The Key to a Happier Retirement - Stay Active and Spend Time with Family & Friends, by Scott Stolz, CFP, RICP (week 39)

 

According to a 2024 MassMutual survey, two out of every three retirees report they are either much happier or somewhat happier in retirement. (2024_massmutual_retirement_happiness_study.pdf).  That should be very reassuring for anyone that is heading towards retirement.  But that also means that one out of every three retirees report that they are either just as happy, somewhat less happy, or much less happy.  The study also found that those that are happier tend to spend more time with family and friends, exercising, travel and pursuing hobbies or interests.  I’m guessing this doesn’t surprise anyone.  I'm sure every retiree at first wonders how they will fill their day and maintain relationships. 

A baseball player in a red uniform is preparing to hit a pitch against a catcher in a park. AI-generated content may be incorrect.

 

I mentioned in post #3 (Focusing on What is Really Important) that retirement allowed me to play full time in the St. Pete Half-Century Club.  You talk about a time filler.  Yesterday we concluded our 60-game season.  The playoffs begin on Monday.  This is not your typical softball league where you play one night per week after dinner and then go out for drinks afterwards.  This 93-year-old modified fast-pitch softball club plays every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning for 20 weeks.  In addition, they are 9 inning games rather than the typical 7 innings.  Generally, each game takes about 2 hours.  That’s a lot of softball.  I batted 235 times this season.  To put that in perspective, I don’t think I ever batted more than 125 times in any summer while playing baseball as a youth.  And I certainly did not play 3 games per week in my younger days.  Let’s just say that I often felt very stiff when I got out of bed on Saturday morning.

But this league has given me more than just much needed exercise.  It’s both filled a lot of free time and given me a bunch of new friendships.  And it’s pretty cool to help carry on a tradition that’s been going on for almost 100 years.

Prior to the beginning of the season, I set the following 3 goals for myself:

1.      Win the league championship – accomplished with a record of 36 wins and 24 loses.

2.      Finish the year with batting average of at least .500 (final average was .509)

3.      Don’t get hurt – so far, so good.  Now I just have to get through the playoffs.

But, with the playoffs concluding next week, I’m about to have a lot more free time on my hands.  Not only will I have three extra mornings free, but I’ll be giving up Whiskey Wednesday after the Wednesday game.  It might be a competitive and serious league, but softball will always pair well with whiskey and beer.

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