In our profession, we often talk about the ideal of “phased retirement”. From a lifestyle standpoint, it can be a challenge to work full time up to a certain age, abruptly retire, work zero time thereafter, and be happy and fulfilled both before and after that retirement date. Many of us would instead like to fade into the sunset, working a reduced schedule for a period of time to transition between the two life phases.
My colleague Alan Stonewall is showing us how it’s done. Alan began his career as an actuary in 1969, founded Stonewall Pension Services (SPS) in 1979, sold that business, did a stint at Deloitte & Touche, and then reunited with some of his colleagues from SPS when he joined us at IAI in 2001. Since then he has worked a flexible schedule, infrequently in the office but always available by phone. Although he has technically been a part-time employee, he has carried a heavy and challenging workload.
This month, Alan takes another step toward his phased retirement as he transitions from employee to independent contractor with IAI. He will be doing a bit of consulting on his own, and will continue to do some business development and consulting work for IAI. However, he won’t be a regular presence in our office, and both he and (especially) his wife Roxie envision his spending more time with family and in other non-work pursuits.
Alan has been a wonderful colleague, boss, mentor and friend to each of us here, and he has left an indelible mark and legacy with this company. It’s inaccurate to say that we at IAI will miss Alan greatly, because we will continue to work with him on a regular basis. However, we do wish him all the best in this next step of his long fade into the sunset.
(Alan can be reached by email directly at mailto: alan@northwestactuarialconsulting.com, or by phone at 503-407-8331. You can also leave messages for Alan with our main number, 503-520-0848.)
