SEGMENT IDEA The Best is Yet for Come for Boomer Men- Reinventing Retirement: Expert Tips-Advice

I’m contacting you with a segment idea about an entirely new concept of retirement. What Baby Boomer men face when they finish working has little to do with what their fathers faced. According to retirement and aging expert Thelma Reese, retirement is a far longer phase of life, and it’s filled with possibilities. The trick for aging men is not so much what to do — they can do nearly anything they want to. It’s how to do it, and get the most out of it.

The Big Idea: Just like women, men are living decades longer — and the old model of retirement just doesn’t apply. But while women’s lives already make room for sharing feelings and insights about their new lives, men are traditionally told to “man up” and focus on what to do and how to save. Faced with a whole new horizon, men deserve a better roadmap for navigating the rest of the journey — and getting the most out of this next phase of their lives.

Why It Matters: It used to be that men’s identities were so tied to what they did that once they stopped working, they lost all sense of self. Problems from depression to boredom to marital strife and ill health might follow. But retirement no longer means the end of the road, especially for Baby Boomers. As this generation ages, they face far more years in retirement than any generation before them — and few resources to guide them in this post-patriarchal world.

Key Messages: In her new book, The New Senior Man, author Thelma Reese looks at the realities and opportunities facing men as they retire. She offers inspiring stories of men from all walks of life who are redefining retirement — expanding their experiences, discovering new sides of themselves, and delving into their fields in altogether different ways. Whether a retired firefighter, professor, doctor or executive, the men in Reese’s book are having the time of their lives. They prove that for Boomers, the concept of retirement isn’t about exile, it’s about freedom, self-reinvention, and experience.

She can also discuss:

• The surprising ways men are facing and fighting ageism as they live longer and longer.

• How Baby Boomer men are helping to redefine the very concept of manhood.

• Why today’s retirees need far more than a financial plan to head into their “golden years.”

• How sex and intimacy change for older men — and how to maintain a healthy love life.

• Why seeking community has hidden health benefits for retired men.

• How Boomer fathers are redefining the concept of legacy for their children.

The source: Thelma Reese, author of The New Senior Woman: Reinventing the Years Beyond Mid-Life, wrote The New Senior Man to satisfy the numerous requests from men who wanted their own book. She is the creator of the blog, www.ElderChicks.com, is a retired professor of English and Education, was the spokesper for Hooked on Phonics, and has long been active in literacy and cultural initiatives in Philadelphia.

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