You need money for your retirement. You also need to plan for the free time
you will have once you retire. Lots of people don't have any idea what life
they will live once they are jobless. This retirement experience can be most
rewarding as well as disastrous to you. Besides the financial side of
retirement, the mental and emotional changes can be far more devastating than
money issues.
Retirement means you get up, go to bed, eat, watch TV, take a walk, do
anything any time you want. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Some people can enjoy
this lifestyle indefinitely but most will be bored within a few weeks. If
you’re retired, this could be your lifestyle for the rest of your life unless
you make other plans.
The rest of your life could be 30+ years; can you do nothing for that long?
Think about it.
When you start thinking about retiring, also start thinking about what you
plan to do once you retire. Are you going to pursue a hobby, travel,
volunteer, work? Just sitting around waiting to die shouldn’t be an option.
Once you retire, you’re going to have lots of free time so you need to prepare
your self mentally and emotionally to handle this time.
Start your planning by making a list of your interests and your goals.
Prioritize this list with what is most important first. You might want to come
up with a list of about 1000 things you want to do before you die. I’d
probably put things like wrestling an alligator or running with the bulls at
the bottom of the list. Remember, with today’s life expectancy you will
probably be retired as long as or longer than you were working. If you have a
spouse or partner, be sure to inform him or her of your intentions and your
list. If they are also retired, make a combined list. If they are still
working, you might have to compromise on when you will do some of the things
on your list.
Retirement used to mean sitting on the porch in a rocking chair and waiting
for death to come calling. A person who retired was too old for any meaningful
interaction and senility was expected. We’ve come a long way! Now retired
persons are starting second and third careers, traveling non-stop, and are
enjoying excellent health. Your retirement plan needs to include lifestyle
plans as well as financial plans. Get your mind and your bank account ready
for the fun.
The best time to learn about retirement planning is before you're in the thick
of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable retirement
planning experience while it's still free.
Retirement planning is about more than investing and saving. It’s also about
enjoying your life after you decide to retire from your career or job. To
fully enjoy yourself after retirement, you should have a plan on how you will
spend your time and where you will live. You probably should start now to get
in shape so you will enjoy a healthy retirement. What about your family, how
do they fit into your retirement plans? Your retirement plans should go well
beyond finances. Read on for some suggestions on this critical part of
retirement planning.
How will you spend your time once you aren’t trudging off to work every day?
There are lots of options for every retiree. You need to pick the one that’s
best suited to you and one that will keep you busy. Maybe you want to travel,
start or continue a hobby, garden, play golf, dote over the grandchildren, or
even climb a mountain or two.
The possibilities are limitless. Dare to dream and then make those dreams come
true. You’ve worked hard and you deserve a happy retirement. Retirement
doesn’t mean you should resign yourself to sitting around talking about your
ailments or feeding the pigeons in some park. It should mean freedom to
explore life and all it has to offer.
Maybe you will be bored with the idea of not going to work every day. If this
is the case, you might be happier working or volunteering once you retire.
There are lots of retirees who have started a second or even a third career
after retirement. I’m sure there are many ways you can volunteer if you don’t
relish the idea of working for money. Almost every organization is begging for
persons to volunteer time to help with the many activities and projects.
What about your health once you retire? You should start planning right now
for a healthier body. If you smoke, stop. If you’re overweight, take measures
to slim down. Start an exercise and nutrition program so you will be as
healthy as possible in your older years. Make a commitment to become a
healthier, more active person and you will reap the benefits now and later.
Been putting off medical check-ups? Now is the time to get these done. By
taking care of your health in your early years might help with securing health
insurance at a reasonable rate once you are older.
Another area that you might need to develop is friends and family. A career
sometimes doesn’t leave much time for cultivating friendships or enjoying your
family. Once you retire, you will have more time to spend with these people
but will they be there for you when that time comes? Try to make time for
family and friends, even if it’s just a few hours a week. The older you get,
the harder it is to find and make new friends. If you ignore your family, they
might not be there for you when you get older and feel you have more time for
them.
So, in addition to investing and saving money for your retirement, now you
need to make some additional plans. You need to plan how you might want to
spend your retirement, where you might want to spend it, how to be healthy
enough to enjoy it, and how to keep your family and friends around to help you
enjoy it. This makes retirement planning take a whole new meaning. Retirement
shouldn’t be considered an ending, it should just be a continuation of living.
Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you
overcome your hesitation to take action. |
