Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

Scam is what they call it today. We use to call it a con. There is something about it that is insidious and yet something that makes it so intriguing. Retired people are at high risk. Some of us start to loose a bit of our analytical skills. We become easy marks.

How do we determine if someone has lived to a ripe old age? That question has always interested me and does so even more as I move through the retirement years. I'd like to know when I can assume that I qualify and put my mind at rest.

How valuable is it to be a good judge of character? How valuable is it to be able to distinguish between the important and the less important? It seems that we get better at these type of things as we age. We need to be aware and take advantage of our heightened abilities.

Here are two examples of people we met who had moved to Mexico. They both chose to live off the beaten track. I'm sure you can find more standard stories of retiring to Mexico in many major sources. I tell of these because I have always been drawn to the unusual.

Retirement means travel for lots of people. We want to take advantage of the off season and the time to visit someplace different. For many that includes Mexico and for many that means air travel. Is it worth the effort? Hummm...

Death has a way of focusing one's mind. Retirement brings us just one more step to this required end. We maker lots of choices in retirement and throughout our life that look to the future. We have reasons that inform our choices. Death is always a factor.

Death has a way of focusing one's mind. Retirement brings us just one more step to this required end. We maker lots of choices in retirement and throughout our life that look to the future. We have reasons that inform our choices. Death is always a factor.

Many folks who retire feel a bit guilty about not having a job. Life can feel a bit empty and they cast about for meaningful activity. It is safe to say that guilt can sometimes become crippling. Sometimes we just need to rethink things.

Getting a second opinion concerning medical problems is highly recommended. My experience tells me that even that may not be enough. Sometimes a third or fourth opinion might be even better.

Retirement can complicate explaining our life activities. We exchange what was once a job description for a complexity of life experiences. Not easy to explain but wonderful to live.

"The husband is now underfoot all the time". I've heard that before about retirement. It doesn't have to be - nor should it be. Quite the contraire.

There is a way to relocate and stay in the same place after retirement. We accidentally discovered this alternative and practiced it for 14 years. It worked out better than we could have imagined.

Retiring allows us to seriously consider where we want to live. We may wish to stay where we are and then again we may wish to fulfill some lifelong dream of living somewhere else. What to do?

This episode is a continuation of 568. Here are a couple of examples of pursuing the Spinozian concept of happiness. They are not intended to be The ones to pursue. They are just examples. You must choose your own.

Retirement can seem like a dream for many of us. Then the day comes and the following Monday we feel lost. Now what? That feeling can not only happen but it can drag on. Where will we thought we would find happiness does not appear. Why not?

When the opportunity to retire first comes to our minds we are most likely to assume we could not live without income from our job. It is then that we have to take a hard look at our life and decide what we really want out of it. More money or more time. It is a choice only we can make. We are the experts on this one.

Since writing this podcast over 11 years ago I wanted to revisited it and see if my thoughts have evolved. It still stands but did need a little more consideration. (And the music is different) It never hurts to reconsider.

Isolation is one of retirements major threats. We lose contact with our work friends. Sometimes we move and loose our neighbors we have known for years. No one wants to live a life of complete isolation. That's where ROMEO comes into play.

Upkeep seems to be one of life's necessities. If it isn't our health it is our car or our house or our family and friends. The line from "Death of a Salesman" pops into my head, "Attention must be paid."

Steve is planning on retiring in two years. He wrote me a letter about his career and his thinking concerning retirement. He is giving it serious thought at age 82. He will retire at 84. Here is some of his thinking. It is worth consideration.

There is a good reason why so many retired people go south in the winter. It feels so good - so very, very good. Clear skies and warm sun for days, weeks or months have a way of relaxing and making life seem so comfortable. We might not want to wait to long to check it out.

I never imagined that I would ever be a Snowbird - but here I am. Cold, wet, dark winters drove my wife to request a reprieve from the Pacific Northwest winter. A road trip was planned and now we are in 70 degree weather. Here is our story thus far.

My friend just celebrated his ninety third birthday. How does one get to that point? Did he do something special? Does he and others like him have a secret that allows for such longevity?

A letter arrived recently from an active listener and and active retiree. Here is reading of her letter. She seems to have thought carefully about retirement and many of the listeners may find some of her ways of living a retired life to be invigorating.

It is always good to know what we are talking about and what someone else is talking about. We can often misinterpret what is being said. "Staying fit" caught me up short one day. Thinking about it made me feel much better about growing older and retirement.