What Does A Comfortable Post-Retirement Life Look Like?

Spending a comfortable post-retirement life is a dream of many retirees. In fact, it is a driving force of working employees as well. No one likes to age without self-respect, discipline, dignity, and independence. However, it is not easy for everyone. According to a popular American mantra, if you want to live a life of dignity after retirement, you need to have $1 million in savings. This means that if you want to age with independence and achieve your unfulfilled dreams, you have to have $1 million by the time you retire but sadly, not every retiree has that many savings.

Andrea / Pexels / According to a recent survey, 56% of American retirees anticipate that they will have less than $500,000 in savings.

Part of the problem is that a large number of people work for cheap daily wages so no matter how hard they work, or how tight their budget is, they can never have enough savings. It is pertinent to mention here that these low-wagers compromise their lifestyle thinking they would live a dignified life after retirement. They neither go to lavish restaurants nor do they party with their friends and loved ones and instead, leverage their happiness in life. Sadly, when they retire, they do not have enough savings to fulfill those unachieved dreams orspend a life of dignity after retirement.

That is why it is essential to understand that money is by no means the only thing that dictates your lifestyle. Although it plays a pivotal role, it is not the end-all and be-all–there’s so much more to life. After all, no matter how much you earn or save money, it is never enough.

The Meaning of A Comfortable and Dignifying Post-Retirement Life

Gustavo / Pexels / A comfortable post-retirement life may mean different for different retirees based on their dreams and inspirations.

However, a comfortable lifestyle after retirement may mean different things for different retirees. For some, it might be financial independence and so, if they spend their post-retirement life without relying on their kids and grandkids, that is a comfortable life. For others, it can be traveling to their ‘dream countries,’ exploring the world, or adventuring with their partners.

So, depending on your inspirations and aspirations, your meaning of a comfortable post-retirement life may vary. Likewise, the required savings will also be different based on your “dream retirement.”

Maria / Pexels / A comfortable post-retirement life is easy if your dreams are realistic.

To dig deeper into the daily lives of the elderly, Bloomberg interviewed 20 retirees to see how their post-retirement life was. Based on the study, it turned out that those retirees who have a simple and realistic vision of retirement have the most dignified life after retirement. The research concluded that since they do not dream big or have unrealistic lifestyle expectations, they are content and comfortable with where they have ended up.

In short, life does not work based on your ‘grand dreams.’ Real life is hard. That is why you must not have unrealistic expectations from retirement and keep your dreams limited to your means.