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Enjoy Living in Retirement
Time to relax and take it easy, or is it? Enjoy living in retirement by considering these suggestions on what to do with all of your free time. Take a trip, go back to school or take a stand. No one ever said you had to just sit around.
1. No More Business Attire
Nothing. Nada. Zilch. You have nothing to do but get retirement ready. You’ve put in your time and you no longer have to punch a clock or submit an expense report. You’ve handed in your notice and there is no more grind. No more business ties or suits, dresses and heels. Sau bye-bye to your boss!
2. Time to Travel
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“Our goal for retirement is to spend a significant amount of time traveling, exploring small-town America and seeing what there is to see in this beautiful world of ours,” says Karee Blunt, an avid traveler. “Our plan is a healthy mix of boutique hotels, mixed with charming bed and breakfasts, rustic cabins, and the occasional luxury resort thrown in for good measure. Even though it’s still 7-8 years away, we’ve been preparing for this for years!”
3. Train a Therapy Animal
Having a pet as a companion is a powerful elixir. Why not consider training a therapy dog and volunteering to bring them to a senior’s home? Scott Custis, CFP at Money Scientific, mentioned one client’s solution to a purpose-driven retirement: “In the past, I had a client who worked with therapy dogs. They would take the dogs to elementary schools and students with reading disabilities would read to the dogs. They would also take the dogs to nursing homes, as well as college campuses during finals week.”
4. Go Back to School
Never stop learning. This was Kathy Owen’s goal. Blogging at Petticoat Junktion she found a love of re-furbishing and re-selling old furniture but not before that she went back to school: “I retired when I was 60 and decided to finally get my college degree. I attended college twice over the years and was about halfway to a degree. I received my Bachelor of Science degree at the age of 64.”
5. Take up a Hobby
Many toy with hobbies but can never find the time to truly develop them when they are raising a family and working full time. For Anika Jindal of whatanikasays.com, she is looking to finally give painting the attention it deserves: “I plan on investing my time in doing arts and crafts when I retire. I was very creative while growing up but now I don’t get time to spend on my hobbies because of my busy schedule. So I want to spend my golden years doing what truly I am passionate about.”
6. Visit Your Relatives
On the road again, Ashley Pichea, of RootedWanderings.com, think of nothing more than seeing the USA in an RV: “After raising our five kids to adulthood and becoming empty nesters, my husband and I are looking forward to traveling the US in a motorhome or RV. We’ll likely find a home base in an RV community in New Mexico, Texas, or Arizona, and travel widely, visiting our family and seeing more of our beautiful nation.”
7. Volunteer in the Community
Life-changing events can make an impact on how you spend your time. “We have clients who are cancer survivors and volunteer their time to those who are currently battling the disease. They find this fulfilling since they can share their cancer journey with the patients and provide comfort to them at the same time. They find by doing this also helps educate those on the disease and brings more awareness to the community.” David Berns, of Truadvice Wealth Management, sheds light on how some of his clients support others through awareness and lived experience.
8. Get a fun job
You have always wanted to have a part-time job with few responsibilities and no subordinates. You don’t mind making a few bucks on the side and you get to choose your hours. Whether you are a wannabe mystery crime novelist or a history buff, you can pick any number of jobs to do for fun and money.
9. Learn a new Skill
You have always loved to cook but never made pasta from scratch. Or you’ve wanted to take a food tour and found yourself craving gumbo. What do you do when you retire? You take a cooking class in New Orleans. One of the best ways to learn about a country is through food. Culinary tourism continues to grow with wine tours to Washington State or food market visits in Barcelona.
10. Teach
Although decades away from retirement, Jonathan Bird, CFP, thinks he wants to teach at a local community college. This is one of the best ways to stay current in your industry while passing on some great financial knowledge. There is always an opportunity to mentor a younger generation and doing this (while getting paid) is ideal. This financial advisor from Arizona also thinks “playing golf at St. Andrews in Scotland” should be on that list of ‘living in retirement’ backlist ideas. I would have to agree 100%!
11. Learn to Dance
If hardcore sports are not in your wheelhouse, maybe a little exercise while listening to music may be your salvation. In the age of TikTok, you can learn just about any dance you want with step-by-step instruction on how to hip-hop, salsa or the two-step. Don’t sit by… grab your partner and DANCE.
12. Start a Podcast
With 465 million podcast listeners globally and 41 million in the US tuning into a podcast every month, maybe this will be the medium you need as a creative outlet. Margarita Ibbott of DownshiftingPRO recently spoke on a few episodes of the Wealth of Geeks podcast talking about travel and the pros and cons of domestic vs. international travel. Looking at retirement in less than 5 years, she is considering developing a podcast on travel and the empty nester.
13. Read/Write the Great American Novel
Do you have a stack of books on your bedside table? Never seem to find the time to read a good book? If your sight is a bit sketchy consider an audiobook. With thousands of titles available through the Libby App. at your local library, you may want to catch up on all the great novels you’ve missed through the years. If you don’t find it, why not start writing your own? Frank McCourt wrote Angela’s Ashes when he retired at 60!
14. Take a Stand
Homelessness. Global Warming. Women’s Health. Big Pharma. These are all issues we are facing today. Have you considered lending your voice to those that have no voice or need an amplified voice? This may be the time to finally take a stand on what you believe will help those in need. You may have the skills needed to complete tasks, raise funds or attend a rally. Consider a cause you believe in and lend a helping hand to move it forward.
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