Episode 33: The 10-Year Window Before Retirement: What To Do

What if retirement is too late to start living?

I know that sounds dramatic.

But honestly, I do not think it is.

Most of us were handed the same basic plan. Work hard. Save money. Be responsible. Keep your head down.

Then someday, when you hit the magic retirement age, you finally get to travel, slow down, spend time with people you love, and do all the things you kept pushing off.

And on paper, that sounds responsible.

But there is a problem with that plan. A huge one.

It assumes your health will cooperate.

It assumes your job will still be there.

It assumes your family situation will stay stable.

It assumes the economy will not change the rules.

It assumes you will wake up at 67 with the same energy, curiosity, and physical ability you have right now.

That’s a lot of assumptions for something as important as your actual life.

Introduction to the 10-Year Window

Welcome to another episode of Current Thoughts.

If this is your first time here, welcome.

This is a podcast about helping you rethink your life, take back your time, and build freedom after 40.

I’m your host, J, and today’s episode is another solo one.

Today I want to talk about the 10-year window—the decade before retirement age hits.

This is not from a financial guru. This is not some hustle speech.

This is from a real-life angle.

This is about showing you what you should start doing before retirement age gets here so you are not sitting there later with money in the bank but a life you never actually built.

Why the Next 10 Years Matter More Than Retirement Age

Here is why this matters now.

For a lot of people, retirement still lives in their head as the finish line. The day the race ends. The day they finally get to be free. The day they finally get their time back.

But full retirement age is a benefits rule.

The Social Security Administration says if you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67. You can start benefits earlier at 62, but your payment is reduced.

That matters for planning.

It matters for money.

It matters for decisions about Social Security.

But it does not mean 67 is the age when your real life is allowed to begin.

That is the part I think we need to challenge.

Because if you are 45, or 52, or 58, or 61, and your whole plan is basically, “I will start living when I retire,” I think you need to stop and ask a harder question.

What if the best version of that life has to be built before retirement?

What if the next 10 years are not a waiting room?

What if they are the window?

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Now, let’s get back into it.

Retirement Age Is Not a Permission Slip

We have to separate two things right away: retirement age and permission to live.

Those are not the same thing.

Retirement age is mostly a policy number. It tells you when certain benefits become available. It tells you when unreduced Social Security benefits kick in. It gives you a planning checkpoint.

And that’s useful.

But somewhere along the way, a lot of people turned that number into a life strategy.

They started treating retirement like the first day they are allowed to travel. The first day they are allowed to rest. The first day they are allowed to make choices based on what they want instead of what their job needs.

And I get why that happens.

We are trained into it.

From the time we are young, the story is pretty simple.

Be responsible now so you can be happy later.

Work hard now so you can relax later.

Keep going now so one day you can finally enjoy it.

The problem is that later keeps moving.

First it is after this promotion.

Then after the kids are older.

Then after the house is paid down.

Then after the market settles.

Then after you hit the right number in your account.

Then after Medicare.

Then after full retirement age.

And I am not saying any of those things are fake.

They are real.

Money is real.

Health insurance is real.

Family obligations are real.

But so is time.

And time is the one part of the plan you cannot get back once you spend it.

What Are You Putting in the Retirement Box?

If you are honest with yourself, there is probably something in your life that you keep pushing into the retirement box.

Maybe it is travel.

Maybe it is getting healthier.

Maybe it is spending more time with your spouse, your kids, your grandkids, or your friends.

Maybe it is starting a creative project.

Maybe it is downsizing.

Maybe it is moving somewhere that actually feels good to wake up in.

Maybe it is building a business, getting out of a business, or changing the work you do so it doesn’t drain every decent hour out of your week.

Whatever it is, the dangerous part is when you stop asking why you are waiting.

You just accept the delay as normal.

And that is where the old retirement story gets sneaky.

It makes postponing your life feel mature.

Sometimes waiting is mature.

Sometimes waiting is wise.

