‘Knowin' you can always count on me for sure. That's what friends are for.’ -Burt Bacharach

What are the ‘Bonus Years’?

Background about Retirement:  German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, first put forward the idea of a retirement with a pension called ‘old age security’ in the 1880’s.  Retirement age was set initially at 70 years old and fewer than 2% of the population lived long enough to collect. If you did make it to retirement it was considered the "beginning of the end". 

And today:  Fortunately, that’s no longer the case.  Boomers are retiring earlier and living longer, healthier lives. Statistically, at age 50, you have lived about half your adult life. So, for the first time in human history, you can expect to be ‘retired’ 15, 20, 30 years or more. Retirement is now the beginning of a wonderful, new stage of life — the ‘Bonus Years’!

The Life Stages Timeline illustrates how things have changed.

Life Stages Timeline

Old Timeline

New Timeline

Growing Up Years:

The first stage of life is childhood and adolescence. You are growing up, getting an education, developing your personality, values and beliefs. 

Family/Career Years: 

Next are the family/career years.  This stage is focused on productivity (jobs, incomes, adult challenges) and settling in (family, organizations, community).  You find a job or career, form your ‘family’ and friendships and climb the ladder of life and career.

Retirement/Bonus Years: 

Until recently, only a small percentage of people even reached retirement age and the average length of retirement was less than 5 years. Today, the average age of first retirement is 57 and, with increased life expectancy, you could be retired for 30 years or more!  These are your BONUS Years.  How are YOU going to make them your best years?