Retirement Planning and Living:
Financial Planning is only a part of the Story.

This is not a site about Retirement Financial Planning (well, maybe just a little bit)...

... it's mostly about ideas for retirement living - inspiration and information to help you live your life to it's fullest after your retirement.

Retirement Watch

Now, I'm not saying that retirement financial planning isn't important - I believe it is essential!

But what I have found is that while a lot of comfort comes from the security of savings and investments to support the lifestyle you aspire to after your retirement ... living life means a whole lot more than just security.

... Perhaps you are approaching retirement?

... Or, just just like me, recently retired?

... Or maybe just beginning to contemplate and plan for life after retirement?

Greg Butler Retirement Coach

I retired in January 2007, on reaching age sixty, and began a new career and lifestyle.

This transition, though welcomed and accompanied by quite a lot of retirement planning, turned out to be...

...the biggest discontinuity of my life!

You see I loved my work and enjoyed great success, especially in the second half of my career. I was Finance Director, and later Marketing Director of a very successful Food and Beverage company.

And then ... suddenly ... it was all over.

My work was a place where I felt strong, secure, respected and trusted. It was a place where I grew personally and professionally.

In my retirement financial planning I had made adequate provision for my financial security.

But then my career was never just about money.

I valued the esteem, respect and friendship of both colleagues and the business community. I enjoyed my leadership role and the influence I had on people, money and decision-making.

All this was gone ... in an instant ... after 40 years at work.

There I was at the very pinnacle of knowledge and experience, blessed with health, energy and a youthful outlook, heading off alone into an uncertain future.

Was this what I had been looking forward to?

How was I going to structure my days, my weeks, and my life in the years to come?

I came to realise that without adequate preparation and understanding, the transition to retirement can create a discontinuity that often leads to shock and denial, anger, frustration and sometimes even depression.

Let me share with you some of the things I did to ease my transition to retirement - I have discovered that every person’s journey is unique and that I had to find what suited my values and personality.

Let me share with you some of the things I have learned from my coaching clients when supporting their retirement planning as a Retirement Coach - their stories on their own journeys to success and fulfilment.

Please do enjoy the rest of your journey around my website!

Stay in touch and subscribe to my monthly email newsletter, "Retirement Stories". It is full of new stories and tips on planning for and enjoying an active retirement.

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Retirement Stories Main Categories

Retirement Stories Blog
Retirement Stories Blog keeps you up-to-date with all additions and changes to the Retirement-stories.com Web site. Subscribe here.

Retirement Coaching
Retirement Coaching shows how coaching works of you are considering early retirement, planning full retirement - or have already retired and want to explore options going into the future.

Retirement Sentiments
Retirement Sentiments is where you will find lots (and lots!) of stories relating to the experience of retirement.

The Bucket List
What would you like to have done before you "kick the bucket" - have a look at some lists here!

Early Retirement
Early Retirement will show different perspectives when considering and planning and early retirement.

Retirement Financial Planning
Retirement financial Planning - before, during and after retirement.

Retirement Hobbies
Hobbies - including ones that become part-time jobs - are often the most useful way to enjoy retirement, feel fulfilled and to widen your social circle.

Retirement Jobs
Retirement Jobs - Isn't that a contradiction? Well, a lot of people who leave a lifetime job/profession, aim to stay involved and contributing. Sometimes they like to get paid for it!

Best Places to Retire
What are the Best places to Retire? Many different perspectives - and stories - are offered here.

Retirement Speeches
Advice on structuring and developing your retirement speech - with many retirement speech examples.

Retirement Letter
Want help with writing that retirement letter? You've come to the right place - examples of retirement letters for many different types of audiences.

Retirement Quotations
Perfect for that Retirement Speech - or maybe for a bit of private wisdom?

Retirement Jokes
Perhaps just for a private chuckle - or to include in your retirement speech.

Retirement Gifts
So, what do you get the retiree who has everything? - Have a look at how to select some meaningful gifts.

Recently Added Stories

Also - Go to Retirement Sentiments - where you will find a full index of stories available on retirement-stories.com.

The Bucket List: It's About Time! - You may have seen the movie "The Bucket List" - DO YOU have a Bucket List? ...

Retirement? Never! - I love the sentiments expressed in this prize-winning Toastmasters' Speech ...

About Butler - That last day at work ... after "About Schmidt" - the Jack Nicholson movie ... this funny and moving story takes a sobering look at retirement...

Follow The Yellow Brick Road - In your transition to retirement, you may wonder if you have the resources you need for the new situation. The Wizard of OZ reminds you that sometimes you need look no further than your own backyard...

The Road Not Taken - When you come to a fork in the road, how do you decide which way to go?..

The Mountain Kings of Africa - If you’re looking for retirement ideas, you might try an adventure holiday...

Let's Go- “Do something you would LOVE to do, really WANT to do.” This was one of my prize winning Toastmasters speeches. I was 50 at the time of the adventure it describes...

Christmas Eve, 1954 - Sometimes, we retirees get nostalgic as we look back with happiness and gratitude at “the way we were”. Many of the older “Baby Boomers” will have their own version of this story...

Circle - One of the challenges you may face in mid-life is supporting aging parent(s). This story also deals with assisted living and senior living communities. ..

Vocation - In this story, a teacher reflects on the disparity between the dreams he had for his career, and what he feels he has achieved. He is heartened by thoughts of small pleasures and triumphs...

Life is beautiful - A philosophical, and sometimes humorous, reflection on the mid- life transition. This is a phase when thoughts of major change or early retirement might first surface....

Trudy - This is a story about one of my best friends, and learning to let go with dignity, humanity and gratitude. Retirement is a time to let go of former colleagues and roles and begin again...

Going back - “I knew then why I had come back...to discover how I had changed"...

Peter the Great. - Prepare to be surprised and entertained as you enter the curious world of stage hypnotism-but this is also a story about the roles we play and the choices we make...

Transitions - We experience many changes and cross many thresholds in life. We leave school, leave home, change jobs, get married, parents die, we retire…in all those cases we are faced with the need to give up one way of life and begin another... This is the theme of my story...

Go to Retirement Sentiments - where you will find a full index of stories available on retirement-stories.com.

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