A Matter of Time: Why Some People Plan for Retirement and Others Do Not

TLDR

The study examined how different time perspectives predict retirees’ planning, adjustment, well‑being, and life satisfaction, and considered implications for intervention design. A three‑wave longitudinal design with 367 retirees assessed whether time perspective functions as a stable trait rather than a fluctuating state. Time perspective was largely trait‑based, with future orientation, present hedonism, and past negativity predicting planning, while planning and past positivity predicted better outcomes and past negativity, present fatalism, and present hedonism predicted poorer outcomes.

Abstract

This study explored time perspective (TP) as a predictor of retirement antecedents (retirement planning) and consequences (adjustment, well-being, and life satisfaction). Utilizing a 3-wave longitudinal study with 367 retirees, the stability of TP was explored to determine whether it is best represented as a state or trait. Between 79% and 93% of the variance in TP can be explained by trait rather than state. Present hedonistic, past negative, and future oriented predicted retirement planning. Outcomes of retirement were positively predicted by retirement planning, and past positive TP, and negatively predicted by past negative, present fatalistic, and present hedonistic TP. Implications for the design of retirement interventions were explored acknowledging the stability of TP and the influence of different TPs on planning and adjustment.