These Retirees Are Thriving. What Are Their Secrets?

Odds are, one day you’ll stop working. But for most Americans, retirement no longer means an office party at age 65, complete with a gold watch and a pension—if it ever meant that at all. Now, whether you choose your retirement date or it’s chosen for you, this new life phase can feel like the great unknown.

There are the financial considerations, which are especially stressful for the 40% of Americans who aren’t confident they’ll have enough money to retire successfully. “The reality is, you have to understand your options,” says Bec Wilson, founder of the Epic Retirement Club, a Facebook group with 656,000 members, adding that this kind of self-assessment can help you “make your decisions confidently rather than out of fear."

But there are other concerns too. The stresses of retirement are a constant theme on Reddit’s r/retirement community, where 84,000 would-be retirees and those who’ve already taken the plunge post about the emotional implications as much as the practical ones. On the forum users confront the big questions: Who will you spend your time with? What happens if you get sick? How does your identity change?

When done right, retiring is indeed a chance to redefine yourself. Trust us: We asked a ton of retirees about it. They shared their tips on how to prepare for, transition into and live well during this next chapter.