This causes some people to suffer in silence as they struggle with their new roles and identity in retirement. (It’s referred to as “disenfranchised grief” and it’s a very normal part of the transition process.) This is why it’s so important for people to develop a written plan for the non-financial aspects of retirement and why the financial services industry needs to offer these types of services instead of just financial products and advice.
Then there’s the stigma of continuing to work past the normal retirement age. Unfortunately, people don’t assume you love your work or that you’ve found a way to balance it with your personal life. Instead they assume you are either a workaholic, didn’t save enough, don’t like your spouse or prefer to avoid the grandkids for now. Nothing may be further from the truth, but once again because our culture bases so much on the traditional retirement age, negative assumptions pervade society.
The reality is, it’s time for a major overhaul of those assumptions. If we want our clients to thrive and flourish in the latter half of their lives and careers, we have to take steps to help them understand the value of work, prepare them to push back against social and cultural stigmas and, most important, help Corporate America move away from an age-based approach to retirement and productivity. Now who wants a tattoo?
Robert Laura is the president of Wealth & Wellness Group, the founder of RetirementProject.org and a pioneer in Certified Retirement Coach training. He can be reached at [email protected].