Retirement is one of those days we all look forward to. The chance to be in total control of your life, be where you want then you want, answer to no one (except your partner) and not have to fulfill any routine except spontaneity. It is that well-earned ending to your working life.
However, it isn’t always the slump into an armchair we all hope for, and making sure your retirement goes perfectly to plan can take a lot of preparation. It is a huge change and one that is often underestimated. There is no more social interaction with colleagues, or that routine you based your life around or that purpose to your life you once felt you had.
That is why it is so important you prepare for this adjustment, and in plenty of time too. And here is a list of ways you can do this.
Plan Your Party
Why wouldn’t you want to leave your old life with a bang and enter your new phase with an explosion? It will be a way to get closure in the happiest way possible. What’s more, we celebrate every other milestone in life – our first home, the arrival of parenthood, weddings – so why would you treat retirement in any other way. You’ve earned the right to hold another party.
Plan Your Finances
You may have been paying into a pension account for some years now, but why stop there. Why not go that one step further and employ a money manager to help you get the very most out of your retirement strategies, explore the pitfalls so many people fall into, help prevent you from making emotional decisions and give you a wealth of knowledge that you can drink from. You probably had an accountant during your working life, and you had income then, so why wouldn’t you protect yourself now that you are relying on the money you saved.
Plan Your Freedom
You may be excited by the freedom you’re going to get and the fact that you don’t have to be anywhere you don’t want to be. But you have to remember that your honeymoon period of lounging around in pajamas until 1 o’clock in the afternoon and having banana milkshakes for breakfast won’t last forever and you’ll realise how much time you have to fill. There will be a day when you suddenly get hit by a wave of grief. You’ll miss your old structure, and the social aspects of work, the purpose you had and that community feeling. So, as a little tip, try and prepare a busy schedule of things that can quickly replace the hole you will feel. This is a great way to adjust quickly.
Plan Your Education
Yes, that’s right. We know you went and did school a long, long time ago. But we never stop learning, and your retirement not only grants you the time to pick up on some news skills or learn a new language, it’ll also help keep your mind smart. You’ll have something to get out of bed for, a purpose of keeping pushing yourself. Perhaps you could do an online course in creative writing, or you could take up art, or just get an app and learn how to speak Italian or Zulu.