Although you no longer have to worry about going to work every day, you can still find many ways to keep yourself busy. Many people think that once they retire, they will be bored because they are used to working every day. You can have retirement village asset management plan

However, there are many different activities that you can get involved in once you are retired. Some of these things will be discussed in this article, but also you can look at moving into a luxury retirement community as another great option. So let’s get to it.

• 5 Things to do When you Retire
• 5 Things to do Before you Retire
• What are the five Stages of Retirement?
• How can I keep my Retirement Busy?
• What Should you not do in Retirement?

5 Things to do When you Retire

Here are five things you should do after you retire:

1. Stay involved with competition

By joining a retirement community, you can get involved in new activities you have never participated in before. Or pick up those you enjoy but haven’t had time for. Many people always want to play more golf.

Read Also: What is the Magic Number? How much do I Need to Retire?

When you retire, you can hit the links more than ever, especially by joining a community that is on or near a golf course. Many retirement communities also have tennis courts that you can play on.

Try playing bridge, bingo or other sporting activities. Some communities host tournaments, where those who still have their competitive spirit can once again play for that top spot.

2. Collect something

Many seniors pick up a new hobby when retired. Some collect coins, stamps, cards or even cars. Collecting anything, no matter what it is, activates a new passion for something in your life. With the way the internet has evolved, collecting things has become much simpler.

Web sites such as eBay offer a wide variation of different stuff for anyone, and it is a very simple interface to use. As many people always say, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure.

3. Learn something new

Retirement is a great time to learn something new. Take classes about the internet. Or take an online course and learn a particular degree of study that you always wanted to learn.

Go back to school and earn that college degree you always wanted. Watch the History Channel, go to the library and find a book or go to the zoo and learn about animals.

Knowledge is power, and even the most intelligent people can learn something new everyday. Keep your mind active; an active mind is never bored.

4. Adopt a pet

There are many animals that go unadopted each year. By adopting a pet, you can not only get a new friend, but help an animal in need. Now that you are retired, you can adopt that cat that you have always wanted.

Cats make very good pets because they are very independent and low maintenance. Or you can get a new companion in adopting a new dog.

However, you should always make sure you have the time, money and sufficient area to have a pet. For more information on adopting a pet, visit The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

5. Relax

You have worked your whole life. Take a long and much needed break from the busy life of work. Go on vacation and visit the islands you have always wished to see, perhaps taking a look at the list of fun BVI events if you have your heart set on a trip to The British Virgin Islands. Sit on the beach in the shade and take in the nice weather. Go sightseeing around the town. Or, just relax with your significant other and enjoy a candlelight dinner together. Whatever you choose, after working all your life, you deserve a break sometime. After all, retirement is the one-way ticket to relaxation.

5 Things to do Before you Retire

As your retirement years grow nearer, you may be wondering what you need to do to prepare. Below is a checklist of things to prioritize in your personal retirement plan.

Some of them you may already have started or completed, and others you may not have yet given much consideration.

1. Create a Real Estate Plan

If you have already created an estate plan, it is time to sit down with your estate planning attorney, and look for areas of opportunity as retirement grows closer. This may include adjusting your life insurance, for example.

This also includes ensuring that any new assets or possessions are adequately accounted for and that your estate plan is current with all applicable state laws.

You also want to take into consideration the new expenses you will take on when it comes to Medicare and/or private health insurance and make adjustments accordingly.

2. Consult a Financial Advisor

While some aspects of financial planning will be taken care of while creating your estate plan, working with a financial representative will help you to take a much more in-depth look at both your finances to help identify areas of opportunity specific to your situation.

A financial representative can provide you with retirement financial planning tools and resources to help you plan for your retirement.

They can review any new investment opportunities for suitability and walk you through other situations like how waiting an extra year or two to initiate taking social security payments can increase your monthly Social Security income, for example.

And, they can also help now, while you still have the time to modify your retirement income plan, to determine if your current sources of income will be enough to potentially help you live a comfortable lifestyle during retirement, or if you will experience an income gap.

3. Decide when to Retire

As mentioned above, the amount of Social Security income you will receive and your retirement income plan are important to consider—but there are many other factors you must take into consideration before you decide when to retire. You may enjoy working and want to work as long as you can.

You may want to cut back to part-time before you retire. You may also want to retire—but are not financially set to do so when you would like. Remember to also take into consideration your health and your quality of life.

