5 Secrets to Building a Happier Retirement
What separates thriving retirees from the rest? A retirement expert shares the surprising answers with Kiplinger after interviewing more than 1,200 Americans.
Wes Moss
is the author of The Retire Sooner Method and a managing partner at Capital Investment Advisors. He spent years interviewing more than 1,200 Americans to find out once and for all what the secret to a happy retirement is.
Here, he talks with Kiplinger about what he found out.
KIPLINGER: For your new book, you surveyed more than 1,200 Americans ages 50 and up. How did you determine who were the happiest?
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MOSS: I asked 35 questions about everything from their investable assets to the activities that brought them joy and purpose, then categorized everyone based on their life satisfaction, from the least happy to the happiest.
Five factors produced the highest probability of happiness: hitting what I call the money green zones, in terms of income and assets; boosting meaningful activities that bring you joy and purpose; building a community; mapping out your future with a written financial plan or life map; and prioritizing quality sleep.
How much wealth does it take to hit the money green zone, and are those levels really attainable for most Americans?
In my survey, the people who had $1 million or more in liquid investable assets, excluding home equity, were well above the U.S. baseline for happiness. Those who had $100,000 to almost $1 million were a little above it. I know most of America is in that latter spot; it’s hard to get to $1 million.
If you do have a million bucks, you should be able to withdraw at least 4% a year, or $40,000. If you’re married and collecting $5,000 a month in Social Security, that’s another $60,000. Throw in maybe a pension, rental income or part-time work, and it’s not that crazy to get over $100,000.
The good news is that having household income of $50,000 to $99,000 wasn’t a big red zone; it wasn’t a material hit to happiness. But it wasn’t increasing your chances of being one of the happiest retirees.
You also learned that the happiest retirees have five or more core pursuits, which you call "hobbies on steroids," and they spend more than five extra hours a week doing them. Why so many and so much time?
Purpose is not found; it’s created. It takes a lot of time trying and testing pursuits. Time spent matters more than the number. The happy retirees spend about 19 hours a week on core pursuits, versus 13 hours for unhappy retirees.
The happiest retirees were also almost twice as likely as the unhappiest to have adventure pursuits, such as traveling, hiking, fishing and RVing. I think there is more anticipatory happiness around these pursuits compared with gardening, for example.
Why are building a community and prioritizing quality sleep integral to retirement happiness?
Of the happiest retirees, 81% said they had enough close friends, but only 38% of the unhappy group did. It tells us with great certainty that community is a variable we have to control, and it’s harder to cultivate community in our sixties than in our thirties and forties.
And research says if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re in bad shape. I’m super-adamant about getting the right amount of sleep.
What’s your advice for people five to 10 years from retirement based on your research?
They should ask themselves: "What parts of my life that lead to a happy retirement am I ignoring?" Not having a written financial plan is an easy one to fix.
Many of these secrets to retiree happiness are ones you can start in your fifties and sixties. They can have a really positive impact even if you’re starting a little late.
What can people who won’t get to a million bucks do to help boost their retirement happiness?
It’s not that retirees with much less than $1 million are unhappy; they just don’t get that bigger jump above the happiness baseline as people with over $1 million. People with less should take the same fundamental steps as anyone else.
Create your new post-work purpose with five or more core pursuits. Maintain and cultivate your social community, which should include four or more close friends; map out your future with a real plan; and protect your sleep.
The bottom line is that people aren’t doomed just because they’re not sitting on a $1 million nest egg. Money matters, but purpose, connection and planning also move the needle.
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.
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