Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 2 hrs ago
Retired Toronto executive says health and relationships matter as much as savings
Heather Gordon retired in Toronto in 2015 at age 61 after a 40-year career in finance.
She had expected to work until at least 65, but events at home and a sense that she had achieved her career goals led her to stop working.
Her first year of retirement was busier than expected, and she initially overdid exercise before settling into a routine that included painting.
Gordon had prepared financially through investments, retirement savings and a defined-benefit pension, with help from a financial adviser.
Retirement has given her more time for family and travel, including becoming a grandmother and biking through Vietnam with her husband.
She misses workplace conversations and mentoring, so she volunteers and spends more time in her community.
She advises retirees to focus on health and relationships as well as savings, and says staying socially engaged takes effort.
Heather Gordon, a retired Toronto business executive, says health and relationships deserve as much attention as finances in retirement.
Gordon retired in 2015 at age 61 after a 40-year career in finance.
She said her first year of retirement was busier than she expected as she adjusted to having more freedom.
She was financially prepared, having invested for decades and used a financial adviser with her husband.
Gordon says she enjoys time with her family, exercise and volunteering, while making an effort to stay socially engaged.
- Who
- Heather Gordon, 73, a retired business executive in Toronto.
- What
- She advises retirees to focus on health and relationships as well as finances.
- When
- She retired in 2015, at age 61.
- Where
- Toronto; her former career included work at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
- Why
- She believes retirement involves more than having enough savings and says people need to stay healthy and socially engaged.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Gordon began investing in a registered retirement savings plan.
Gordon retired at age 61 after a 40-year career in finance.
She said she was busier than expected and later established a routine for exercise and household tasks.
Gordon and her husband spent two years living in New Zealand.
- Age
- 73
- Retirement
- 2015, at age 61
- Career
- 40 years in finance
- Former role
- Chief administrative officer at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
- Pension plan
- Joined a defined-benefit plan at age 50
- Investment adviser
- Gordon and her husband have used the same adviser for more than 30 years
What people are saying
Don’t get hung up on having a big number before retirement.
It usually works out.
I could do yoga and swim on the same day.
In retirement, you have to make an effort to stay socially engaged.