This is the second in a series on the Age of the Individual: Is it the Old Retirement or New Lifestyle Opportunities? The first article was featured earlier in the year. Branding yourself for the promise of future brightness. "You can do what you want cause it's a beautiful life!" goes the refrain by the rock band Ace of Base. Life is not over at age 65, 70, 75, 80 or beyond. Embracing the changes while planning for them can be just the beginning of the rest of your life.

May you live a long life! Physically, as you approach your mid-60s, it is worthwhile to note that statistically, you may still have one-quarter, one-third, or more of your life to live. That translates into 20 or 30 more years. It is up to you to determine how you will experience these years, survive or thrive.

Who said it was all over at retirement age? Does anyone close to that age truly buy into the generic marketing vision of wholesome meetings in the moonlight, long days on the golf course, or hiking through the Alps?

Moreover, if you want to keep control of your finances and your destiny, why should you buy into the retirement concept at all? In this era, the age of the enlightenment, it is time to retire the message, not the individual.

Indeed, there are practical realities. Many of us have worked long hours, long days, and many years at various jobs to reach a point of reward. You can finally slow down, count the daisies and smell the roses. This is not the reality, though. Instead what happens - culled from years of anecdotal evidence and first hand practitioner planner experience - the retiree becomes lost in a sea of anonymity, feeling virtually invisible among thousands of other white haired ladies and balding bored out-of-shape men. Is this classic everyday stereotyping? Sure, but it is so prevalent that we begin to feel obsolete, buy into that imaging and accepting that stereotype, start to look the part. My question is why? Where is it written in stone that this is your destiny? Why should we accept this?

The other high anxiety train in today's low interest rate environment: individuals and couples close to retirement are worried about paying for health insurance and outlasting their savings. They fully understand that living on a fixed income means losing control of one's finances.

If having a career and a job you love is part of your identity, and giving it up means more anxiety and less financial control, why would you decide to retire? Cause someone said so? Cause society says you should slip away to a 'dignified retreat' in the shadows? Cause your employer is adhering to employment benefit practices and downsizing?

Stopping right here, those of you who are still omnipotent successful presences in your family, your business and your community can put down the paper. These observations don't include you - because you have figured it out.

Consider that at the age of enlightenment, we are at the top of our game. In the often stupidity of corporate forward planning, those that know the most, those that have the best work ethics, and are the most responsible employees are often jettisoned first. If you don't want this to happen to you, how can you take opportunity from this strategic planning?

Personal Branding. The Art of Marketing Yourself is constant Branding. Just like any other phase in your life, if you want to contribute, you have to have a career plan well in advance for the rest of your life. There are a number of guidelines to follow and numerous books and websites to research. Here are some of the basics to jump-start your own Age of Individual Career Plan.

l Fully understand our electronic world. I have had clients and friends tell me that they have no intention of using a computer or learning about the Internet. This is a shocking automatic sentence into isolation. How will you interact at all in five years time with anyone? If you cannot use the Internet to expand your world, you will become further diminished. Today, one can earn a university degree, a masters of law, a doctorate online, network, research, stay connected. These are gifts to be taken for those willing to break barriers and change perspectives.

• Yet, there is light. One 87-year old friend, a mentor and fellow professional, told me that obtaining an email address and access to the Internet had changed his life in amazing ways. He loves the entire process of seeking knowledge, every day.

• Never be complacent. Sure you can blame the old culture and retirement mindset, that is the one where you put in your time, retire with a watch, do your job, get by. Why not Become a Today's child, constantly innovating, selling your skills aggressively, building and sustain knowledge, contributing to the prize not subtract from the company energy pool - proactive, not reactive?

• Intellectual capacity is highly prized - you have more time now than you have ever had. No one is interested in the excuse that you were not able to finish high school, college etc? Where will you be if you don't? No children, no elder care in many cases, plenty of gray matter, less emphasis on social climbing and time to pursue your dreams. Current examples: at age 65, she is studying law and will article at a local firm; at age 64, he is in an educational doctorate programme to further his teaching skills; at age 70, he switches gears and becomes a financial planner working in retirement communities with peers and the very elderly. At age 70, she campaigns for and wins a seat in Parliament.

• Presenting yourself as a highly professional package. Branding isn't just about being visible, knowledgeable, and wanting to continue to be fully engaged and employed. You have to demonstrate every day that you are a person of serious substance. And it won't happen wearing the same old thing, or looking the same old way. Life is reinvention.

Now don't get vexed. This is not a personal attack on anyone's lifestyle, but you know only too well what I mean. At our age, we have the choice to grow up or give up. I urge you to take this challenge seriously. You, and only you, have the capacity to move your world into the Age of the Enlightened Individual. Are you ready? And if you already have, congratulations!

There are elements of style that we all neglect as we mature. The next article in this series focuses on changing images of 'old?' This will require some serious introspection and reassessment of who you are. I look forward to hearing your stories.

Martha Myron CPA CFP® (US) TEP (UK) is a partner at Patterson Partners Ltd., an independent fee-only cross border financial planning firm in Bermuda. She specialises in comprehensive financial counsel and solutions in the areas of investments, tax, retirement, and estate planning for internationally mobile people, Bermuda residents with cross border connections and US citizens (green card holders)/dual citizens. The article expresses the opinion of the author alone. Under no circumstances is the content of this article to be taken as specific individual investment advice, nor as a recommendation to buy/ sell any investment product.

The Editor of the Royal Gazette has final right of approval over headlines, content, and length/brevity of article.