Planning for a meaningful retirement

One way to decide how you will spend your retirement is to think of it as a question of the meaning of life. Think back on your life and what made it meaningful. Make a list of your values and your options for retirement and then brainstorm. Write down goals and likely scenarios of what might happen after your retirement, and what life will be like in five, ten, or twenty years.

Looking to the future

As you look ahead, two important scenarios to consider are that someday (1) you might need a caregiver to help you deal with the normal tasks of living, and (2) someone you love may need you to be a caregiver.

Are you ready to be a caregiver?

How can you best plan for the possibility of entering a life of care giving or care receiving? One route would be to spend time with couples you already know who are in a caregiving/receiving relationship and help them out as needed. Another good way is to join the UMRA Cares Committee. You will learn a lot while offering to help others when the need arises.

In our committee work, we especially need people to help with workshop planning. This year we hope to establish connections with the Wilder Foundation Caregiving Program to provide more support for our UMRA members who are caregivers.

In my opinion, being a caregiver in some way is the most meaningful way to use your time in retirement. Helping others offers more reward and appreciation than just about anything else you can do. Caring for the environment is a close second in terms of yielding gratification.

Some people may think that a retirement filled with golf games, going to dinner with friends, and winning the lottery is the quickest path to a meaningful retirement. However, if you read the research literature on happiness, you will find that deep happiness, also called true happiness, comes, not from pleasure-seeking, but from helping others with things they need done.

Join UMRA’s Cares Committee

To get started with learning about caregiving, and working with others who are following paths to greater meaning, join the UMRA Cares Committee. For more information, send an email to ([email protected]) or call me at 612-963-6660.

--Ron Anderson, chair, UMRA Cares Committee

The UMRA Cares Committee recommends The U of M Advanced Careers Initiative

For this academic year, the U’s College of Liberal Arts has launched a new program called “Advanced Careers Initiative” (UMAC) led by Professor Phyllis Moen, a national expert on the Encore movement. This year she is teaching a special seminar on this topic, targeting those who wish to transition from a career job to other work that provides meaningful engagement.