Part One of excerpts and highlights from the notes I took in a pre-retirement class (October 2010) ...

If interviewing for a new job, be sure to:

• have a separate, professional email address
• prepare a business card and/or an index card with a thumbnail of who you are, what you're seeking, and how to contact you
• craft and practice delivering a "Sixty Second Infomercial" about:
  • skills
  • goals
  • experiences
  • accomplishments
• remember that:
  • older workers tend to learn slower but make fewer mistakes than younger ones
  • net health costs for older workers are about the same as for younger ones
  • there's a linear relationship between age and time to get another job; it's easier to transition immediately to new work than it is after taking a sabbatical
• be sure to always have a résumé available to give to anyone you encounter at any time — in a grocery store, a parking lot, a hallway, wherever opportunity knocks

In general, and especially if leaving the workforce for good:

• pay attention to issues of health insurance and long-term care insurance
• prepare for the possibility of being incapacitated and the certainty of bequeathing an estate
• be positive: a "Hey, this could be fun!" attitude is far healthier than focusing on the negatives of aging
• look back at your life and set the stage for self-assessment: an excellent goal is to be able to say: "How did I deal with the Big Ones? I think I did all right!"
• live in the present, and develop an attitude that you're retired TO, not retired FROM
• at your going-away party, keep it short: "Get up, speak up, and shut up!"
• during the first ~9 months after retirement, check your list of goals; be prepared for a "downer phase" which will pass as new structure emerges after ~18 months
• extreme workaholics and introverts have the hardest time figuring out what to do in retirement
• "Are you physically active?" is the single most important factor in retirement health; exercise to get your heart rate up for ~20 minutes or more per day
• the top three priorities in retirement are:
  • keep a healthy body for as long as possible ("Your body is your #1 asset!")
  • get out of the house and be in contact with others several times per week: hobby groups, part-time jobs, volunteering, etc.
  • keep your brain challenged, with crosswords, knitting, fixing old cars, whatever
• consider studying and getting another degree
• "The same-old same-old for the next 25 years is a B-minus retirement. This is the first phase of your life when you can do anything you want to do!"

Further notes on retirement strategies to follow ...

^z - 2012-04-14