Appily retired
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“Most workplace friends are not real friends,” he says - and most disappear after you leave he workplace. It’s important that friendships branch out to your personal interests beyond work - and particularly important that some of these friendships be with younger people, too. The importance of having lots of friends in retirement cannot be overstated. People with lots of good friends tend to not only be happier but live longer, says Zelinski. But don’t limit friendships to workplace friends. He had a new T-shirt made for himself shortly after he retired that says, “Connoisseur of leisure.” Unlike during his working years, he says, his identity “is now based on my creativity and peace of mind.”
APPILY RETIRED HOW TO
It’s critical to find a new, overarching purpose, says Ernie Zelinski, a life coach and author of How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get From Your Financial Advisor. For Zelinski, 72, retirement has become all about writing books that he’s always wanted to write. Create a new identity that has nothing to do with work.įor most of our lives, our work is our identity, and once we retire, our identity is gone. But that work identity becomes a distorted self-image once you retire.
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The happiness level of most retirees skyrockets when they live near at least one - and preferably two - adult children, says Moss. But the kids should not be dependent on you. The adult children of the happiest retirees "are out in the world living their own lives rather than suckling off the financial teats of their parents,” Moss says in his book. In fact, he says, in many cases, the more parents spend on supporting their adult children the less happy they often are in retirement. Keep close to your kids - but not too close. “You may struggle to find your path and to develop a new set of routines. “Retirement is a major transition that changes your roles, your routines, your relationships and your assumptions about yourself and the world,” she says. Most retirees may have to experiment quite a bit and accept the fact that it can take a while to figure out which routines work and which don’t, she says. Establish satisfying daily routines.įew things are more important to a happy retirement than creating daily routines - and ultimately sticking with them, says Nancy Schlossberg, professor emerita from the department of counseling and personnel services at the College of Education at the University of Maryland, and author of several books on retirement, including Retire Smart, Retire Happy: Finding Your True Path in Life. Figuring out the right routines that bring you pleasure can take time.
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The one thing that matters is that you feel passionate about these interests, he says. It might even be painting theatrical sets for the community playhouse. Keep in mind, it doesn’t really matter what your interests are. It might be hiking or biking. It might be photography or volunteering. “Curiosity may have killed the cat, but a lack of curiosity kills the happy retiree,” he says. The happiest retirees know very well how to travel, play and explore, and they wholeheartedly engage in three or more hobbies on a regular basis, says Moss. Sitting on the couch watching reruns of Fantasy Island will not likely result in a fantasy retirement. It’s also a good idea to have your mortgage paid off or almost paid off, and Moss says that those who are within five years of repayment are four times more likely to be happy. It’s also best if the retirement money comes from a mix of sources, such as Social Security, pension, rental income, investment income and perhaps part-time work. The key is starting to save as early as possible, with a goal of having at least $500,000 saved at the time of retirement, says Wes Moss, chief investment strategist at Capital Investment Advisors in Atlanta, Georgia, and author of What the Happiest Retirees Know: 10 Habits for a Healthy, Secure and Joyful Life. Of course, not everyone can save that much, but it’s a good goal, he says. It’s much easier to spend money than to save it, but the gratification you’ll enjoy in retirement by having enough of it is a strong argument to save plenty through your working years. Even then, there are 10 habits that can certainly help to make retirement more gratifying. AARP reached out to three experts who all have written important books on retirement. Here are their 10 top tips for a truly happy retirement. Just about everyone who is still slaving away at the office shares the very same goal as those of us who have long since left the workplace: a happy retirement.Ī happy retirement means many things to many different people.