Amy Lindgren

Second Sunday Series — This is the sixth of 12 columns on career planning post-60, which will appear the second Sunday of each month from September through August.

So far in this series on career planning for the post-60 years, we’ve mostly focused on big-picture issues such as marketplace changes, Social Security, demographics and so on. But the perspective shifted in the last installment to more personal topics, such as how many years you might expect to live.

That’s personal, alright. Life expectancy is a topic many folks shy away from, even in their own families. But it’s a core part of the career planning process for workers in their elder years. After all, your choices will differ for time spans of five years as opposed to 25 years. Whichever it is for you (and of course, no one knows for sure), now it’s time to think about the work you’d like to fill those years with.

We’ll break this into three chunks. First, some strategies, then steps for career discernment, then some extra considerations.

Strategies for post-60 work

• Stay with your current employer. Sometimes the best path is also the easiest. If your current work feels sustainable and you like your employer enough to stay, then you’re all set. Familiarity and continuity are definitely advantages to this plan, as is the flexibility you might expect if you want to change duties or reduce your hours. One down side: Putting all your career eggs into an employer’s basket means you might have to scramble if anything happens to the company.

• Stay in your current field but in a different form. In this scenario, you would continue in the same general career path but you’d do the work differently. Think about accountants becoming business consultants or welders teaching at tech colleges. Advantages to this plan include the opportunity to use your expertise while cherry-picking the parts of your work you like best. Depending on the depth of the transition you make, you might need new training, as well as new contacts to help you get started.

• Switch to something entirely new. Going from the office to outdoors, or from corporate management to being an individual contributor in a small company are well-trod paths for people at this life stage. And then there are the “fun” options, although that’s a personal definition that could range from being a tour guide to managing a craft store to coaching sales teams. One clear advantage of making a full career transition is the opportunity to begin an entirely new path. One down side is the risk of making a radical switch without enough information, leading to lost investments in training or time.

Steps for choosing a career

This is a grand simplification, but any of these steps could be part or all of the process for choosing or confirming the career you might want in your later years. Initially you only need a few ideas and they don’t have to be perfect. Research and informational interviewing will help you shape them into viable options.

• Take a vocational assessment, online or with the help of a career counselor.

• Review your skills and aptitudes to determine your best or favorites; then identify careers that use them.

• Ask friends and colleagues which jobs they think would fit you.

• Review online resources and books that present career information.

• Review your favorite past jobs (all the way back to high school) for those you might enjoy now.

• Take a course or attend sessions guided by a career counselor.

Other considerations for post-60 careers

• Choose work you can age into. As people transition through their 60s, 70s and 80s, they are likely to experience changes in health, stamina, cognition or mobility. They may also be caretakers for parents, partners or grandchildren. In addition, both finances and personal interests might evolve. Any of these circumstances could impact your work, so career choices that can flex with changing conditions will be especially appropriate.

As an example, nurses can switch from physically demanding hospital roles to outpatient clinics or home-based insurance review. Teachers might go from classrooms to online tutoring, while trades people could transition from hands-on work to conducting inspections or bidding jobs.

• Factor in self-employment. If you’re independent now, taking a job with consistent pay could help you catch up financially while relieving the daily stress of running a business. On the other hand, this might be the perfect time to switch from employment to entrepreneurship, to provide the flexibility and creativity you’ve been craving.

• Don’t fear retraining. This may seem risky, but if you gain new qualifications in your 60s and use them for a decade, that’s a decent return on time invested. Is it also a good use of your money? That’s harder to calculate but you do have this advantage over your younger self: At this stage, you know how most of the story turns out. Now, instead of saving for your later years, you can go ahead and live them.

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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.

By Ana Staples, Bankrate.com

Money is an uncomfortable topic for many, yet it’s an important ongoing conversation to have in a relationship. Financial secrets undermine trust. And for many, it may even feel like betrayal.

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More than 2 in 5 U.S. adults (43%) believe keeping financial secrets is at least as bad as physical infidelity. At the same time, almost half of Americans (45%) in committed relationships (defined in this survey as married, living together or in a civil partnership) admit they don’t know everything about their spouse’s or partner’s finances.

For Rhonda Noordyk, a certified divorce financial analyst and CEO of The Women’s Financial Wellness Center, these findings aren’t surprising.

“Most of the time people are not sitting around singing Kumbaya around the finances,” she says.

While it may be common to not discuss every credit card transaction, bigger secrets can impact relationships — and livelihoods. According to the survey, almost 1 in 10 of Americans in committed relationships (9%) are keeping major sources of debt, expenses or income secret from their partner, according to the survey. In her practice, Noordyk has seen people taking out home equity lines in secret, card statements revealing actual affairs and spouses using secrecy with money as a lever of power and control.

Learn what financial secrets people tend to keep — and why they do it.

“Secrets can take on a life of their own, undermining trust and the relationship. The fix is communication. You don’t necessarily need to combine all of your finances with your partner, but you do need to be aware of where your money is going. Even if you each agree to maintain some separate accounts, it’s important to understand the parameters and work together on shared financial goals.”

