Today’s world is filled with scary information concerning the future – tariffs, looming recession, falling dollar, rising unemployment, to name a few. Fear, panic, and discomfort are common emotions. These same emotions are also experienced by people preparing for retirement. For some people, retirement is so overwhelming they sabotage their retirement plan by adopting a negative attitude. They…

Recently I wrote a blog entitled: TSUNAMI COMING! Older Employees Leave the Workforce. I report by 2030, 1 in 4 Canadians will be 65+. Currently, according to Statistics Canada, 750 to 760 Canadians retire every day. The 12-month average recently hit 276,800 annually. Average age of retirees is 65.4 years. But Who Cares?Governments, businesses, and younger workers should…

In Canada, 1 in 5 Canadians is 65 or older. In 2030, 1in 4 (25%) will be 65+. Currently Canada is suffering from a skills shortage, and this will be exacerbated by the retirement of an estimated 2.7 million Canadians between 2026 and 2030. Retaining older employees must be front and centre on the minds…

Yesterday when at the gym, a gym-mate said, “Rick, I have a recently retired friend who says she is bored. What can I tell her?” My answer was, “I’m sorry to learn about your friend, but she is not alone. Studies show that up to 40% of retirees experience boredom. For many the lack of routine…

Survey results: 84% of pre-retirees don’t have a mentor: someone who has already successfully travelled the retirement road. With many people retiring earlier, you may find yourself retired for 10 to 30 or more years.  When we started in life, gaining experience and maturing, we had many mentors along the way – parents, family members,…

Many retirees tell me the one thing they miss most from their working lives is the structure. It’s the need to get up in the morning, be at work for a certain time, attend meetings, solve problems, be with people, and have a sense of accomplishment. If you crave structure, then volunteering may be for you. By…

I’m frequently asked, “Who are you?” “What do you do?” Let me explain. I’m Rick Atkinson, (a.k.a Mister Retirement). I’m a retirement coach. My focus, approach, and reader/client opinions are as follows: Focus: Expert in retirement fulfillment, author, and founder of RA Retirement Advisors. My expertise is aimed at assisting those 45 to 65, and the recently…

“When my wife retired, she expected me to stop hanging out with my buddies. If I did see my gang for a couple of hours, she would fume or blow up about me ignoring her.” In retirement, your relationship with your partner is most likely to change the most. The change can be particularly striking…

We are all aware the value of a will.   If you die without a will, the province or state in which you live will decide how to distribute your estate.  However, you might be surprised how many people die each year without a will.  There are numerous reasons for this major oversight including: those who…

The Western view of retirement has, for many years, been linear. You work to a specific age then “stop working”. Though popular, working to 60 or 65, stopping working, collecting a pension, sitting back, enjoying not having a boss, no worries or cares, do whatever crosses your mind, has been the practice of many. This has often…