When Don’t Retire, REWIRE!™ was first published in 2002, the oldest boomer had not yet turned 60, and the idea of redefining retirement to include fulfilling work was only beginning to come on people’s screens. Today it’s a different story. The rewiring process we created has turned into a rewiring trend, and more and more people want to become part of the rewire generation.
Since the first edition was published, we have been traveling the country, delivering programs on how to rewire to the clients of financial institutions, business owners and partnerships, residents of active retirement communities, at hospitals, churches, senior centers, and within corporations. We have met thousands of people and heard about how they’re rewiring, about their new possibilities, about the opportunities they’ve discovered, and even about their frustrations. It was questions and comments from attendees at our presentations, combined with readers’ questions, conversations with retirees and pre-retirees, and our own tracking of emerging trends that led us to update Don’t Retire, REWIRE!™ The new edition includes a revised Chapter 12 and a new Chapter 13. A summary of feedback we received from people we’ve met is included in a new Appendix A, “The Ten Nuggets of Knowledge to Enhance Your Rewiring.”
People are getting our message that life planning in conjunction with financial planning is the ticket to a fulfilling future. Increased longevity—the additional 20 to 25 years that we could live after the age of 65—is the rationale for the rewiring trend. An estimated 3 million boomers will live to be 100 (compared to 55,000 who live to be 100 today!). Just as important as financial concerns are questions about how to be engaged in “meaningful” “work” (however one chooses to define “meaningful” and “work”). What is the role of the employer? Of the individual? How will people find a new community that is engaging and fulfilling? What are the new workplace realities? What are the particular concerns of married couples? And how does one discover new purpose in retirement?
We’ve observed that the idea of living so much longer evokes a broad range of emotions in people—from realistic to optimistic to downright pessimistic! For the people who have hobbies, passions, and dreams, the longevity bonus is a gift. But for those without, it’s not a gift, but, as one man told us, “It’s a curse!”
We come down firmly on the positive side and hope this new edition will continue to help you find and enjoy fulfillment in your rewired life.
Get ready to rewire your future. It can be all you want it to be.
Jeri and Rick