Kiplinger

Test-Drive Your Retirement

Bev Bachel, 62, is trying retirement on for size. For years, Bachel, a freelance communications professional in Minneapolis, took on highly demanding contract jobs that typically lasted more than a year. She put in long hours, often managed other writers and had to be available for on-site meetings.

"A friend of mine said that when you're self-employed, you never really retire. You just wake up and realize all your clients are gone," she says. "I thought, Oh my God, I need to exert control instead of experiencing a slow decline into nothing."

So, two years ago, Bachel decided to cut down on big projects, travel extensively--including lengthy trips to Panama during the Minnesota winters--and take on work that she could

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