Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

Friends enrich our lives. No questions about that. Sometimes we find ourselves just a bit short of friends: they move, they die, we change, they change. There are endless reasons. Sometimes we need to make an effort to enrich our number of friends. Not much but a little. What to do?

I am not a list maker by nature. There is only one list that has really mattered to me over the long haul. I made it over 40 years ago. It has served me well right into retirement. It may give you something to consider.

Retired folks love to travel and they especially like to travel to see parents, children and grandchildren. These are sometimes called love trips. They are so revered and yet so damaging. What to do?

Elections can be a challenge. What can we do when things do not go our way. Sometimes the results of an election in a democracy send a shock wave to our very soul. We may need courage the following morning and the next few years.

"Taxes are the price we pay for civilization society" so said Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. Of course this is the way it should work. Sometimes things go wrong and taxes are assessed unfairly or reduced so civilized society cannot function. I always look at his quote as being the way it should be. I want to believe it.

Some folks feel a tinge of guilt upon retirement. They feel like they should be doing something productive or meaningful with their lives. Perhaps we need to take a step back and consider what we are and have been doing with our lives all along. The guilt may turn to comfort or contentment.

As we get older more medical issues require attention. We have all heard of getting a second opinion for medical issues. I have had some experience with this throughout the years. Here is something to consider.

As we get older more medical issues require attention. We have all heard of getting a second opinion for medical issues. I have had some experience with this throughout the years. Here is something to consider.

What is it like when one spouse decides to retire and the other one decides to do the same at the same time? Does it work well? Here is one example that might set you to thinking.

Here is the second of a series dealing with retiring and relocating. Should we venture down the road or stay close? Here are a few more examples and lessons to keep in mind.

Retiring and relocating is an option. Many of us want to make more than one change when we end the daily routine. Should we venture down the road or stay close? Here is one story.

This is the second part in a two part series concerning what to do after retiring. These are just some examples of what has worked for me and I am sure others over the years. They follow the Spinozian idea of the nature of happiness.

Retiring is something new - for most of us. What will we do? Which way will we turn? What will bring us the most happiness? Do we even know what happiness is? We might want to give it some thought.

Sometimes we throw caution to the wind and live our dreams. This podcast is about two such stories. Retirement can be a time to realize ideas of life as we always wished. All it takes is...

We don't really know how long we will live. That presents a problem when we consider retirement. No way of getting around that unknown fact. We have to make our best guess. Then we have to make the most of it.

"Time to eat" my mother would say. And we would all bound to the table. It was a delightful moment. It still is - even more so. Retirement offers us time to prepare, consume and enjoy food like no other time in our life. With just a little thought, effort - and help - we can take this activity to a new level.

Are we really helping when we help? Or are we just enabling? Sometimes it is hard to tell. But it is an important question. We do want to help but sometimes we goes to far and interferes with someone else's independence. Too much help can be stifling. Retired people have lots of opportunities to help or hinder.

Change comes so fast it is impossible to not feel overwhelmed at times. We hear our children or grandchildren talk and don't quite know the language. We can kick back and let it all go. Must we always be learning something new? Choices, choices, choices.

If we are going to a lead a retired life with meaning it is obligatory to pause: to pause and think. When we retire we have a bit more time for reflection. We need to build it into our busy schedule. Time to think.

Parents give meaning to our lives as children; then teachers and then bosses. Family and work responsibilities shape much of our interests and time. Then comes retirement and many of us find ourselves in a unique position. We can finally choose our own meaning. For some, it is not so easy. (Part 1)

Is being irresponsible always bad? Some people seem to look on it as nothing more than taking a bit of a risk. That can't be all bad. Retirement rids us of lots of responsibility and opens the door for walking a bit more, or even a lot more, on the edge.

We can spend a lot of time on things of which we have no control. Our thoughts and sleep can be cut short. It might be best to accept what we must and focus on those things we can control or at least influence. Our life can be better.

There is no friend like an old friend. Someone must have said that. Retirement allows us time to reach back and reconnect. It also allows us time to reach out and make new friends. It may involves a little risk and require a little effort

Retiring and exploring go hand in hand. At least they can. Many believe they have to jump on a jet to far distant places to explore. Not so. Many new experiences can be had very close to home for those attuned.

Retirement is about more than money. Choices need to be made concerning money. But there are many decisions that do not concern financial and investment issues. We need to think about these.