When crossing the bridge to retirement there are numerous aspects of life that will dramatically change. Many people look forward to no more commute, or emails, or stressful deadlines. Some employees may recognize that they’ll likely miss their benefits or sense of identity within their workplace.

In the May 2023 Retirement Perspectives and Attitudes Survey conducted by (Gilbert and Weigel) a startling insight was found on the main thing retirees miss about working.

There is something so attractive about a “fresh start”. We’re filled with optimism, there’s a pep in our step, and the possibilities are boundless. This lasts for a whole… oh, I don’t know… 5 minutes, before we can easily begin a dizzying spiral downward.

While I’m a proponent of new beginnings (and certainly a proponent of optimism!) , I’m going to highlight some not so commonly shared pitfalls of this Blank Slate narrative.

I purposely don’t mince my words here as it’s critical that clients approaching a big life change such as Retirement understand the importance of vision and preparedness.