We all know that most young people believe in living in the now and not worrying about what the future might bring. But interaction between five journalism students and five retirees changed the students’ perspective, as reported in a recent New York Times article.
The students’ assignment was to find out from five retirees what they wished they knew when they were the ages of the students. The retirees ranged in age from 58 to 93.
The 93-year-old retiree told her student that she wished she was still working – for about three hours a week. The youngest of the retirees, a 58-year-old man told his student that you need to start planning when you’re young – especially if you get married and have children. Among the things he suggested be considered were how long she would want to live in her house, did she want to live near her children when they were grown and how long did she want to work.
Others focused on the importance of staying healthy into retirement because as one put it, “I did not know 65 would be the new 40.”
While it is certainly hard for a college student to consider, one of the other retirees suggested that she think 40 years into the future, and start to prepare for that.
These all seem like valuable lessons. Planning for the future should start as early as possible, especially if you want a happy and healthy one.