Sometimes you really do need to stack money, handle responsibilities, and make a careful move.

But sometimes waiting is fear wearing a nice outfit.

Sometimes waiting is comfort.

Sometimes waiting is the easiest way to avoid admitting that the life you built is stable, but it doesn’t feel satisfying.

That is the person I am talking to in this episode.

If your life is falling apart, this may not be the episode for today.

You may need triage.

You may need cash.

You may need rest.

But if your life is comfortable enough that you can keep waiting, and honest enough that something inside you keeps saying, “There has to be more than this,” then this is for you.

Because retirement age is not a permission slip.

It is a benefits date.

And your life is too important to let a benefits date be the first time you start living it on purpose.

Your Body Gets a Vote

Here is where this gets uncomfortable.

Your future body gets a vote.

Nobody likes that sentence.

I do not like that sentence.

It sounds harsh.

It sounds like the kind of thing we all want to ignore because it ruins the fantasy a little bit.

But it’s true.

The CDC reported that U.S. life expectancy hit 79 years in 2024, the highest level on record.

And that sounds great.

In a lot of ways, it is great.

But lifespan and usable energy are not the same thing.

Living longer does not automatically mean you get 20 extra years of doing everything you saved for later.

There is a difference between being alive and being able to comfortably walk the city, hike the trail, drive the RV, sleep in a different bed, handle the airport, explore all day, film the content, build the project, or chase the experience you kept putting off.

That is not meant to scare you.

It is meant to tell the truth.

Some Dreams Have a Physical Window

A lot of people imagine retirement as this wide-open field where suddenly everything becomes possible.

But for some people, retirement arrives right around the same time their knees hurt, their back gets worse, their energy drops, a diagnosis shows up, or caregiving enters the picture.

And again, I am not saying that to be depressing.

I am saying it because if something matters to you, and it requires strength, mobility, curiosity, stamina, or freedom of movement, why are you assuming the older version of you will have an easier time doing it?

That assumption needs to be questioned.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey found that retirees often retired earlier than they expected.

The median age workers expected to retire was 65, but retirees reported a median actual retirement age of 62.

Nearly half retired earlier than planned.

And among people who retired earlier than planned, health problems and disability were a major reason.

That is the part we have to sit with.

A lot of people are planning like they control the timing.

Then life comes in and says, “Actually, no. We are changing the timeline.”

Your body changes the timeline.

Your company changes the timeline.

Your family changes the timeline.

The economy changes the timeline.

So if your entire life plan depends on everything lining up perfectly at 67, that’s pretty fragile.

It is way more fragile than people want to admit.

Start Training for the Life You Want

This is where the 10-year window becomes powerful.

The point is not to panic.

The point is to start training for the life you say you want.

If you want to travel in retirement, start building the travel muscle now.

Take smaller trips.

Learn how you like to move.

Learn what kind of pace works for you.

Learn what kind of travel actually feels good instead of what looks good online.

If you want an active retirement, start being active now.

Walk.

Stretch.

Lift weights if you can.

Get the checkups.

Pay attention to sleep.

Pay attention to what your body is telling you.

If you want a more adventurous life, run smaller versions of that adventure before you are depending on the older version of yourself to figure it all out at once.

Because at the end of the day, your body is not some future tool you can ignore now and expect to perform later.

Your body is part of the plan.

And if the plan does not include taking care of it before retirement, the plan has a giant hole in it.

Money Matters, but It Can Become the Excuse

Now, every time this conversation comes up, somebody says the same thing:

“Yeah, but money.”

And they’re not wrong.

Money matters.

A lot.

I am not going to sit here and tell people to drain their 401(k), ignore their bills, and go chase sunsets like nothing has consequences.

That is ridiculous.

Being reckless is not freedom.

But using money as a permanent excuse is not wisdom either.

That is the tension.

The Federal Reserve’s 2024 household economics report found that only 35 percent of non-retired adults thought their retirement savings were on track.

