Most Women Now See Retirement as the 'Most Liberating Phase' of Their Lives

A new survey from TD Ameritrade found American women increasingly have an optimistic outlook on retirement, referring to the aging process as a "liberating phase" of their lives, reports USA Today . "We tend to focus on hard dollars and cents and the fact that women live longer than men," says TD Ameritrade's Christine Russell. "And that often can cause doom and gloom. But the survey found that women feel much more confident about their golden years." Seventy-three percent of women respondents agreed that "70 is the new 50," compared to 59 percent of men. Russell says these numbers imply that women are "planning for a longer life," which should focus them more intensely on taking steps to ensure they have sufficient finances in their senior years. The poll found more women view retirement as an opportunity and a life with "a higher purpose," instead of a time marked by tedium and the sense that their best years are over. Seventy-two percent of women said after years devoted to others, aging gives them an "opportunity to focus on myself," while 83 percent said aging offers a fresh chance to "reach new goals." The average preferred retirement age was 61 among respondents.