Sundar Mohan Rao

DURING A PROJECT meeting at my old employer, a member of our team was constantly raising questions without offering any solutions. Afterwards, the team leader commented, “This guy always thinks his cup is half empty. Nothing will ever satisfy him.”
We’ve all known such people. Is there anything wrong with their attitude? It depends. My boss told me during my first week, “Never be satisfied with the status quo. Find ways to improve everything.

MANY FOLKS CLAIM TO be ready for retirement, both financially and psychologically. But they’re often surprised to discover that the reality is different from what they expected.
I started planning well in advance of my 2023 retirement. I read dozens of books on the subject, and talked to many classmates and friends who’d already retired. Of all the books and videos that I reviewed, one talk on YouTube stood out: a TEDx Talk by Dr.

WHEN I LOOK BACK at my career, I see that the key to my long tenure with one employer was my desire to learn new skills and help expand the business. That mindset, I believe, helped me survive multiple rounds of layoffs.
I’m hoping that same mindset will help with retirement.
Many retirees say, “I just want to relax. Get rid of the alarm clock. No more classes or schedules for me.” While that feels good for a while,

DURING A GATHERING of retired friends, the topic of wills came up. Many had completed their wills and had their finances in order, while others were working on updating their wills. But there were several who hadn’t even started thinking about it. One of them said, “As a retiree, I’m just starting to enjoy my freedom and have some fun. It’s too stressful to think about death. I’ll get to it someday.”
As you might imagine,

IF SOMEONE TOLD ME 10 years ago that I’d end up living in a 55-plus community, I would have laughed. Our plan was to stay in the home we loved and age in place.
What happened? Our initial move to a 55-plus community was driven solely by convenience. My company transferred me to Atlanta in 2021. We wanted to downsize to an apartment, but finding one close to work was challenging. Our son pointed out that there was a 55-plus apartment community close to my workplace.

WE’VE ALL HEARD THE maxim that “without risk, there’s no reward.” Over the years, we’ve all taken countless risks—big and small, financial and otherwise—to get to where we are today.
Every activity has a risk associated with it, and that includes retirement. It’s best to be aware of these risks and, when prudent, take steps to limit them. Here are nine risks that retirees face.
1. Health. Even if we’re fortunate to enjoy a long,

DURING THE PANDEMIC, I started devoting more time to retirement planning. But I had more questions than answers. I called a friend who was a financial planner.
“Retirement planning is confusing,” I told him. “I have a lot of questions.”
He laughed and said, “The answer is money. What’s the question?”
While his answer was humorous, it reflected what most retirees already know: Money is crucial for a good retirement. While it isn’t the only thing you need for a happy retirement,

I WAS WORRIED ABOUT what we’d be giving up when, a few years ago, we moved to a 55-plus community in Atlanta. We downsized from a large home to a small apartment, plus all our neighbors were considerably older. It was obvious we had to adjust and start enjoying our unfamiliar environment or we’d end up miserable.
My wife and I made a conscious decision to slow down, and make every effort to get to know other residents and their life stories.

WHEN I VISITED INDIA after working in the U.S. for a decade, it struck me that people seemed happy, despite harsh living conditions.
How could that be? “People compare themselves with others,” my brother said to me. “That’s human nature. If they’re better off than their immediate community, they’re happy. It doesn’t matter how bad their situation may be compared to more prosperous countries.”
That made sense. I was making the mistake of applying U.S.

DECADES AGO, WHEN I was trying to save consistently for retirement, I found that my impulse purchases were standing in my way. Like many, I wanted feel-good stuff or the latest gadget, and I was willing to spend money to get it.
Once, I saw an expensive jacket in a store and badly wanted it. I was about to buy it when reality struck. I said to myself, “Let me think it over for a day.

I WAS FASCINATED with retirement planning during the final decade of my career. I read many financial books and focused on saving diligently. Yet, after retiring several months ago following a 39-year career as a research and development engineer, I had a rude awakening.
You can plan all you want, but then comes an unexpected situation that derails everything. As boxer Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has plans until they get hit for the first time.”
In the brief time I’ve been retired,