Celebrating Next – Jack Helmer

It is our mission at Lifelaunch Consulting to help others define their ‘next’ with purpose and intention, and to celebrate as a new chapter unfolds. As part of this, we are highlighting our friends who have successfully navigated the move from ‘now’ to ‘next’ and are thriving as a result! It is our hope that by sharing these stories, we inspire others to live their lives to the fullest.

Name:

Jack Helmer

My pre-retirement career:

Vice President Manufacturing for a national steel processing plant after getting bored during my first retirement, missing the regular interaction with people and the challenge of business.

Three ways I spend my time in retirement:

1. Moved with my wife to Vienna, Austria as she took a new step in her professional career for three years.
2. Worked with young professionals to help their professional development and their Excel skills. Did a lot of volunteer small business counseling with SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives).
3. Took advantage of the opportunity to travel more of Europe.

What I love most about retirement:

A more relaxed schedule for myself and forcibly getting more exercise by getting groceries and running errands by bicycle and subway, as well as regular biking excursions through the vineyards along the foothills of the Alps in Austria.

My biggest challenge with retirement:

Keeping up with projects assigned by my wife and giving up trying to transfer all my years of management skills to her.

What I did to prepare for retirement:

Maxed retirement savings and worked hard to the end which better prepared my retirement and maintained a high level of activity and challenge – important to physical and psychological health through retirement.

Something I’ve recently done for the first time:

Live life by the day rather than the schedule.

Most recent book/article I’ve read:

Malta Spitfire Pilot, Denis Barnham. The Problem with Socialism, DiLorenzo. Heaven, Randy Alcorn.

My future:

Keep active physically and mentally. Continue to travel. Be alert for opportunities to stay involved. Does it need to be done? Can I (or learn to) do it? Then I will do it.

My advice for future retirees:

Keep active physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. Be more attentive, gentle and forgiving than you were with people in a busy workplace.