Empty Nest to Retirement Tips

Today I am going to share a few quick tips for the transition period between becoming an Empty Nester to shifting into Retirement. These are observations from my clients over the years. It is a quick read at less than 3 minutes. 

• Empty Nest Bonus Time:
1. Odds are once the kids are out of the house you will find yourself with some “extra” time.
2. The tip is to be protective of that time.
3. Simply – you decide what you want to do with your newfound time.
4. Typically, my clients say they do NOT want to fill it with working more.
5. Most clients say they want to fill it with what comes next. 

• Develop Hobbies/Interests:
1. Use this bonus time to focus a bit more on hobbies and/or personal interests.
2. This can include a myriad of things. From volunteering to becoming a pilot.
3. The key is to pick something you enjoy and want to spend more time committed to it.
4. I am always a fan of hobbies that once again roll into the next tip. 

• Focus on Health:
1. I’m not sure if it is because I cater to physicians, but I often hear from my clients something along the theme that without your health you have nothing.
2. Whether it is reworking the diet plan to eat a bit healthier or focusing on the marathon you always wanted to run, health is critical as you age.
3. Not everyone wants to run a marathon (me), so it can be something as simple as clients who just want to be able to lift their carryon bag into the overhead bin on the plane without issues. 

• Stay Mentally Engaged:
1. Again, maybe this is because so many of my clients are physicians they are extra cautious to stay mentally active/engaged as they get older.
2. There is a concern of shifting from being in a profession where they are thinking all day to worrying about just sitting around watching TV.
3. A recurring theme is to do a partial retirement. The example I use is maybe a shift from doing 60ish hour weeks to one or two clinic days a week.
4. Regardless of the direction, staying mentally strong is paramount. 

• Be Social:
1. I see and hear this regularly – the need for connections.
2. This one applies especially as people enter retirement.
3. There are a variety of reasons people lose connections as they age.
4. From kids not being there to have common interests (seeing the same set of parents at sporting events) to changing work demands where you may not see your old coworkers as much.
5. Some of my more “successful” clients who are in this stage try and combine a few of the activities from above to hit this target. Things like hiking groups is one example. Nothing like being efficient and combining some of these tips! 

This seems like a good place to stop. Again, these are observations from watching my clients go through this phase over the years. The ones who are more “successful” are incorporating many of them into their vision of an ideal future.