Bravo for the Encore Career

We have a lot of posts on our blog about retirement issues; planning for it, saving for it, protecting it.  But what if retirement could be not just an ending, but a new beginning?  What if retirement was your opportunity to decide anew “what you want to be when you grow up?”

Many new retirees are doing just this, turning retirement into an opportunity to do the thing they’ve always wanted but were afraid to try.  Choosing a second “encore career” is attractive to retirees for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it takes the pressure off of their retirement savings.

Due to healthier lifestyles and better healthcare, many people who reach retirement age aren’t so much ready for retirement as ready for change.  After years of working their way up in a career that helped pay the mortgage and put the kids through school, they yearn to spend their Golden Years doing something more personal.  For some people that means doing something philanthropic, many others see it as an opportunity to do something creative.

Even with a lifetime of experience behind them (much of which will prove helpful in a second career), there will always be a transition period into any new venture.  Kerry Hannon’s article in U.S. News and World Report entitled 6 Tips On Planning A Second Career addresses just that issue.  In the article, Hannon gives practical advice that may have been forgotten after years of working in the same company, advice such as “connect with a network”; as well as more specialized advice such as “upgrade your education or skills.”

One thing is for sure, retirement doesn’t have to be the same thing for all people anymore.  Whereas for some it will mean a condo on the beach in Florida, more and more people are choosing to use it as an excuse to rediscover the profitability of their joys.

What will the future hold for you?