The Issues We Face Ahead of Retirement

Ah Retirement! That golden age filled with porch swings, leisurely mornings stretching into days on end. When you are working long hours and sacrificing family and personal time, that carrot dangling in your future is mighty attractive.

If you are of, or nearing retirement age, you are of the generation that was fed that gauzy future. You bought the line “work hard for 40 + years, then you can have fun!”   And you have likely noticed that the younger generations see it quite differently.

What no one told us is that the transition into that last (gulp) chapter is as fraught with pitfalls and challenges as every transition you have faced before.    And even if you are set financially, that is only part of what you need to plan for.

Here are the big three issues that you will likely face: 

Loss of professional identity:

The more strongly you identify with your profession/ career/job, the harder it is for you to leave it. You may feel like “without my fancy title, people will not respond to me the same way.” You’re probably right. All you have to do is look at the age- and unwillingness to retire- of our US Congresspeople who are undoubtedly treated exceptionally well wherever they go to say the least.

Lack of planning or imagination about life after retirement:

I get it. It feels like you are starting from scratch, and you kinda are. This can be scary or exciting – you get to decide! But you do have to start. It gets easier-trust me.       

Lack of family and friend support:

Your family and friends likely have their own life structures rolling very smoothly thank you very much. It is unfair for you to expect them to immediately adjust to herald your arrival and availability. We’ve all heard the stories about (usually) husbands retiring and trying to apply his “managerial skills” to the home. Don’t do that.

If any of this sounds familiar, check  back next time for my ideas and suggestions  to avoid these pitfalls in your journey to “what’s next” 

Julie Bauke is a Career Coach and national media expert, workshop facilitator, and keynote speaker. Julie has been featured by more than 100 prominent media outlets including CNBC’s PowerLunch and MONEY Magazine, and on multiple TV segments with the Scripps News Network and Sinclair Broadcasting. Locally, she can be heard weekly on 700WLW as the Career Sherpa with Scott Sloan. She is the author of Stop Peeing on Your Shoes: Avoiding the 7 Mistakes that Screw Up Your Job Search and the upcoming book Career Happy! to be released in early 2027.