Category: Retire Slowly

Retirement marks a major life transition, one that not only signals the end of a career but the beginning of a new and blank-slate phase of life. Increasingly, experts are recognizing this period as its own distinct life stage—a time of potential, reinvention, and challenge. Programs at Stanford, Harvard, Notre Dame, and the University of […]

If you’ve ever reflected on how much time you really have in your life, you may have come across the book Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. The title is a sobering reminder of the typical number of weeks in a lifetime—about 4,000 if you live to 77. But if you’re approaching or have reached […]

At recent Sunday services, I was tuned in for a word or phrase that might offer some guidance for the week ahead.  From Psalm 90, I got what I was listening for: “Our days may come to seventy years,    or eighty, if our strength endures;Teach us to number our days,    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” […]

Last week I offered some ideas on how to think about wealth in different ways. While I was fairly adamant that income does not equal wealth, I didn’t touch on how much financial wealth is required for a comfortable retirement relative to your specific needs. In part 2 this week, I’ll address that question.  “How […]

One key aspect of retirement – whether you take a phased approach or not – is your personal financial situation.  If you haven’t addressed your financial needs you may have to continue working and putting off retirement until you’ve built up a more sustainable cushion. Today I want to share “part one” of what it […]

We can learn a lot about having a productive retirement from those who are called to a vocation of religious service.  Pastors, rabbis, priests, nuns and others can have a career – a vocation – that spans decades.  But they do ultimately retire – although they typically stay quite active and can offer a model […]

During a shakedown cruise, a new ship is put through simulations of real life working conditions. This allows the crew the opportunity to get familiar with the ship and to ensure the vessel is fully functional.  The term “shakedown cruise” is believed to have originated during the transition from sail to steam power. The early […]

It’s been a bit longer than usual since my last post. I blame these summer days – there’s so much to fit in with family time and reunions, friends, work, travel and other interests. That and I’ve been spending time looking at travel brochures (mostly online but some paper versions).  Time visualizing the Canadian Rockies, […]