ENJOY AN ENCORE LIFE

An encore life is the third quarter of life during age 55 to 80, thanks to the longevity bonus of seniors living longer. It should be a time of newfound freedom and flexibility.

THIS IS POTENTIALLY THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE!

Here is a framework that can help you focus on making the most of your third quarter and creating your encore life:

• Self-rediscovery: Take some time for reflection, asking yourself questions about who you are and what you want to do in the next stage of your life.
• Health and wellness: “When you have your health, you have everything. When you don’t have your health, nothing else matters.”
• Money and financial planning: This includes retirement income planning, estate and philanthropic planning, planning for Social Security, Medicare, long-term care and managing health care costs.
• Family and relationships: Having a strong support network and social interaction with others does wonders for your health and outlook on life.
• Employment or paid work: This includes continued career growth, career change, career transition, and part-time work to earn money either because you need to or because you enjoy it and want to.
• Community and civic engagement: This is about giving back to your community through involvement in civic, cultural, religious and/or service organizations that you feel close to and strongly about.
• Lifelong learning and personal development: This might be maintaining and developing relevant skills and abilities in order to continue meaningful work, or new learning for personal reinvention, reward and achievement.
• Leisure and entertainment: What you do for fun!
• Lifestyle and housing: This typically involves the transition from living in your current home to downsizing, whether to a smaller home or into a retirement community.