It was interesting reading Mike Connell’s column last week because it was a great lead in for my column this week. My wife Emily and I had never gone to the Grand Canyon either. So last month for our 30th anniversary, we made the trip.
However, we did it a little different than Mike Connell and his wife. We did it all by train. We hopped on the train in Port Huron and after changing trains in Chicago, Illinois and in Williams, Arizona, we ended up in Grand Canyon Village on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
The train trip out was very relaxing and we had plenty of time to sit and contemplate and read. One of the books I took and read during the trip was Mike Connell and Dr. Frank Jenio’s book, don’t retire: REINVENT YOURSELF.
Because of my vocation, I have read a number of retirement oriented books over the years. The majority of these books focus on the financial aspects of retirement. Although Mike and Frank’s book discusses these financial aspects, the focus is on the non-financial issues of retirement such as what am I going to do and where am I going to live? Their book addresses the question, “What do I want to be when I retire?”
In addition to reading on the train, we met some very interesting people, retired people. Most of the retired people we met still had some kind of job to keep them busy. We met a couple who volunteered their summers at National Parks. There was the former railroad engineer playing conductor for a short-line tourist railroad.
And meeting retired people who were still working did not stop once we arrived at Grand Canyon Village. The person manning the transportation desk at the hotel was a former airplane avionics executive.
What Mike Connell wrote about the breath-taking majestic vistas of the Grand Canyon are completely accurate. Pictures nor words can truly impart this incredible natural wonder. However, what also made the trip memorable were these people we met.
Just about everywhere we went, we met people who were “retired”. Most of these retired people were working what I would consider a “hobby job.” They did not have to work. They had financially planned for their retirement. They worked for the adventure.
The couple who volunteered their summers at the national parks, spent the rest of the year visiting children who were spread out across the country. One widowed fellow had spent the last five years spending 12 to 18 months at a time working at tourist destinations he had always wanted to visit. His days off were spent exploring.
After meeting all these retired people and reading Mike and Frank’s book, it got me thinking. I’m over 50. I have maybe 15 or 20 years left before I retire. If the last 20 years while our kids were growing up is any indication, those next 20 years are going to go by really fast. What do I want to be when I retire?
One thing that I plan on doing when I retire is doing something. Both the retired people we met on our trip and the people I see on a daily basis in my estate planning and elder law practice have something in common. On average, the people who seem to be the healthiest, happiest and most content in their retirement are the people who stay active with both their mind and their body. This keeps them young.
And the age that retirees start to slow down seems to be increasing. I have read that nationally, complaints are up at a number of senior facilities. Many senior facilities have minimum ages such as 55 or 60. The residents in their 50s or 60s are more active than they used to be. The older residents do not seem to appreciate loud and boisterous activities of these youngsters. I have read that some facilities, instead of embracing these increased activity levels, have even contemplated raising the minimum age of residents in an attempt to minimize these rabble rousers.
Unfortunately, planning on doing something in retirement many times does not start until retirement. All too often, people retire without any idea of what they are going to do. The healthier, happier, active people I come across seem to have a plan for their retirement. If you wait until retirement, you may find it hard to do something. Staying at home and being a recluse should not be an option.
I have had people tell me that they have nothing to do in retirement and their life is boring. These people have no plan. The easiest place to start is to focus on your passions. If you like music, join a band or choir. If you want to help disadvantaged persons, there are a number of charities that are always looking for volunteers to assist. Help out at the soup kitchen. Read Mike and Frank’s book. It has a lot of great ideas and advice. I have known a number of retired people who have started second careers. Just do something.
I still do not know what I want to be when I retire. I do know that I won’t wait until after I retire to begin planning.
By: Matthew M. Wallace, CPA, JD
Published edited April 17, 2011 in The Times Herald newspaper, Port Huron, Michigan as: Active retirement is best