"So You're Thinking About Retirement, Now What" breakout sessions for 1979 and 1984. Are you thinking about retiring, or have you recently retired? Join us for discussion about how to prepare for retirement.

There will be three breakout sessions led by members of the Classes of 1979 and 1984:

Developing a Retirement Income Plan
Presented by Chris Borden '84

The US economy has catered to and been fueled by the Baby Boom generation for 50 years.  Housing, food, leisure time, automobiles, etc. have adapted to the changing demands of our generation.  Now in our 50’s and 60’s, 10,000 Boomers are reaching “retirement age” each day.  Join Chris to learn how you can prepare to meet the challenges of the next stage of our lives. 

Chris has been helping people plan for retirement and manage assets for almost 30 years.  He started his career in personal financial services with Fidelity Investments in 1985 and joined Canby Financial Advisors in Framingham, MA in 2000 as the firm’s first full-time employee.

How to Use Our Carleton Education to Survive and Thrive in Retirement
Presented by David Thoele '79

The idea of “retirement” can be stressful but it doesn’t have to be if we do it right. Change is hard, and some of life’s stressors can sometimes get the best of us (illness, aging, change in career, changes in loved ones).

In this breakout session, Dave Thoele ’79 will discuss how his Carleton humanities/liberal arts education helped him survive medical school, his work as a pediatric cardiologist, work/family balance, and health challenges with his daughter.

After a brief discussion of how he is using creative writing to build his own retirement starting now (while he’s still working full time), Dave will lead an interactive discussion/writing workshop focusing on building the best retirement possible. Participants will explore aspects of our past and present, practice stress reduction techniques, brainstorm dreams and goals for retirement, and discuss practical steps that will help us get the retirement we want.

All in the Asylum; The Lazy Person's Guide to Self-Preservation
Presented by June Thiemann '84

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, everyone is likely to experience some form of mental illness in their lifetimes.  Despite this fact and many advances in research, treatment, awareness, and access, far too many find themselves and their loved ones in sudden mental health crises which can prove debilitating or fatal before the seriousness of the illness is even recognized.  Based on her own and her siblings' journey through this harrowing landscape, June has come up with a proactive and preventive approach to mental health that has stabilized her siblings and is changing the trajectory for her own kids.  Please join her for a conversation about this important and practical paradigm shift.

June is a former English major and teacher who is currently changing the future of family mental health in Southwest Minneapolis and author of a forthcoming memoir.