Here’s what Mel Baughman says about his retirement: “It is pretty fabulous. Everyone says I am the model retiree.” How did he create a remarkable life after work? He crafted a plan–the most deliberate retirement plan of any retiree I’ve interviewed. Mel likes planning—and he’s good at it. As a forestry professor and university administrator, he spent […]

Marilyn Grantham got up from the computer for another cup of coffee. She knew she should cut herself off or she’d have trouble sleeping again. But she needed a boost. She had been staring at that screen for hours, day after day, scoring third- and fourth-grade math tests for a company that oversees standardized testing. […]

Here’s the thing you need to know about Cynthia McArthur; she loves biking. She fell in love with it right after college, on a three-month cycling trip through Europe. It made her feel strong, confident, and capable. She loved to set her own pace, ride as far as she wanted, and stop when she wanted. […]

Bernice Koehler Johnson has accomplished more since she retired than most people do in a lifetime. Bernice had a well-paying but otherwise unrewarding job.  She bought property for a Minnesota county, frequently invoking eminent domain. She hated negotiating deals that forced owners to sell. She had grown up on a farm in northern Minnesota; she […]

Maurice Baillargeon was a farmer and a union carpenter. Bernice Koehler Johnson negotiated real estate contracts for an urban county. Marilyn Grantham developed educational programs for farmers. What do they have in common? • After they retired, each spent time contributing to others. • These contributions turned into some of the most rewarding work of […]