Rethinking Retirement and Unretirement

Send us Fan Mail What could retirement make possible in the next chapter of your life? Richard Eisenberg, co-host of the *Friends Talk Money* podcast and writer of *The View From Unretirement* column for MarketWatch joined me on the Get Ready Before Life Happens podcast to talk about  about unretirement, the connection between work and identity, and why everyone’s vision of retirement is different.  What Stood Out:  - Spend less time thinking about what you are retiring from and more time imagining what you are retiring to. - Talk with the important people in your life about what each of you envisions for retirement. - Prepare for the shift in identity, structure, and relationships that can follow leaving full-time work. - Consider how work, volunteering, learning, and other activities can provide meaning and purpose. - Give yourself permission to try new things and allow your retirement plans to evolve. - View an open calendar as an opportunity to intentionally build the life you want. The Bottom Line: Retirement planning works best when it connects the financial pieces with how you want to live.  **Connect with Richard Eisenberg:** - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardeisenberg/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reisenberg1 - X/Twitter: https://x.com/richeis315 - Marketwatch: The View From Unretirement Column (here) **Podcast:** - Friends Talk Money Podcast (here) **Resources mentioned:** - How to Retire: 20 lessons for a happy, successful, and wealthy retirement by Christine Benz (Amazon) - Retirement Stepping Stones: Find Meaning, Live with Purpose, and Leave a Legacy by Tony Hixon (Amazon) - Stanford Center on Longevity (here) - Maximize My Social Security website from Laurence Kotlikoff (here) - "What is the '4% Rule'? How does it work? Should I use it for my retirement?" By Bill Bengen (here) - Thinking Positively About Aging Extends Life More than Exercise and Not Smoking from Yale News (here) **Bio:**  Richard Eisenberg is an "unretired" journalist and podcaster. He writes The View From Unretirement column for MarketWatch, freelances for Kiplinger, The Stanford Center on Longevity Magazine, AARP and People and is co-host of the Friends Talk Money personal finance podcast for people over 50. In 2022, at age 65, he left his job as Managing Editor and Editor of the Money and Work Channels at Next Avenue, the PBS site for people over 50, to begin his unretirement. Previously, he was Executive Editor of Money Magazine, Front Page Finance Editor at Yahoo! and Special Projects Director/Money Editor at Good Housekeeping. He is author of "The Money Book of Personal Finance" and "How to Avoid a Midlife Financial Crisis," winner of the SABEW Award for Best Personal Finance Article/Small Media Outlet and recipient of the Coming Of Age Impact Award for Leadership in Positive Aging and recipient of the 2025 Retirement Coaches Association Retirement Pioneer Award. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and lives in New Jersey. 👉 **Start Your Financial Readiness Plan:** A free, practical plan that helps you create your in-case-of-emergency Financial First Aid Kit, organize what matters, and prepare before life happens. Start Your Free Financial Readiness Plan  https://www.tonysteuer.com 👉 **Support Get Ready.** Become a Get Ready Insider and help keep the Financial Readiness Plan free, support the podcast, trusted resources, and consumer-first financial education. You’ll receive access to the Get Ready Library. Support Get Ready here. www.tonysteuer.com/support Support the show The Get Ready Money Podcast and its guests do not provide investment advice. All content is for educational purposes. Guest opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Get Ready Money Podcast and Tony Steuer.