Arghhhhh! Why I’m screaming at my screen

Retirement courses: Why they’re as important as financial advice

Spoiler alert: I’m not one to get mad. I don’t shout, well, not very often. And I like to resolve disagreements in a non-confrontational manner. But this week, I felt the need to scream at my screen and for once, this little outburst had nothing to do with domains, windows or unreliable wi-fi connections.

I’m not usually one to get mad, but a recent report made me scream at my screen!

I was watching a webinar by Ken Cella and Ken Dychtwald – two men I admire immensely. You see, they are both experts in the fields of retirement and aging – subjects, as you all know, that are very close to my heart.

This talk was on the Four Pillars of The New Retirement – health, family, purpose, and finances – and the impact the pandemic has had on them and the millions of Americans who retire each year.  You see, over the course of the pandemic, the organisations Ken Cella and Ken Dychtwald represent, Edward Jones (a financial services company) and Age Wave (a think tank on ageing) came together to try to understand what it means to live well in retirement today – and the impact covid has had on that. They conducted a wide-scale study of five generations of Americans.  A study that was widely acclaimed and endlessly talk about.

I could go on all day about what’s in this report – it’s fascinating and mind-blowing in equal measure, but the one thing I want to concentrate on is this statement by Ken Dychtwald.  One simple sentence that made me scream at my screen…

“There is no summer camp for purpose”

The study by Edward Jones and Age Wave uncovered evidence to further back up what I’ve been saying for a very long time, that to thrive in retirement you need to have purpose.  You can have all the money, time, and friends in the world, but if you don’t have something to make you want to jump out of bed in the morning, then it’s no use.

Nearly all (92%) of retirees in their study agreed with me and what’s more, said that over the course of the pandemic their need to feel useful and purposeful has increased. This is great news, especially as research shows that having purpose and passion in retirement increases self-esteem and lowers the risk of cognitive decline, heart disease and mental health issues.

Since the pandemic, more retirees say their need to feel useful and purposeful has increased

You may be wondering then, with all this good news, why I got so mad. Well, the reason is this. In talking about this, Ken Dychtwald said, “there is no summer camp for purpose,” meaning that although retirees prepare for life after work financially, they don’t think about what will fulfil them in their later years. And that, as a society, there’s not much out there to help change this.

I agree, we have more financial advisors and pension planners than we know what to do with, but nowhere near enough lifestyle instructors, mindset mentors, retirement counsellors or even retirement courses. People who have been there, done that. People who understand the need for purpose in later life and can help others find theirs.

But Ken, there is…

My DARE method does exactly that. It gives people the opportunity to discover their true purpose, by opening their eyes to the reality of what lies ahead and painting a true picture of retirement today. It challenges them to rebel against conventional approaches to retirement and dare to dream. It helps anyone over the age of 55 fulfil their true potential and live every day to the full. And what’s more, this retirement course is out there and accessible to anyone and everyone.

So, Ken, if you’re reading this, please get in touch to find out what I can do for the millions of retirees and pre-retirees, many of whom are your customers.

Let me show you that there is a summer camp for purpose – one where people walk away with a plan for retirement that is about so much more than money.