4. Focus more on personal growth and happiness

While traveling more could certainly be seen as expanding personal growth and happiness, the study found retirement has opened up the door for many Americans to find a new hobby or passion. Almost half (47%) said they have picked up a new hobby during retirement. One passion might be pursuing bucket list items, and 30% of retirees say they have a bucket list with many (44%) only starting to cross things off once retired.

While the survey found 9 in 10 retirees enjoy being retired, almost 1 in 4 (23%) said they struggle to find purpose and fulfillment in retirement.

One thing that may help retirees with the transition to retirement, and also help those struggling to find a purpose, may be volunteering or working a part-time job. Currently, 18% of retirees volunteer, and 1 in 4 plan to continue working in some regard. The vast majority (93%) of retirees say retirement has given them the ability to enjoy things they didn’t have time for while working full-time.

When it comes to family, more than half of retirees (56%) say they’re able to spend more quality time with their loved ones now that they’ve retired. More than 2 in 5 say that thanks to retirement, they’re able to spend more quality time with their partner.

Next page: More key findings