Playfulness, connection and fun: Planning for retirement isn’t all about the finances
By Jennifer Griffis
Originally printed in the Personal Finance section of The Kansas City Star.
December 04, 2024
You have just put the final big red “X” across the last day of work on your calendar. Your next chapter begins now: retirement.
For years, you have worked hard, spent intelligently, saved diligently and invested prudently. You have a financial plan and your advisor assures you that you have sufficient assets and income to support you for the rest of your life. You have a cash reserve for emergencies, the right type and amount of insurance and the house is updated and paid off. You have created an estate plan and funded it properly. You are all set for the best retirement possible…well…maybe.
What could you possibly be overlooking?
You may not have given enough attention to how you are going to have fulfilling, soul nurturing, my-life-is-amazing fun in retirement. A sadly overlooked part of retirement planning is what you will do with all this new freedom and time. It seems simple enough, right? Sleep in a little, get more exercise, finish my project list, travel more, golf more and so on.
More often than it should, however, the shine of being newly retired wears off and people can slip into a not terrible, but unfulfilling routine. Sometimes that extra time can even create black holes that get filled with unhealthy habits like becoming a zombie on your phone/TV/computer or becoming a relentless taskmaster. Worse yet, some sliding into depression or addiction.
It’s not really hard to find yourself here. You think, “I’ll have plenty of time to figure that out when I don’t have to work anymore.” Or, “I have plenty to do. My honey-do list is a mile long.” Or, “I have a bucket list. Isn’t that enough?”
While those endeavors are worthy and valuable, they alone may not lead you to your most joyful retirement. Just like you have a financial plan, you should also have a fun plan.
When I say “fun,” I’m not referring to things that you merely enjoy or find relaxing, but things that really make you feel alive, free, energized and refreshed. I’m referring to the feeling you have when you laugh so hard you cry – the way time flies by when you’re spending it with “your people.” The invigoration you feel after playing a great game (even if you lose) or trying something new without expectations.
In her book, “The Power of Fun,” Catherine Price describes true fun as the confluence of playfulness, connection and flow.
▪ Playfulness s lightheartedly doing something for the sake of doing it or for the joy that it brings without regard to outcome. It can take you outside of your normal reality, leaving you feeling carefree.
▪ Connection is a special shared experience with someone or something else. This can include an exceptional connection to a person, pet or your environment (think nature or a concert).
▪ Flow is being fully engaged in your present experience such that you can lose track of time without being self-conscious or fearing judgment from others.
So, do you have a plan for having fun in retirement? Not yet? Here’s a good start: audit your life for things that actually are fun rather than things you think are fun. Pay attention to how you feel after you spend time doing things that you think are fun.
▪ Do you feel better or worse afterward?
▪ Are you energized or drained?
▪ Does the memory of it bring you joy and make you smile?
▪ Who were you with?
▪ What were you doing?
▪ Where were you?
Once you have identified what is actually fun for you:
▪ Keep your schedule flexible. Too many commitments can quickly become “not fun.”
▪ Stay focused on things you can control or at least influence.
▪ Stop doing things that are supposed to be fun, but aren’t.
▪ Be open to new opportunities for fun.
▪ Put yourself in situations where fun can find you.
Remember that you are relearning something that came naturally to you as a child- how to have fun. Most of us have spent our adult lives unlearning it. Give it time. You’ll get there. And you’ll have fun trying.
Jennifer Griffis, CFP, is founder and president of Integrity Wealth Management with offices in Missouri and Kansas and is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Greater Kansas City. She provides financial planning and investment management through Osaic Wealth Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.