(NAPSA)—Will retirement be a makeover or a stopover for most Americans? Once regarded as an opportunity for the elderly to stop working and settle down, retirement now seems to signal an exciting new life chapter. According to a new survey by AXA Equitable, Americans are giving retirement a makeover. Many respondents plan to stay active in retirement with travel and hobbies and some may even take a shot at that second career they’ve always dreamed about. Manyretirees get more active after they retire. Whether engaged in physical, intellectual or benevolent activities, retirees stay on their feet. Nearly 70 percent of Americanretirees exercise to stay healthy and 93 percent consider themselves quite or very happy. More than a third spendretirement on travel, hobbies and special interests. American retirees travel more than their counterparts in other surveyed nations but rarely leave the country. Around 20 percent are active in sports, volunteerism, gardening/ DIY projects and spending time with children and grandchildren. Retirement travel is not as prevalent as workers hope. While nearly 60 percent of today’s workers expect to travel frequently, only about 31 percent of retirees value travel as much. A positive financial outlook may contribute to contentment and plansfor activity and travel. About 70 percent of retirees are relying primarily on Social Security and Many people associate retirement with the freedom to spend time on hobbies andtravel. pensions for incomein retirement and believe that income will be sufficient to meet their needs. Even with all the recent attention it has received, 69 percent are not convinced the current Social Security system is in trouble. Manyplan to continue working past retirement—63 percent—but only 15 percent of retirees currently work for pay. Someretirees will take the opportunity to use their skills and experience to pursue the careers they always wanted. Some plan to continue to work becausetheyarestill able. The global survey, called the Retirement Scope, was conducted for the second year in a row by AXA,a leaderin financial advice and wealth management. More than 6,900 working and retired people in 11 countries were surveyed. For more information about the survey or retirement planning, visit www.axaonline.com.
