What Can a Retirement Coach Do For Me?

Most of us model our ideas of retirement around what our parents did. For baby boomers, that meant a life of ease. Golfing and moving south, travel, or becoming snowbirds. That model doesn’t work for most of us anymore. The average retirement age is dropping, even as our average life span is growing. That means people are seeking meaningful ways to spend this fabulous time of life. Some follow a passion that has long been pushed to the backseat. Others launch a pet business they’ve always had percolating in their minds.  
Most of the ‘retired’ people I know have fully engaged lives. Some have their own business, some consult, many volunteer. But one thing is certain. They are not sitting around on the front porch sipping iced tea. No, those days are gone for this and subsequent generations. “This new definition of retirement encourages us to sparkle as never before, with a new freedom of action and a deepening of the human spirit” says Dr. Richard P. Johnson.
According to Dr. Susan W. Lehmann and Dr. Phillip R. Muskin, “The key to a successful and happy retirement is preparation. Any major change in life, whether it’s getting married, having children, moving, changing careers or dealing with illness or death, causes stress, and stress is a primary risk factor for depression. Retirement is no different.”
Some common roadblocks to retirement people face are:

1. My identity is wrapped up in my work. Who am I if I’m not working this job?
2. I want to retire, but I have aging parents and/or adult children who need my financial support.
3. I don’t have any hobbies. How will I fill my days?
4. I’m concerned about how retirement will impact my health.

All of these are valid questions and concerns, and this is where a retirement coach can help. It begins with you taking an assessment that helps identify focus factors, areas of your life that may be holding you back from retiring. Your certified retirement coach then helps uncover insights about your unique personality, profile and circumstances that affect you as you transition to retirement. Then your coach will keep you on track as you develop a clear definition of your desired retirement lifestyle.
People often ask me when they should start planning for retirement. I ask, “When did you start saving money for retirement?” It’s really never too early or too late to start planning how you will spend all those post-retirement years