4. Will you like to Move or Downsize?

Many individuals choose to move or downsize when they retire, for a variety of different reasons.

This may mean moving to warmer weather, moving to a smaller home that is easier to maintain, moving to a retirement community, or moving to an independent living facility that will provide you with a greater sense of security—while allowing you to maintain your independence.

5. What will you do When you Retire?

As exciting as it may sound to lounge around enjoying days your days at leisure, in reality the novelty will wear off fairly quickly—and you will need to find ways to spend your time.

This is essential both for quality of life, and to ensure that you remain socially connected to others. If you have many other friends who are retired, they may help you to plan your newfound free time. You must also consider investing more time in hobbies, joining a few clubs or social groups, and traveling.

What are the five Stages of Retirement?

If you are starting to consider retirement, you probably have a lot of thoughts running through your head regarding the upcoming transition. This is why we recommend you consider the emotional stages of retirement.

No two retirement experiences are the same, but it is probably fair to say that you feel a mix of excitement and trepidation.

Transitions in life come with a range of emotions—and retirement is a big change. Over the years, it has become clear that retirees do not adjust all at once.

Instead, retirement happens in emotional stages. Here are the five most common emotional stages of retirement you will probably face when you retire:

Stage 1: Planning

In the planning phase of retirement, you begin evaluating when you should retire. You get to put your imagination to the test during this stage, deciding where you want to retire, where you want to live, and how much money you need to save.

As you plan for the impending transition, it’s important to spend time preparing yourself emotionally, too. Retirement is a big change, and you don’t want to do it until you know you are ready.

Set some goals and expectations for your retirement so you know you aren’t walking into it blind. By taking your emotions into consideration and seeking to understand them, you’ll be able to transition easily into the next stage.

Stage 2: Excitement

The closer you get to retirement, the more excited you’ll begin to feel. When was the last time you didn’t have to go to work? When could you do something just because you wanted to, without worrying about other responsibilities?

You’ve been planning the logistics and details of retirement for years—but now it’s time to get excited about all the new experiences you will get to have.

As the anticipation builds for your retirement, it is also common to have some uncertainty in this stage.

You might wonder who you are outside of all the responsibilities that have defined you—but that’s one of the most exciting things about retirement. In this part of your life, you can be whoever you want to be. The possibilities are endless, and you’ll be counting down the days until retirement officially begins.

Stage 3: Honeymoon

The “Honeymoon Stage” is common in a lot of life transitions—not just retirement. At the beginning of your retirement, you will probably be lost in all the opportunities available to you.

You can learn a new hobby, visit your family, or travel to places you have never been. In this stage, you can get some much-needed rest and enjoy your retirement years.

Unfortunately, the Honeymoon Stage does not last forever. After a year or so, you might start to identify a desire for something deeper.

You have worked hard for this time in your life, so it’s important to get as much enjoyment out of retirement as possible—but don’t be surprised when the next stage of retirement sneaks up on you.

Stage 4: Disenchantment

At this point in retirement, you might begin to think retirement isn’t as fun as you expected it to be. There are only so many hobbies you can learn and places you can visit before everything starts to feel the same again.

This feeling of disenchantment can sometimes be accompanied by more serious feelings of meaningless or depression. In this stage, it’s important to ask for help if you need it.

Talk to your family and friends about your feelings, and have them help you look for ways to create a sense of purpose again. This might be a good time to invest in something bigger than yourself—you can volunteer at a local organization, consider continuing education opportunities, or even plant a garden.

Stage 5: Reorientation & Stability

This is the final phase of retirement emotions, and it ties all the earlier stages together. You can go back to your original retirement plan and evaluate your goals and hopes for retirement.

With the Honeymoon Stage out of the way and reality setting in, you can truly begin to embrace this part of your life, balancing your exciting experiences with your meaningful ones.

What are you still hoping to accomplish? How are you going to get there? As you reorient yourself in this transition and regain solid footing, you can see the big picture better than you could before. In your golden years, you’ll feel more stable and accepting of this new life phase.

How can I keep my Retirement Busy?

Keep working

If finances are a concern, then solving this problem can help alleviate other challenges retirees face: you can simply postpone retirement, and continue working full-time past the retirement age.

