Overall Philosophy

Retired? Get Happy

Many people worry that they will be bored or isolated in retirement. My experience has been the complete opposite. I have more time for friends & activities than I have ever had.

Apparently, I am not the only one. I ran across a great survey of retired people in America from TransAmerica’s Center for Retirement Studies and it’s clear that almost every retired person surveyed is happy (89%), has great relationships (88%), and are enjoying their lives (86%). It’s hard to find numbers these high in any survey nowadays!

Here are three interesting charts …

The biggest negative issue that people have in retirement is “health decline” with 21% of respondents.

So, if you are retired, or looking at retirement – get happy. Almost everyone else is …

What surprises you about these responses?

Link: Retiree Experience Survey, TransAmerica

10 thoughts on “Retired? Get Happy”

  1. What’s surprising about these numbers? Happiness is relative. One day I’m happier than another day. So I’m surprised at the 89% happiness!

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  2. I bet those who participate in your blog have a tendency to rate in the positive zone because we are planners. A possible explanation for the negatives is the poll included those who retirement was unplanned. The type that does not save and invest and say they are probably going to work until they die. They get downsized or their health fails, so they are already experiencing the negatives, and a loss of income exacerbates their situation.

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    1. A fair number of people get retired without choosing to. They get laid off because they are older (and higher salary) or have a health issue. I’m surprised by how relatively happy people report being – including those people.

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      1. I used to focus on hiring workers who got retired from other companies. They turned out to be great hires. One in particular told me that when she and her husband were meeting with their tax accountant, their accountant told them that he wasn’t seeing his other clients in their 50s getting decent jobs, especially as quickly as she did.

        One bit of advice I gave these older workers is to save and invest as much as possible, so when they current company gets acquired and they get retired again, they are financially ready to retire.

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      2. I imagine that was a good strategy. I don’t care if you are an employee, a parent, a golfer, or a piano player … experience is worth a lot!

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  3. I notice in my life and the lives of others in retirement is that those with structure, purpose, and engagement are the happiest. Anecdotally there is a strong correlation between time on Facebook and happiness. The FB algorithm tends to repeat sending information on which you concentrate time or obsession on. For many retirees, Facebook is the new Fox News or Rachel Maddow show. You get more of what you seek and that isn’t good for a balanced life.

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    1. I’m a frequent visitor to Facebook. To the degree it helps me stay connected with friends & family, I find it very positive. I especially like when people post pictures when they are traveling.

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      1. I too use Facebook, but I avoid making comments or “liking” a post that has anything to do with politics. I know someone who does so and is subjected to much more of such content and fishing emails.

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      2. Yes – they learn really quickly what you respond to. A buddy was telling me about an inflatable tent he was interested in for camping. Next thing you know, I’m getting posts & ads about those.

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