Reimagining a retirement fit for boomers and those next in line

A native of Pittsburgh and the first person in his family to graduate from college, Mr. Clinton immigrated to New York at age 22 and never left. Dressed neatly in a sky-blue Oxford shirt, blue waistcoat and gray trousers, he recently sat down for an interview about the evolution of retirement. The interview has been edited and summarized.

Why are we having a «new pension» discussion?

When I was in my 50s, the patterns of people in their 70s were grim. Those people, now in their 90s, are living the traditional post-retirement years. We have become new models. People are realizing that they are living much longer than they thought. They want to reinvent and reimagine their lives, not end them. The possibility of a second career and a bigger life have become a reality.

Why are baby boomers at the forefront of this movement?

Boomers were the original activists who believed in change. They are the challengers. It’s part of their DNA. They challenged war, sex, created Earth Day and were part of the gay movement. They are now challenging what it means to age and live longer. A generational attitude has met the phenomena of longevity and is creating this zeitgeist moment. The new longevity is the social movement of our times that will affect everyone moving forward, benefiting Gen Xers and millennials alike.

Does the traditional pension still exist?

Yes, that retirement construct still exists. Some people want to quit their job at age 65 and move to a sunny state to spend time with their friends. This construct has never been interrupted or challenged until now. Re-imaginers, people who are reinventing the dynamic second half of life, have advocated abandoning this outdated concept and created a new version that takes place later in life. The new retirement is a reconnection in their future career. Many have focused on individualized entrepreneurship, going back to school, pursuing their former passions, and building a bigger life for themselves. They are driving the new longevity economy.

What is the reasoning behind fantastic, creative vocabulary that you and the Roar community use?

What we are doing is challenging the status quo and the representation of people over 50 in language and imagery. Using words like re-imaginers, life layering, new lifespans, eternal seconds, helps change perception. It is to change our thinking. These words and vocabulary, along with the image, affect the way we think. Self-imposed images of age matter in terms of how we project what we look like and where we see ourselves in advertising and entertainment. If you don’t change the language, if you don’t change the images, you can’t change the cultural construct.