In a world in which one in five people can expect to live beyond their 90th birthday, governments in many countries are coming under increased strain to meet the costs associated with an aging society.

Traditional ways of looking at retirement are also changing. People see retirement as an active stage of life in which they aspire to stay socially connected, involved in their communities, and continue to work in some capacity.

Employers can help prepare their employees for life after work. Employers play a significant role in designing a workplace environment that helps to stimulate greater savings, healthier lifestyle choices and the opportunity for employees to transition to retirement. Everything from offering automatic enrolment in employer retirement plans, workshops and lunch ‘n learns on strategies for retiring right, establishing health and wellness programs to offering the option to move from full-time to part-time work.

In my books, Don’t Just Retire – Live It, Love It!; Strategies for Retiring Right! and Why Me? And No Gold Watch!, I elaborate on lessons learned from successful retirees including (a) how to construct a realistic and well-rounded vision of retirement and (b) plans on how to make your vision happen!

The models of a successful retirement contain the knowledge, thoughts, and insights I’ve gleaned from interviews with hundreds of successful retirees.

So now the choice is yours. You can sit and wait for whatever comes along, or you can tackle the challenges and opportunities of retiring successfully. Will you reserve your place in the rocking chair or grab the brass ring of retirement life?