This is a re-edit of the original interview. No content has been removed.

There is a growing trend among older adults over 60 to take a shot at becoming an entrepreneur.

But why?

Well, for many reasons, of course:

· They have lost their sense of identity after being a professional ‘something’ for 40 years

· They’re bored stiff being retired

· They need to work to earn income because they don’t have enough in a retirement fund to see them “to the end”

· They wake up in the mornings with an overwhelming feeling of uselessness and

· They want to be part of something with others

Yet many are held back by fear. What if I fail? What if my idea is crap? What if it’s hard work? And perhaps the biggest: I haven’t the foggiest idea how or where to begin.

Fortunately, Mary Cronin, a professor at Boston College, has lots of suggestions.

Mary has been teaching entrepreneurship for 30 years. But don’t think for a minute that she does so from an academic Ivory Tower.

Mary has created a number of start-ups in leading edge areas, taking one of those start-ups public and has worn pretty much all the hats that an entrepreneur can wear.

She has written best selling books about highly successful entrepreneurs who started with nothing.

She knows her stuff, in other words.

We are fortunate to have Mary J Cronin as our guest this week on The Art 2 Aging.

Retirement is the topic this week on The Art 2 Aging’s feature podcast.

Specifically, the financial aspects of retirement that many fail to take into consideration.

Now, we have gone in depth in the past on what goes into a financial plan for retirement and it pretty much boils down to one thing: pay yourself first when you are a working stiff and invest wisely.

That means a budget and a good dose of self discipline to stick to the plan as much as possible.

But many of us know there’s much more to it than just saving and investing to reach some magic number; you have to consider long term healthcare costs, a retirement residence perhaps (very costly, these days); what it might take cost-wise, to stay in your own home as long as possible – those sorts of considerations.

David Conti, a financial writer who spent years with Fidelity Investments, the enormous investment fund advisory with nearly $18 trillion in assets under its management (gee, almost as much as Elon Musk!).

What David has done is to create something called the Retirement Fear Index which he updates each month to track changes in 10 different categories that directly impact retirement and retirement planning.

David and I get pretty deep in discussing retirement and its surprising hidden costs and it’s a must-watch if you are close to or already in retirement.

“The Retirement Squeeze” is the topic this week on The Art 2 Aging’s feature podcast.

That’s what our guest refers to as the financial aspects of retirement that many fail to take into consideration.

Now, we have gone in depth in the past on what goes into a financial plan for retirement and it pretty much boils down to one thing: pay yourself first when you are a working stiff and invest wisely.

That means having a budget and a good dose of self discipline to stick to the plan as much as possible.

But many of us know there’s much more to it than just saving and investing to reach some magic number; you have to consider long term healthcare costs, a retirement residence perhaps (very costly, these days); what it might take cost-wise, to stay in your own home as long as possible – those sorts of elements.

David Conti, a financial writer who spent years with Vanguard, the enormous investment fund advisory with more than $13 trillion in assets under its management (gee, almost as much as Elon Musk!) is our guest.

What David has done is to create something called the Retirement Fear Index which he updates each month to track changes in 10 different categories that directly impact retirement and retirement planning.

David and I get pretty deep in discussing retirement and its surprising hidden costs and it’s a must-watch if you are close to or already in retirement. Look for 10 Ways Your Retirement Can Mess Up in your inbox, Friday morning on The Art 2 Aging.