Retirement? How’s That Going for You These Days?
with a lot of people and there was always something going on. Here we have very little if any real social life. The age of the people we know and the gap in our life experiences have a lot to do with that situation. My wife manages to keeps busy with her part time job, the kids and the grand kids. With seven grand kids there is always something going on (usually sports events) that she feels the need to attend. As for me, it is fortunate that I am a type “B” personality. I do not have the need to be number one and aggressively in your face. I can make do with my own company and communicating by use of the internet for the most part.
A large number of the articles I have read on retirement deal with financial preparedness and needs before and after retirement. I don’t have a lot to say about that other than I was fortunate in that I retired with a plan that, along with Social Security, provides an adequate income. What an adequate income is depends a great deal on where you plan to retire. Retiring in New York City or the burbs of L.A. will require a good deal more retirement income to live comfortably than living here on the outskirts of Birmingham, AL. I was able to have a one level house built in a new subdivision just before this retirement. We moved from a two story that we had lived in, off and on for thirty years. The only reason I throw that bit of information in is to make a point that after retirement, surroundings will make a difference in your physical and mental health. The older you get the more difficult it is to climb stairs or maintain an older house.
I know finances at retirement are a concern, no matter how close or far away you are from retirement. All I can tell you is start planning and putting back money as soon as you can. I think Social Security will be around for a long time regardless of the scare tactics of the politicians. You cannot however easily live on Social Security payments alone. Not unless you live in a cardboard box with no house or utility payments and eat a lot of cat food. Seriously, it can be done under the right circumstances. Such as house ownership with no mortgage and very tight control and budgeting of expenditures. Without other resources, extras will be very few and far between.
The other side of that coin is that some people retire with a very good income or have a great deal of money resulting in no financial concerns during retirement. That does not guarantee a happy camper in the retirement community. Things are better of course, especially in the short run. But eventually the retirement blahs will likely set in, just like with us poor folks.
Putting the ramblings above in perspective, the dangerous element of retirement can be depression. If you are not completely happy with your retirement, dwelling on the negatives can kill you either with drugs, alcohol, your own hand, or causing your body to not fight back if you become ill. Old unhappy people can be a pain to be around which can result in social isolation. A retired person must come to terms with his situation or change the situation. You must exercise to some degree both the body and the mind or they will become more and more useless.
At this point some suggestions might be in order. The book stores and magazine racks are full of adds for starting a business after retirement. Furthermore they offer to help you set up that business for a fee or investment. This is going to cost you financially, mentally, and physically. If you are short on money or energy, forget that one. Back to school advertisements for that next career are plentiful. Again this is going to cost some money. I think it is good to take some courses through local community colleges on site or over the internet on subjects that interest you or you think can be helpful. I think this is a good option (one I have taken) to keep the mind exercised. Most community colleges have special lower rates for retires. Volunteering is another good option just to keep occupied and have a place to go and be useful in your life. Many of the retired people I know have gone this route and love it.
If you are not already, I recommend that you become computer literate and functional. This is a great way to keep in touch with friends and make new acquaintances by utilizing many of the tools available such as Facebook, E-mail and You Tube. Community colleges normally have courses for beginning computer users. Another possibility is to involve yourself in a hobby that you might already be involved with or have always wanted to develop. Art, music, ceramics, wood carving, writing or what ever. As you can see I am attempting to develop writing skills.
In summation, if you are unhappy or becoming depressed about being retired and, for whatever reason, can not go back to work or find a job, you must get off your butt and change the