Have You Read These 6 Warren Buffett Quotes That All Retirees Should Consider in 2025?

Warren Buffett will soon be 95 years old, and he recently announced his retirement. Whether you're retiring, too, have already retired, or even if you're still far from it, you'd do well to pay attention to what he has said related to retirement.

Why? Well, he's lived a long life thoughtfully, learning and sharing many things. And when it comes to money, few people are more impressive. With the counsel of his late business partner Charlie Munger, he increased the value of his company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.22%) (BRK.B 0.13%), by 5,500,000% (nearly 20% annually) over 60 years. In contrast, the S&P 500 index of 500 of America's biggest companies gained about 39,000% (10.4% annually, on average).

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Here, then, are six things that Buffett has been quoted as saying that can influence your thinking about retirement.

"When I am 60, I should be attempting to achieve different personal goals than those which had priority at age 20."

This is a good reminder that we need to shift our thinking and planning a little as we age. For example, you might have spent 30 years from age 30 to 60 chasing growth stocks and aiming to have your portfolio grow as rapidly as possible. That's fine, but as you approach and enter retirement, you might want to start thinking more about preserving the wealth you've amassed and about generating income for retirement.

Perhaps move some of your portfolio into less volatile, "safer" investments such as savings accounts, bonds, money market accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and so on. Consider adding a bunch of dividend-paying stocks -- or, to make things easier, dividend-focused ETFs -- to your portfolio, too. If you have, say, $400,000 in dividend payers with an overall average dividend yield of 3%, you're set up to collect $12,000 annually in dividends -- about $1,000 per month, on average. Better still, healthy and growing dividend payers tend to increase their payouts, often annually.

"Predicting rain doesn't count, building the ark does."

As you approach retirement, are you building your ark? Remember that the average monthly Social Security benefit was just $2,002 as of May, which is about $24,000 for the year. You'll likely want and need more than that, so take some time to learn how to increase your Social Security benefits and to set up multiple income streams for your retirement years. Here's one way that could look.

Each of us is different, though, so your particular arrangement might feature other income, such as rental income from real estate or income from a side gig.

"It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results."

This is a good reminder that if we want to end up in good financial shape, we don't have to become stock market geniuses or have invested in rare high-flying stocks. Simply investing regularly in a low-fee S&P 500 index fund for a few decades can be all you need to build wealth.

"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

As you approach your last decades, give some thought to your legacy. Have you been helping your kids, your grandchildren, and any other young people you care about to become better managers of their money? Have you helped them become investors -- or better people?

You might also take your loved ones on some memorable trips, as funding allows. Or get them interested in a hobby you enjoy, like golfing or gardening. Each of us has the power to enhance others' lives to some degree.

"If you're in the luckiest 1% of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99%."

It's important to provide for your retirement, but if you're able, consider helping out those who are not as financially well-positioned as you are. You might bequeath some money to charities and issues you care about, and you might donate each year while you're alive, too. (Remember that many donations can get you tax breaks, too!)

"When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life. If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don't care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster."

Finally, as you look back on your life, consider Warren Buffett's perspective and how you define success for yourself. You might ask yourself whether you're well-loved. If you're not as well-loved as you'd like to be, there's probably still time to change that, at least a little -- not necessarily by spending money on loved ones, but perhaps by spending time with them.