Re-thinking age: Your best years
Our November 2020 workshop was an uplifting presentation by aging experts Lucy Rose and Mark Fischer. Lucy Rose was an award-winning sociologist and gerontologist before switching gears and becoming an award-winning artist and author. Her husband, Mark, had a long career as a financial planner before becoming a retirement coach and author.
They began the workshop by noting the revolution in life expectancy. In 1934, when Social Security was instituted, average life expectancy in the U.S. was 65 years. In 2018, it was 79.
If you are already 65, your life expectancy is now 83 if you are male and 85 if you are female. The point is that many of us will have quite a few years ahead of us, and we need to think about what we want to do with those years.
One basic issue we need to address is how to be financially secure through those extra years. We need projections of our income and spending, and then an investment plan and a spending plan. Investing in a professional financial consultation to help with these things will likely be worth the money.
Think BIG and be ALIVE
Beyond our basic needs, we need to think about how we will spend our time in fulfilling and meaningful ways. Mark urged us to think BIG - to consider setting Bold, Imaginative Goals, things like starting a business, learning a new skill, or working to change the world.
Lucy Rose talked about the ALIVE concept: Activity, Learning, Intimacy, Vitality, and Engagement. Paying attention to each of these areas increases our changes of having a happy and satisfying retirement.
They cited examples in their own lives to illustrate both the BIG and ALIVE concepts. Mark bicycled down the Mississippi, learned to play the cello, and became heavily involved in charitable work. Lucy Rose learned to do painting on glass and authored award-winning books. Their presentation was accompanied by beautiful slides of Lucy Rose's artwork.
Visit seriousaboutretiring.com to learn more about Mark's work and publications and lucyrosedesigns.com to learn more about Lucy Rose's work and publications.
- Ron Matross, chair, Workshop Committee
Time for a radical re-thinking of age
Tue, November 17 2020, 11am
Lucy Rose Fischer
Event to be held via Zoom.
We are living at a time of age revolution. With people routinely living longer than ever before, the post-retirement stage of life can be almost as long as the working years. It’s time for a radical re-thinking about this stage of life.
Using a combination of research, practical information, personal stories, and vivid illustrations, this workshop will show how our older years can be the best time of lives.
Our presenters are Lucy Rose Fischer and her husband, Mark Fischer.
Please register for what promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking workshop via Zoom at 11 a.m. on November 17.
Lucy Rose Fischer had a 25-year career as an award-winning teacher, researcher, and writer. She has a PhD in sociology with a specialty in the study of aging. The Gerontological Society of America honored her as a fellow for “outstanding achievement and exemplary contributions to the field of aging.” She then developed another side of her talents, becoming an artist and speaker.
Her art has been in more than 100 exhibits and is on permanent display in private collections and public institutions. Twin Cities Public Television featured her in two documentaries: “The Creative Power of Aging” (2008) and “Life Changing Art” (2010). Her book, I’m New at Being Old, a colorful and whimsical picture book about the experience of aging, received a Midwest Book Award and an Independent Publishers Gold Award.
Mark S. Fischer, PhD, MBA, CFP, CPRC, had a long career as a financial and life planner. He is now a certified professional retirement coach and author of the book Serious About Retiring.
—Ron Matross, chair, Workshop Committee
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.