In our home, our youngest daughter began her junior year in college last week. Our son is starting his junior year of high school this week. It’s a time of transition. The return of the backpacks.How about you? Are you headed back to school? People tend to scoff […]
The post Back to School. How About You? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
See comments by Retirement Wisdom’s Managing Partner Joe Casey in this Wall Street Journal article by Carol Hymowitz: [pdf-embedder url=”https://www.retirementwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/The-Tricky-Task-of-Managing-the-New-JC-WSJ.pdf” title=”The Tricky Task of Managing the New JC WSJ”]
The post The Tricky Task of Managing the New, Multigenerational Workplace appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey There are strong crosscurrents swirling in today’s workplace that significantly impact older workers. People are living longer and many people expect to work longer than previous generations. But some people do not want to just continue to work in the same way forever. The key things they desire are flexible work policies […]
The post Is Your Company Ready for the Aging Workforce? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey After a while, the joy that comes from having the freedom to retire wears off for some people.n And a growing number and leaving retirement and returning to work. Yes, work! Planning well for retirement takes discipline, vision, and sacrifice and often takes decades. There are critical financial issues to plan for, […]
The post Why Are So Many People Unretiring? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
Retirement Wisdom Managing Partner Joe Casey is quoted: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/10/working-in-retirement-can-pay-off-big.html
The post When It Pays to Continue Working in Retirement – CNBC.com appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey The pursuit of happiness. It’s high on the list in retirement. Everyone wants a happy retirement. It’s one of the three “unalienable rights” highlighted in the Declaration of Independence. Happiness has also become an industry. Odds are that you’ve read a least one, and probably more, of the countless books or articles published on happiness […]
The post Why Settle for Happiness? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey What does your life after retirement look like when you imagine it? “When you are 20, you care about what people think about you, when you are 40 you stop caring about what people think about you, and when you are 60, you realize nobody cared in the first place.” – Winston […]
The post Who Will You Be in Your Retirement? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman This year we started a series of seminars on the non-financial aspects of retirement with groups of people preparing for this transition as well as those in their early years of retirement. Since everyone’s experience is different, it was insightful to see how people felt about this new part of their lives, […]
The post What’s On Your Retirement Mind? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Is it time for a new career? Can I do it? It’s inevitable that you will approach a crossroads in your career in mid to later life. Questions bubble up. Sometimes from within. Sometimes from others. Or both. The questions are around your path. Should I Stay […]
The post Should I Stay or Should I Go? What’s the Right Move? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey A colleague, executive coaching client, and friend died two weeks ago. He was suddenly stricken with an illness, fought valiantly, but, sadly, died three months later. One week before his retirement date. One month before his 69th birthday. His brother delivered the eulogy at his funeral and spoke about how he had […]
The post Why Do We Need Reminders of What Matters Most? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey There’s a lot of uncertainty we face in planning for retirement. On the financial side, we can’t control the direction of the markets, interest rates or unexpected events (Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!). On the non-financial side, there are important questions to resolve (Where will we live? What will we […]
The post Is Your Attitude in Shape for Retirement? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Joe Casey Will you be reinventing retirement? Retirement today is drastically different than it was in earlier generations. You know the drill. Pensions are a relic of the distant past, for most of us. We’ve heard about them and there’s probably a compelling museum exhibit somewhere on them – but they are not part […]
The post Who’s Your Retirement Role Model? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey There’s a lot of ongoing chatter about Millennials & Baby Boomers. A Knowledge@Wharton article last week posed the question Can Baby Boomers Succeed in a Millennial World? It noted that next year Millennials will become a larger share of the US population than the Boomers. It also pointed out that in today’s workplace there […]
The post Millennials & Baby Boomers. Can We Talk (about Retirement)? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams The other day the Washington Post published an article on some of the challenges that older workers may experience if they were planning on working in retirement. In their post they cited a term that I hadn’t heard of before – “the gray ceiling“. I’m very familiar with the term glass ceiling – specifically […]
