Life is full of secrets and retirement is no different. Whether it’s disguising one’s physical abilities, bad habits, personal schedule, or financial status, retirement may be masking a variety of things during new and existing retirees’ golden years, including:
1) Driving Capacity
As people move closer to retirement, it’s not uncommon for their vision to decline. Prescription lenses, reading glasses and eye surgery do allow many people to fend off the natural effects of aging, but many retirees are hiding the fact that they shouldn’t be driving, particularly when it comes to night driving, when glaring headlights, dim or inconsistent street lights, and the varying colors of lane stripes can complicate depth perception, which can lead to accidents.
It’s one reason many retirees become morning people, or hit the early-bird dinner special in order get home before the street lights come on.
2) Availability
“I’m busier than ever,” retirees may remark but, as the conversation continues, they disclose, “If I can’t say I am, I’ll get the dreaded babysitting call again. I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren but I didn’t retire to become their full-time nanny and housekeeper.”
In actuality, grandparents may be hiding their real availability, especially if they are the parents’ first line of defense when kids are sick, or on holidays when the Mom and Dad still have to work. Calls that go directly to a voice message and providing few details about their busyness, may represent a retiree cloaking their real schedule to avoid unwanted tasks.
3) Substance Abuse
Retirement isn’t always stress free, and may even include some unpleasant feelings, which can turn some to drugs. In the past, a work schedule, project deadlines, and regularly scheduled events were welcome distractions, providing an outlet that served to reduce or eliminate recurring worries and concerns. However, in retirement, with fewer interactions and opportunities to employ those safety valves, it can become increasingly easier to turn to drugs and alcohol as remedies.
Combine those tendencies with the fact that every day can feel like a Saturday, complete with easy access to alcohol, prescription meds, or other narcotics, and a retiree’s jovial behavior may be hiding what’s really going on.
4) Finances
Money is often a taboo topic among retirees, and many may choose to be secretive about related details. Some retirees feel the need to downplay their saving skills and investment disciplines simply because they don't want to be the never-ending well of financial support to family members. Whether it’s a request for funds to start another business, cover credit card debt, or take over a car payment, few make it through retirement without getting asked to help fix a family member’s financial woes. Therefore, don’t be surprised if some retirees dial down the dialogue on their true wealth in order to politely fend off family members who struggle to manage their own finances.
On another side of the same coin are retirees who hide their lack of savings. With an estimated 22% of elderly married couples and 47% of senior singles relying on Social Security for 90% of their income, some retirees feel compelled to hide the financial short-cuts they’re taking. Dangerous matters of pride can include cutting medications in half, failing to turn on the heat or air, etc.
Retirees today have many opportunities and freedoms, including the ability to hide or shelter information they don’t want others to know. Whether it’s a well-known taboo or a deep, dark personal secret, retirement can serve as a sleeve to cover them up.
Are you hiding any retirement secrets? Take our Retirement Priorities Quiz, download our Free Retirement Guides, or start a taboo topic in our Retirement Community.
