Aging Matters: Life Portfolio - Introduction to Gerontology Essay

This essay presents a student's life portfolio developed for an Introduction to Gerontology assignment, reflecting on how to age and achieve a fulfilling life in older age. The portfolio outlines long-term goals centered around family commitments, community service, and creative pursuits like writing and painting. The student emphasizes the importance of health, financial planning, and housing in achieving these goals. Strategies include investing in life insurance and retirement planning, volunteering in community service, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The essay concludes with a reflection on the importance of planning ahead for retirement and maintaining a balanced approach to activity and leisure. The student plans to review and adjust plans and goals to ensure they are on track for a busy and fulfilling life. The essay references several academic sources to support the student's reflections and planning.

Running head: AGING MATTERS: LIFE PORTFOLIO
Aging Matters: Life Portfolio
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1AGING MATTERS: LIFE PORTFOLIO
“Retirement can be seen as an advantageous or disadvantageous period for those who
retire. On the other hand, the importance society places on work causes some to perceive
retirement as a time of economic, emotional or psychosocial loss” (Amorim & França, 2019,
pp. 157)
Retirement marks a shift in a person’s life as they find themselves in a point if life
where they have to adjust to quite a bit of free time (Ambachtsheer & Nicin, 2020, pp. 9).
While it is true that retirement does not affect people like they used to before as they involve
themselves in multiple tasks to keep away from boredom and achieve goals that they could
not in their work life. In this regard, it is necessary to prepare a life portfolio so that the time
that becomes available after retirement becomes a productive one and gives an opportunity
for a more fulfilled life. My approach to my life portfolio is to create a balanced approach so
that after retirement, I am able to enjoy a busy life and have some leisure time to spend with
my family as well (Amorim & França, 2019, pp. 157). This essay consists of my long term
goals and the factors that motivates them. It also consists of the actions that I will take now to
make my portfolio a success.
Mission statement: To create a more balanced life, consisting of work and leisure, welfare
and introspection for better fulfilment.
The first goal for my retirement portfolio is family commitments. Spending time with
family and close friends are greater joys of life. The busy work schedule of a person’s life
leads to lack of contact and connections with their family (Liechty, Genoe & Marston, 2017,
pp. 2). This leads to distance which affect familial relationships. The young age is also the
best time to achieve dreams and earn money so that the future is secured. When I retire, I plan
to compensate that lost time and rekindle the relationship. I also want to keep myself healthy
and exercise regularly so that I can fulfill my commitment to my family. I want to spend time

2AGING MATTERS: LIFE PORTFOLIO
with my spouse, my children and my grandchildren. I would also like to spend good time
with my friends. I plan to have small outing each month, short trips local places and have
unadulterated fun with the people that are closest to me.
My second goal for my retirement portfolio is to provide community service. I would
like to be engaged with NGOs on a part time basis. This will help me earn small amount of
money while being engaged in a fulfilling task (Boisclair, Lusardi & Michaud, 2017, pp.
278). In this regard, I would prefer being involved with an NGO working with children or an
old age home. Children gives happiness to me and working for the old people will be
beneficial for both them and me (Lelkes, 2017, pp, 360). I would be able to learn new life
philosophies and in turn I would be able to inspire them to make better use of their time or
have a happier life.
My third goal is to engage in creativity. Writing and painting has been my life long
pleasure. Due to work pressure and busy lifestyle I have not been able to spend much time for
them. After retirement, I intend to rekindle that practice and start writing and painting again.
This goal will also help me have my own personal time and would allow me the opportunity
for quiet introspection (Messacar, 2017). As I want to have equal amount of engagement and
leisure, I believe these three goals will create the best combination for me.
Health will have the greatest influence in achieving my personal goals for my life
portfolio. In order to be engage in community service and family commitments, I would need
to be healthy and mobile so that I can fulfill all the responsibilities. Having a good health will
also keep me psychologically healthy that would ensure that my time with my family is fun
for both me and other members (Yogo, 2016, pp. 20). If I fall ill or suffer through disease I
won’t be able to spend quality time with them and they would have to take care of me.
Neither would I be able to go for outings with them.

