If you have read through these posts, you know there are things we get out of work, like a to-do list, social connection, and satisfaction, that are extremely important when you go from working 40 hours per week to when every day becomes a Saturday. We have to find a way to recreate these for ourselves.
It can be a tough transition for some. Here are several examples of people who have retired well, are active, busy, and content.
Guy retired at 60. He is married with kids, quite active in church, and is part of a golf club. Here is a taste of his schedule for the last few years:
— He works out in the mornings, lifting weights and swimming at the Y
— Two to three days per week, he plays a round of golf or goes to the range. He is still receiving coaching around his short game and works with the local golf pro each spring
— He serves each Sunday at church on the parking team
— He hosts a bible study at his house each week
— He has volunteered weekly for various organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the local Y and Ada Jenkins
— He owns a pontoon boat and can be found on the lake in the summers with his family
Shannon and Dan retired at 65. They don’t have children but have two dogs and multiple nieces and nephews. Here is how they spend their time:
— Dan is an avid cyclist and runs in 5k's. He is often on the back roads training three days per week in the morning
— Shannon is into yoga and attends three to four classes weekly while also walking their two dogs daily
— Shannon and Dan are sports fans and enjoy minor league hockey and minor league baseball games locally, for which they have season tickets to both
— They both enjoy the beach and take two one week vacations to Topsail annually
— Shannon likes landscaping and is often at the local nursery and in her yard planting flowers or bulbs
— Both Shannon and Dan attend a couples' bible study and are active in their church each Sunday
Paula left corporate life in 2017 at the age of 57 and splits her time between Charlotte and Hilton Head. She is a divorced mother of two:
— While Paula left corporate life, she is active on multiple charitable boards that require monthly meetings and commitments
— Paula is in a mentoring role to younger women in the workforce and regularly has lunch in uptown with former colleagues and friends
— Paula is an active hiker
— She can be found at craft breweries taking a yoga class each week
— She serves at a local elementary school assisting children with reading
— Paula reads at least a book each week, enjoying spy novels and books about spirituality and self-improvement
Some keys to living a life of contentment and richness in retirement can be seen in all of these examples:
1. Serving others
2. Connection to something bigger
3. Strong social networks
4. Continuing to learn
5. Time to yourself to recharge
6. Continuing to be useful after leaving the workforce
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Alex Bishop, CRPC®, MS, is a Private Wealth Advisor and Franchise Owner with Bishop Financial Partners, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Huntersville, NC. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice for 23 years. To contact him, https://www.ameripriseadvisors.com/alex.h.bishop or alex.h.hishop@ampf.com.
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