Key to Happy Retirement? Get a Job!
Retirement is the ultimate goal for most workers. It is the light at the end of a decades-long tunnel of hard work. However, the transition from being a full-time worker to becoming a retiree may not be as smooth as expected after the candles are blown out on the retirement cake, new research finds.
Research by Angela Curl, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri, suggests that retirees who remain involved in the workforce to some degree can combat some of the difficulties that retired life may present.
“There are a lot of health benefits to staying employed ,” Curl said in a statement. “Working just a few hours each week can facilitate better health.”
This involvement may also help to prevent what the study found to be the main hindrances to the enjoyment of retirement: poor financial planning and chronic health problems.
“Any time a major life change happens, it is an opportunity for renegotiation of roles within a couple,” Curl said. “If a couple wants positive changes to occur in retirement, it is important for spouses to be intentional in negotiating and planning for activities that match their ideals, finances and current health state.”
The research found that when workers plan for future health problems and financial hardships, their enjoyment of retirement increases. According to Curl, considering both the social and financial changes in everyday life will also ease the transition into retirement.
Which means there will be more time spent at the shuffleboard court and pool, and less time worrying about everyday details and problems.