Brian Clark

Plenty of things have changed during our lifetimes. But the most relevant change may be the tremendous redefinition of being “middle-aged” just as we got there. Psychologist Daniel Levinson defines middle age as when “one is no longer young and yet not quite old.” And what used to be a stage of life between the …

When I took my midlife gap year at 51, it made me realize what I wanted to do going forward. Rather than upgrading to another home in Boulder, my wife and I decided we would spend our lives exploring the world outside of the United States. I had the location-independent income down, so we just …

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On one hand, people are living longer lives. And with just some basic attention to healthy aging principles, Generation X could live much longer than expected. This means we have to work longer. That’s a fair tradeoff… assuming we’re able to do work …

I write about longevity quite a bit, both here and with other projects. Combine that with the fact that I lift weights and focus on fitness at 56, and I invariably get someone asking: What, you one of those people trying to live forever? No, actually. No matter how fit I am, I could still …

Your attitude about aging makes all the difference. Research by psychologist Becca Levy shows that people with the most positive views about aging live seven and a half years longer compared to those with the most negative beliefs. Newer research adds a twist. People who believe they look younger than others their age are more …

It’s no longer news that a large chunk of Generation X won’t retire at the conventional age. And for some of us, that’s by design. The message is now shifting from “Gen X can’t retire” to “Gen X is going to work longer.” Okay, makes sense… so let’s look at the options. We’ve already explored …

Travel is an activity that’s practically guaranteed to change your life for the better. In fact, research establishes that Mark Twain was right when he said “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Spending time in diverse locations really does broaden the mind and increase your acceptance of others. Now, I’m not talking about …

At a time that used to be about ramping down to retirement, people over the age of 50 have different ideas. And that often involves starting a business. More than half (54%) of America’s small business owners are over 50. Specifically, 33% of U.S. small business owners are between 50 and 59 years old; 17% …

The life of a Gen Xer can best be defined as a series of major curve balls that we’ve had to adapt to. And we’ve apparently been pretty well-qualified at handling those. Well, you didn’t think we’d make it to “retirement age” without another wicked curve ball coming our way, did you? A Pew Research …

There’s a meme going around you may have seen: Gen X: The only generation that became 30 at age 10, and is still 30 at age 50. Right? Maybe that’s why many of us feel like we’re just getting started, not about to wind things down. Not that midlife has been especially easy on us. …

Back in 1997, I was done. My plan was to quit my job as an attorney in a large law firm. I’d move to Costa Rica and do… I don’t know, something else. It wasn’t the most detailed escape plan, but I was serious about it. And then I met the woman who would become …

For decades now, older people have been leaving the United States for retirement. A much lower cost of living combined with sunny skies and tropical climates make for a winning combination. Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama remain popular choices. More recently, Portugal and Greece offer idyllic and affordable European alternatives. The twist on this scenario …