Welcome
Happy retirement… How to make it happen!
So, you are retiring soon, or maybe you have already retired. Congratulations! Retirement can be one of the best times of your life!
Or not…
Many people head into retirement with grand expectations, only to have their expectations unmet and unfulfilled. In fact, this occurs with two thirds of all retirees. Two thirds!
Let’s change that! Let’s give everyone – you, in particular– the best opportunity to have a fully satisfying and happy retirement.
But how is that done? According to many studies, a happy retirement is elusive unless there is a plan to make it happen.
So many folks focus exclusively on the financial part of retirement planning. Yes, having enough money is an essential piece of a happy retirement, but it is far from being the only piece.
What are the other pieces to the retirement puzzle? Those pieces are similar to those that were in your life before you retired: family, friends, exercise, etc, but they occur in a whole new way in retirement.
For example, you and your spouse know how to be married as working people, but do you know how to be married as retired people? Trust me, the dynamics of marriage change quite drastically once one or both of you retire. Unless a married couple plans for the changes in dynamics, those changes can cause problems and undue stress.
Perhaps the biggest change that occurs is within oneself. At some point, we became subconsciously dependent on the kudos and “attaboys” that typically come from working a job, and a person’s sense of self can really take a hit once those validations aren’t there anymore.
It is similar with finances: they change. The income that used to come in regularly, now isn’t there. Retiring without a strategic plan for the available finances can be devastating on a retiree’s quality of life. Even when finances are bountiful, having no plan leads to uneasiness and agitation, which can be avoided with a healthy, well-rounded plan.
This website is all about helping people navigate the many changes in retirement, from finances and marriage to physical fitness and the various emotional ups and downs of retirement.
Please peruse these pages by selecting the “Topics” tab above, and hopefully you will find helpful information to guide you to what can be a very happy retirement, indeed.
Your feedback is always welcome, and nearly every page offers the opportunity to chime in with your own advice to others about the various topics presented.
With best wishes to you for a very happy retirement,
Jennifer H. Martin, MA, LPCC, NCC