Five Keys to a Successful Retirement

There’s something about Spring that just makes you feel really happy to be alive and so with that I thought I would put together some pointers as to what everyone should do to make the most of their retirement years.

Firstly, stay as fit and as healthy as possible. That might sound obvious but unless you put some time and effort into doing just that its unlikely that you will and lets face it, most of us will live into our nineties and there’s not much point doing that unless you are fit and healthy.

So, make sure you get plenty of exercise on a regular basis. Then make sure that you eat a good diet. Finally, give up the nasties such as cigarettes and excessive drinking. Nothing in this is too complicated but you do need to make the effort.

Then you need to stay engaged with the world around you. This is particularly important if you live by yourself, but even if you do have a partner, you need to make the effort to stay engaged and be part of your local community.

This means more than going out to do the weekly grocery shop or babysitting your grandchildren. Retirement is your time so you need to think about what you would like to do with it and there are so many exciting things you can and should get involved with.

Importantly, de-risk your investments. You don’t want to spend your retirement worried about what is happening with your money, and at the same time, you don’t want to be putting your life savings on some high-risk investment.

Retirement is a time to enjoy. So, you need to keep an eye on the income coming in and then you need to find a way however you do it, to spend less than the income you receive. If you do this, there will always be excess funds to cover those rainy-day events in life.

You also need to set goals. They don’t have to be big, but they do need to be achievable. Ideally you should be looking ahead to next year and mapping out the various things you would like to do during the year. Don’t let time slip by.

Perhaps it’s just finding a new hiking location each weekend or to start writing that book you’ve always thought about. Perhaps it’s simply reading those books you’ve always wanted to read. Goals don’t have to be impressive, in fact the only person they need to impress is yourself.

Finally stay positive. As I wrote at the beginning, Spring is a wonderful time of the year for getting a new sense of wellbeing and so you should make the most of it, particularly if you have been dragging your feet through winter.

If you think your state of mind is a significant problem, then have a chat with a caring general practitioner and they might be able to suggest a good way, with some additional support in your life, to find a better state of mind.

Don’t settle for ordinary. Make your retirement the most challenging and interesting time of your entire life. It’s completely up to you, what you do and what you achieve. Just don’t waste what is a great opportunity.