This allows you to squirrel away as much of your income as possible while you are working, and possibly defer your State Pension in favour of a higher payment further down the line. 

Go part-time

If full-time work doesn’t appeal, then try scaling back your hours in your current role, so rather than jumping off a cliff edge emotionally and financially into retirement, you ease yourself into it.

A study for the What Works Centre for Wellbeing found that part-time working towards the end of our careers is a particularly effective approach.

Nancy Hey, a director at the Centre, said: “Good work is really important for our overall life satisfaction and how we retire matters.

“Good work is really important for our overall life satisfaction and how we retire matters. When we’ve gone around the UK asking what quality of life looks like, the importance of wellbeing at work consistently comes up.

“A sudden shift from employed to retired isn’t working.”

Try something new

Finding satisfying work in your retirement can also mean choosing a completely new career.

Sally West, policy advisor at Age UK, said: “It may make sense to take a different kind of job that’s less physical or less stressful. It can be an appealing idea to spend a few years doing something a bit different and taking on a new challenge.” So have a look at 55 and over communities in fl to have a splendid retirement.

You could also choose to work for yourself.

This may be as a specialist in the area you have already worked in or exploiting a hobby or skill you have previously only enjoyed in your time off.

If you choose the work you do wisely, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy work more than you did before you reached retirement age.

A study by insurer Aviva found that 78% of people who work in retirement find it fulfilling, (compared to 47% of people under the age of retirement).

When asked why working later in life made them happy, the most popular answer was ‘fulfillment from the work involved’, followed by giving themselves new experiences, and having a sense of importance or a role to play.

The extra money was only the fifth most popular answer.

Volunteer

If money is less of an issue, it offers the opportunity to work in a voluntary role, which can have a striking impact on happiness.

A study by Merrill Lynch in 2015 found that those who volunteer have a stronger sense of purpose, higher self-esteem, and are happier and healthier than those who do not. Volunteering helps because it offers people a sense of ‘giving back’.

Likewise, helping with family can provide a similar kind of reward, as grandparents step in and make working life possible for their children.

However, staying in work – or throwing yourself into volunteering or helping with children – is not a cure-all.

Psychologist Jacquelyn B James, of the Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College, found that people only benefit psychologically from work if they are really engaged with it.

Meanwhile, Nancy Schlossberg, author of the 2009 book ‘Revitalizing Retirement’, said feeling obliged to help with grandchildren can actually reduce happiness.

West from Age UK added that, in order to ensure you only take on caring responsibilities you are happy with, it’s important to have a conversation with the broader family.

She explains: “You should discuss what you are happy to do in terms of childcare, and how that needs to fit in around the other things you intend to do with your retirement.

“It’s best to have that conversation early and talk to your family before you find yourself doing too much.”

Find a hobby

Finding something meaningful to do in retirement doesn’t necessarily have to involve work. There are plenty of people who find meaning, friendship and structure in leisure activities.

The Mental Health Foundation points out how important these things can be in retirement.

“If you haven’t had many interests outside of work it can be hard to ‘find something new to do’ and it may take a few attempts before you find something that’s right for you.

“Take your time and think about the skills you possess that can be put to good use and give you fulfillment.”

Retirement goals

The only way to devise your own retirement solution is to give yourself plenty of time to think it all through – and start planning as early as possible.

The Aviva report we mentioned earlier showed that those who started planning long before retirement are the most likely to say it exceeded expectations significantly (33%), compared with those who leave it until they have retired (21%).

Unfortunately, early planning is rare, according to West at Age UK.

“Most people don’t plan ahead for retirement. Some are too busy day-to-day, while others don’t like to think about getting old, and some just don’t know where to start,” she said.

“I would like to see a national system of mid-life planning, where people can plan their finances and think about what they want to get out of retirement. The sooner you start thinking about these things, the better.

“If you want to work in a different way, you need to lay the groundwork, so you know it is right for you, and you have everything in place to make the change.”

You may find the answer lies in getting a job you find truly rewarding, taking up golf, working for a local charity, or running a crafting group. There’s no right or wrong answer: just what is right for you.

Donna Roche Tarry, author of ‘What’s Next? How professionals are refusing retirement’, talks of a ‘plural career’, where well before retirement, people consider where their skills and passions lie, and layout how they would like to fit them together in retirement.

