The Boomer generation is facing new challenges as they retire. Women in particular are experiencing a different kind of retirement. We are the first generation to retire in large numbers from life-long careers, and there are few role models to show us how to retire well. Like you, I have many questions as I try to figure out how to retire on my own terms. If you’re wondering how to make the best of this time or you’re looking for ways to create a meaningful legacy, join me and let’s figure this out together.
“Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.“ Harry Emerson Fosdick, Preacher (1878-1969) Many women, and I count myself among them, grew up promising ourselves we would raise our children differently than our parents raised us. Guess what, we didn’t, not substantially anyway. As we matured, we admitted that our parents knew a …
“The challenge for us is to treat aging not as a gentle decline, a slipping into the margins of society – but as a new adventure.” Marni Jackson, Journalist Many women enter the autumn of their years, chomping at the bit to embark on new adventures. Slipping into the margins of society is not a …
Read moreInfluences, Myths, Realities, Change That Shape Women’s Lives
“As you set out in search of Ithaka, pray that your journey be long, full of adventures, full of awakenings. Do not fear the months of old… You will not meet them in your travels if your thoughts are exalted and remain high, if authentic passions stir your mind, body and spirit.” Constantine Peter Cavafy, …
Population aging is inevitable in societies where you have a combination of declining birth rates and longer life due to medical advancements. It imposes new realities for these societies, where they simply cannot afford to set an aging population adrift without the necessary programs and services to help them remain productive members of that society. …
Read more4 Ways to Embrace An Aging Population And Connect Generations
In 1999, it cost only seventy dollars to build a well in Uganda; yet most families had to travel many miles each day to find safe drinking water. Ryan Hreljac, a 7-year old boy from Ottawa heard about this and was so moved that he started a campaign at his school and raised seventy dollars …
“This is a new and different world. The challenge is to cope with it; not just cope but thrive. India, like life itself, I suppose, is about what you bring to it.” These are a few words from the script for Judi Dench’s character in the movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011). She reflects …
There is no question Boomers are re-writing the script that defines retirement. They no longer fancy a life of uninterrupted leisure, but rather look for opportunities to develop and the right mix of productive activities. One important component of that mix is work. According to a 2014 survey of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, …
Barbara Beskind is 91 years old and on the payroll at IDEO, a design and innovation consulting firm in Silicon Valley. She still commutes to work one day a week. Three years ago she saw an episode on CBS’s 60 Minutes about IDEO and decided she’d like to work there. They hired her and today …
Read moreFour Anchors That Promote An Enriched Retirement Life
When Ian retired a few years ago, I found myself wishing for the day when I could announce my own retirement. A few months later I saw him and asked how he was enjoying retirement. “I hate it, I never should have retired,” he said. He identified so strongly with his work that without it …
Read more12 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You “Un-Retire”
If I asked you what hopes you have for your retirement, what would you say? You might be surprised to hear that most people say they don’t want to stop working. The answer seems counterintuitive to the notion we have about what retirement should be, doesn’t it? But for a generation who measures much of …
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover,” a quote from author, H. Jackson Brown Jr, in his book, P.S. I …
When Ian retired a few years ago, I felt envious, wishing for the day I could announce my own retirement to come. A few months later, I asked him how he was enjoying retirement. “I hate it, I never should have retired,” he said. He identified so strongly with his work that he felt lost …
Read moreIrrelevance in Retirement – Not An Option For Boomers!