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Forget the rocking chair—this isn’t your parents’ retirement. If you’re staring down the next chapter, retirement looks less like slowing down and more like finally living on your own terms. Think: part-time gigs with purpose, slow travel with Wi-Fi, house swaps over timeshares, and community over isolation. Whether you’re planning your escape from the 9-to-5 or just daydreaming about your third act, here are 8 retirement trends I share with my coaching clients are shaking up what it means to retire today.
Many see retirement as a time to launch a new career, start a business, or pursue a long-delayed passion. Seniors frequently embrace a new retirement trend called unretirement — reentering the workforce on their terms. Chip Conley, founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), is at the forefront of redefining retirement—not as an end, but as a transformative phase of life. He challenges the traditional notion of retirement as a complete cessation of work, proposing that it can be a period of reinvention, purpose, and continued contribution. In his work, Ken Dychtwald, a psychologist, gerontologist, and founder of Age Wave, discusses the concept of “Life’s Third Age,” a period where individuals can pursue new passions, careers, and educational opportunities. Modern retirement, he argues, is about purpose and engagement rather than withdrawal from active life. By fostering environments that support lifelong learning, society can empower older adults to continue contributing meaningfully.
Beyond financial security, many retirees want meaning, impact, and connection. As a result, volunteerism, mentorship, or advocacy roles are rising in popularity. Conley emphasizes the importance of retiring “to” something meaningful rather than merely retiring “from” work. He advocates for planning this life phase, focusing on:
The third retirement trend addresses address our need to learn and grow. Dychtwald emphasizes that lifelong learning and personal growth are essential components of a fulfilling life, especially as we age. He advocates for a shift from traditional views of aging as a period of decline to one of opportunity and reinvention. Retirees are increasingly enrolling in online courses, attending workshops, or returning to school. Among the learning platforms they are leveraging are Coursera, Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (UCLA OLLI) and local colleges.
Retirees today increasingly embrace flexible living and slow travel as alternatives to traditional, static retirement lifestyles. This shift reflects a desire for freedom, exploration, and purpose, often without the burdens of full-time homeownership or rushed tourism. Flexible living refers to nontraditional housing arrangements that allow retirees to move seasonally, live in multiple places, or adapt their living style over time - renting instead of owning, living abroad for periods, house-sitting or home-swapping, and extended stays. Slow travel is about immersive, extended stays in one place, allowing retirees to experience daily life like a local—rather than rushing through a packed itinerary. Its attributes include staying put for weeks or months, cooking and living like a resident, and focusing on local culture and presence beyond superficial sightseeing.
The impact of the pandemic with the establishment of remote and hybrid work helped redefine traditional retirement. Some retirees are becoming consultants, creators, or coaches. Technology enables location independence and part-time professional involvement. According to the Fidelity Investments 2024 State of Retirement Planning study, most people still pursue traditional retirement without wanting to work. However, others plan to work part-time or pursue work for pleasure. Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, ProBlogger, Udemy, Etsy, RedBubble, LiveOps, Shopify, and ToursByLocals are among the platforms for freelancing retirees.
I launched my Etsy store - MidModTees - in 2024 as a way to earn income in retirement and tap my lifelong desire to work in a creative field by designing Mid-Century Modern inspired t-shirts and mugs.
A well-being-centered lifestyle in retirement is an approach to retirement that prioritizes overall health, purpose, and fulfillment—not just leisure or financial security. Well-being-centered retirement emphasizes flourishing over merely escaping work. It recognizes that retirees thrive when they have a sense of:
It reflects a shift from seeing retirement as “the end of work” to a new chapter of intentional living focused on thriving physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. This trend is embodied in many ways, including retreats, group fitness, mindfulness, and hobby communities, which are being prioritized. For example, one workshop offered by Chip Conley at his beautiful Santa Fe center is Emerging Elders: Wisdom, Growth, and Transformation.
A 2024 Mass Mutual study of 2000 people found that 66% of pre-retirees (those who had 15 years or fewer before retirement) were preparing for retirement by taking better care of their health, such as exercising and eating healthier.
The Golden Girls were the fictional characters in a beloved American TV sitcom of the same name that aired from 1985 to 1992. The show centered on four older women living together in a house in Miami, Florida, navigating friendship, aging, and life’s challenges with humor and heart. The show was ahead of its time regarding ways to live in retirement. Other examples include:
Blended work and phased retirement are modern approaches to transitioning into retirement that offer greater flexibility, autonomy, and engagement—especially popular among professionals who want to stay active without committing to full-time work. Blended work is a mix of work and leisure that retirees choose based on their interests, energy, and financial needs. It’s not tied to a rigid schedule or a single employer. Phased retirement is a gradual reduction of work hours or responsibilities over time—usually in partnership with an employer—as a person transitions into full retirement.
Three large employers offering phased retirement programs include:
People aren’t retiring the old way—and that’s the point. These eight trends aren’t just predictions but invitations to rethink what’s possible. Whether you’re dreaming of flexible work, global adventures, or finally launching that passion project, now’s the time to start shaping your future. Don’t wait for someone else’s idea of retirement to define yours. Talk to a coach, map out a plan, and try something new. This next chapter? It’s not the end—it’s the remix. Make it yours.
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Click here for a Retirement checklist to identify concerns or issues you have about your retirement.
Dr. Kevin Nourse is retirement coach helping people intentionally create a retirement by design not default. He founded Nourse Leadership Strategies, an executive and team coaching firm based in Southern California. He can be reached at 442.420.5578 or kevin@nourseleadership.co
