I’ve recently been watching ‘Race around the world’, the BBC show where five pairs are given a budget to traverse significant parts of the globe using land and sea, but no air!

I’ve been a fan of the show since it’s launch, but the current series has been really entertaining because the current episodes are in a part of the world I’m fascinated with.

Japan and South Korea.

It’s interesting. The last two episodes have contained examples of one Japanese lady still gainfully employed in her 80’s and a Korean family business where grandparents, kids and grandchildren all work together.

What fascinated me was how physically fit, excited about life and mentally engaged the Japanese Octogenarian and the Korean grandparents seemed to be. 

Now whilst a short clip on a travel adventure show probably doesn’t tell the entire story, there is research particularly Dan Buettner’s research on Blue Zones which shows the benefits of the continued relationship we have with work in our lives.

I do think, as we reach our 50’s and 60’s, understanding how close we are to financial independence is important…however my experience is that many of us now are continuing to choose to work, not for the money, but for the extra wellbeing it provides us both physically and socially.

Now, often, the big factor is that we do want to find work we love. Work which gets us out of bed in the morning. Work which is valuable and makes us feel worthwhile.

However I do wonder, whilst getting clear on your financial future is vital, how much the concept of a conventional retirement applies in 2024 and whether there’s lessons we can learn about broader wellbeing from those who maintain a sense of purpose in their lives.

“Work” can manifest itself in a bunch of different ways and I know I’ve got clients who have relished giving up paid work to spend more time with grandchildren. For them, part of their ‘purpose’ has evolved to spending time and helping nurture people they love. 

The word “retirement” always feels like a cliff edge. A time when we stop doing something with no plan for the future. It’s why we talk about ‘what happens next’ and suggest people not only have a plan for their money, but some ideas on how they might want to spend their time in the next chapter of their lives.

Ideas which include an element of purpose. Ideas which keep us physically well. Ideas which challenge us intellectually.

So, instead of a retirement mentality, maybe we should simply consider “What happens next”.

We believe so, which is why we’ve started both the What Happens Next Youtube channel and sharing openly on www.whathappensnext.life

However I’m curious, what does this phase of your life mean to you? And what do you intend to do next?