Transcript
Speaker: Retirement.
Speaker: That's what we're all aiming at, right?
Speaker: But exactly what does that mean?
Speaker: It conjures up visions of endless days of golf, drinks with little umbrellas in them on a tropical beach, feet up, reading a book.
Speaker: Is that what it's all about?
Speaker: I don't think so.
Speaker: Life would get pretty dull after a while without anything meaningful to do, don't you think?
Speaker: I'm Jackie Doucette, and I'm on a mission to discover exactly what life is like beyond retirement.
Speaker: Join me while I chat with people who've already done it, who've retired to something rather than from something.
Speaker: Let's find out together exactly what's waiting for us when we say goodbye to that nine to five.
Speaker: I recently stumbled on a new website called Today's Elder, that's todayselder.ca, without the apostrophe in todays, and I wanted to give them a bit of a shout out.
Speaker: They've worked really hard to build a portal for people over 50 where we can go to chat with other people about anything from what we're reading to vacations we've taken, antique cars, recipes we love, or anything else you can think of.
Speaker: We can find out what's going on at home and around the world.
Speaker: You can learn about new things on their Old Dogs, New Tricks show.
Speaker: And we can delve into old TV shows that we might have forgotten and cartoons and music.
Speaker: It's completely free to join and you get access to all of this stuff and much more.
Speaker: While those of us over 50 don't necessarily consider ourselves elders, we do look at life a little bit differently than other age groups.
Speaker: And we've seen a lot of different things in our life.
Speaker: Some of us are really tech savvy, but not all of us are.
Speaker: And today's elder acknowledges that.
Speaker: And they've built a community where we all fit in.
Speaker: We certainly aren't like the elders of generations before us.
Speaker: And this is a place that has something for everybody.
Speaker: This quick little radio commercial gives you a little taste of who it's for.
Speaker: We've been getting a lot of queries here lately from people wondering what the heck we're all about here at Today's Elder.
Speaker: So let's start with a little bit of history.
Speaker: You might have had a pixie cut or a ponytail, or you might have had a twiggy cut, or you just let it grow out with a headband.
Speaker: You also may have sported a shag cut or a farra cut.
Speaker: Now, your date likely h ad a crew cut or a pompadour.
Speaker: Or he let his hair grow out to his shoulders that touched his tie-dye t-shirt.
Speaker: Or finally he may have sported a full afro or a mullet.
Speaker: You may have worn a poodle skirt with your blackmate saddle shoes.
Speaker: Or your parents were absolutely horrified by how you wore your bell bottoms.
Speaker: And you may have worn a tube top with clogs on your feet.
Speaker: And your date?
Speaker: He kept his bell bottoms, but he has now switched to disco shirts that are unbuttoned to the belly.
Speaker: Now your favorite TV show may have been American Bandstands.
Speaker: Or you might have sat down to watch The Mod Squad.
Speaker: Or The Love Boat.
Speaker: Now if all that brings back memories, then you need to join us here at Today's Elder.
Speaker: So go ahead, check it out.
Speaker: todayselder.ca And now on to today's episode.
Speaker: Hi everyone, welcome to episode 258 of Beyond Retirement.
Speaker: Last week, even though I'm trying to steer away from finances in general, I had a chat with Joe Curry, a certified financial planner.
Speaker: In that episode, we delved into the importance of identifying our values and purpose as we transition into retirement.
Speaker: Today I want to expand on those ideas and relate them specifically to people who are heading into retirement.
Speaker: So let's dive right in.
Speaker: Retirement planning isn't just about finances.
Speaker: It's about creating a life that aligns with your core values and your passions.
Speaker: Many of you may not expect to discuss values and purpose when meeting with a financial planner.
Speaker: But as we've learned from Joe, these discussions are essential to truly understanding what you want from your retirement.
Speaker: If your financial planner doesn't talk about these topics, try asking about how they relate to your financial plan.
Speaker: If the financial planner can't talk about it, you may want to consider finding someone who can.
Speaker: It's not uncommon for people to feel uncertain or hesitant when it comes to these conversations.
Speaker: Maybe you haven't been given permission to think about your values and purpose before, especially if you're unsure about your financial situation.
Speaker: We're all conditioned to think that we have to have X amount of money before we can consider retiring.
Speaker: And if we don't reach that threshold, we may never get to retire.
