By Cathy Severson

Is there a good life recipe in retirement? Baby boomers are often thought of as a homogeneous group. In fact, we are a pretty diverse group of 77 million individuals. MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI) partnered with educator and life coach, Richard Leider to see if they could establish criteria for the good life in retirement. They established thirteen activities within four core components that people look to define life satisfaction. The four core areas are wealth, health, meaning and place.

Wealth

The researchers identified three primary areas concerning wealth money.

1. People want to fee like their assets growing, whether it is with investments, savings or real estate.

2. People want to have enough income to last them through the end of their life. One of the stress areas for income is concern about the unknowns, especially healthcare costs.

3. As many as 75% of retirement age adults say they want to continue to work for a wage beyond traditional retirement. Being able to have a satisfactory salary from a part or full-time job is important.

Health

Health is equally important as wealth in determining the good life recipe.

1. People want to stay mentally healthy active by enhancing brain functioning.

2. People want to stay healthy physically through exercise and healthy eating.

3. People want to engage in activities that allow them to be spiritually healthy.

Meaning

The idea of retirement as solely a time for leisure and relaxation is being replaced with people who want a sense of purpose in their lives.

1. People want to spend time with family and friends.

2. People want to enjoy personal activities such as travel and hobbies).

3. People want to help make the world better through volunteering, community service and helping the environment.

4. People want to use their attributes and talents to accomplish things that matter.

Place

Where you live, both home and community is an important element in living the good life.

1. People want to enjoy their surroundings and have it coincide with their sense of purpose.

2. People want to feel a sense of belonging in their community.

3. People want to believe their home meets their needs.

Take a look at the list to rate yourself in your sense of feeling satisfaction in life. What would you consider your own personal good life recipe and how does is relate to the list above?