The post Older Workers Watch Your Head – Breaking Through the Gray Ceiling appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey They say when the student is ready, the teacher appears. But sometimes the teacher shows up early and plants a seed. Twenty-five years ago, I was introduced to a concept that I wasn’t ready to grasp. I was in my mid-thirties, a mid-level HR manager on the way up, with two kids […]
The post Outdated Principles on Retirement on Your Belief Window? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Should you be worried about Guardianship Fraud? While I tend to focus on the optimistic aspects of retirement, there are many legitimate areas of concern. Will I outlive my money? What will my health be? What about health care? How about long-term care? But there’s another big concern that I was unaware […]
The post Is This Worry on Your Radar in Retirement? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams There was an article a while back about the death of a man who had claimed to be 146 years old. This made me start to wonder. Had he been healthy? Had he been able to spend time with people he cared about? Was he able to do the things he liked to do? […]
The post Aging: Preparing For Both Quantity and Quality of Life appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Is a purposeful retirement life part of your retirement planning? When people think of retirement planning, most focus on the financial side. It’s critical. But retirement is not just about money. It’s also about time. What will your retired life be like? In my work, I see smart people who nail the […]
The post Are You Headed for a Zombie Retirement? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman For many people, starting a new year is often accompanied by resolutions to do something different. The areas that seem to get the most attention focus on health or work as evidenced by increases in gym memberships, new diets or job searches. In many cases, this will require creating new habits and searching for […]
The post Retiring This Year? 6 Tips to Help Your Journey appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams The suburbs. Where homes were built outside city limits so young families could enjoy home ownership and having their own backyard. Suburban life really started to boom after World War II when many war vets returned home and wanted to settle down. At that time the suburbs were ideal. They were typically […]
The post Aging in the Suburbs – Is This Realistic or Risky? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman If you are thinking of retiring from full time work and are not sure what it will be like, you are in for one certain thing– an adjustment. Two main things I hear from people who have transitioned are: 1) dealing with a change in their identity from worker to retiree and, […]
The post 5 Tips On HowStructure Can Help Your Retirement Transition appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey You’ve seen the brochures on retirement. Sailboats. Walks on the beach, Golf. Beautiful sunsets. ‘Seashells and balloons’ as the late, great Al McGuire once quipped. They paint an appealing picture of retirement. It looks awesome! It’s important to have an aspirational vision of your life in retirement. And it’s critical to have […]
The post Will You Outlive Your Money? There Are Other Risks, Too. appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams Are you thinking about moving in retirement? Whether it’s to downsize, reduce your costs, cash in on your home equity or move closer to family – making a move can be both a challenging and exciting time. However, before you make the leap be sure to do your research. The following video from CNBC provides […]
The post Thinking of Moving In Retirement? Be Sure To Do Your Research appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman Going back 50 years when the Beatles released the song When I’m 64 I recall thinking that my parents at the time weren’t even that age. It’s hard to identify with something so far away. Yet this little ditty was enjoyable back then as it is now – only the number 64 […]
The post A Thank You to Sir Paul – “When I’m 75”! appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey What Will Inspire You to Find a Second Career? “Turn it up. It’s the Beach Boys…” “I’ve heard that before But I want to hear it again (I wanna hear it over and over)” – from Weezer’s new single The signs are everywhere. Kids toting backpacks. Football. Pumpkin […]
The post How a Concert Helped Me Learn About Second Act Careers appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman Today, September 10th is GRANDPARENTS DAY! As a relatively new Grandparent, when I talk to others about this experience – they all say the same thing: its the best thing in the world. Now I know what they mean – yep agreed! I decided to look at some statistics about grandparents in […]
The post Grandparenting – How Different Is It From Being a Parent? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams We have all heard the cries – the aging demographic, the silver tsunami, the graying of America. But what does this really mean? We know that changes will have to be made in society to support this new reality but exactly what needs to change? The following video entitled The Big Idea in […]
The post The Demographics of Aging – What Does This Really Mean? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Why is a positive mindset so important? You may have heard the parable about the Two Wolves. A grandfather is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – […]
