Vicariously, I have retired hundreds of times; and most of the time, it plays out pretty much the same. The retirement date arrives. The retirement party is celebrated and then over the next twelve to eighteen months after the retirement comes and goes since the person retires, it becomes evident that, that’s all the time it takes to complete the bucket list and the honey-do list; just twelve to eighteen months after the last day of work. I have literally received phone calls, asking if I had any job openings from recent retirees; not because they needed the money; but because they’re bored and have completed pretty much everything they wanted to do in retirement. One person said, I retired too early. I thought I was ready, but I’m bored. What do I do now?
Baby boomers especially need to stay busy. I’ve had a lot of clients over the years that have gone back to work a couple days a week, that are volunteering at churches, that are helping out in their local communities. They’re doing that, because it gives them purpose. There’s a need to be a conversation with ourselves, with our advisors, with our family, about retiring “to” something instead of “from” something. Too many people walk into retirement, retiring “from” job. They have just had enough, and it’s time to relax; but they haven’t thought about what’s next, and that’s what I want you to do, and I want to encourage you to take a look at what your purpose is in your life. What will be that next transition? You might be looking at a twenty-five-year period of time, not just twelve-to-eighteen months. Let’s figure it out before you get there.