Speaker: But I'm here to tell you that it's never too early or too late to start exploring what's truly important to you.
Speaker: You may just surprise yourself by discovering that what you value really doesn't cost as much as you thought it would.
Speaker: In the interview, Joe introduced their Retirement Navigator, a framework that helps individuals clarify their values and align their spending with them.
Speaker: By starting with your values, you can make decisions that guide your retirement journey and determine how you want to spend your time and therefore your money.
Speaker: One exercise that Joe mentioned was listing your own values and then using a list of core values to narrow down your selection to less than seven.
Speaker: Having clear values can serve as a filter for decision-making, especially when it comes to how you spend your money.
Speaker: It gives you a sense of purpose and a compass to navigate your retirement years.
Speaker: What if you don't know what your values are, or you don't think you even know what a core value is?
Speaker: Simply put, a core value is a deeply ingrained principle that guides your actions,
Speaker: Just as an example, here are a few core values.
Speaker: Authenticity, compassion, citizenship, determination, friendship, growth, happiness, honesty, knowledge, optimism, responsibility, self-respect.
Speaker: You may notice that very few of these actually costs much money.
Speaker: And that leads us to the next part, finding purpose in retirement.
Speaker: Retirement is often seen as an opportunity to pursue your passions and interests.
Speaker: By understanding what your core values are, you can start to see how your interests align with them, and you can begin to focus on what really drives you from inside.
Speaker: Joe mentioned that by focusing on what you enjoy and excel at, while outsourcing or minimizing less desirable tasks, you can create a retirement lifestyle that fits you.
Speaker: Retirees have the freedom to do what they truly enjoy.
Speaker: Retirement is your time to fully embrace what you love and minimize activities that don't bring you joy.
Speaker: But let me be clear, finding purpose in retirement doesn't mean you have to choose one lifelong purpose.
Speaker: Retirement is a time of exploration, trying new things, embracing change.
Speaker: Your priorities may shift, and that's okay.
Speaker: Reflect on the activities and the skills that you enjoy.
Speaker: Think about your childhood aspirations.
Speaker: Outline yourself with their values.
Speaker: This can help you identify new purposes and create a retirement that gets you excited to wake up in the morning.
Speaker: People talk about retirement being about financial freedom, which I believe is having the capability to do the things you want to do without going into debt.
Speaker: By truly tapping into the power of understanding your values and your current purpose, you'll discover what you need to have the flexibility to live life on your terms.
Speaker: Remember, retirement should be purposeful, not just a never-ending vacation.
Speaker: It's about discovering and pursuing new passions, even if it means discarding some along the way.
Speaker: Don't be afraid to experiment and explore different activities.
Speaker: It's all part of the journey to a fulfilling retirement.
Speaker: Now, I know that some of you might be thinking, but Jackie, my retirement is years away.
Speaker: That's perfectly all right.
Speaker: It's never too early to start saving and planning for retirement.
Speaker: In fact, shifting from simply saving money to planning for retirement is a crucial step.
Speaker: Determining whether retirement is the right decision for you and understanding your retirement priorities can help you figure out how much money you'll need to support your retirement lifestyle.
Speaker: As we wrap up this episode today, I want to emphasize that your values and your purpose should be at the forefront of your retirement planning.
Speaker: Too often we neglect our dreams and our core values as we focus on our careers.
Speaker: Retirement is a time to reconnect with those values and start living according to them.
Speaker: I encourage each and every one of you to take the time to identify your values and explore your passions.
Speaker: It may require making significant changes, but I believe that living according to your values is the key to a truly fulfilling retirement.
Speaker: Just remember, retirement is about financial freedom, but it's also about having the freedom to live a life aligned with your purpose and your values.
Speaker: Thanks for joining me on this episode of Beyond Retirement.
Speaker: If you have any questions or thoughts on today's topic, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Speaker: Next week, I'm going to be chatting with Leanne and Lyle McCabe of the Beach Travel Wine podcast.
Speaker: I hope you'll join us.
Speaker: And that's it for this episode of Beyond Retirement.
Speaker: Thank you so much for hanging out with me.
Speaker: I hope you enjoyed it.
Speaker: Are you ready to start rocking your retirement?
Speaker: Head on over to www.beyondretirement.ca forward slash rocking it and sign up to plan out your own roadmap for retirement.
Speaker: Don't wait till it's too late.
