| "> | | | | concerns affecting them or their families. |
| Retirement is so very much more than just not going | | | | In our present economic situation many are being |
| to work any longer. | | | | forced to retire long before they have planned to do |
| While living in Florida I worked for several years at | | | | so. This raises another whole area of information to |
| the local Council on Aging. I was often the person | | | | be gathered and questions to be answered. At this |
| answering the phone on the Information and Referral | | | | point in our conversation I still needed more |
| desk. Frequently I received calls from folks getting | | | | information about their plans, or lack of planning. |
| ready to retire and seeking information about retiring | | | | Next I might ask why they were looking at Florida. I |
| to Florida. These calls would generate my series of | | | | could ask about the impact of weather, location of |
| retirement questions. In this series I would like to | | | | family members, or other geography issues affecting |
| share a composite of those conversations. | | | | their choice. |
| Statistics tell us that not only are we all living longer, | | | | This was probably a good time to ask if they had |
| but the new generation of retirees is generally | | | | spent time in Florida at various seasons of the year. |
| healthier and more financially stable than was the | | | | To make a good decision I would encourage anyone |
| case only a few short years ago. Those who work | | | | making a major move to spend longer periods of |
| with statistics also tell us that in less than 25 years | | | | time visiting and getting to really know the area and |
| one in every five residents of the United States will | | | | all of its weather idiosyncrasies. No-one should base |
| be over 65 years in age. These are the folks I was | | | | their retirement choice on a week's vacation to any |
| talking to. | | | | area. |
| I usually began by asking 'why are you retiring?' This | | | | Then the really important question -- "What do you |
| would give me information about their reasons such | | | | want to do in your retirement?" Retirement is so |
| as, were they simply retiring because they were now | | | | much more than just 'being', it is also a large measure |
| the age that they could, their employer had age | | | | of 'doing'. |
| restrictions they had to follow, or there were health | | | | |