THE RETIREMENT TRANSITION

Gateway to the Third Age of Life

Overview Program Rationale

The retirement transition offers men and women a new opportunity to find their true path in life. The retirement transition occurs sometime during the second half of life and it can happen at any time, at any age.

The purpose of this series of workshop sessions is to help participants find a pathway through the retirement transition to a satisfying, creative, and rewarding Third Age of Life.

Retirement is a turning point in our lives. Most men and women look forward to it. Many are surprised, however, to discover that retirement is not as easy as they had expected. Even though planned and anticipated for decades, the onset of the "event" often results in a fragile and unsettling period of time. Because longevity is increasing, retirement has become the gateway to a whole new Third Age of Life.

A Golden Opportunity

Retirement can and should be a time of great opportunity. It should be a time of freedom from the demands of a job, a time of adventure, relaxation, and for many, a time of renewal and self-fulfillment.

This adult development workshop is intended for those who are planning retirement or who have retired. Many uncertainties surround the retirement transition. The world is changing for many older adults. Many people have not prepared for the emotional and psychological ups and downs they feel when they first experience the changes, adjustments, and challenges of the retirement process.

Most retirement planning is financial, but planning the money part accounts for only 20% of a successful transition into retirement. 80% of the success depends on how one manages self and emotions. This workshop puts financial planning in the context of a fully balanced life: emotionally, physically, spiritually and financially.

Who Should Attend

Individuals and couples who are:

• Recently retired
• Planning to retire
• Rethinking retired life
• Bored or not satisfied with retirement choices
• Forced into retirement
• Retirement financial plans changed
• Seeking renewal/new horizons
• Wondering "what's next?"

Financial advisors, senior advisors, spiritual and religious ministers and counselors - to better understand and guide their clients.

Adult children of parents in a retirement transition Ð to help them cope with the life changes.

Program Objectives

1. Participants will understand the nature and power of their retirement transition and where they are now in that process.
2. Participants will learn to recognize and manage the personal growth tasks at each phase of their retirement transition.
3. Participants will confront the expected and unexpected joys, challenges, roadblocks and speed bumps along the pathway to their Third Age of Life.
4. Participants will develop a roadmap as a framework for understanding and managing their retirement transition and making necessary decisions.
5. Participants will gain confidence in their resources for coping with the realities of their retirement situation.
6. Participants will take charge of their retirement process by charting a pathway through the three phases of transition to a satisfying Third Age of Life.
7. Participants will develop a plan for balancing four critical areas of a Third Age of Life: Emotional, Mind-Body, Financial and Spiritual.
8. Participants will create a workable life vision for a successful retirement.

Program Design and Format

The workshop approaches retirement as a journey, not an event. It places each participant on a personal pathway through the three phases of the retirement transition.

The landmark research of adult transition psychologist Nancy Schlossberg, has identified 3 specific phases or stages that men and women go through during a retirement transition:

1. Moving Out: Leaving and letting go
2. Moving through: Taking stock and taking charge
3. Moving In: Creating a new balanced life

The Retirement Transition is a personal growth process of moving from one world to another. It is reassuring to note that the process has a beginning, middle, and an end.

Action learning and discussion activities are divided into six two hour learning modules . A comfortable group size is between 12 and 24 persons.

The workshop format is highly interactive and entertaining. Participants are invited to share their stories about their retirement dreams, expectations, and experiences. Dramatic story presentations highlight several key learning activities. At the end of the workshop participants make a video presentation: "My Third Age Vision and Legacy" to encourage them to keep moving and live their life with purpose.

The content is based on the latest research about adult development and the rewards of aging and vitality. The workshop presents the best advice of psychologists, sociologists, gerontologists, and visionaries, as well as specialists in retirement financial planning.

The content of the workshop draws on the retirement transition research of counseling psychologist, Nancy K. Schlossberg, Ed.D. Participants receive a copy of her book, Retire Smart, Retire Happy and use it during some of the sessions.

Additional materials and assessment instruments are included in a 120 page participant workshop workbook. Participants also receive a copy of their video presentation for personal use.

