Has your life recently been one big shift? I hope you are weathering current world events by drawing upon skills you have learned from other successful transitions in your life. Admittedly, none of us have ever experienced anything quite like this. There are unexpected effects on all of us that no amount of planning, preparation, or expertise can address, especially on a global scale. However, this is where your skills can make a difference.
In 2012, the boomer generation began turning 65 at a rate of 12,000 Americans per day through 2029. How did these individuals plan for this big shift? Most are not focusing on retirement lifestyle planning before retirement. Although they have done some financial planning, they have spent little time planning their retirement lifestyle. Our pandemic lifestyle is somewhat similar to an unplanned or forced retirement.
A generation who scheduled appointments for everything—auto repairs, classes, estate planning, exercise, home buying and selling, home redecorating and repair, medical and wellness checks, weight loss, etc.—has been told to stay home. What are we to do with this big shift in lifestyle? Plan for retirement, of course.
Many of our boomer generation represent a wealth of knowledge, talent, desire to make a difference, willingness to serve, and availability. While companies continue to provide their employees with financial planning tools, they aren’t addressing how these employees can use their time, talents, life experience, etc. Marc Freedman, author of The Big Shift, suggests this generation could do much to address the pressing problems of our world. The educational system, the environment, and those living in poverty or with medical challenges all need our help.
What is your excuse for not planning for this big shift now? Listen to what some of my clients have said, before and after the fact:
• “How hard can this be, anyway?”
• “I thought I could figure it out after I retired”
• “I just thought things would fall into place”
• “I didn’t know what I didn’t know”
Retirement and our current lifestyles of staying at home aren’t all about travel or hanging out with family and friends. Use the questions I posed in “Change Or Keep For Retirement?” to examine what is important to you right now, as you make this big shift. Use your skills to make a difference in the lives of others and to create a fulfilling lifestyle for yourself.