I am at an age where I know a lot of people who have "retired" and more who are talking about how long until they can "retire". The longest job I ever had was 11 years. I never worked for a company that had a traditional pension. Most of the people I know who worked at the same place for 30 years and earned a pension hated their jobs for probably 20 of the 30 years. I enjoyed every job I had and I still want to work another job.
I believe the pervasive attitude about "retirement" is misplaced. You shouldn't be working a job you hate for 20 years just so you can do what you want, how you want and when you want after trading the best years of your life. As we age, we often have to spend more of our time managing our personal health, so we can't necessarily go to an office for 40 to 60 hours a week. But I don't think we should be spending 20 hours a week on the golf course either. Society needs the experience and knowledge that comes from age. We shouldn't be denying society the benefit of our years of experience.
So, what exactly does "retirement" mean to you? Does it mean you feel like you've given everything you have to give and now you think your best use is to drive around the country in an RV and go fishing 5 days a week? If you are spending 30 hours a week with the grandchildren, helping your kids manage child care, is that really "retirement"? Or have you just changed your priorities in life and you are now "working" for no pay as a child care professional? Does "retirement" simply mean you can freely take off 3 hours a week from other responsibilities for your various appointments with physical therapists, cardio-vascular specialists and other medical practitioners? I'm not really sure I am looking forward to extra hours in medical office waiting rooms, but I accept that it will become increasingly necessary for me as I get older. That doesn't mean I can't spend several hours a week educating younger people, either formally through teaching college classes, or informally through tutoring. And then there is the ever elusive personal memoire to be written. I suppose many best-selling authors might say they "retired" after their first best seller, but that doesn't mean they stopped writing.
Planning for retirement, or maybe non-retirement, should include a plan of what you are going to do differently with your time if you no longer have the responsibility of showing up at the office every day. It should NOT be a plan to turn on the TV, sit on your couch under a blanket all day and check-out from life.
Traditional retirement is dead. I loved the part where you wrote that planning for retirement, or perhaps non-retirement, should include a plan for what you will do differently with your time if you no longer have the responsibility of going to the office every day.
I'll give you 2 months premium subscription to this newsletter for free, your comment was worth reading. How about you write a guest post for this newsletter. If so, let me know privately.
I am at an age where I know a lot of people who have "retired" and more who are talking about how long until they can "retire". The longest job I ever had was 11 years. I never worked for a company that had a traditional pension. Most of the people I know who worked at the same place for 30 years and earned a pension hated their jobs for probably 20 of the 30 years. I enjoyed every job I had and I still want to work another job.
I believe the pervasive attitude about "retirement" is misplaced. You shouldn't be working a job you hate for 20 years just so you can do what you want, how you want and when you want after trading the best years of your life. As we age, we often have to spend more of our time managing our personal health, so we can't necessarily go to an office for 40 to 60 hours a week. But I don't think we should be spending 20 hours a week on the golf course either. Society needs the experience and knowledge that comes from age. We shouldn't be denying society the benefit of our years of experience.
So, what exactly does "retirement" mean to you? Does it mean you feel like you've given everything you have to give and now you think your best use is to drive around the country in an RV and go fishing 5 days a week? If you are spending 30 hours a week with the grandchildren, helping your kids manage child care, is that really "retirement"? Or have you just changed your priorities in life and you are now "working" for no pay as a child care professional? Does "retirement" simply mean you can freely take off 3 hours a week from other responsibilities for your various appointments with physical therapists, cardio-vascular specialists and other medical practitioners? I'm not really sure I am looking forward to extra hours in medical office waiting rooms, but I accept that it will become increasingly necessary for me as I get older. That doesn't mean I can't spend several hours a week educating younger people, either formally through teaching college classes, or informally through tutoring. And then there is the ever elusive personal memoire to be written. I suppose many best-selling authors might say they "retired" after their first best seller, but that doesn't mean they stopped writing.
Planning for retirement, or maybe non-retirement, should include a plan of what you are going to do differently with your time if you no longer have the responsibility of showing up at the office every day. It should NOT be a plan to turn on the TV, sit on your couch under a blanket all day and check-out from life.
Traditional retirement is dead. I loved the part where you wrote that planning for retirement, or perhaps non-retirement, should include a plan for what you will do differently with your time if you no longer have the responsibility of going to the office every day.
I'll give you 2 months premium subscription to this newsletter for free, your comment was worth reading. How about you write a guest post for this newsletter. If so, let me know privately.