Program Topics

Module I: Retiring in the 21st Century

1. Myth and Reality of Retiring in the 21st century
2. Retirement Role Models: Power and Influence
3. Finding your Retirement Pathway
4. Emotional and Psychological Adjustments of Retirement
5. Personal Growth Tasks during 3 Phases of the Retirement Transition

Module II: Transition Phase 1: Moving Out - Letting Go

1. Change Happens!
2. Roles and Routines Change
3. Relationships Change
4. Assumptions and Expectations Change
5. Dramatic Stories Presentation
6. Personal Application Activities

Module III: Transition Phase 2: Moving Through-Taking Charge

1. Assess Personal Resources and Take Charge of the Transition
2. Situation Resources
3. Self-Resources
4. Supports Resources
5. Strategies for Coping

Module IV: Transition Phase 3: Moving In - Creating a New Balanced Life

1. Old Vision of Retirement: How workable is it?
2. Keep It Balanced! Four areas of life
3. Emotional Life
4. Mind-Body Life
5. Spiritual Life
6. Financial Life
7. Advice of Financial Planners

Module V: Life in the Third Age

Challenge One: Discover New Interests, Purpose, and Work

1. Discover Your Bliss: Your retirement "dream work".
2. Work as Bliss: Work as Passion, Work as Fun
3. Dramatic Story Presentation
4. Personal Discovery Activity

Challenge Two: Create New Vision

1. Challenge of Creating a New Picture of Life in the Third Age
2. Personal Visioning Activity
3. Dramatic Story Presentation
4. Participant Video Presentation: 4 min each
5. "My Third Age Vision and Legacy"

Module VI: Challenge Three: Keep Moving - Life in the Third Age

1. New Transitions in the Third Age of Life
2. Guideposts to Keep Moving
3. Next Steps
4. Personal Application Activity
5. Forming a Retirement Power Group
6. Resources Available to Keep Moving

Faculty

Robert F. Riesett, President, TrainingWorks Corporation

• M.A. in Human Resource Development, George Washington University
• EDS in Adult Counseling, University of Maryland
• Advanced Graduate Certificate in Gerontology, University of Maryland
• Corporate Trainer and Management Consultant to major Minnesota and international businesses

Program Benefits

Participants benefit from the workshop experience.

Participants leave the sessions with a much clearer picture of their retirement situation: where they have been, where they are now, and where they are going on their journey in the Third Age of Life. They have selected a retirement pathway that fits their personal life style. They have practiced using a reliable framework for evaluating and managing any future unexpected retirement challenges. They take home a personal roadmap to guide them when to make changes, where to find resources and how to keep life balanced emotionally, financially, physically, and spiritually.

Some even discover their Third Age "dream work" as a way to make money at what they love doing! All emerge with a new vision, a new set of goals, and a renewed sense of confidence and eagerness to seize the opportunity and potential of this great time in life.

Individual Benefits

• Focus and perspective in retirement planning
• Clear picture of personal retirement situation
• Retirement path identified.
• Framework for evaluating each phase of the transition.
• Roadmap as guide to direction, changes, finding resources, keeping life balanced.
• Retirement "dream work" uncovered.
• New vision for Third Age of Life.
• Renewed self confidence and energy.

Getting Started

Live the rest of your life on purpose!

Retirement forces us to reconsider some of the most important aspects of our life. Retirement changes our roles, routines, relationships and assumption about ourselves. The most difficult to deal with are the issues of identity and self worth. Most of us have defined ourselves by the work or the career world we lived in. Retirement changes that world.

The more powerful the changes, the more difficult the transition. The post-retirement world raises many emotional questions:

• Who am I now, where do I belong?
• Am I as important to others, do I matter?
• What is the purpose of my life now?
• How will my social life change?
• How will I use my time? What will I do?

Confronting theses questions is the first step along the pathway to your Third Age of Life. Let us guide you.

Contact Us

To schedule a "The Retirement Transition" Workshop.

To plan for a customized program at your location for your organization, agency, or clients.

To provide a two-hour overview of the full program for key decision makers.

To discuss costs of providing "The Retirement Transition" Workshop.

Home | About Us | Our Clients | Contact Us | E-mail Us
The Retirement Transition | Group Process Skills for Work Teams
Management's Role in Team Responibility | Advanced Team Training | Datatrain

Contact:
Robert F. Riesett, President
Karen Riesett, Managing Director