A recent article in the New York Times describes some choices made by professionals of unique forms of retirement. Each of the individuals profiled in the article stopped what they had been doing for many years, but continued to be actively involved in what most people would call work. One, a doctor, became a "temp" doctor, filling in for other doctors and spending more time on outdoor activities. Another embarked on a years long project of researching and writing a history of his family, while a third used his legal training to work in a nonprofit organization dealing with climate change. They all worked, although less vigorously than before, and all seemed to enjoy continuing to be actively engaged but with other interests. I think the key point is that they reached an age where they thought carefully about what they wanted to do next, rather than just assuming they would do what they had done for most of their careers, until physically or mentally unable to do so. That's the key point of retirement planning: stepping back from your day to day work, assessing your financial and health situation, and then thinking about what you might want to do while you are able. For many people, it is not working at all, but spending their time on recereational or educational activities. For others, it is working in a different way, for different goals. No choice is wrong, except not thinking about and making a choice.