By Marc C. Shaffer
The idea of retirement and the reality of retirement can often be drastically different. For many people, retirement is the idea that at a certain age you will leave your career and enter into a life of leisure. Be it golfing, visiting sunny locations or spending time with grandchildren, retirement has been painted as the final phase of life where you haven’t a care in the world. Every day I talk with people who are retired or planning their retirement, and let me tell you, it’s time we start thinking differently about retirement. The 17th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey showed that a majority of workers dream about traveling, spending more time with family, and pursuing hobbies, and 28 percent dream of doing some form of work in retirement. What does retirement mean to you? Does waiting until normal retirement age to pursue your dreams make sense to you, or would you like to consider an “alternative” retirement? The “what you want to do” and “how much you’re going to need” may look a lot different than you’re prepared for, so considering which type of retirement is right for you and the financial considerations to get you there are key. Let’s look at 5 types of retirement styles I talk about frequently: