Managing money in retirement is one of the toughest challenges people face, financially and emotionally. Too often our conversations around retirement start and end with the financial considerations, even though there’s a strong emotional side to money and lifestyle. We wanted to capture that side of retirement from those who know it best.

If you read the New York Times, you may have spotted a series of vignettes like the ones shown here. These are real TIAA participants who shared personal stories of overcoming their worry and anxiety about retirement readiness.

The series speaks to the “what ifs?” employees often ask. What if I have a long retirement? What if the markets change? What if I don’t earn enough? What if I already have a plan? Might other employees see themselves in these stories? Vignettes like these could facilitate these important conversations.

Next up will be a series of documentary-style short films in the New York Times that further humanize the struggles and successes with retirement readiness. The subjects will explain, in their own words, how they’ve been able to pursue retirement as a TIAA participant. Watch for those later this year.

By sharing real-life stories, we can help others follow a similar route toward building more dignified retirements. We know this is your goal, too. Let’s do this together.

Get even more insightOpens pdf on better retirements in our full TMRW publication.