The post Which One Are You Feeding Most in Retirement? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Some people worry that they’ll be constantly looking for things to do in retirement. That may depend on your outlook. Our head of HR once told an old story that’s always stuck with me. The story was about a traveler in ancient Rome who was walking up a steep hill where he […]
The post What Will Your Life in Retirement Be About? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Let’s call him Max — he’s one of my executive coaching clients. His company considers him a high potential leader and they’ve promoted him to a stretch assignment, way outside of his comfort zone, to broaden out his experience. They’ve hired me to help him accelerate his learning process. Right Or Left? Max is […]
The post Words Matter. Can Just One Change Your Mindset? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams They are out there. Some amazing older people doing some amazing things. These aging superstars are definitely not sitting around in their rocking chairs reminiscing about the good ol’ days. They are out there actively living them now. Here are just a few examples; There’s a 94 year old woman who just set a […]
The post Aging Superstars – Do They Promote Inspiration or Inadequacy? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman There are many things that can go through your mind if circumstances beyond your control lead you to be forced into early retirement. Your first reaction may be to “start looking for another job”. Understandable. However, depending on demand for your skills, you may discover that the job that you were used […]
The post Forced into Retirement? Strengthen those Social Ties appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey On my mini-vacation last week, I read two books – one fiction and one non-fiction. To my surprise, I encountered the same quotation in both books: “The three components of happiness are something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to.” The universe was trying to tell […]
The post Want to Discover a New Purpose? Take a Look at Your Current and Future Roles appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Joe Casey Someone sent this to me yesterday (perhaps because I’ve been a Patriots fan since 1970 when they played their home games at Fenway Park). Apparently, it’s a story that everyone on the planet has seen – except me. What Do Retired People Do All Day? “Working people often ask retired people what […]
The post 5 Ways to Keep Things Interesting in Retirement appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman Perhaps, you are starting to think about retiring early from your career. You likely have reached an inflection point where satisfaction with your current work is diminishing, or you simply want to do other things, or it just feels like it’s time. Like any major transition, an early retirement decision is something that requires thought, time commitment and planning.
Beyond the Numbers When considering early retirement, focus is usually on “running the numbers”. Everyone that I know who has elected an early exit has certainly done the math. They seek to understand their financial readiness considering possible variations and “what ifs”. Once they have settled on their financial preparedness, they usually think they are done. Well, that certainly is a critical step to take but I would suggest that you need to also prepare for what you may miss from your work life. We can learn some lessons from people that have already retired as to why they continue to perform some kind of work in retirement. When asking them, they point to remaining socially active and/or doing something challenging among the non-financial reasons. For them, work served other purposes beyond just the paycheck.
In making any kind of transition, we all wish we had a crystal ball, as to what the other side is going to look like. In lieu of that, we can create what we want our next phase to be, provided we understand our personal “gaps”. When it comes to leaving work, it is healthy to think about the following non-financial benefits that work provided us over the decades:
- Social Interaction
- Status
- Structure
- Sense of Purpose
How we value each one of these (what is most important to us) will not only help us ensure a more successful transition but can also help us design/choose what we do next with our lives. Recognizing potential “gaps” in these areas, before we retire, can save us a lot of angst after we retire.
Where Might You Have a Gap? Social Interaction – We may have already established a great group of work friends that are fun to talk with and just be around. These are people that we easily connect with. What happens when they are no longer present? Will we miss the talks and interactions? How important is this to our overall happiness? Numerous studies point to the positive impact social relatedness has on our health. This becomes more important when we retire, as we don’t have our jobs fulfilling this for us any longer.
Status – It is not uncommon for people to derive their personal identity from work. Just think how often you may have received the question when talking to someone: “So what do you do?” We have gotten comfortable in providing the answer – after all, it’s an easy one. But does that mean – what we do, is who we are? Think about how important your work identity is to you, and, how you will replace that in your retirement years.
