How To Know It's Time To Retire

The decision to retire is a personal one that’s as much psychological as financial.

- Janet Bodnar

My college roommate, Molly, recently invited me to a mini reunion to mark the 50th anniversary of our high school graduation. Inevitably, the conversation turned to retirement: who was thinking about it, who had done it, how it was working out.

One classmate, Marie, had retired as a school psychologist. Another, Karen, had repurposed her skills to start a new part-time career after being laid off from her corporate job in human resources. She’s now a consultant for downsized executives and has no plans to formally retire. Molly, a scientist, is struggling with how to bow out of her administrative responsibilities while continuing her research on the causes of skin and oral cancers. All of the women were curious about what had made me decide to retire.

As their experiences show, the decision to retire is a personal one that’s as much psychological as financial. “Retirement is really a lifestyle change triggered by some event,” says Brian Sykes, a certified financial planner in Blue Bell, Pa. “In a way, clients come to me asking me for permission to retire.”