Retirement holidays for 46-year-olds
I visited Harrogate this weekend and sampled a not unpleasant version of what life might be like in retirement.
I ate afternoon tea, went shopping, and promenaded through the parks in the sun as if my only purpose in life was extreme leisure.
It was nice, but would it be as nice with more of it? There was no way to tell.
We dream of retirement and joke about a time when we’re finally free from the pressures of work and can do whatever we damn well please. But having an almost mythical image of retirement inevitably puts an awful lot of pressure on that one period of life. What’s worse is that it’s the bit at the end – before the real end – so it better be good.
No wonder so many advisers talk about the importance of helping their clients ease into it, and mentally preparing for it, rather than simply launching themselves headfirst into a pile of scones and bridge.
Perhaps we need a retirement simulator?
I only ask because I’ve just read about a Death Incubator Workshop which promises to increase our ‘death literacy’ through experiental learning. Like the death clock of last week (sorry for all these depressing posts) this helps to make the idea of death more every day.
As we know, we don’t talk enough about death, which leads many people to develop a real fear of it. The creators of the incubator say they believe that a different sort of relationship with death can help us live more fully.
You could substitute ‘death’ in that sentence with ‘retirement’ because we don't talk enough about real retirement either. This leaves many people slogging it out in careers they hate in the hope that the perfect retirement will make it all ok.
Then there are those like me who at the sprightly age of 46 have no real context for what retirement will really be like.
A retirement simulator, incubator or workshop sounds a little serious, but what about retirement breaks for 40-something year olds? With a guest chef offering samples of what we might be eating in 40 years’ time, specialist medics who can showcase the bionic hands that will help us play virtual bridge, and of course a keynote speaker who can whip out their cashflow modelling software and tell us all how we can afford it.
Who’s in?
Simple hack
Did you know you can reverse search by an image? Use TinEye to upload an image and find similar versions online... a bit creepy.
Eye spy
Mojo Vision is trialling a smart contact lens that will allow wearers to see digital information in front of them, like augmented reality glasses, but with the convenience of contacts.
Rich bitch
Women are growing rich faster than men according to UBS. Women’s wealth increased at a compound annual growth rate of 8.2% over 2016 to 2020, against 5.9% for men.
Pillow talk
Can’t stand the heat? Get out of the kitchen. Or try one of these Tannes cushions which are filled with a gel that absorbs and dissipates heat.
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