I remember starting my first high school job at the rather advanced age of 29, after a number of years of club and college coaching. It was a more stable paycheck, pool (no more renting, we had our own!), and support system. Like many of you, I did it for a LOT of years before I even thought about retirement: when, how, what it would cost me, etc. Fortunately, I had started modestly investing about the same time I started the job. If I had not, I wouldn't have been able to retire so early. So that's my first and strongest recommendation: If you are not already regularly investing for your future, it would be wise to start. Sort of like "the best time to plant a tree is 50 years ago, the next best time is now."
Glenn Ruffenach is a former reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com), and a recent column, "The Definition of a 'Successful' Retirement", addressed a number of things that are important to think about, regardless of your age or proximity to retirement, or even if you are already retired. Excerpts below, and then a few comments and an idea.
Each of us should try to define retirement—to describe what it will look like—before we enter that door. And that definition/description, invariably, will differ from person to person. If you wish to embrace what might be called a “traditional retirement”—if you want to play golf several times a week, enjoy a glass of wine at sunset and never “work” another moment in your life—more power to you.
Or, if you wish to climb the Andes in retirement, volunteer at a hospital, open your own pizzeria or save the whales, that’s fine, too. Perhaps you will decide that you don’t want to “retire” at all. Perhaps your work is your passion, and your idea of a happy ending is to die at your desk, working late on a Friday evening.
The point: There is no “right” or “best” retirement. There is only your retirement, one that, ideally, will involve a good amount of planning on your part. (And talking with your partner. Especially your partner. That process alone, will increase your chances for a “good” retirement greatly.)
Our reporting has shown, again and again, that retirees who seem most fulfilled are those who continue to search for challenges (large and small), who immerse themselves in a range of activities, and who firmly believe that their best years are still ahead of them.
So let's say you are financially set to retire, your pension and/or investments and Social Security will provide you with the lifestyle you are comfortable with, and you turn in the paperwork. What now?
I "retired" in 2005 after 25 years at a major Texas public school, and after a year of enjoying my newfound freedom of not getting up at 4:15AM and getting home at dark-thirty, and having "played" with a new house and some new man-toys, I got ... bored. That dang itch was back. I missed working with young people and helping them improve their swimming, their academics, their lives.
At the beginning of a second year of retirement, I had the good fortune of being asked to start a team at a new private school in the area, and built a strong program there that kept me busy for another 12 years before I felt it was time to move back to retirement.
At the end of that summer, I was recruited by a good friend to work for a large USA club team as a coach mentor and consultant for the coaching staff, but especially for their newer coaches. It was quite fulfilling. I got to help again.
The next school year gave me the opportunity to start coaching a transitional group within that same club called Future Stars. The youngsters in my two groups were 10-under and 11-older, and the group goal was to help them make the transition from summer league level to year-round club and high school swimming. That's where I am this current year, and it has been quite enjoyable.
I don't know if chlorine gets in our veins or what, but some of us just seem to be "lifers".
If you have retired or are thinking about it, but you're not ready for the golf course every day, or a rocker (shortcut to cemetery!), you might want to get in touch with a great friend and colleague, Patrick Henry, in Belton, Texas. Patrick has come up with an idea and business plan so great we all might be smacking our foreheads thinking "I shoulda thought of that!"
Patrick has posted on Facebook, and I'm just going to copy it here for you. If you're interested, get in touch with Patrick. Could be a heckuva retirement activity and opportunity for you!
I have retired from school district work, coaching, as of 12/31/19. I have started a business called Swim Coach Staffing Solutions. When a team loses a coach mid-season due to injury, illness, retirement, taking another job, safesport, or whatever, we can send in a temp coach to keep quality practices going (and prevent other teams from poaching the swimmers). It can be for 1, 2, 3 months depending on the time of year. Some months are not good times to find a coach.
I will consult with the hiring body and get to understand what type of coach they are looking for. Then I bring in at least two qualified vetted candidates. They select who they want and then I negotiate their contract.
I have partnered with the International Swim Coaches Association in this endeavor. I have been collecting resumes from coaches around the world. These are all confidentially held.
I ask questions like where, geographically, would you like to live and coach. Would you ever consider coaching internationally? What is your dream job? Then when opportunities come up I contact them and privately ask them if this interests them. And we go from there.
Also coaches looking for a job, we should be their first call. So any coaches, pm me your email and I will send you a link to the form. This will get you in the private secure database.
Anyone who has coached 30+ years and would be interested in a temp job pm me. I have already had several contact me today. I need different geographic areas covered. This is a coach run operation, for coaches and teams and really for the swimmers. A way to give back and meet a huge need.
Contact Patrick directly (not me) by email at:
swimcoachstaffingsolutions@yahoo.com
or through Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/patrick.henry.9822
swimcoachstaffingsolutions@yahoo.com
or through Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/patrick.henry.9822
