Retirement Planning
Rewire, Renew, or Retire? Finding a New Rhythm at Any Stage of Life
Are you thinking ahead about changing jobs, easing into retirement, or vowing never to retire? Some teachers plan for a specific new “third act” in their lives. Others maintain a studio into their nineties! Some changes we plan for; others surprise us. How do we make career decisions at life’s important crossroads?
'From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life' by Arthur C. Brooks
I’ve often considered piano teaching to be the best job in the world—why?
When It’s Time for a New Rhythm: Retirement Resources
Starting to wonder about retirement? Financial planning is essential. Equally important are transition challenges such as mindset shifts, identity questions, and new searches for purpose or meaning. Everyone navigates the retirement transition in their own unique way and in their own time. Here is a compilation of resources recommended by contributors in this issue (April 2026) of the 'MTNA Business Digest.'
Top 5 Reasons Retirees Continue as MTNA Members, and What Are They Doing Now?
In the MTNA 2024 Member Survey, MTNA asked questions to teachers who identified as being retired from full-time teaching, including “As a retiree, why have you decided to continue as a MTNA member?”
Saving for Retirement: Tips for Independent Music Teachers
Preparing for retirement is something that many independent music teachers put off for years, but the earlier you start saving, the more time your funds will have to grow. Having a sound retirement plan is empowering; it gives us the ability to choose later in life.
Practicing a New Scale: Rethinking Success and Purpose in the Music Profession
As piano teachers, we understand how to diligently practice our instrument and the art of music; however, do we prepare for career transitions that alter the course of our lives? All musicians traverse different seasons and that journey should include practicing the mental processes that accompany significant changes.
Do Not Go Gentle: Creating an Enduring Professional Legacy
As we face the later years, our relationship to our profession, indeed to our everyday life, is full of opportunity, but also limited in ways we may never have imagined. With some deliberate choices, but also as an organic evolution, my metamorphosis has been a reimagining and an accounting. Absent large amounts of wealth, what can I leave behind?
Five Things Every Freelancer Needs to Know About Finance (Including Teachers!)
Independent music teachers, owners of independent music schools and free-lance performers can all feel overwhelmed by the challenges of short and long-term financial planning. At times, it can seem almost impossible to get out of debt or start saving for retirement.
Retirement Planning: You Can Never Start Too Soon
My favorite quote about planning for retirement comes from Chris Hogan, “The Retirement Fairy isn’t coming!” (2016, 113). Another favorite by Hogan, “The money you save while you’re working is the income you’ll have in retirement” (2016, 114). If you are in your 20s or 30s, maybe you feel like retirement is too far off to think about now. If you are in your 40s or 50s, maybe you are too concerned about house payments and putting your kids through college. If you are in your 60s or older…time is passing in a blink. No one wants to retire poor or continue to work far into old age, so here is the good news: There are specific steps that can be taken to secure the retirement years.
Studio Refresh! Essential Business Topics to Revisit Annually
Times change, but strong business practices never go out of style. An annual refresh keeps a studio vibrant, relevant and meeting the needs of students and parents. Compiled by the MTNA Business Network, the highlights important studio topics that warrant regular review. Follow along as we explore these key studio topics in more detail.
Five Steps for Creating a Financial Plan
1. Set Clear Financial Goals
Creating a financial plan is a crucial aspect of managing your money effectively, regardless of your age or career stage as a music teacher. Certain principles remain relevant for all teachers.
Financial Planning for Music Teachers at Different Stages of Life
Navigating the landscape of financial planning is an essential aspect of a music teacher’s professional journey, characterized by self-employment, limited working hours and irregular income streams. When and why should a music teacher engage in financial planning?
Financial Health 1-uh-oh…I mean 101
Congratulations! You have a wonderful career at a professionally run independent studio, a prestigious university or a successful community school of the arts. You are on the road to financial success. Well… maybe not.
Financial Calculator Tools for the Studio Music Teacher
Finances, taxes and rates, oh my! For many teachers, the financial aspects of running a private studio can be daunting, but we are lucky to live in an age when so many essential, yet simple, tools are available with just the click of a button.
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