38% believe financial infidelity is as bad as physical cheating

Almost 2 in 5 Americans (38%) think that financial infidelity is just as bad as physical cheating, and 5% believe it’s worse.

Noordyk says this is due to the “trust factor.” Once someone realizes their significant other has been keeping a financial secret, they might begin to question their partner’s honesty in other areas of the relationship.

Besides, while certain secrets can be innocuous, others are downright toxic.

Noordyk remembers participating in a mediation with a client — a woman going through a divorce. During negotiations, they were talking about life insurance and retirement, and it came to light that the husband had changed the beneficiaries on his life insurance. For their entire 20-year marriage, the wife thought she was the beneficiary and had no clue that had changed.

The client asked Noordyk what would have happened if the husband died. She responded that all the money would have gone directly to the people he had named as beneficiaries. The wife wouldn’t have gotten any of it.

“And I just remember the look on her face,” Noordyk says. “It was almost like she had been sucker punched in the stomach.”

Almost half of Americans don’t know everything about their spouse or partner’s finances

While most Americans (55%) who are in committed relationships believe they know everything about their significant other’s finances, almost half (45%) believe that they don’t.

What isn’t being shared isn’t always considered a major secret — 1 in 4 (25%) say they’re keeping secret only minor sources of debt, expenses or income. And about 1 in 10 (11%) say they aren’t discussing credit scores, credit histories, sources of savings or investments. However, about 1 in 10 (9%) say they’re keeping secret what they consider to be major sources of debt, expenses or income.

Noordyk, who works primarily with women, says her clients often say they wish they’d been more involved and aware of what’s going on with their partner’s or spouse’s finances.

“They wish that they would have asked more questions,” she says.

In one divorce case she worked, a husband tried to limit and manage his wife’s monthly credit card use while providing her no cash. Since he’d made her an authorized user, he had full visibility into her spending but didn’t disclose his own. She had no access to the statements.

“I also think it comes down to power and control,” Noordyk says. “There’s this element of entitlement… of wanting to have the power, and the money is a great way for them to.”

Among those not sharing financial information with their spouse or partner, more than 1 in 4 (28%) say they should be allowed to keep some information to themselves. Additionally, 15% say they don’t want the other person to know, and 14% say they would feel embarrassed if the other person knew. Most (43%), however, believe their spouse or partner simply wouldn’t care if they were told.

Most baby boomer couples say they know everything about each other’s finances

The survey data also reveals some generational differences. Namely, baby boomers are more likely to say they know everything about their spouse’s or partner’s finances. To compare, 64% of boomers (ages 62-80) in committed relationships say they know everything about each other’s finances. In contrast, 53% of millennials (ages 30-45), 51% of Gen Xers (ages 46-61) and 44% of Gen Zers (ages 18-29) say the same.

Noordyk hypothesizes that this generational divide isn’t because younger people are more prone to secrecy around their money.

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily they’re actually keeping secrets, or if it’s just the nature of how they’re handling their finances,” she says.

Younger couples are more likely to keep their finances separate, Noordyk explains. Due to this, they naturally have less access to their spouse’s or partner’s information.

How to protect yourself from financial infidelity

You don’t need to be aware of every little transaction on your significant other’s credit card statement to create a sense of awareness and honesty around your shared financial situation. Here’s how to achieve it.

Identify shared goals

“The conversation is less about full transparency as much as it is… [about] identifying what some of their shared goals may be,” Noordyk says.

Have a conversation with your spouse or partner about long- and short-term financial goals, as well as how you’ll work together to achieve them.

Create a safe space for questions

Noordyk recommends finding a way to get things set up that allows for both parties to access financial information. Additionally, “there has to be an opportunity for them to be able to ask questions without being dismissed.”

Stay vigilant

While you’re protecting your relationship from financial secrecy, make sure to protect yourself too. There’s always risk involved in merging your money with someone else’s, even if you don’t fully combine finances.

Noordyk recommends:

Monitoring your credit. That way, you can be aware if any accounts have been opened in your name without your knowledge.
Looking into a joint credit card. As opposed to being an authorized user, joint ownership of an account allows your full transparency. Note, however, that few issuers offer joint credit cards. Plus, both cardholders are responsible for any debt on such cards.
Ensuring your name is on important purchases, such as a vehicle or a house. This will provide you with a level of protection if the relationship ends.

Methodology: Bankrate commissioned YouGov Plc to conduct the survey. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,564 adults, of whom 1,208 are married, living together or in a civil partnership. Fieldwork was undertaken between Dec. 2-8, 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+).

©2026 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

New plans for the old Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota headquarters in Eagan are in early planning stages, according to the 55-acre site’s co-developers.

Real estate developers Opus of Minnetonka and Capital Partners of Edina are working together on the build-to-suit industrial development plans, known as “Blue Ridge Innovation.”

The former Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters site is located at 3535 Blue Cross Road in Eagan.

“With dramatic shifts occurring in the office markets, we are in the early stages of concept design with various redevelopment solutions,” Opus vice president and general manager of real estate development Nick Murnane said in an emailed statement. “We will be working closely with the city of Eagan and various stakeholders to bring this redevelopment to the Eagan community.”