For people ages 45 to 59, it was 42 percent.

For people 60 and older, it was 50 percent.

So if you are listening to this and thinking, “I am behind,” well, you are not alone.

A lot of people are behind.

A lot of people are looking at housing, groceries, health care, debt, family needs, and the general cost of staying alive right now, and they are wondering how they are supposed to save enough for some perfect future version of retirement.

That stress is real.

When the Problem Isn’t Income—It’s Lifestyle Cost

Sometimes the answer is more money.

Sometimes you need to earn more.

Sometimes you need to save more.

Sometimes you need better planning.

Sometimes you need to talk to a real advisor and stop guessing.

But sometimes the answer is that your life is too expensive to feel free.

That is a different conversation.

Because if every dollar you make is already spoken for, and every raise gets absorbed by a bigger lifestyle, and every year adds another obligation, then retirement becomes this impossible rescue mission.

You are asking a future account balance to save you from a life that costs too much to maintain.

That’s exhausting.

This is where minimalism comes in for me.

And I do not mean the fake version where your house is empty and everything is beige and you own one spoon.

I mean the practical version.

What can you remove?

What can you stop paying for?

What can you stop maintaining?

What can you sell?

What can you simplify?

What are you keeping because it actually matters?

And what are you keeping because it makes your current life look normal?

A smaller life can create a bigger life if the trade is intentional.

Because for a lot of people, the 10-year window is not about making one dramatic move.

It is about slowly removing the stuff that keeps them trapped.

Build the Life Before You Need It

Even if the money works, there is another problem nobody talks about enough.

Retirement should not be the first time you figure out what a Tuesday is supposed to feel like without a job telling you.

For decades, work gives people structure.

It tells them when to wake up.

It tells them where to go.

It gives them problems to solve.

It gives them people to talk to.

It gives them status.

It gives them identity.

And then retirement comes, and suddenly the structure disappears.

For some people, that is amazing.

For other people, it is awkward, quiet, disorienting, or even sad.

Because they spent 30 or 40 years building a career and almost no time building a life that could hold them after the career.

That is why the 10-year window matters.

You do not want retirement to be the first time you ask:

“Who am I without this job?”

You want to start asking that now.

What Does Aging Well Actually Look Like?

Pew Research Center reported in 2025 that older adults’ sense of aging well is connected with physical and mental health, cognitive health, financial security, and social support.

Pew also connected hobbies and learning new skills with that sense of aging well.

That’s not fluff.

That is practical.

It means a good later life is built out of habits, relationships, and account balances together.

So ask yourself:

Are you practicing friendship?

Are you practicing movement?

Are you practicing curiosity?

Are you practicing being a beginner at something?

Are you practicing having a week that does not revolve around work?

Are you practicing rest without guilt?

Are you practicing adventure?

Are you practicing being useful in a way that doesn’t depend on your job title?

Because if you don’t practice those things now, retirement may not magically give them to you later.

Build Options, Not Dependence

Pew reported that 19 percent of adults 65 and older are employed, and older adults are projected to make up a bigger share of the labor force in the years ahead.

Some people hear that and think it is all bad.

I don’t think it is that simple.

Some people want to keep working.

They like the structure.

They like the people.

They like feeling useful.

They like the money.

They like having something to do.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

The sad version is not working past 65.

The sad version is having no choice, no identity outside of work, and no idea what you would do if work stopped.

So during the 10-year window, build options.

Build a version of work you could keep doing because you want to, not because you are trapped.

Build relationships that do not disappear when your calendar changes.

Build hobbies that are not performative, but things you actually enjoy.

Build health routines that support the life you say you want.

Build small adventures now so adventure is not some foreign concept later.

Build a normal Tuesday you would actually want to live.

Because normal Tuesdays are where most of life happens.

If you can make those better before retirement, you are already winning.

The 10-Year Window Plan

Here is the part I would actually write down if I were listening.

The next 10 years do not need to be dramatic.

They need to be honest.

