I have this dear friend who closed his business 11 months ago and is floundering about what to do now. His father retired over a period of years and stayed in a warm climate for a couple of months and then for 6 and 7 months. His father could afford to enjoy a leisurely life when he retired and he did. He also had a couple of major health issues that curtailed his activity so retirement was a perfect fit at the time. But that was then and this is now.

My friend has been thinking about starting a new business, something part time I suspect, and is even willing to work for someone else if the person and work are suitable. So far he has arrived at a fat zero and encouraging him to look in this or that direction seems to make matters worse. So I mention the idea search when I see him because that’s all it is now, but I quickly move away from that topic.

Today a new version of retirement is emerging from the trauma of the credit crunch and the simple fact that we are living longer. Some of us will be living 30 and 40 years after retirement.

The messages are mixed. A European study recently reported that the newly retired are much happier since they stopped working. The same group of researchers also reported that workers slept better after retirement than previously. The participants were 15,000 French workers, most of them men, who answered questions 7 years before they retired and 7 years after their retirement. Workers who felt worse before retirement reported greater improvements when they retired.

The other side of the coin in my next post.

If you are retired are you at a happier place or has the economy made that question too difficult to answer. Let us know what you think.

To your healthy and successful retirement

Ruthan brodsky

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