Globe and Mail article published in August 2024

This former financial services executive is boating, re-qualifying as a lifeguard and learning to operate VHF radio in retirement.

Since retiring last year, Helene Michaud and her husband have spent the summers on their sailboat. 'We’ve been sailing since we were kids, so this was a big part of our retirement plan,' she says.

In Tales from the Golden Age, retirees talk about their spending, savings and whether life after work is what they expected.

Helene Michaud, 60, 

I retired in May, 2023, at the age of 59 from a career in the financial services industry. My last role was vice-president and regional sales manager for Eastern Canada at RBC Wealth Management Financial Services. I enjoyed working and could have continued, but my husband retired a few years earlier, and we had a list of things we wanted to do while we were still healthy and active.

I was surprised at how easy the transition to retirement was for me, which tells me that the time was right. Just before I retired, I spent 14 days walking the Camino de Santiago from Porto in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain with a friend. I disconnected from my phone and gave myself time to think about how I wanted to live once I stopped working.

Once I retired, my husband and I spent most of last summer and this one on our sailboat. We’ve been sailing since we were kids, so this was a big part of our retirement plan. I’ve also started a passion project called “Merci la Vie!” in which I recycle used sails and ropes to design and produce one-of-a-kind bags. It fills my need to be productive while using my creativity and recycling at the same time.

In the fall and winter, we spend a lot of time in Quebec, where I’m from and where my parents still live, doing a lot of outdoor activities such as snowshoeing and skiing. We also like to travel. Last fall, we went to Argentina, travelled to Spain in the spring, and are spending part of the summer on our boat in New England.

I also believe in continuing to learn and challenge myself in retirement. I started swimming again for the first time in decades and enrolled in a course to re-qualify as a lifeguard – along with a group of teenagers. I also recently took a course on how to operate a VHF radio to increase my proficiency as a radio operator for safety at sea. And I’m looking into volunteering for a non-profit health organization. It’s important for me to give back and support a health cause that’s important to our family.

My husband and I each had careers in the financial services industry, so we understood the importance of financial preparedness, especially in retirement. We worked with an advisor to ensure we were ready to retire when we did. Knowing where you stand financially is key to a happy and fulfilling retirement. Not having a regular paycheque was an adjustment at first, as was the shift from saving to spending years. However, now that I’m a year into it, I’m a lot more comfortable with what the spending looks like.

Financial planning is important, but I believe people should also plan what they will do in retirement. It can help you make the best use of your time. Not having to go to work in the morning or having intellectual challenges from working can leave a void. You need to make plans to fill that void.

I suggest making a wish list of places you want to go and things you want to do, like taking a course or picking up a new (or old) hobby. You don’t need to complete the list, but if you wake up one morning and are bored, you have a list of things you can do. I crossed off most items on my list over the past year. I still need to be productive, but I’m also learning to enjoy not always rushing to get things done.

As told to Brenda Bouw

This interview has been edited and condensed.