silvergoldmagazine.ca
MONEY MATTERS
WHO AM I
WHEN I RETIRE?
– By Brian Weatherdon, MA, CFP, CLU, CRC, CPCA, MDRT
This question can trouble people as retiring is one of the
biggest changes we do. For over forty years we manage our
time around work. Monday we went to work; Friday we left
those we’d see the coming week. Friendship, money, time,
purpose… even our identities are linked with the work we
were doing. If all that is taken away, where does it leave us?
And one of our most pressing questions can be, “Who am I
when I retire?”
Retirement Study). If we ask people how they would express
and expand their identity in retirement, their answers are
both heart-warming and challenging. So again, we ask the
question, “When I am retired, who am I?”
Two out of three people experience their greatest role
as “parent, grandparent, spouse, friend.” This is more
satisfying and valuable than any other title. When we asked
about “leisure” people included time with loved ones. And
“time”, people said, would drag if they had to spend it alone.
“Anxieties” were highest if we lose loving connections as we age.
Bess told me about going to work in a mill when her husband
left with the military. She worked there until a massive flood
in her town washed the mill downstream. I believe Bess
As cities report a third or more of their households are
shared this story because it reflected how her life opened and “single”, no one questions the vital role of family and
expanded outside the home, which she enjoyed immensely. friendships. If we don’t matter to someone, we risk not
Her eyes gleamed in sharing these stories.
mattering to ourselves either. Solitude at any age may wear
When I first met John he announced himself to be “a railway thin in the absence of kindness and loving appreciation.
man til the day I die.” Oddly though he had been retired
What’s your role?
18 years and still identified himself by the career he had left.
Over half of us see ourselves as “volunteers”. And this
Such was the power of his lifestyle at work that “railway man”
offers great freedom because you can choose whether to use
was his permanent title. Many of us rely on the habits and
work-related skills, or totally different abilities in volunteering.
schedules of a career to express our identity. Retirement then
I know an accountant who helps build schools and health
can threaten losing that identity.
centres in Central America. A former store manager gives
time each February to fit people with glasses in a mountain
Survey says...
I’ve been conducting surveys and interviews with people village of Peru. A retired steel manager offers his skills in a
who are retired or preparing for retirement (More results and local community foundation. A business consultant is helping
stories in my book*, Your Business, Your Retirement – Halton an inner city mission with teenage boys’ basketball. Time,
money, heart and passion… Wherever we invest ourselves to
help others will enrich our lives, expand relationships, and
bring new value to “who we are”.
Sustaining Income
and
Retirement Lifestyles
www.GuaranteedIncome4Life.ca
Brian Weatherdon
CERTIFIED RETIREMENT COACH
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
(905) 637-3500 x 223
[email protected]
28
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Over a third expect in retirement to become “Travellers and
Storytellers.” We want to see new places, gain new insights, and
share these experiences with others. And if one partner wants
more home-time while the other has a pent up wanderlust
then we can discuss how and where to satisfy these desires.
Some go into retirement as “Worriers”. Two of three people
say their biggest worry is about not having enough money to
meet their needs and live as they want. Many also worry about
caring for parents or kids. With only one in ten possessing
a written financial plan, many fear their future could be cut