Well…why not? The boomers are starting to retire in droves, and we’re constantly bombarded with images of the approaching grey tsunami. Financial advisors are well prepared for this vast cohort of imminent retirees and can help us create a financial plan for the retirement of our dreams. And we are grateful for the financial advice they provide to us.
But hold on! Is that really all that it takes to have a successful retirement? And what makes a successful retirement anyway?
THE STICKY, UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATION WE LIKE TO AVOID
The conversation that I would like to have is often avoided because it’s uncomfortable, and ventures into that squirm-inducing territory of the unknown. That conversation often begins something like this. You’re at a cocktail party and someone lobs the inevitable question your way. “What will you do all day when you’re retired?” I’m guessing you either panicked at the realization that you didn’t have a reasonable answer, or you muddled your way through, before quickly excusing yourself to refill your drink. Regardless of your response, I hope that this blog will provide some insight into this sticky cocktail query. On the other hand, if you have a great answer to those questions, that’s awesome! Join the conversation anyway and give the rest of us a hand.
PREPARED? HARDLY…
The truth is, most of us are pretty diligent when it comes to preparing financially for retirement. Even if we haven’t fully reached our financial goals, we have, at a minimum, given it some thought. However, when it comes to planning how we will spend the next 3 or 4 decades of our lives…not so much.
The whole notion of retirement is changing quickly and it doesn’t look a whole lot like the retirements of previous generations. Boomers have been notorious for driving change, and this time of their lives appears to be no different. The new retirement, the one that we will talk about here, is one that is focused on purposeful living. The challenge is to create a plan to make that happen.
SO LETS PLAN
My mission is to consider pretty much all the non-financial stuff in planning your retirement lifestyle like; how do we create meaning in our lives? How do we replace things like social connections, status, structure, respect, self-esteem that we got from our work? Hopefully, this blog will encourage you to reflect and clarify your thoughts on these matters and assist you to construct your own unique responses to the dreaded “what will you do?” question!