Many baby boomers saw their parents retire at 65 to 70 years. But in corporate America today, mandatory retirement ages are now more of an exception than a rule, although they're standard for public safety and boards of directors.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore stepped down at age 75 from Apple’s board due to an age-based restriction for its directors.When applied to boards, age policies refresh the talent pool, diversifying advice and experience (e.g., a background in emerging technologies).

Some companies may have a mandatory retirement age on paper but disregard it to keep a particular person seated in a role, especially if there’s a crisis to be managed or a lack of a suitable successor.

In psychology, personalizing falls into what we call cognitive distortions, which include about a dozen thinking errors like maximizing, minimizing, catastrophizing, generalizing, and others. We all do this. Every one of us. Those who have worked on themselves in counseling or learned cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) have a more immediate sense of when they veer into this territory and how to right their thinking.

Age-related decisions feel deeply personal. Automatic thoughts about what one will do in life and how one will spend time following the work years have profound consequences and land many newly retired into a funk or full-blown depressed mood. It’s not uncommon for them to be irritable around the house and toward loved ones and just simply…a little lost.

“Most high achievers have encountered emotional difficulties in retirement because they miss the action of their........

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