I'm told my Retirement Lifestyle Planning services have gone down the drain because of the current world financial crisis. People can't afford it, they say.
Rubbish! People had already stopped retiring.
Historically, retirement had a pretty short life. It was a product of the industrial revolution, a means of telling people they were too old to work anymore, that they should get out of the way and give their job to a younger person.
Now, as people move through their 50's they start thinking about a new life, a second adulthood. One that focuses on what they really want out of life - paid or unpaid. Sure, work is important but the prime focus is on the non-monetary attributes of work - connection with like-minded people, recognition, staying in touch with the world, learning new skills, investing in one's own abilities, contribution to social development, etc
It's Work/Life harmony in reverse - Life/Work harmony. Instead of trying to fit a life around work, it's about life perhaps including work. More accurately its Life Harmony, but people love that word 'work' in there somewhere.
So nothing has really changed as a result of the financial crisis. People still want a new adulthood - it just might mean that work is perhaps a slightly bigger part of the mix than they previously had in mind.
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