Purpose, People, and Core Pursuits: Key Ingredients to a Happy Retirement

September 6, 2026

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5 min read

Wes Moss, a certified financial planner and author of The Retire Sooner Method, spent years studying what separates the happiest retirees from the unhappiest. His research, drawn from surveys of thousands of retirees, revealed that the most satisfied retirees don’t just have enough money—they have a deliberate structure around three things: purpose, community, and a written plan. The financial piece matters, but it is not the dominant variable. The real difference comes down to how retirees spend their time and with whom.

Core Pursuits: Hobbies on Steroids

Moss introduces the concept of “core pursuits,” which he defines as hobbies on steroids—super activities you love, do regularly, and anticipate doing again. The key is consistency. A core pursuit is not something you do once or twice a year; it is a weekly or monthly activity that creates daily purpose. Moss found that the average happy retiree spends significantly more time on these activities than the unhappy group, and they typically have five or more core pursuits.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:20) **Introduction: The Non-Financial Core of Happy Retirement** - Guest Wes Moss introduces his latest book, *The Retire Sooner Method*, which focuses on the five secrets of happy vs. unhappy retirees, emphasizing you must retire *to* something, not just *from* something.
2 (01:06) **Defining "Core Pursuits" vs. Finding Purpose** - Purpose is not found like a package; it must be created intentionally through regular, loved activities.
3 (03:05) **The Power of Adventure & Anticipatory Happiness** - Adventure-related core pursuits (travel, hiking, RVing) have the most significant statistical difference between happy and unhappy retirees.
4 (05:42) **The "Happy Retiree Life Map" Exercise** - A practical tool for identifying core pursuits by drawing out your values and the specific activities that fulfill them.
5 (09:02) **Community & the Friendship Recession** - Building and maintaining a community is a critical, intentional act that separates happy from unhappy retirees.
6 (13:55) **The "Point of No Return" & Keeping the Engine Running** - Don't defer core pursuits and community to retirement; you must maintain them during your working years or risk being unable to restart them.
7 (16:52) **Transitioning Your Portfolio: The Five-Year Window** - The shift from accumulation to distribution should begin roughly five years before retirement, focusing on "Swan Money" (Sleep Well At Night).

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Guests on this episode

Wes Moss

Show Notes

If there’s one person who knows about both the financial and non-financial ingredients to a happy retirement, it’s Wes Moss. Wes is a Certified Financial Planner, the chief investment strategist at Capital Investment Advisors, the host of the Retire Sooner podcast, and the author of five books, including “The Retire Sooner Method: The Five Secrets Behind America’s Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees.”
In Part 2 of their conversation, host Robert Brokamp spoke with Wes about:
-The importance of “core pursuits” (aka, “hobbies on steroids”) and adventure
-The “friendship recession” and how to build a community in retirement
-The value of SWAN (sleep well at night) money
-Turning your portfolio into a paycheck via multi-asset class income investing

Host: Robert Brokamp, CFP®, EA
Guest: Wes Moss, CFP®
Engineer: Kristi Waterworth

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