The Retirement Maze

Millions of baby boomers are just beginning to retire, and in doing so many are likely to run into adjustment problems, such as loss of identity, deterioration of marriage and social life, and feelings of disconnectedness to the world. Studies have found that as many as 40% of retirees have difficulty adjusting, and even those who claim to enjoy retirement may experience some uneasiness as they adapt to a life lacking in structure and direction.

This book investigates the struggles faced by retirees in building a new life outside of the workforce. It provides an honest assessment of retirement, based on the not-always-acknowledged fact that it is a difficult transition with pitfalls and obstacles to be overcome.

But along with uncovering problems, the authors also propose solutions to enable both current and future retirees to be better prepared, allowing them to avoid being blind-sided by unexpected situations. By reading about the experiences of their peers, current and future retirees will come to understand that others share their difficulties adjusting, and that tactics are available to improve their comfort level in retirement as well as their overall well-being. Retirees and those planning for retirement will find in these pages what they need to make retirement successful and enjoyable.

Rob Pascale, PhD, founded Marketing Analysts, Inc, a quantitative market research company, in 1982. Dr. Pascale retired from full time responsibilities at MAi in 2005 at the age of 51. Throughout his 25-year tenure as president of MAi, Dr. Pascale was directly involved in over 5000 research studies for more than 50 of the largest corporations in the world, and has polled well over 2 million consumers.

Louis H. Primavera, PhD, is a New York State Licensed Psychologist trained in behavior and rational emotive behavior therapies, and maintained a private practice for more than twenty-five years specializing in marriage counseling. Dr. Primavera is currently the Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Touro College. Previously he was the Dean of the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, held the Department Chair and served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at St. John’s University, and has held full time faculty positions at Hofstra University, St. Francis College, and Molloy College. Primavera has published extensively in the social sciences, and his work has appeared in a number of prestigious professional journals in Psychology. He was a consultant to the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and has held a number of other consulting positions in medicine, business, and education. He has been a member of a number of professional organizations and has served as President of the Academic Division of the New York State Psychological Association, and the New York City Metro Chapter of the American Statistical Association.

Rip Roach is senior partner and managing director at Marketing Analysts, Inc. He also serves as the lead technical consultant for the MAi staff and its clients.