I also remember meeting Nils, a “failed retiree” (in his own words). We were talking on a westward flight and I asked him if he was retired. He said, “No. I tried that …didn’t work so well.” I asked him to explain. He told me that he had left his job as a representative of a manufacturing firm and within weeks was stir crazy, wandering around the garage looking for something to break so he’d have something to fix. Six months into his retirement, his old firm called to see if he would be willing to consult with old accounts and mentor some of the new guys.
Nils said he had an epiphany on his first trip back to an old account. They all jumped out of their chairs to greet him, wanted to catch up and invited him to have a beer and dinner. “They missed me,” Nils said. “And at that moment, I realized that, in fully retiring, I had left all those meaningful social connections behind.” These people made him feel valued, useful and productive––something we must all consider before we leave connections behind in the wake of our RV fumes.
Keep your connections vital if you want the best of your mature years. If you trade those connections in, be sure of what you’re trading for. We are all going to age (if we’re lucky), but we don’t have to get old. Keep the connections that keep your heart feeling young and needed. A growing consideration is keeping roots down here where you’ve spent a lifetime raising family and making friends. The ties that bind, the directions in which our heartstrings pull, the people who enjoy our company and are enjoyed by us––these are the connections to consider when looking at the “where” of retirement planning.
Mitch Anthony is widely regarded in the financial services industry as an expert on building client relationships and has been recognized for his pioneering work in Financial Life Planning. His innovative tools for strengthening client relationships are available through his Advisor Insights™ at mitchanthony.com.