I may have made up a new word, namely Post Retirement Syndrome. I do not pretend to be an expert on PRS but since I retired on February 2002, I have come to some conclusions about this phenomenon which I feel is real. Please note the glossy ads telling future retirees about the great places around the world to vacation and enjoy life as opposed to that boring grinding job that they are presently involved in. Fortunately, my spouse and I were able to travel and spend time in some great parts of the world while working at the same time. I was looking forward to many more travels and skiing in some world class resorts. The first thing that I decided to do was to write a book about my 40 plus years with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter since I felt that investors were being short-changed by not only a lack of knowledge but by a biased media that was doing all it could to help those investors lose money. The book took a little over a year to write and became a work in progress in order to get a publisher and then a marketing strategy. Things were going well until I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and suffered a myocardial infarction during or slightly after the surgery. This was followed by hernia surgery and in 2005, chemotherapy for bladder polyps and then radiation to complete the prostate problem of a minimal PSA. So there you have it, some retirement.

While I was working, my mind was being challenged and I felt somewhat invigorated about the prospects of staying current on what was happening in the world of finance and investments. I had developed some alternative interests such as tennis, golf, sailing, and the prospect of writing a book. I was ready for the golden years and was not expecting the series of misfortunes that were to follow. The point is that no one can predict what will happen after the career days come to a close. It seems that many of my friends and others that retire have similar unfortunate events once they leave their vocations. It could be that we are just getting older and must expect health problems in retirement simply because our bodies and minds are wearing out. There is also the bouts of depression which affect all of us. This could be the result of not being the BMOC that we thought we were, the memory loss, the fact that we were no longer the most important person in our former job and in our community. The book that I wrote did give me some status for a while and when I was doing talks and book signings, it felt like the old days when clients looked up to me because of my experience and judgement. Now, my most important thought is how to stay healthy and stay alive so that I can see my two grandchildren grow up.

One hobby that I have taken up is the accordion. Music is a wonderful tonic for the mind and the soul and I happened to find out that musicians and accordion players in particular have long lives. Anthony- Gallarini is now over 101 years of age and until several years ago was heading an accordion camp in San Diego. The father of my instructor died at 100 and played the accordion, two of the best known accordion players in the country are 80 and still going. Myron Floren just died at 86 and the list goes on. Maybe all of the future retirees reading this might consider a transition into music as a tonic for longevity. We must all keep a positive attitude and a healthy respect for the Almighty helps us keep everything in perspective. Good luck to all you retirees and future retirees and try and live one day at a time and make it the best day that you can.

Gary E. Marsella

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