Structure – Work has been the source of our internal clock for a long time. It has dictated when we get up, sleep, eat and take time to relax. It’s likely most of us won’t miss the control work has had on our schedules – or will we? Think about unstructured days that go for long periods of time. How important is having a structure in your retirement life? Sure, it will likely be less demanding than work, but if you’re a person that can easily drift without structure you may miss it more than you think. Having a structure or routine complete with meaningful activities can provide the right rhythm to your retirement life.
Sense of Purpose – For many, work provided a sense of purpose or value in the form of challenges and accomplishments. We likely experienced good/positive feelings for a “job well done”. If we were lucky enough, most days we actually looked forward to “doing our work” and can proudly point to our successes. Once we retire, where will you point your personal value “compass”? What will be most important for you to achieve? What will the next challenge(s) be that will energize you?
For those taking an early retirement, paying attention to these key benefits from work is especially important, in not only the adjustment to retirement itself but in helping you choose the right kind of work activity you may want to continue within your next “phase” of life. One individual that I worked with on this topic used these elements to help him choose the type of part-time work he would do next. Having isolated the need for social interaction and status, he made those priorities for his next “act”. Luckily he was able to work as a trainer/mentor to other professionals in his current field of work, thus fulfilling his continued need for social interaction and status.
It is important to remember that you should be retiring TO something, not FROM something. Awareness of the personal importance you assign to these key work benefits, and how you close any “gaps” with them, may make your path forward clearer and easier to achieve!
Listen to our early retirement planning podcast – and balance your retirement planning
The Soft Side of Retirement
The Transition to Early Retirement Requires Planning Also
The post Retiring Early? Consider 4 Work Benefits You May Miss appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
by Denis Wuestman Retirement is like life itself- it’s full of surprises. You may find yourself thinking, “I wish I knew then what I know now”. If we had a dime for all the “could haves/ would haves/ should haves” in our life…well, you know the story. Did you enter retirement life with a plan or are you just winging it when it comes to how you will spend your leisure time? Are you risking having multiple “could haves/would haves/should haves” during this part of your life?
Taking an “audit” of your leisure life up to this point may be worth it.
More than Just TV Some interesting facts may stir your creative juices as to how you ensure that you control and make the most of your leisure time. It may or may not be shocking to you, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics[i], watching TV is the #1 “leisure” activity for people age 65-74 (4.1 hours a day) versus 2.73 hours a day for all those over 15 years of age. Admittedly there is a lot of variety available to us via the TV and it has morphed into a true entertainment medium due to all the technology enhancements over the decades. (Which show are you “binge watching” now?)
There is much more to your leisure life in retirement. This is truly a time to take up activities that stimulate your mind and body and create a good balance for a fulfilling retirement life. It’s not too late! You will have a lot more time to invest in leisure activities – perhaps putting that time into the proper “buckets” can make a difference.
Key Elements of Leisure Let’s see where you are today with regards to your retirement leisure “scorecard”. In the book “The New Retirement” by Richard Johnson, PhD[ii] he defines leisure among 6 key elements, which can help one maintain a healthy balance in our retirement lives. Johnson reminds us that we must regularly “vacate” our lives to remain focused on it! Creating meaningful activities in each of these areas can help us stay fresh in mind, body and spirit. The 6 areas are:
- Social interaction
- Spectator appreciation
- Creative expression
- Intellectual stimulation
- Physical activity
- Solitude
Did you ever think that leisure had so many parts? Isn’t it just “doing what we want to do, when we want to do it”? Perhaps, but what happens if those moments put you in front of the TV for days on end? Maybe OK for some but I would argue that this could potentially lead to boredom, an unhealthy lifestyle or listlessness. In thinking about these 6 elements, it is rather easy to create a more fulfilling leisure plan for yourself and/or your life partner.
Your Leisure Audit Now it’s time for your personal “leisure audit”. Start with charting how much of your “leisure time” each day (not working/volunteering) goes to each of the above buckets? Do this for a week or two to get a good sample. Now ask yourself these questions?
