For a Happy Retirement, Try ‘Retirement Dating’ First

Take advantage of the years before you punch out for the last time to do a little experimenting with your life.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It may sound provocative, but to make the most of retirement, you should give “retirement dating (opens in new tab)” a try.

“But I’m happily married (you may be thinking), I don’t want to retirement date.”

I don’t care. Do it! Date often. Try all different types of dating, until you get it right. Trust me. If you do, you’ll be thanking me later.

What do I mean by retirement dating? You see, retirement is a really (REALLY) big deal. Once you retire, it’s hard to unretire. You also, generally, only get one shot at it. Thus, you want to get it right. This is why I suggest doing a retirement trial run a few years before you actually pull the proverbial plug on your career.

Don’t walk into work one day, retire cold-turkey, and then spend the next few years figuring out what retirement means to you. Instead, if you want to maximize your retirement, I suggest testing the waters a little bit (or “dating”) prior to actually fully retiring. This way you’ll be prepared to hit the ground running.

Now that you know what I mean by retirement dating, let’s talk about the couple of areas worth dating before the real deal.

This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.

Andrew Rosen, CFP®, CEP
President, Partner and Financial Adviser, Diversified, LLC

In March 2010, Andrew Rosen joined Diversified (opens in new tab), bringing with him nine years of financial industry experience.  As a financial planner, Andrew forges lifelong relationships with clients, coaching them through all stages of life. He has obtained his Series 6, 7 and 63, along with property/casualty and health/life insurance licenses.