The Changing Face of Retirement
Today’s retirement is very different from that of previous generations. Gone are the days when retirement was considered as “the beginning of the end”. On average, today’s retirees could spend 25 years plus in retirement and this offers the opportunity to find a challenging, rewarding and satisfying future.
Yet many people spend more time planning their two week annual holiday than their 25 plus years in retirement!
In research carried out by the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland (RPC), most of those who planned to attend courses course were focused on financial well being in retirement as the priority. And whilst this is obviously important, too often what is overlooked (and is every bit as critical) is managing the psychological transition from fulltime work to perhaps fulltime retirement.
Initially, freedom from the 5 day a week alarm clock, the commuting, the stresses of work and long meetings are usually very welcomed. However, we need to remember that most human beings are creatures of habit. Just as the garden will not bloom without regular care and attention, neither will your retirement without some planning and pruning.
We believe that the keys to a successful retirement are: –
- Having a positive attitude towards your future
- A clear vision of the type of life you (both) want
- A healthy approach to mental and physical aging
- A positive view of “work” (whatever that may be)
- Nurturing family and personal relationships
- An active social network (we don’t mean Facebook or Twitter!)
- A balanced approach to leisure
- Maintaining financial comfort
The essence of the RPC Planning for Retirement Course is that financial and emotional preparation should go hand-in-hand.
RPC Pre-retirement courses
We offer three types of pre-retirement courses – typically a two-daycourse:
- Open Courses – held weekly in our Dublin office or monthly in locations around the country (Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway).
- In-House Courses – held in our Dublin office where a particular Employer wants a bespoke course for their employees only.
- In-Company Courses – where a particular Employer hosts a bespokecourse for their employees only.
The Retirement Planning Council has a panel of expert speakers who cover a wide range of issues over the two days all aimed at helping individuals manage their transition into a new phase of life. Full details of our Courses may be found on our website www.rpc.ie
Brain Health
Smart thinking..
At a conference held in 2016 hosted by the Irish Association of Pension Funds, Professor Sabina Brennan of Trinity College, Dublin delivered a Paper on “Brain Health – The best Investment for Retirement”.
Research now clearly shows that brain health is very important for retirees, with the challenges of work needing to be replaced by other activity.
Her top tips for maintaining brain health into retirement are: –
- Seek out opportunities to challenge yourself. This can include cross words, Sudoko, engaging in artistic activity, getting involved in volunteering, etc.
Seek out opportunities to change yourself. Don’t get stuck in a rut.
Learn something new. Learning a language or a new hobby can be both motivating and challenging.
- Stay socially engaged. We are a highly social species. Joining a book club, a choir, a community group etc. can all prevent social isolation.
- Engage in some physical activity (even if it is only a 30 minute brisk walk at least 5 days per week).
- Adopt a positive attitude and live in the present.
An important message from her presentation was that “brain health” helps hugely in preventing Dementia.
For further information see www.hellobrain.eu. One can download a completely free app from this site which delivers scientifically designed exercises “Brain Buffs” to help your brain stay fit and healthy.
