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 years designing and fine-tuning courses and budgets. And he loves orchestrating elaborate canoeing and backpacking trips.

So, it is no surprise that Mel developed a plan for how he wanted to live his life after work. Here are decisions he made when he retired in 2011:

When to retire?

Mel could have negotiated for a phased retirement, reducing his workload over time. But he was burned out and stressed out. He was ready to walk away from his job and start something new. But he would be doing it alone. His wife, Susan, died three years before.

Where to live?

Mel is an outdoors guy. Always has been. So he knew he wanted to get out of the Twin Cities, closer to woods, rivers, and lakes. He came up with a list of criteria. He wanted a community:

  • In northern Minnesota or Wisconsin
  • Close to hiking, canoeing, fishing, hunting, skiing
  • Within a three- to four-hour drive from a major airport
  • With a stable or growing population
  • With a hospital, hardware store, clothing stores, and at least a few good restaurants
  • And with community spirit

He spent a week on the Internet researching towns in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based on his criteria, he came up with a list of six to eight communities, then he headed out on a road trip to explore them. He drove to each town, ate lunch, visited with people, and sized up the towns.

He fell in love with Hayward, Wisconsin.

A week later he returned to house shop. He put a deposit on a home before he left town and moved a month later. Clearly, Mel is a guy who knows how to make decisions.

But to me, some of his decisions were surprising.

Many retirees who move to rural Minnesota or Wisconsin buy a house on a lake or in the woods. And although Mel was moving to be closer to nature, he bought a house in town.

Why?

“I chose not to live on a lake. I didn’t want to tie up a lot of money in a house. Lake properties cost a lot more and I decided I could save some money not living on a lake. I could free that money for more flexible investments. I knew I wanted to do a lot of traveling. Why have a big fancy house if I’m not going to be there? Besides, with my canoeing and fishing interests, I like to explore a lot of small lakes over the summer. If I lived on a lake I would spend more time there than I really wanted to. This gives me flexibility.”

Mel wanted a life full of experiences. He wasn’t interested in taking care of a lot of things. So he chose a location and a home that allowed freedom.

Also, he believed, “If I lived in Hayward it was going to be a whole lot easier to bump into people, go to the coffee shop, meet people. That has been true.”

How to make new connections?

Mel knew, as a single person, he needed to meet people and make friends in Hayward.

“You have got to have social contact for your mental health. I was never very good at making friends. I have a few good friends, but not a lot of friends. It is important for me to meet new people and interact with people for my own mental health.”

He didn’t leave this to chance.

As soon as he moved, he stopped by the Chamber of Commerce to learn about local activities. He picked up a bunch of brochures, and learned about the Hayward Newcomers Club. He joined two of its subsections. One group hikes every Sunday and the other group eats at a different restaurant in the area once a month.

Next, he looked for ways to volunteer.

He built his social life through the Newcomers Club and volunteering.

How to spend time?

Mel had a rough formula. He wanted to spend 25 to 30 percent of his year volunteering, 25 to 30 percent of the year traveling, and the rest of the time around Hayward.

Volunteering

Originally, he imagined volunteering in national parks.

“I bought a small travel trailer. I envisioned spending three months at a time going to national parks out west and serving as a campground host or doing other volunteer work.”

But that part of his plan didn’t work as expected.

“It wasn’t long after I moved here that I met a woman who I became really close to. But she didn’t want to do that.”

He was flexible on this part of his plan. Instead of volunteering at national parks out west, he looked for a park nearby. He discovered that the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is part of the National Park Service. So he met with staff to discuss how he might help. He spends a few days a year working with them.

But his biggest time commitment goes to the North Country National Scenic Trail. The hiking path runs from North Dakota to Vermont, cutting through northern Wisconsin. He belongs to two different chapters that maintain and build trails. Mel taught recreational trail design and construction at the University of Minnesota, so this volunteer work taps his expertise. He helps build bridges and boardwalks, reroute trails, and clears paths of fallen sticks and trees. It’s hands-on, dirty, sweaty, physically-demanding work that gets him out where he wants to be—in nature.

He also volunteers on the county’s Search and Rescue team. “They go looking for lost people. It could be someone with dementia, a runaway teenager, a lost hunter, a canoeist who capsized. I probably spend at least two weeks of my time on that.”

Finding meaningful, challenging ways to volunteer has not been a problem. He looks for organizations that match his interests, then meets with them and offers his help.

“I go to these people and say, ‘I have these skills and you are an organization that seems to match up with my interests. How can I use my skills to help you out?’ The Search and Rescue team was really happy to have a forester because if you are looking for someone lost in the woods, they know a person like me has some ability to survive in the woods and get around and not get lost. Maybe [it is easy to find rewarding ways to volunteer because] it is the small town atmosphere. There are important things to get done, so they don’t turn you down.”

Recently, Mel started giving PowerPoint presentations about his travels. It started when a friend who had moved to assisted living asked Mel to show his slides from a canoe trip, and said, “We can ask the other residents, too.” It was a hit and word is spreading. Mel has gigs at several libraries and other organizations.

Mel volunteers a lot, but he is selective. His volunteering has to relate to the outdoors and it can’t feel trivial. And it has to allow him to spend 25 to 30 percent of his year traveling.

Travel

Every November or December, Mel schedules six to eight trips for the upcoming year.

Lately, he’s scheduled one big bucket-list trip per year: Antarctica, the Galapagos. If he can’t convince someone to go with him, he goes alone. He wants to check off the bucket-list trips while he’s healthy.

“I am not afraid of going by myself if that is what it takes. I plan to get there.”

He also plans solo hiking and canoe trips, group canoe trips, and fishing and hunting trips with his brother. Each summer, he visits family in Ohio.

Mel acknowledges that he is lucky to have the finances and good health to travel. But he believes people can have just as much fun exploring places near home. “You just need to have a plan and schedule it.”

“It is a good idea, before you retire, to have an idea of how you are going to spend your time. I developed this plan. I wanted to get out of the city and do things I am passionate about. I wanted to live in a small town. I wanted to spend time outdoors. I am living the life I planned. I didn’t know I would be skiing a dozen times a year. I didn’t know I would be working on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway or doing search and rescue work. But I knew what I wanted in general. I have not had problems [transitioning to retirement]. Zero stress. I decide what I do. I just love my life up here.”

What’s Mel’s advice to someone thinking about retirement?

“Don’t be fearful. Look forward to it as an enriching experience. You have a chance to learn new things, meet new people, get rid of some stress. You can choose activities you want to engage in based on your interests. To me, it is a really exciting time.”

So, do what Mel did. Spend time planning your retirement. Create a life you love.

  • When will you retire?
  • Where do you want to live?
  • How will you make new connections?
  • How will you spend your time?

 

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