It's Time to Rename Retirement

Some clients dream of retiring early. Others would like to work forever if they could. And a third set of clients...well, they're on the fence.

Let me tell you about one of my clients who falls in that third category, and what my experience with him says about retirement.

When John and his wife (I'll call them John and Jane) became clients of my firm two years ago, they were both in their early 50s. John, who had been retired for eight months, wanted us to evaluate whether he would be able to stay retired comfortably. Jane, who was still working, planned to stay at her job for another five years.

After crunching the numbers and running through several scenarios, we found that John -- and Jane, too, if she wanted to -- could retire immediately and most likely not have to work again.

The joy in the room was palpable as John described all the things he wanted to do with his time: Spend more time with his aging parents and his college-age daughter, spend more time fishing, and manage his real estate investment properties.

Fast-forward six months later. John called to let us know that he was going back to work for the same company from which he had retired. “One myth I've found out: You think you're going to catch up on all those projects you've put off," he told us. "You don't."

So we revisited John and Jane's financial plan. Of course, more income made their situation look even better. John felt satisfied and happy to have his old routine back.

Ten months later, we got another phone call from John. He had changed his mind. Once again, he decided he was ready to retire. So we revisited the plan another time. Again, it was all systems go.

“Man, you just made my day," said John. "No, I take that back. You just made my year!”

Sometimes, like John, we don’t know what we truly want. We grow up thinking we will work as hard as we can, so we can reach our golden years and retire to a life of vacationing, fishing, biking or fill-in-the-blank. And then, like John, we realize we're not so sure.

For many retirees this is becoming more common. Having time to truly dissect your desires often helps to further clarify your true passions and what fulfills you on a deeper level. Walking through options can help provide peace of mind through these transitions. In today's world we are seeing more and more of this type of trial-and-error decision-making about retirement. Retire for a while, only to go back to work, and then retire again so you can have control of your time and do things you truly enjoy.

Retiring these days is really just gaining the freedom to do what you want, when you want. It could be part-time work, volunteering, starting a business, or, in John's case, going back to your old employer for a while.

Going forward, maybe retirement should be renamed “flexibility," since that seems to be a more appropriate description for the way retirees are actually treating it. So right now, I think I will go spend some time planning my own “flexibility.”

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Smith is a certified financial planner, partner, and adviser with Financial Symmetry, a fee-only financial planning and invesment management firm in Raleigh, N.C. He enjoys helping people do more things they enjoy. His biggest priority is that of a husband and a dad to the three lovely ladies in his life. He is an active member of NAPFA, FPA and a proud graduate of North Carolina State University.