How the Pandemic Has Changed (If It Has Ever Changed) Your Thinking About Retirement

Has the pandemic changed the way you think about retirement or retirement planning in general? So how?

I’ve seen many reader comments pointing out how the pandemic has changed their thinking about their careers in general – many people leaning forward, prioritizing better work-life balance, and trying to find happiness through their jobs and careers in general.

{related: Not sure what to do first/next on your personal finance journey? here is our money roadmap}

But I’m wondering – have your thoughts on retirement changed due to the pandemic? So how? I could see this progressing in several ways:

• The carpe diem approach – after all, we only live once, so why save for a retirement that may or may not happen (due to epidemic, illness or other) when you know you can spend the money today and enjoy it?
• Attachment approach – you realize that you won’t always have health and youth, and you decide to kneel down to take care of your Future You.
• Take a break from your normal approach – it’s been a few odd years! The stock market was weird, the job market was weird – so let’s take a short break and figure out what’s going on.

My own practices have changed a bit because we’ve been Covid Cautious for too long – so I felt that money we would spend on holidays or dining out could be diverted to (pre-tax) savings accounts. So it’s not exactly retirement thinking, but Future Me thinking.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever changed your approach to retirement savings in the last few years?

Stock photo via stencil.

Additional reading on retirement from Corporette: