6 Resources to Help You Plan For When You Retire
Think retirement planning is for seniors? Don't have time to think about what you are going to do next week much less what you are going to do next decade?
Not to worry. We’ve curated some excellent resources to help you not only think through key considerations but also to get excited about your future. Whichever option or series of options appeals to you, take control, finish each stage on a high note, and continue to contribute, learn, and grow.
What’s So Great About Retirement?
This episode from the No Stupid Questions podcast explores everything from managing our cognitive decline in aging to the differences between how men and women spend their time in retirement.
“If you look at time-use survey data, a lot of American men, upon retirement, watch T.V. and watch a lot more T.V. than they did prior…Women are more likely to do things, like increase their volunteering, and do more household work, and increase both physical and cognitive activities.”
- Norma Coe, Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at UPenn
Many Americans Follow Nontraditional Paths to Retirement
Extroverts were more likely to follow nonstandard paths and work for pay after age 65, but they also appear more likely to move to part-time work without fully retiring by age 70.
You can dive deeper into this research by the RAND corporation to find out more about how your personality traits influence your retirement decisions.
Can You Cultivate Your Purpose?
Our culture places a lot of emphasis on “purpose.” In our careers, we’re expected to have some clear-cut goal or mantra that motivates us to achieve professional greatness and personal happiness. We are taught that we’re supposed to find one purpose or mission that stands the test of time; but just as our lives change, the focus and intensity of our purpose also fluctuates.
Pets Help Older Adults Cope with Health Issues
No surprise here. We all do better when we feel needed and loved and have the chance to reciprocate. And certain pets can also keep you more active as you age!
The Retirement Problem: What to Do with All That Time?
There’s often a combination of excitement and anxiety as people approach retirement. The excitement comes from having more free time, but the anxiety comes from figuring out how much can I afford to spend? And what will I do with all that time? The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania shares its latest research on the subject.
How to Build a Life
We are big fans of Arthur Brooks and his research-backed thoughts on how to get the most satisfaction from your second half of life. You can listen to him on his The Art of Happiness podcast, read his pieces in The Atlantic (that’s this link), or read more in-depth research in one of his many books.
“There are really only three doors you can go through here:
1. You can deny the facts and rage against decline - setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment. 2. You can shrug and give into decline - and experience your aging as an unavoidable tragedy. 3. You can accept what got you to this point won’t work to get you into the future - that you need to build some new strengths and skills. If you choose door number 3, congratulations. There’s a bright future ahead. But it requires a bunch of new skills and a new way of thinking.”
-Arthur Brooks