How often do you think about retirement?
Most of us think about it a lot — at least four times a week.1
We think about when we’ll retire and how we’ll spend our time in retirement.2,3
As exciting as that can be, it can also be nerve-racking to think about trying to fill up all of that free time.
And no matter what we dream of, the reality of retirement doesn’t always match our expectations.1
In fact, nearly half of us miss the mark on when we expect to retire. Most folks who get it wrong end up retiring years earlier than they expected.2
And that’s just one miscalculation…
We also tend to underestimate our psychological needs and our options for enjoying our retirement.4
That can make it more difficult to adjust to retirement. It can also leave us feeling unhappy and dissatisfied with the retired life we worked so hard for.
So, how can we make better plans and enjoy a truly rewarding retirement?
We can start by stepping outside of the box of convention and considering some alternatives to traditional retirement.
These novel approaches can open up new paths to growth, happiness, and deeper satisfaction in our next phase of life.
“Retirement isn’t about crossing some imaginary finish line. It’s about carving your own path for the future.”
Tailor Your Retirement to Fit Your Needs & Live Out Your Dreams
Retiring is a goal most folks share.1 It’s baked into the American dream, and most of us dream about it for years, maybe even decades.1,10
As common as that goal is, it doesn’t necessarily mean we have to share the same vision for retirement.
The truth is retirement isn’t about crossing some imaginary finish line or closing the door on work for the rest of your life.
It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing venture. And it doesn’t have to follow the same path as anyone else. In fact, you don’t even have to go with the same program year after year.
It can be easy to forget all that and get tunnel vision with conventional thinking about retirement.
But that just offers one option, and it’s not always the ideal path to fulfillment.
When we’re able to look past convention, we can start to see some better alternatives. They could help us transition into retirement more easily and adjust to it better.11
And may even help us discover more meaningful ways to invest our time and stay connected to the things we love when we retire. If we can do that, our next phase can be deeply enriching and far more satisfying than we may have ever imagined.12
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1 – https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/04/many-americans-dream-of-retirement-but-lack-a-game-plan.html
2 – https://www.ebri.org/docs/default-source/rcs/2020-rcs/rcs_20-fs-2.pdf?sfvrsn=ffbc3d2f_8
3 – https://www.helpguide.org/articles/aging-issues/adjusting-to-retirement.htm
4 – https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-for-adjusting-to-retirement-4173709
7 – https://www.aarp.org/work/job-search/info-2020/part-time-jobs-for-retirees.html
10 – https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/speech-stein-101618
11 – https://academic.oup.com/workar/article/4/4/352/4563363#121756125
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