- Are you doing too much of one thing and not enough of another?
- Which of these are most important to you?
- Are you satisfied with where you are today?
- What do you want to change?
- What will you do differently tomorrow or this week to start that change?
- What will help you “stick to it”?
Leisure is one of the fun parts of being retired and more of it is a well-deserved reward after decades of “less leisure time”. Unlike those times, when leisure was a break from work, our retirement leisure can really make a difference in how well we enjoy our time in retirement. Consider a balance of meaningful activities across these 6 areas of leisure – and eliminate the “could haves, the would haves and the should haves” in your retirement life. Get started today!
Listen to our retirement lifestyle podcast.
[i] Bureau of Labor Statistics Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, averages per day, 2016 annual averages (Table 11A)
[ii] Johnson, Richard P. PhD. (2001), The New Retirement: Discovering Your Dream. Career Partners International
Denis can be reached at denisw@retirementwisdom.com
The post Time for a Retirement “Leisure Audit”? appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.
By Susan Williams Over the last year or so I have talked with many people who shared with me that how they currently were living was not what they really wanted to do.
Whether it was pursuing a different profession that would allow them to be more creative or wanting to help other people more or even a desire to feel that they were making a bigger difference in the world – they all had one thing in common.
They were talking about doing something different but were not actually taking steps towards doing anything about it.
It made me wonder – what stops us from pursing what we say we really want to do?
Here are just some of the things that I think stops us;
1. Fear Fear of failure, fear of what other people would think, fear of changing relationships, fear of not having enough time are just some examples of the fear that can stop someone from making a significant change.
2. Financial In some cases – especially changing careers – I think that facing a potential financial impact may sometimes be even a bigger challenge than facing fear.
As we get older to think about changing from a comfortable lifestyle to possibly something less secure can be a real challenge. It may not only affect you – in many cases it can affect an entire family.
3. Easier Just to Talk About It Let’s be honest. It’s easier to just talk about what we would like to do in our lives rather than actually doing anything about it.
If we think about all the people who talk about losing weight, getting more exercise, seeing friends more often – but don’t – this is the same type of thing. It takes time, work, dedication and commitment to actually pursue something new.
4. Support To make a significant change can often require support – family, friends, colleagues – especially if your decision could impact others.
So why bother? If we have to get over some of these hurdles is any significant change really worth it?
As I thought about this question, I was reminded of a TED video I watched a while back presented by Kathleen Taylor, a mental health counselor who worked with people in their final days of life.
In her presentation Kathleen shared what was discovered as the number one regret at the end of a person’s life. She shared the following thought that was voiced by many in their final days;
“I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself and not the life that others expected of me.”
Based on this thought I think the answer to make a change or not make a change is truly a very personal decision.
The “follow your passion” or “pursue your dreams” advice looks great on Facebook and Twitter images but any significant change is a very personal decision with many different facets to consider.
I think the really big question is to ask ourselves how we think we will feel at the end of our lives – will the choices and decisions that we have made allowed us the opportunity to live the life we really wanted to live?
I think if we can answer this question honestly and have made decisions based on this question then the choices as to whether we decide to undertake a significant change becomes easier.
Our lives will then be something to look back on with both joy and satisfaction – and without any regrets.
Here is the TED Talk given by Kathleen Turner – Rethinking the Bucket List;
This article originally appeared on Booming Encore and was reprinted with permission.
Susan Williams is the Founder of Booming Encore – a website and social media network dedicated to providing information and inspiration to help Baby Boomers create and live their very best encore. Being a Boomer herself, Susan loves to discover ways to live life to the fullest. She shares her experiences, observations and opinions on living life after 50 and personally tries to embrace Booming Encore’s philosophy of making sure every day matters. For daily updates to help you live your best encore, be sure to follow Booming Encore on Twitter and join them on Facebook.
The post Living a Regret Free Life appeared first on Retirement Wisdom.