Keen On Retirement

According to a new study from Oregon State University, “If you believe you are capable of becoming the healthy, engaged person you want to be in old age, you are much more likely to experience that outcome.” But that’s not typically how folks think about old age or even retirement. Instead of focusing on all the opportunities that lie ahead in the second half of our lives, we worry about experiences that may have passed us by forever or negative end-of-life transitions that we’re anticipating.

In 2019 my family took a vacation to Cabo. When I looked at the photos from that trip, I didn't like what I saw. The bottom line was, I had let myself get out of shape. I was overweight, feeling lethargic, and the pictures really brought home the fact that I needed to make some changes. On my own, I started eating better and exercising more. But I knew that wouldn't be enough to get the results I wanted. So, I did what I've advised folks to do hundreds of times in my financial planning blogs and on my podcast: I called in the pros!

A recent newsletter from health, wealth, and personal growth expert Brian Clark got me thinking about what one of my favorite books, The Alchemist, can teach us about the journey towards retirement.

When we’ve talked to folks whom I would consider “successful retirees” on this show, there’s a common theme: stay active. Whether you continue to work, start volunteering, or throw yourself into a favorite sport or hobby, retirees have to make an intentional effort to maintain connections to their communities and their loved ones.

This time last year, many seniors had never heard of Zoom or made a video call. You knew about Netflix and Apple TV, but maybe you were waiting for your grandkids to set them up for you the next time they visited. You had social media accounts, but those were just for sharing family photos. After learning how to connect, stay informed, and keep yourself entertained during the pandemic, I’ll bet your cell phone and other household technology are much less intimidating than they used to be. So, if your TV and movie queue is starting to thin out, this might be the perfect time to explore podcasts.

A recent study by Valuegraphics analyzed more than 500,000 surveys in 152 languages and determined that there are 56 values that drive all of human behavior. While the results did show some significant cultural differences between how these values are ranked, the top responses show that there is a lot of commonality when it comes to the really important things in life.