My dad was a trailblazer. When he retired from his government job, he and my mom left our family home in Denver and moved to an active adult community in the hill country of Texas outside of Austin. While golf and leisure activities were part of their life, whenever my siblings and I would comment about their retirement, both parents would adamantly exclaim, "We're not retired." And in fact dad wasn't retired in the traditional sense of the word. He had become passionate about computers in the nineteen sixties. Many hours of his retirement week were spent working on various projects developing computer programs connected to geology, his other love. My father wasn't content to spend his life engaged in leisure and pleasure activities. Even through ten years of battling cancer, his final days were spent overhauling his ancient Apple Mac so my mom would be able to use it.
The concept of retirement originated during the depression of the thirties. Prior to that time, people worked until they died. In an attempt to get younger unemployed men back into the workforce, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress enacted the Social Security Act in 1935. Tied the life expectancy of the day, Social Security provided financial well-being to workers passed their prime. But, it had another affect that is still felt today. For the first time in history, older people, who had previously been the sages of the community, became marginalized and unappreciated.
The brilliant builder and marketer Del Webb changed those feelings in the early 1960's by creating the concept of the leisure based retirement. No longer left to rock in chairs on the front porch, working-class seniors could now spend their time on the golf course and in the recreation center having fun. Retirement shifted from one of sitting around waiting to die to the concept of the "golden years" filled with fun and activity. That concept of retirement has largely held until recently when baby boomers began knocking on the door of third age.
Not content to follow in their parents footsteps, baby boomers will reinvent retirement in a whole new way. Many things have changed since their grandparents retired. The life expectancy has jumped from 47 in 1900 to 77 today. And it continues to grow. Baby boomers have not worked in the physically demanding jobs their parents and grandparents encountered. Baby boomers approach retirement as the healthiest, wealthiest, and most active group that has ever walked the planet.
Even though over seventy percent of baby boomers report they want to continue to work past retirement age, many want to shift into work that is more rewarding. The problem many mature adults face is they don't know what it is they want to do.
It is naturally assumed that people who were successful during the prime years will be equally successful in Third Age. Unfortunately, without planning, there is no guarantee that Third Age will be rewarding, especially for people who are successful. Many of the things that made for success in the prime years are no longer present or as important in Third Age. The prime years focus on what you acquire, whether it is the status of a profession, a comfortable lifestyle, or a support system. Those things shift with retirement, both in their importance and availability.
Article Provided by Cathy_Severson
Cathy Severson, MS helps you make the most of your retirement. Baby boomers understand this isn't your parents retirement. Find out how to make the rest of your life the best of your life with the complimentary e-book 7 Ingredients for a Satisfying Retirement at http://tinyurl.com/8moymb
