Money? Pensions? Supplemental Retirement Plans (an MKA commercial)? Health? Family? Activities? Purpose?
We submit that while all of the above play a role, it is purpose that drives us, gives us health and extends our lives.
For more than 40 years, we have watched our clients retire, and, anecdotally, we can report that those who sit on rocking chairs or in front of the television seem to have more serious illness and a shorter life than those who tell us they are as busy or busier than before they retired. Why is that?
We should recognize that retirement (as in work no more and being idle) is a recent phenomenon. Until the industrial age became the driver of the world’s economy, people worked all of their lives. Retirement was a tool for industry to continually bring in new workers. It then morphed into sitting on the porch and rocking. That was ok when life expectancy was not much more than age 65.
Just having a pension, savings, deferred compensation or a supplemental retirement plan is not enough.
Now we are living longer… and many retirees can’t figure out why they are bored, tired, not in great physical shape and, perhaps, running out of money. There is time to be productive and become a contributor again.
The time to think about this dramatic change and act on it is now. Even if you are retired already, it is not too late.
10 things we can do to find purpose:
- Start planning today
- Find a regular activity
- Find a part time job
- Commit to a charity
- Go back to school and learn something new
- Write your family history
- Teach children and grandchildren about planning
- Create a “bucket list” and start completing it
- Learn a new hobby
- Exercise body and mind regularly and often
What can you add to this list? E-mail Barry Koslow at bkoslow@mkaplanners.com.
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