They've been retired for 2 decades— and have learned to make the most of their golden years

Bernita Clark, 82, makes costumes for her daughter's 12-foot-tall skeleton.Michael Starghill, Jr. for BISitting at her sewing machine, Bernita Clark, 82, guides a piece of blue fabric as the needle bobs up and down. To her side sit scissors, measuring tape, thread, and a skull.It's for a costume she's designing for a 12-foot-tall skeleton. The labor is painstaking, attaching the fabric such that the soon-to-be well-clad lawn fixture becomes the talk of the town.But, she said, the work has been one of the most fulfilling parts of retirement. Are you an older American comfortable sharing your retirement outlook with a reporter? Please fill out this quick form. We are especially looking to hear from people 80 and older. In her late 40s, Clark didn't think she could ever retire. A divorce at 40 meant she would be on her own, raising her two daughters with little savings and no retirement plan.At age 46, she said she "set about finding a job that offered good retirement above all else and supplemented it as much as I could."Clark returned to school and worked as a computer systems analyst for a railroad company with a defined-benefit pension plan, rather than the increasingly common defined-contribution retirement plans offered by many employers.After developing congestive heart failure, she retired at 64, pursuing travel to national parks, painting, and costume-making. She worked part-time, training railroad dispatchers and working in university admissions. Nowadays, she coordinates neighborhood meetups and maintains a strong social calendar."Financially, I'm not wealthy, but I'm not poor either," Clark said. "I own my home and don't have a mortgage. I have more expendable income now than I've ever had in my life, and I'm debt-free."Bernita Clark.Michael Starghill, Jr. for BIOver the past few months, hundreds of older Americans told Business Insider that they've struggled to figure out what they really wanted to do in retirement. Some new to retirement said they weren't sure how to spend their time, while others hinted at returning to work. To learn from those with more experience navigating retirement, Business Insider spoke to over a dozen older Americans who have been retired for 15 or more years to pinpoint some common practices that have made retirement fulfilling long-term.Though not all have had smooth retirements, most agreed that what made retirement worthwhile included maintaining strong social ties, staying physically active, working side gigs, and staying positive amid twists and turns.For those worried about recent stock market volatility, Rob Williams, a managing director at Charles Schwab, said these kinds of concerns will come and go throughout a lifetime. "Having a financial plan helps, and those who do are more confident than those who don't."'I've stayed on top of things'Some of the longtime retirees BI spoke with still do some work to stay active and supplement their finances.Leslie Giles, 83, didn't expect to return to work in his 80s after retiring 24 years ago. Giles, who lives in Ohio, worked as a statistician and personnel testing specialist, investing and keeping expenses low. He retired in 2001 after his job of three decades was cut.He and his wife traveled to national parks in the Southwest, and he lived off savings, a state pension, and the one-year buyout he got from his job. To pass the time, he volunteered part-time as a school library assistant. Once his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he became her primary caregiver before she entered a rehabilitation facility.When she died in 2020, Giles said he was desperate to get back to work to give himself purpose, so he held shifts as a security guard until recently, sometimes working 10-hour shifts.For Donald Kimmel, 78, retirement meant slowing down instead of stopping work entirely.Kimmel, who lives in Florida, retired at 62 after taking a buyout from his full-time position in osteoporosis research. He stayed as a freelance consultant for the next five to six years, flying to conferences and working in areas with less-developed bone research facilities. The morning after he took his buyout, he said he got a call from an attorney asking him to do expert testimony about a patent challenge for a drug company."The moment I became a free agent, companies like them were happy to have me," Kimmel said.Donald Kimmel.Nilo Jimenez for BIKimmel moved from Pennsylvania to Florida with his wife so they could retire in a calmer and warmer community, though he continued freelancing and managing vacation properties until 2017."More than 15 years after retirement, I've stayed on top of things," Kimmel said. "I like to pass down ideas on career moves that students should make. You don't get any pay for that, but you get the joy of helping people get themselves going."'It's never over until it's over'Most retirees BI spoke to said they knew retirement would eventually stop being the golden years and would take time to adjust.When Richard Adelmann, 82, retired early at 52 after a career in accounting, he expected to spend much of his retirement with his wife of over three decades. Just a few years into retirement, she died suddenly at 55.Adelmann returned to his post-retirement job building affordable housing and married an educator who lost her husband.He and his second wife worked in their retirement with children at a residential treatment center for endangered youth, although neither had kids of their own. Adelmann navigated health issues, including cancer, over the last two decades, and his home faced severe damage from Hurricane Sandy. He's made the most of rough times, keeping his mind fresh by reading and still remaining active."It's never over until it's over," said Adelmann, who lives in New Jersey.For Elayne Schulman, 82, some of the joys of retirement have evaporated, though there are still silver linings. Schulman retired at 62, a few years after her husband, after a decade supervising educational software development at IBM."My husband wanted to jump to retirement as fast as he could," Schulman said. "We didn't think we needed to be in the upper-middle class. We just wanted to do better than our fathers, who both died very young."Schulman and her husband moved to a waterfront town in Florida, but while on a trip, her husband fell and became partly paralyzed. In January, her husband was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. She had a stroke in February that temporarily hurt her vision. Their years of financial planning prepared them for emergencies like these, and Schulman said she's learned to cherish the small moments of peace and family times."I expect this to be better in a couple of months, but who knows?" Schulman said. "This is the tail end of a very long retirement that has had its ups and downs."Staying fit, even amid health challengesRich Colorado, 87, used to be the youngest in his senior bowling league. Now, he's the second oldest.Colorado, who was born in El Salvador and lives in California, held two long-term jobs his whole life: 17 years at a bowling alley and 27 years as a scale technician. He retired in 2002 on his 65th birthday despite never having a specific savings plan.Rich Colorado.Jason Henry for BIColorado said the key to his retirement has been staying active. He bowls three times a week, teaches chess, and used to take guitar lessons. He said staying fit and having a routine, coupled with a healthy diet, have gotten him to this age with few health problems.Staying fit has helped Bill Bengel, 84, endure health challenges. Bengel retired from General Motors over 24 years ago, spent two decades living at his lake house in northern Michigan, and took up woodworking. He put aside 10% of his salary increases toward his retirement and lived frugally without sacrificing travel.Two years ago, a complication from his vascular disease led to a partial leg amputation. He couldn't spend his winters in Florida or enjoy his lake house, so he and his wife moved back to central Michigan, closer to family.He walks with a cane and goes to the gym to improve his mobility, and he spends much of his time with his eight grandkids and 14 great-grandkids. While he can't run like he did before the amputation, he said he's still got plenty of years left to improve physically while keeping his mind fresh through reading."We still do pretty much what we want," Bengel said.Read the original article on Business Insider

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