Retire by Degrees

  • Dan McDermott

    Phased Retirement: A Blueprint for Success

    Several years ago, during our company’s staff development cycle, I told an analyst who reported to me that he had to own the process, that I couldn’t set his goals for him, which seemed pretty obvious.  But then, since our discussion was an informal one, I said (only partially in jest), “Well, actually, I bet I can set your goals!”…

  • Dan McDermott

    Phased Retirement: Healthy Dividends

    One of the things I hear from people as they contemplate retirement is about the various activities they look forward to pursuing. Golf makes the list, of course, but their lists are long!  From running, biking, and hiking, to pickleball, and far away travel with ambitious excursions, people are planning to be on the move.  That’s great, but to capitalize…

  • Dan McDermott

    Phased Retirement: What’s in a Name?

    I started publishing articles on a phased approach to retirement by calling my blog “Retire by Degrees.”  That’s still the name and still feels like the best, most accurate descriptor of what I’m after. But it doesn’t really roll off the tongue. Even with the first posts I wrote, I used the tagline “Retire Slowly.”  My first post was about…

  • Dan McDermott

    Phased Retirement: Start to Retire Now

    When you think about retirement – what are you thinking it will be like? And more importantly WHEN are you thinking it will happen? If you’ve read my posts here, you know that I don’t think of retirement as a one-time future event. For some people it seems that the “when” is always a rolling few years away. When I…

  • Dan McDermott

    Retire Gradually: But Maintain your Network

    A gradual approach to retirement has been the focus of my writing this year. To accomplish a phased retirement, you may be able to reduce your hours at your existing company, or even leave full-time employment but continue working as a consultant. However, it’s also possible that reduced hours or part-time work as you ‘ramp down’ will come from different companies. So,…

  • Dan McDermott

    Retire Gradually: Two Things to Work on this Week

    We have a great pastor at our church.  His sermons are typically very straightforward and not very long.  Maybe that’s why he’s popular?  But, they don’t need to be long to be impactful.  And, unlike many sermons I’ve heard, they’re even better – they’re actionable! That’s because he often tells a story that paints a picture of a point he…