She says every plural career is different, but the successful ones are all about understanding what you want, appreciating the realities of life in retirement, and planning.

The good news is that while finding the right approach may seem like a major task, plenty of people have managed it, and for them retirement is the happiest time of their life.

The Aviva study found that 62% of retired people consider themselves truly happy, compared to 42% of people in work. Similarly, some 62% of people said their retirement was better than they had ever imagined.

So, getting it right means it could be everything you are looking forward to and more.

What Should you not do in Retirement?

Retirement is a massive change of lifestyle for anyone. As with other major life changes, it’s the perfect time to redefine who you are. Avoid pitfalls and make the most of your new life by exploring the perfect things to do after retirement along with what not to do.

1. Enjoy, but Don’t Be Undisciplined

As you approach retirement, you become enthusiastic about all that lies on the other side of that long-awaited day.

When the day finally comes, you’ll sleep late for a week or two (or more), enjoy puttering around the house, and play golf or do whatever you’ve always done for relaxation and entertainment while you were working.

You might even take a few celebratory trips. However, one day you’ll wake up with a raging case of existential anxiety

You had no idea that you’d miss the structure your job brought you, along with its expectations and anesthetizing comforts. Humans are creatures of habit, and for many people, who they are is what they do.

When you feel that existential anxiety, it’s time to move past the initial vacation stage of retirement and think about what you want to do with the rest of your life:

• Do some research, explore your interests, write down your thoughts and dreams, and map out a course. In other words, create a bucket list.
• Develop new, healthy routines that provide the missing structure and prevent you from feeling you’re drifting along through life with no purpose.

2. Don’t Immediately Downsize Your Home

When you retire, it’s tempting to sell your home and move to smaller digs, especially if you need cash and have equity in your home. However, you might want to hit the pause button on this, especially if your payments are low, or you’ve paid off your mortgage.

Things to consider:

• It is expensive to downsize.
• The actual move is a considerable expense and could be emotionally and physically taxing – even if you’re just moving to the retirement community on the other side of town.
• If you’re considering a long distance move to what’s said to be one of the best retirement areas in the country, consider that you would be leaving behind old friends, everything that’s familiar, and probably family.
• Postponing moving to a new house after you retire will give you fewer changes to adapt to all at once.

If your monthly housing costs are low and it’s just a matter of having more available money, there are less traumatic options for putting your equity to work than selling your home. You could get a reverse mortgage, rent a room out, or make the garage an income producing studio rental.

3. Don’t Blow Your Savings

Most individuals are on a fixed income after they retire, and usually, it’s a great deal less than they earned when they were working. With so much time on your hands, it’s easy to spend money like you’re on vacation.

Budgeting and financial planning are essential. Enjoy yourself, but don’t dip into your savings except for necessities.

• Economize on goods and services.
• Sell what you’re not using.
• Control your credit.
• Take advantage of your senior citizen status.
• Use your head and keep track of what you’re spending when traveling.

It may take time to dial back your spending, so try to control impulse buying. When you go shopping keep your receipts and don’t remove sales tags until you’ve decided you need the item you’ve just purchased.

4. Don’t Neglect Your Estate Planning

A subject that many retirees neglect is the inevitable end-of-life planning. However, it’s important to make sure all your affairs are in order so when the inevitable happens, your family will not be weighed down with decisions.

You’ll probably have to make some necessary adjustments, so talk to your legal and financial advisers after you retire about how best to handle your estate.

5. Don’t Expect Relationships to Remain Unchanged

Families are interdependent, and your retirement can and probably will influence your children and grandchildren.

Your Adult Children

Both you and your adult children may either feel uncertainty or have unrealistic expectations about your relationship after your retirement. Some examples:

• A role reversal is possible. Your adult children may expect to have to take care of you and feel they can tell you what to do.
• You may expect enhanced support and companionship from your children that they are unable or unwilling to provide.
• Your adult children may expect increased time commitments from you (e.g., to take care of grandchildren) that interfere you’re your planned retirement activities.

Your relationship with your children can be tricky to negotiate especially during the adjustment phase of retirement.

However, maintaining previous boundaries and time restraints with your children, and not expecting more than they’re willing to give can go a long way in making the life change you’re going through less stressful for everyone affected.

Your Grandchildren

Retirement means you’ll have more time to share with the grandkids, and more fun and joy in being not only their grandparent, but also their mentor, teacher, family historian, counselor, and shoulder to lean on.

