Purposeful retirement expectations and their associations with retirement planning

Abstract

Objective

Previous research has demonstrated that retirees tend to report lower levels for sense of purpose compared to working adults. However, it remains unclear whether adults show differences in the extent to which they expect to be purposeful during retirement, and what that may mean for the propensity to plan for retirement.

Method

The current study examined this question in a cross-sectional sample of 492 adults (Age: M = 39.28, SD = 8.35) prior to retirement. Participants completed an adapted measure to capture expected purposeful engagement during retirement, along with sense of purpose, retirement planning, and the Big Five personality traits.

Results

Factor analyses and zero-order correlations suggested that purposeful retirement perceptions are related yet distinct from sense of purpose in general, and adults on average expect a moderately purposeful retirement. Purposeful retirement scores were associated with multiple retirement planning scales, and remained predictive of retirement preparation even when accounting for the Big Five and demographic factors.

Conclusion

Adults differ in how purposeful they expect to be during their future retirement. Moreover, these differences may be a valuable consideration when understanding how to promote retirement planning.

Keywords:

• Sense of purpose
• retirement
• retirement planning
• personality
• positive psychology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The current research was sponsored through generous support from the Jackson National Life Insurance Company.