Now Do It

There is an interesting challenge in the process of planning for retirement. At some point, you make the transition to retirement and it becomes time to shift your focus from building your plan to executing it! After so many years of planning and saving, suddenly it’s time to do what we prepared for and start spending our savings and retirement income according to plan. I know this seems obvious, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. We found this to be a surprisingly difficult change to make.

The transition period, from working life to retired life, is a time of tumultuous change. You close one chapter of your life and move into unfamiliar territory. Euphoria can be interrupted by occasional panic. Remember, you have a carefully crafted plan. You know what you want and have the means to enjoy life. Now do it.

Shortly after we retired in May of 2008, the financial crisis hit. The bottom dropped out of the real estate market, the stock market plummeted, and unemployment rose. Oops, we already were executing our plan and couldn’t turn back. Fortunately, we successfully sold our home, cashed the severance checks, and moved on. The situation required a few adjustments, but the fundamental plan was not affected.

A little bit of a leap of faith is required. Trust your plan. Let me give you an example. We budgeted for a celebratory retirement kickoff trip - the vacation of a lifetime. The financial climate caused us to postpone making specific plans for over a year. We wondered whether it would be injudicious to spend cash on luxury travel during these uncertain times. Finally, the lure of heavily discounted travel deals convinced us to make reservations for flights, hotels, and a cruise. Why? Life can be uncertain in so many ways. Today, it’s financial concerns. Tomorrow, it could be health problems. Next year it could be family issues. But right now, we have the money, we crave the experience, and it shouldn’t wait any longer. We’re doing it.

There are things I’ve always wanted to do for which I couldn’t (or didn’t) make the time. Between my career, maintenance of a house and yard, and family obligations, I found little time for my own leisure. I wanted to paint, make jewelry, write, enjoy my friends, exercise, and just have fun! The excuses I had for not doing those things has disappeared.

I’m taking my own advice, “Now Do It”. Just this week, I designed and made a bracelet, spent productive hours exercising in the Man Cave, wrote several blogs, and am looking forward to meeting new friends for dinner Friday night. I’ve moved on from planning to doing, and it feels great.

Marriage to Retirement - Another Fork in the Road

When I got married, it was the happiest time of my life. At the same time, combining two independent lives was full of adjustments. It involved moving, making decisions about furniture (sorry, but his rented stuff was out of there!), reorganizing storage, plus the most important personal adjustments. We had to become used to being together more, how we spent our leisure time, negotiating meals, what to watch on TV, who slept on which side of the bed...you get my drift. It was all new and exciting; but change is change, and it was also a little stressful.

My husband pointed out to me yesterday that there are significant parallels between the transition into marriage and the transition into retirement. For us, it again involved moving, selling and buying furniture, organizing storage, and other logistical challenges. Most important, we were redefining our combined lifestyle. Once again, we entered a new and exciting part of our lives together.

When some couples retire, they find that being together most of the time is a huge adjustment. Over the course of a marriage or partnership, you find a natural level of togetherness to which you become accustomed, based on your normal routines. Retirement throws those norms out the window, and you develop new habits that work for you as a couple.

For me and Ron, this has been a smooth transition. We never had children, so have always spent most of our time alone - together. For the last 12 years of our careers, we worked for the same company. We collaborated on several large projects and often took work home, continuing to discuss our professional challenges during the evening or over the weekend. Many can't imagine how this worked; but it was part of the closeness of our marriage, and we couldn't imagine it any other way.

If you aren't yet retired, be sure to talk with your partner about your hopes, dreams, wishes, and anxieties. If one of you yearns for a cabin in the woods and serenity, and the other wants a condo in the city and the high life - it takes time to work it out and come up with a compromise.

Enjoy the planning and the adjustment for the new and exciting retirement phase of your life. Life is truly a journey and, when you take a fork in the road, hopefully there is someone there to come along, hold your hand, and enjoy the view.