Company officials declined additional comment regarding the project at this time.

The plans would involve some degree of redevelopment of the land, according to marketing materials released by CBRE.

Two examples of potential redevelopment options are listed and both would construct new buildings on the old HQ site as well as on the adjoining land directly southeast that previously housed a day care center for Blue Cross Blue Shield employees.

One concept calls for two buildings on the properties, 242,800 square feet and 218,700 square feet, with 10 acres left for build-to-suit options.

The second concept consists of a business park with six buildings: two at 119,000 square feet, two at 106,000 square feet and two at 94,000 square feet.

Re-use ‘unlikely’

In March 2023, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota announced plans to consolidate operations and move its headquarters into nearby buildings just northwest of the old site, across Minnesota 13. This current base of operations for the health insurance company is also known as the River Park properties.

The Blue Ridge Innovation plans are in very early stages.

Eagan community development director Jill Hutmacher said city staff and developers have had informal discussions about the process for land use, zoning considerations and current site conditions and about community input on previous proposals for the site.

No formal applications have been proposed as of yet.

Any redevelopment into a different land use would need a comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning. Both of those processes would require public hearings.

“The city understands that re-use of the current building is unlikely under current market conditions,” Hutmacher said, speaking generally about the site.

Johnson Brothers interest

Blue Cross Blue Shield announced in early 2023 that it would vacate the 442,000-square-foot headquarters building, with company officials pointing to the rise of the hybrid-work model as the motivation. Next to the old HQ site is the adjoining land parcel that housed a 12,000-square-foot day care center.

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As these sites sat vacant, Johnson Brothers Liquor Co. began eyeing the 55-acre campus as a potential redevelopment opportunity to house a corporate headquarters and warehouse distribution center.

Those discussions moved forward, with the Eagan City Council eventually approving a contentious comprehensive plan land-use amendment.

But by March 2024, Johnson Brothers abandoned those plans, saying in a statement at the time that the site was “not the best fit to meet the anticipated future needs of our company.”

Meanwhile, Solventum, 3M’s health care spin-off, is relocating its Minnesota-based operations from Maplewood to another former Blue Cross and Blue Shield building at 1750 Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan.

Jessie Diggins is grateful for the journey she’s been on since she was a teenager. She wouldn’t trade her career in cross country skiing for the world. It has taken her to places she never could have dreamed of visiting as a kid growing up in Afton, Minn.

After competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, however, Diggins will start the process of sailing off into the sunset. That much is certain following her announcement a few months ago that she planned to retire as soon as the current World Cup campaign comes to a close.

Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross country skiing women’s 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. The Afton native placed third to win her fourth Olympic medal. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Asked what she plans to do in the next chapter of her life, the 34-year-old cracked a joke that showed her age, saying, “Well besides knitting and stuff?” She added that she also plans to a lot of gardening in her free time.

If some people think that sounds boring, Diggins doesn’t take offense. She’a been traveling all over the world since making cross country skiing her career. She’s ready to settle down after winning four Olympic medals in total, including a bronze in Thursday’s 10-kilometer interval start freestyle, and three FIS World Cup championships.

“It makes it quite hard to have anything close to a normal life,” Diggins said. “The time has come for me to get really excited about having a normal life.”

That includes as being able to wash her clothes whenever she wants, being able to sleep in her own bed regularly, and to come down with a cold without worrying about how it might affect her livelihood.

Most of all, Diggins is looking forward to spending more quality time with her husband Wade Poplawski. They live together on the outskirts of Boston and plan to call New England home for the foreseeable future.

“He’s been the most supportive person in the world,’ Diggins said. “Now, it’s going got be our time together with me not being on the road.”

That doesn’t mean Diggins will be out of the public eye. She plans to do keynote speaking as a way to continue to make an impact. She’s been a vocal advocate for mental health throughout her career and that isn’t going to change.

“I’m not trying to inspire people by collapsing at the finish line any longer,” Diggins said. “I’m hoping I can inspire people with my words.”

That should be pretty easy considering her experience.

A superpower for Diggins throughout her career has been her willingness to be vulnerable. She’s been open about her struggles with an eating disorder, for example, with hopes of helping people that might be struggling with something similar.

“I’m in this position where I can be there for somebody else,” Diggins said. ” I can give them this gift of, ‘You are not alone.’ ”

That means more to Diggins than winning a gold medal in the team sprint at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, which provided her the platform to speak up in the first place.

As for the normalcy she’s been seeking for so long, Diggins more or less acknowledged that she will never fully escape the gravitational pull that being an elite athlete has on her life. A bucket list item for her in retirement is completing a 100-mile race.

“I want it to be really scenic and beautiful,” Diggins said. “I really like tough trail. I do not want a dirt highway. I want it to be scrambly.”

She laughed.

“It’s kind of ironic to be like, ‘Yeah I’m going to be done with cross country skiing so I can go run 100 miles on trails,’ ” Diggins said. “It really lights up my soul, and I’m really excited to still give myself these challenges.”

All part of continuing to inspire people.

“I’m going to try to give back in all the ways that I can,” Diggins. “I still want to be the best role model that I can be.”

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