3AGING MATTERS: LIFE PORTFOLIO
Economy is also one of the major factors that would influence my portfolio goals. I
need to make sure that through my working life, I earn enough money to support myself and
my spouse after retirement (Henning, Lindwall & Johansson, 2016). Only then, these
activities would be pleasurable. Otherwise, I would have to constantly think about earning
money as old age brings with it larger needs of medical expenditure. Keeping a healthy
lifestyle and financial planning will help me plan for the retirement years. The part time job
that plan to do with the NGO, would also help to keep certain cash flow coming.
Housing is an influential factor for my achievement of portfolio goals. When I retire, I
want to be in a position where I have my own house. Having a house means security and a
place that one can call their own (Messacar, 2017, pp. 29). Owning a house would also give
my family a proper place to come together and have dinners or festivals together. The house
will also be the source of memories that we would share on Christmas or Thanksgiving.
In order to ensure that I am able to fulfill the goals and the larger life mission that I
have recorded in the portfolio, I would take three strategies at present. My first strategy
would be to invest in life insurance and retirement planning so that I have resources available
when I retire (Ambachtsheer & Nicin, 2020, pp. 10). I would also make savings for buying a
house as it is essential for my life portfolio.
I would start working in NGOs as volunteers so that I gain enough experience to
secure a part time job when I retire. My experience in this matter will matter. I would also
engage in other community service or emergency services to ensure that people of the
community are benefitted (Henning, Lindwall & Johansson, 2016, pp. 226). Working in
NGOs will also help me develop life-long relationships and when I start serving them after
my retirement, neither me nor the people of the NGO will feel any different. It will feel like
any other day and coping up with retirement will become easier.

4AGING MATTERS: LIFE PORTFOLIO
My third strategy would include exercising regularly, meditating and taking care of
me and my families health so that after retirement, I am in good shape to enjoy the time that I
have. Taking care of my family’s health and creating Medicare for them would also ensure
that they are protected in time of illness (Yogo, 2016, pp. 18).
Thus, the life portfolio that I have created includes taking care of my family, spending
time with the closest people and experiencing happiness with them (Um et al., 2018, pp. 9). It
also includes being healthy, continue my love for painting and writing and serving my
community to have a balanced and content life. Health, finance and housing the three main
factors that influence my life goals. In order to ensure that I am able to achieve my long term
and short term goals, I would strategize form now. My strategies include keeping healthy,
planning finance and investing on life insurance and Medicare and starting early with
community services.
In conclusion it can be said that planning ahead of life and having a clear vision for
retired life is necessary to have a busy and fulfilling life. Keeping busy is not the only
concern here but it is the utilization of time and having a better sense of fulfilment. Having a
balanced approach for activity and leisure makes a good portfolio for older age. In this regard
starting early and reviewing the plans and goals ensure whether I am right on track. This is
what I plan for my life portfolio.

5AGING MATTERS: LIFE PORTFOLIO
References
Ambachtsheer, K., & Nicin, M. (2020). Improving Canada’s Retirement Income System.
Amorim, S. M., & França, L. H. D. F. P. (2019). Retirement well-being: a systematic review
of the literature. Trends in Psychology, 27(1), 155-172.
Boisclair, D., Lusardi, A., & Michaud, P. C. (2017). Financial literacy and retirement
planning in Canada. Journal of Pension Economics & Finance, 16(3), 277-296.
Henning, G., Lindwall, M., & Johansson, B. (2016). Continuity in well-being in the transition
to retirement. GeroPsych.
Lelkes, O. (2017). Happiness over the life cycle: exploring age-specific preferences.
In Mainstreaming Ageing (pp. 359-391). Routledge.
Liechty, T., Genoe, M. R., & Marston, H. R. (2017). Physically active leisure and the
transition to retirement: The value of context. Annals of Leisure Research, 20(1), 23-
38.
Messacar, D. (2017). The Effects of Education on Canadians' Retirement Savings Behaviour.
Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series. Statistics Canada. 150 Tunney's
Pasture Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0T6, Canada.
Um, S. G., Kumar, N., Laher, N., Singh, S., Hamidian, A., & McKenzie, K. (2018). Thriving
in the City: A Framework for Income and Health in Retirement. Wellesley Institute.
Yogo, M. (2016). Portfolio choice in retirement: Health risk and the demand for annuities,
housing, and risky assets. Journal of Monetary Economics, 80, 17-34.