"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."
– Will Rogers
Do you always feel like you're in a hurry? You hurry to the office in the morning and hurry home at night. You hurry to a vacation destination only to rush to see all the sights. We even hurry towards our retirement, and — with any luck — retirement gives us an opportunity to pause and enjoy the rewards of our efforts.
For my parents' generation, the reward of retirement was short-lived. Working 40 to 50 hours per week until age 65, many seniors of past generations retired with a modest financial plan based on Social Security and their employer's meager benefits. The joy of retirement lasted only a few short years before declining health led them to a nursing home and the end of their lives. From a view of 10,000 feet, it is clear they followed a straight line of education, career, children and then a brief retirement.
Seniors today are much more fortunate. With the expectation of a longer lifespan, baby boomers can enjoy their retirement years through a greater mix of work and life. No longer forced to follow the same linear path as their parents, baby boomers are discovering their own path — a path filled with greater possibilities.
