STEVE BERSETH, CMAA

RETIRED ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR

BROOKINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA

STEVE.BERSETH@K12.SD.US

PLANNING FOR LIFE AFTER A CAREER IN

ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION

WHO AM I NOW?

CONSIDERATIONS FOR REDEFINING SELF FOR A

GRATIFYING RETIREMENT

RETIREMENT

1 . H O W M A N Y Y E A R S D O M Y A S S E T S N E E D T O L A S T ?

2 . W H A T I S A N A D E Q U A T E S T A N D A R D O F L I V I N G ?

3 . W H E N C A N I A F F O R D T O R E T I R E ?

4 . W I L L I N E E D T O W O R K D U R I N G R E T I R E M E N T ?

5 . W H A T W I L L B E T H E I M P A C T O F M E D I C A L E X P E N S E S ?

6 . S H O U L D I P A Y O F F D E B T O R M A I N T A I N M Y S A V I N G S ?

7 . W H A T A R E T H E P R O S A N D C O N S O F D O W N S I Z I N G ?

8 . W H A T I S A N A P P R O P R I A T E A S S E T A L L O C A T I O N F O R M Y R E T I R E M E N T F U N D S A N D W H E N S H O U L D I B E G I N T O D R A W S O C I A L S E C U R I T Y B E N E F I T S A N D T A K E D I S T R I B U T I O N S F R O M M Y R E T I R E M E N T A C C O U N T S ?

9 . A R E M Y A S S E T S A D E Q U A T E L Y P R O T E C T E D B Y H E A L T H& M E D I C A L A N D L O N G - T E R M C A R E I N S U R A N C E ?

RETIREMENT PLANNING OFTEN FOCUSES ON FINANCES

IN SOME CASES, PREMATURE RETIREMENT IS THE RESULT OF:

1. EMPLOYER DECISIONS

2. HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS

3. ETC.

RETIREMENT MAY COME SOONER THAN EXPECTED

I REA LIZED THA T “ MY DEFINITION OF SELF” WA S LA RGELY RELA TED TO MY DUTIES A S A N A THLETICS A DMINISTRATOR:

1 . LEADER, FACILITATOR, SUPERVISOR

2 . VOLUNTEER TO VA RIOUS SPORTS GROUPS

3 . MENTOR

4 . SCHOOL DISTRICT LIA ISON

5 . ETC.

I HA D BECOME MY PROFESSION.

WHEN I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT RETIREMENT . . . . .

TO IDENTIFY WHO I WANTED TO BE DURING RETIREMENT, I FOCUSED ON:

1 . FAMILY

2. SERVICE

3. PERSONAL INTERESTS

SETTING NEW PRIORITIES SEEMED CENTRAL TO “REDEFINING SELF”

N E W O P P O R T U N I T I E S1 . A S A H U S B A N D – E X P L O I T C O M M O N I N T E R E S T I N S P O R T S

A N D T H E A T E R , M A N A G E R E T I R E M E N T I N C O M E , C A T C H U P O N H O M E P R O J E C T S , Y A R D W O R K A N D G A R D E N I N G , T R A V E L M O R E

2 . A S A S O N – V I S I T M O T H E R O N C E A M O N T H , T R Y T O T A K E H E R T O A L L M E D I C A L A P P O I N T M E N T S

3 . A S A F A T H E R – B O T H S O N A N D D A U G H T E R H A V E R E T U R N E D T O B R O O K I N G S , A N D W E C A N S H A R E M E A L S , O C C A S I O N A L G O L F A N D A N N U A L V A C A T I O N

4 . A S A G R A M P A – O L D E S T G R A N D D A U G H T E R S L I V E 1 . 5 H O U R S A W A Y W H I C H A L L O W S A T T E N D A N C E A T S O M E A C T I V I T I E S . 4 - Y R O L D G R A N D D A U G H T E R A N D 2 - Y R O L D G R A N D S O N L I V E A F E W B L O C K S A W A Y . J O B # 1 F O R M E I S T O B A B Y S I T , T R A N S P O R T A N D S U P P O R T T H E M A S O F T E N A S P O S S I B L E .

FAMILY LIFE OFTEN SUFFERS FROM THE DEMANDS OF

ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION

I D E C I D E D T O M A I N T A I N R E L A T I O N S H I P S W I T H F R I E N D S A N D C O L L E A G U E S B Y C O N T I N U I N G S E R V I C E W O R K :

1 . S D I A A A P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T C O O R D I N A T O R

2 . N I A A A – N A T I O N A L L T I F A C U L T Y & S P E C I A L P R O J E C T S A N D A T T E N D T H E N A T I O N A L A T H L E T I C D I R E C T O R S C O N F E R E N C E E A C H Y E A R

3 . P R E S E N T N I A A A L E G A L I S S U E S C O U R S E S A S N E E D E D

4 . N F H S C O M M I T T E E

5 . L O C A L , C O N F E R E N C E A N D S T A T E T R A C K M E E T S –O R G A N I Z E A C R E W O F T R A C K U M P I R E S

6 . S U B S T I T U T E T E A C H F O R P H Y S I C A L E D U C A T I O N A N D S O C I A L S T U D I E S A T H I G H S C H O O L W H E N A V A I L A B L E

7 . O P T I M I S T C L U B – M A I N P R O J E C T I S H . S . C O N C E S S I O N S

SERVICE – FRIENDS SAID THEY MISSED THE RELATIONSHIPS

WHEN THEY RETIRED.

1 . G O L F – R A R E L Y P L A Y E D F O R 2 0 Y E A R S . N E A R L Y 1 0 0 R O U N D S ( 6 M O N T H S ) D U R I N G F I R S T Y E A R O F R E T I R E M E N T

2 . L A N D S C A P I N G – O U R Y A R D I S M O R E T H A N A N A C R E W I T H 7 5 T R E E S A N D M A N Y P E R E N N I A L G A R D E N S . E N J O Y L A N D S C A P I N G P R O J E C T S .

3 . W I F E W O R K E D T H E S C O R E R ’ S T A B L E F O R M A N Y A T H L E T I C S E V E N T S W H E N I W A S A T H L E T I C D I R E C T O R . W E S T I L L A T T E N D M A N Y H I G H S C H O O L C O N T E S T S A N D H A V E S E A S O N T I C K E T S F O R F O O T B A L L A N D M E N ’ S A N D W O M E N ’ S B A S K E T B A L L G A M E S A T S O U T H D A K O T AS T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y .

4 . G O O D I N T E N T I O N S O F R E G U L A R E X E R C I S E P R O G R A M .

PERSONAL INTERESTS

RETIREES ARE MORE HAPPY AND SATISFIED THAN WORKERS THAT ARE ANTICIPATING RETIREMENT.

IN AN OVERALL SENSE, RETIREES ARE MUCH MORE SATISFIED THAN WORKING PEOPLE.

I AM SO BUSY THAT I DON’T KNOW HOW I HAD TIME TO WORK 60 -70 HOURS PER WEEK.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND RETIREMENT!

RESEARCH SHOWS