Eyre Purkin Bien says to approach retirement like a career decision, with a plan and some guidance on finding fulfilment
In Tales from the Golden Age, retirees talk about their spending, savings and whether life after work is what they expected. For more articles in this series, I retired in December, 2023, at age 69, after a 30-plus-year career in philanthropy, working as an executive at three different organizations.
I had hoped to transition to part-time work for another nine months or so at my last employer, so I could retire at 70 – a personal goal. However, I agreed with management that it was better to retire fully to make room for younger workers who had the skills to take over. Retirement was very difficult at first. Although I did some travelling to Australia and Mexico, my older sister, with whom I was very close, passed away not long after I stopped working. I also had some health issues, which meant a lot of medical tests and too much time at home. I’m fine now, but the first 18 months of my retirement were consumed with grieving and health concerns. I’m just starting to find my feet in retirement – and it’s been wonderful. Last summer, my long-time love and I moved from the country near Lansdowne, Ont., into Kingston and got married. I’ve since reconnected with old friends and made new ones in the community. One of my favourite parts of retirement is spending more time with our kids – I have two and my husband has one – and our five grandkids, whose ages range from four to 22. Still, I missed working. My career gave me my centre: my sense of accomplishment, confidence and purpose , and I was very good at it. A few months ago, a former boss and friend of mine suggested we start a small philanthropic consulting business. It’s casual work and I’m loving it. I’m also writing and planning to take on new hobbies, including acting and hitting open mics to do stand-up comedy – something I did all the way through high school and college and was pretty good at, getting into city-wide ‘lit nights’ . I had a late start saving for retirement. It wasn’t until after I divorced at 50 that I finally gained control of my finances with the help of a sharp financial advisor. I took my Canada Pension Plan benefits at 60 on my advisor’s counsel and invested the money into an RRSP. I also took my Old Age Security benefits at 65. When I retired, I wasn’t prepared for the financial fears and health hiccups, even though I have a workplace pension and continue to work part-time. My husband also works part-time. He and I saved for years to cover our day-to-day expenses, but continue to work for extras – or what I like to call our “margarita money” – to travel and spoil our grandkids and ourselves, much like when we were fully employed. We’re so grateful we can keep working; our minds are sharp and we love what we do. My advice to others nearing retirement is to approach it like a career decision, with a plan and some guidance on finding fulfilment and enjoying the next phase of your life.Are you a Canadian retiree interested in discussing what life is like now that you’ve stopped working? The Globe is seeking participants for its Tales from the Golden Age feature, which examines the personal and financial realities of retirement. If you’re interested in being interviewed for this feature and agree to use your full name and have a photo taken, please e-mail us at:. Please include a few details about how you saved and invested for retirement and what your life is like now.Once the key to a Bay Street career, what’s next for the Canadian Securities Course under new licensing regime?
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