Yahoo Finance There may be a better way to retire
For seven years, Lee Wachtstetter has been living on a cruise ship at a cost of $164,000 a year according to USA Today. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-native sold her 10-acre property after her husband died on the advise of her daughter who suggested she spend her retirement doing what she loved.
“The day before my husband died of cancer in 1997, he told me, ‘Don’t stop cruising.’ So here I am today living a stress-free, fairy-tale life,” Wachtstetter says.
Wachtstetter’s story may seem like the ultimate fairytale but for most Canadians, a permanent vacation is not the dream.
“Many [Canadians] now view retirement as an opportunity for career re-invention,” says a study released by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). “Half [of retirees] want to launch a whole new career rather than continuing the same line of work they did in their pre-retirement years,” it adds. The same trend is happening in the U.S.
The winemakers
After working in real estate for the bulk of their careers, Wyoming-natives Tom and Yvonne Phelan packed up their bags and headed to Argentina, purchasing 108-acres of raw land to develop into La Vida Buena Private Vineyard Estates. “Not a lot of planning was involved,” Tom told Yahoo Canada. “Though, my wife and I had discussed owning a vineyard for several years before we retied.”
The Phelans may not have had a comprehensive plan before beginning their new venture but they did do their research. They found that an acre of vineyards in Argentina cost a fraction of what they could buy in places like France, Spain, Napa or Sonoma – though the quality of the grapes and wine was comparable. On a business trip to Buenos Aires pre-retirement they encountered a foreigner who owned a vineyard in Argentina and figured, why not give it a try?
Though there have been plenty of growing pains learning about things like farming and weather patterns as well as dealing with local bureaucracy and the language barrier, the Phalens couldn’t be happier with their choice. "Our goal is to build a Bodega on the property,” Tom says.
The pub owners
For Toronto-natives Donna and Bill Alsop, their dream involved an old fashioned English pub. “In the mid-’70s we lived in England together and always loved the old, unique country pubs and pub culture,” Donna told Yahoo Canada. “The idea of opening a pub of our own was something that we talked about even as a young couple.”
In Toronto, Bill worked in tool and die while Donna was an elementary school teacher with the Toronto District School Board. One day while dropping their daughter off at university in Halifax, Bill wandered into an old house from the 1830s and it was decided. “He called and said, ‘would you like to buy a pub’ and I said ‘OK’ and the decision was made,” Donna explains.
Opening up The Henry House has involved more hours of work on the whole but Donna explains, “work so often takes people away from the ones they love, for us it keeps our lives running parallel.”
The music teacher
"I had just retired in the spring of 2013, when a friend told me about this great opportunity to join a musical group of adult learners,” R. Douglas Robertson told Yahoo Canada. The group was called The New Horizons Band in Toronto, where Robertson has now been a teacher for the past three years. Prior to this, he worked as a jingle composer, musical theatre conductor and as music teacher with the Peel Board of Education and York Region District School Board.
“New Horizons is not different, but more an extension of my previous career with one important difference,” Robertson explains. “The adults.” Unlike students who are often forced into learning to play an instrument, Robertson’s students are highly motivated and enthusiastic. “And I don’t have to give them marks,” he adds. “Just encouragement.”
Working around like minded adults has encouraged Robertson to explore his other interests. He now plays tennis, reads more, does pottery and volunteers with organizations such as the Canadian Ski Patrol, PanAm Games, Ride To Conquer Cancer and The McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
“I would encourage retirees to go out and explore your other Interests,” he says. “It will lead to a richer life, better mental and physical health, new skills, new friends and less napping on the couch.”