You do not have to blow up your life tomorrow.

You do not have to sell everything this weekend.

You do not have to quit your job, buy an RV, move across the country, and announce a full reinvention by Monday morning.

That sounds exciting on the internet.

But in real life, it can be messy.

What I am saying is simpler:

Use the next 10 years to test the life you keep postponing.

Start With Health

What does your future life require from your body?

If you want to travel, walk more now.

If you want to hike, train now.

If you want energy, start protecting sleep now.

If you want to feel strong, start building strength now.

If you have been avoiding appointments, make the appointment.

This is not about becoming obsessive.

It is about respecting the fact that your body is the vehicle for every experience you are saving for later.

Audit Your Money and Lifestyle

Ask more than how much you have saved.

Ask what your life costs.

Audit the overhead.

The house.

The cars.

The subscriptions.

The insurance.

The storage.

The debt.

The habits.

The quiet little expenses that do not seem like much until you realize they are buying your comfort and selling your freedom.

Ask what can go.

Ask what can shrink.

Ask what you are paying for because it matters, and what you are paying for because you have not questioned it in years.

Run Small Experiments

What is the smaller version of the thing you keep saving for retirement?

If you want to travel Europe, can you start with one intentional trip instead of waiting for the grand tour?

If you want to RV, can you rent one, borrow one, or take a short trip before making a huge decision?

If you want to live somewhere else, can you spend a month there before you make it your whole identity?

If you want to create something, can you start the project now, badly, before you have the perfect setup?

Small experiments are underrated.

They teach you what you actually like.

They reveal what was fantasy.

They lower the pressure.

They give you information before you make your life harder than it needs to be.

Invest in Relationships

Who do you want in your life 10 years from now?

Are you acting like that now?

Because it is easy to say family matters, friendship matters, and community matters, then spend another year letting every meaningful relationship get whatever scraps are left after work and exhaustion.

If you want people in your life later, tend to them now.

Call them.

Visit them.

Plan something.

Ask better questions.

Stop assuming connection will just be there when your schedule finally clears.

Build an Identity Beyond Work

Who are you outside of work?

Who are you outside of being useful?

Who are you outside of being busy?

Who are you when nobody is impressed?

That is not an easy question, but it’s worth asking before retirement forces the question on you.

Pick one identity to build.

Maybe you are a traveler.

Maybe you are a writer.

Maybe you are a photographer.

Maybe you are a mentor.

Maybe you are a builder.

Maybe you are someone who hosts dinners, joins groups, volunteers, learns languages, makes videos, fixes old things, hikes every week, or finally gets serious about the creative thing that keeps tapping you on the shoulder.

Whatever it is, start now.

Small.

Imperfect.

Real.

The 10-year window is not about making your life look impressive.

It is about making your life feel honest.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Wait for Retirement to Start Living

At the end of the day, this is not really about retirement.

It is about honesty.

Do not wait for retirement to start building a life you actually want.

Plan for the money.

Absolutely.

Be responsible.

Think long term.

Learn the rules.

Understand Social Security.

Understand your savings.

And get help if you need it.

But do not become so responsible on paper that you become absent from your own life.

Because the scary part is not getting older.

The scary part is realizing you had more freedom than you thought, but you never used it because you were waiting for some official moment to begin.

If this episode hit a nerve for you, I want to hear from you.

What is one thing you have been saving for retirement that you know, deep down, you should probably start doing sooner?

Leave a comment, send in a question, or share your own 10-year window plan.

And I want the real version.

I don’t want the polished answer.

I want the thing you are actually wrestling with.

Maybe it is travel.

Maybe it is health.

Maybe it is money.

Maybe it is being afraid to change a life that technically works, even though it does not feel like yours anymore.

Whatever it is, drop it in the comments or send the question in.

Because retirement should not be the first chapter where you start living.

It should be the chapter where you already know how.

Outro

Thanks for listening to another episode of Current Thoughts.

And we’ll catch you on the next one.