10 things to do once you are retired

21.11.2023
Stephen Cameron
Financial Planning
Stephen Cameron for Lovewell Blake Financial Planning

Yesterday, you were busy working and today you are retired, what’s next?

Stephen Cameron for Lovewell Blake Financial Planning

It may be that the transition from full time work to full time retirement is too big a change to complete in a single step. Some people consider changing from full time work to part time work to ease themselves into retirement, others can’t wait to stop working. But, to help fill those retirement days, here is a list of the 10 most popular things that retirees do.

1. Travel, one activity that a lot of retirees engaged in is travel, especially as they now have the time available. Not being constrained by the demands of work, you may find that you could take advantage of low cost deals by travelling out of peak periods of the year and avoiding peak days of the week.

2. Go back to education, keeping the mind fit is as important as keeping the body fit and learning a new skill or language or even taking a degree course are all possible. As they say, study is its own reward.

3. Get a part time job, start a business, a number of retirees say that they miss the social interaction of the workplace and feel isolated, so why not find a part-time job in an area of interest, or even take on the challenge of starting a new business.

4. Write a book, not an easy task, as one author said writing a book was a bit like carving a statue out of a block of stone, but who knows you could be the next J K Rowling?

5. Gardening, there is something very satisfying about gardening, a bit like painting with plants and flowers, it also gets you out in the fresh air and is a good form of exercise with all of the bending up and down.

Planning for your retirement well in advance is crucial to ensure a smooth transaction.

6. Start a new hobby, what probably constrained you in the past was a shortage of time and life tended to get in the way. There are a vast range of activities, a colleague of mine said he was going to take up brick laying after years of being an accountant.

7. Volunteer, why not support your favourite charity or local good cause by doing some work for them, also a good way to meet new people, make friends and widen your social circle.

8. Join a club, apparently, we British have more clubs and societies than any other nation, therefore there must be plenty to choose from, also another way to meet new people and make new friends.

9. Join a gym, not a mad as you may think as a number of gym’s run special sessions just for retirees and a good coach can put together a regime for you that matches your physical abilities to help keep you fit.

10. Teach/become a mentor, over your working life you will have acquired a vast depth of knowledge and skills, why not share this with the next generation?

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