Life After Retirement

The money is handled. You met with the advisor, ran the numbers, and the date is coming into view. You did the responsible thing. The question that’s harder to answer, the one that comes up when someone asks what you’ll do with all that time in retirement, is who you’re going to be once the title is gone…

I have a question for the younger generations: When did leaving the house become impossible without a beverage companion? I’m not talking about a cup of coffee on the way to work. I understand that. I’m a coffee person myself. I’m talking about the phenomenon of the ever-present drink – the giant insulated tumbler, the designer water bottle…

A friend once told me she spent nearly six months deciding whether to move. She made lists. She talked with her children. She visited neighborhoods. She changed her mind more than once. Then one afternoon she laughed and said, “I finally realized I wasn’t trying to find the perfect decision. I was trying to become comfortable with whichever decision I made.”

Linda retired on a Friday with the kind of farewell most people hope for. There was a luncheon in the office conference room, speeches from coworkers who had become lifelong friends, a scrapbook filled with photographs spanning nearly three decades, and a cake decorated with the words Enjoy Your Next Chapter…

When I turned 70, I finally let myself stop working full-time. I figured I’d keep on teaching a course or two a quarter to “keep busy,” and then play more. The first thing to hit me was loneliness – no meetings or colleagues to talk with. The second punch was having no heart for teaching anymore. I was done…

A woman once smiled as she looked across the table and said something that made me pause. “I spent thirty years planning for retirement,” she said. “What I didn’t realize was that retirement would have plans for me.” At first, she thought she knew exactly how this chapter of life would unfold…

I heard a simple line in a movie the other night: “What doesn’t bend, breaks.” It wasn’t meant to be profound. It was just a passing remark before the story moved on. But it stayed with me. As I was getting ready for bed that night, another image appeared in my mind. I could see an entire riverbank covered with smooth river rocks…

Sometimes life feels different after 60 even though nothing around us appears to have changed. That quiet feeling can be confusing, especially when there is no obvious reason for it. Yet for many women, it is the first sign that a new chapter has already begun, long before they recognize it…

Most retirement plans assume life will continue more or less as it does today. We picture ourselves healthy, independent, driving where we want, visiting family, enjoying hobbies, and finally having more time to relax. I hope retirement looks exactly like that for you…

Are you not as happy in retirement as you had hoped? Please know there are many women out there who feel exactly the same way. Part of the problem might be that you haven’t yet found your rhythm. This article will help you figure out what that looks like for you…