Plus, you get to take advantage of their youthful excitement, learn new skills and keep up with what’s happening in the world of the young.

As you hear about their experiences, listen to their music, meet their friends, smile and cry with them about their love lives, watch them make their way in the world and hear about their lives and times, you’ll keep up with what’s current.

Just keep in mind that teenage and young adult grandkids have very active lives of their own. So, text regularly, talk on the phone occasionally, and visit when you can. Be there for them, but don’t get your feelings hurt if they are sometimes too busy to respond immediately.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things

Turn an avocation into a new career, get a part-time job, volunteer, go back to school, or take a class.

Try new things! It’s never too late to exercise your entrepreneurial spirit or to learn something new, and any of these can add some needed structure to your life, quiet any restlessness and open up new channels of socialization.

7. Don’t Let Loneliness Creep Into Your Life

Retirement can be socially isolating. US News reports that according to AARP 45 percent of Americans older than age 65 are divorced, separated, or widowed.

If you’re one of this 45 percent, you might find yourself missing the daily social interaction with work colleagues. Start by building up a new social network of other retirees, involve yourself in activities where you can meet new friends of all ages, and stay in contact with your old work friends.

If you’re not into groups or socializing a pet or two make wonderful and loving companions.

8. Don’t Neglect Your Appearance

Ageism exists and especially for women, but ageism can also be an internal mindset.

Yes, you’re retired and getting older, your body has changed, your hair’s gotten thinner and grayer, and you’ll never look like you did in your 30s, 40s, or 50s. However, just because you’re older and no longer have to look great for work is no reason to let yourself go.

Looking after of your hair, nails, and skin is essential, as is maintaining your exercise routine. Sure, it may be harder and take longer when you’re older, but the beauty is that when you’re retired, you have more time to spend on beauty and fitness routines.

In her book, I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron says: “At 60 you have to spend at least eight hours a week on maintenance – just to keep you from looking like someone who no longer cares.”

She also points out something about hair: “You no longer have to wash it every day” and claims there’s a correlation between how often you have sex and hair-washing. So, don’t neglect washing your hair.

9. Don’t Give Up on Love and Romance

It’s no secret that love and intimacy are vitally important to happiness, and that’s especially true to your happiness, health, and overall well-being after retirement.

If you’re married, that’s great. Your relationship with your spouse will change, but with just a little time effort and understanding you can get out of housemates mode of behavior, get to know each other all over again, have some renewed fun and rekindle love and romance.

As stated above there are a lot of sexy single seniors, most of whom are dying for lack of a loving companion and being a single senior does not mean giving up sex.

It might be challenging to put yourself out there, but if you want a special someone to share your golden years, you’ll have to go prospecting for gold.

So, gather your courage, face the challenge and go prospecting. If you need inspiration, take a couple of hours to watch Our Souls at Night starring two very sexy seniors, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, on Netflix.

Connecting with an old or new love is easier than ever today because of the internet. Often you can find the old flame on Facebook or Classmates.com or you could join a senior dating site like eHarmony.

You can also shop around for new potential candidates at the local senior center, church, and other local activities.

Read Also: Investing for Retirement: The Complete Guide

Don’t be shy or afraid to put yourself out there, if someone catches your eye, talk to them or even invite them to lunch or for a cup of coffee, remember the most important part of getting what you want is to figure out what you want and then ask for it.

10. Don’t Be Impatient and Go Easy on Yourself

It will take time to adjust to your new status. However, do your best not to get bored. Stay active, be social, try out new things, reassess your needs and recalculate.

Like with any major life change, you’ll make some mistakes and false starts. However, if you have patience and go easy on yourself, everything will begin to fall into place and you’ll come to realize that you are now on your own time and can do whatever you want to do, when you want to do it, and have plenty time to correct any mistakes or false starts.

Conclusion

Try one of these five things after your retirement. However, five is not nearly enough. There are many other things you can do after your retirement. Try joining special interest groups in your area. Go sight-seeing. Take a train ride across the country.

For the daredevil types, bungee jump or sky dive. Volunteer at a shelter, church or for a political campaign. Go to the movies. Retirement doesn’t have to mean sitting around the house all day. With so many opportunities to stay active, retirement can actually be all it’s cracked up to be.