PRERETIREMENT PLANNING AND PERCEPTIONS OF SATISFACTION AMONG RETIREES

This study investigates the impact of preretirement planning on life s atisfaction during retirement. It addresses the question of which mann er of preretirement planning is most effective in enhancing life durin g retirement. The sample consisted of 322 retired subjects who were af filiated with either a community church or an alumni chapter of a nati onal fraternity or who retired from a large private corporation. The f indings indicate that retirement preparatory programs are most useful if they are performed or provided in a timely manner and effectively a ddress, among other topics, health and financial matters pertinent to retirees. Further findings indicate that there were significant differ ences in the life satisfaction expressed by retirees who planned on th eir own as compared with those who participated in structured company- sponsored preretirement planning programs and those who did not plan f or retirement. Such findings suggest that gerontology educators, resea rchers, and professionals should continue to develop more effective re tirement preparatory programs.