Today, we all take our tech resources for granted – until the day when we don’t have them.
Even worse, we don’t plan for not having those resources until the day we realize how much we really still need them – to retrieve irreplaceable images or logins for once routine online chores like paying bills, for example.
A power outage, or network failure may inconvenience us. But we know “service will soon be restored.”
But not in retirement.
If something goes wrong, you are on your own.
Of course, you can call customer service - and wait for a human being, and wait, and ….
It would be like a disaster planning exercise – only for real.
Before spending money or investing in new technology, assess what tech resources you will really need in retirement – which you may not be able to answer until after a month or two.
As a retiree, you may not want to be as connected at home as you were in the office.
However, consider your needs, such as the quality of internet connectivity and home wireless and your printing/scanning requirements.
(Personally, I have found a good black and white laser printer more useful than an inkjet one. I can get an occasional color print at a store if I really need one, without the overhead cost of the hardware and ink replacement cartridges.)
Consider all the critical tech for which you may have to be “your own help desk”:
But downloading the software is just the start of your worries– you must still keep up with the constant software upgrade cycle, and the software conflicts that often occur.
As our world has become more complex, so have the problems.
Perhaps you use dual authentication for secure access to key online services.
But you may lose access to the “authenticating” work cell phone when you retire.
Did you (like me) originally register at the dawn of e-commerce – using a work email address?
For each service where you are registered with a work phone or email address, be sure to change your login ID before you lose access to those accounts.
Investigate whether you can keep your cell number – or get a new cell phone and re-set your dual authentication contacts, all before you retire.
(I have been compiling a list of each service for which I have been using my phone for some time to avoid losing access to a critical resource.)
But many firms consider a contact number to be valuable intellectual property, and won’t let you keep it. Clients may call that number, and the firm will want your successor to answer it.
When you retire, there goes your shopping history, and any rewards you may have built up.
Suddenly, retirement life doesn’t seem so simple.
(Of course, you probably won’t mind losing some tech.
For example, do you really need all of your old correspondence you have been saving “just in case”?)
It is certainly easy to register a new Gmail address – but not to notify every one of your contacts of the change.
Online, there are countless vendors who purport to be able to do this on your behalf.
However, since “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong” is a tech reality, test each account before you lose access through your work credentials.
As noted in other VOE columns, a password manager can be invaluable:
Although a printed password list is comforting, it is a major security risk (if lost or stolen).
All these points have one common theme: think about what you will need after retirement, before you retire, and decide how to replace it.
But be careful out there – no one screens firms claiming to be able to fix your computer problems, for ability, or for honesty.
Would you give your banking information to anyone off the street?
Just as with any client deal don’t skip your due diligence on each service’s reliability, security, insurance, and, of course, “Does it actually work?”
(Please note that I have practiced at a firm for my entire career with the support of a technology help desk. This article arose from my realization that I would no longer have that support after I retire.)
I want to thank the members of the Voice of Experience Editorial Board who contributed tips to this article.
More generally, AARP even has a website connecting you to tech resources through its “Older Adults Technology Services” website.
Just as oats in the morning can help you have a great day, these “cyber-OATS” may do the same for your digital life.
Also, some senior centers have tech consultants on staff or provide access to their facilities.
Senior service organizations in your area may have a volunteer organization which will send volunteers to come to your home and help with IT and many other services, for example, At Home in Alexandria . The SLD member who suggested this type of resource felt that the cost of joining the organization was “worth the price of admission.”
