It seems like it should be easy to adjust to retirement, after all what’s so hard about not working? For the most part it is pretty easy to acclimate. My tips for navigating that first year are in my recent U.S. News post, 5 Tips for the First Year of Retirement.
For help handling the issue of guilt in retirement, read Doug’s post at Military Retirement & Financial Independence, Dealing with “retiree guilt.”
And for a really inspirational read about how volunteering can help you find the new you in retirement, read Bob’s post, Pushing Back Against the Box.
Over at Graceful Retirement there’s an interesting discussion about whether consumers’ “new frugality” spurred by the recession will stick. I think we consumers have a short memory, a sentiment echoed by one commenter on Grace’s post Frugality: Temporary, Tenuous, and Not Really our Style, with the idea that we have reached “frugality fatigue.”
On the subject of understanding your investments, read Charlie Farrell’s article, TIPS Aren’t Much Help for Retired Investors. I have some Treasury Inflation Protected Bonds in my retirement portfolio and I must admit, they don’t work at all the way I thought they did. Shame on me.
And finally, to combat memory loss in retirement, new research shows that getting out for a brisk walk, at least three times a week for 40 minutes a pop, will help. A regimen that I admit is much easier to follow for those of us in the San Francisco Bay Area experiencing unseasonably warm weather. A lot harder to manage if you're buried under several feet of snow right now!
retirement dose not take away all your problems, only 50%. i think once your out you need to get board really,really, really board, in order to find what you want to put your hand too. your life becomes a process of fine tuning. like a buffet you go up try different things, you go back, and take what you like most, then you go back and get your favorites. as far as guilt well i have none,it's counter productive. frugality comes to me by osmosis i practice what Mies van der rohe taught. and it works. as far as memory loss well i forget what i was going to say? you'll have to forgive me i walked 6 miles on the beach today. 45 degrees quite balmy for jersey this time of year.
Posted by: fred doe | February 07, 2011 at 06:07 PM
@Fred: Retirement as a buffet, great metaphor. I may have to steal it . . .
Posted by: Retired Syd | February 07, 2011 at 06:21 PM
Thanks for the link, Syd!
I think a military veteran's "commitment to service" makes them especially vulnerable to retiree guilt. Besides, after you've spent an entire career taking care of your people, in retirement it's sometimes hard to set limits.
The good news is that once we understand the symptoms, it's easier to adjust...
Posted by: Nords | February 07, 2011 at 11:12 PM
Thanks so much for the link, Syd. The post about prison ministry generated a lot of interest. I'll have a followup article available on Monday.
I like Fred's buffet reference, too. That really is what retirement can be like. Just don't get stuck in the dessert or salad or bread section. A satisfying retirement requires a main course.
Posted by: Satisfyingretirement | February 11, 2011 at 08:54 AM
@Bob: Great observation--it is a buffet and you need something substantial to anchor the meal around. Very clever both of you!
Posted by: Retired Syd | February 11, 2011 at 08:59 AM
Spending vacations at the beach might be a good choice for your first year of retirement. There are lots of comfortable condos at the beach, and nowadays, beaches have a lot of activities. For sure, you'll enjoy staying here, and you'll feel young again!
Posted by: condo rentals in Gulf Shores | February 13, 2011 at 06:22 PM
It depends on how you live your life and how you worked. Retirement is just a word and is defined as not working, leaving your job and having lots of time in your hands. It may be boring at first, but if you think about it, you have lots of time to spend it with your family and friends. To enjoy life and not care if your boss will be angry. It is a time where you begin to nurture yourself into someone wonderful.
Posted by: retirement | February 20, 2011 at 07:26 PM
I wonder how great to be in your retirement years! Besides having beneficial plans, you also enjoy doing things naturally without thinking consciously about deadlines, projects and other tasks. It's also great to still have an average exercise daily to stay healthy, once you've already retired. Most importantly, just live your life to the fullest!
Posted by: Neil Fiorenza | May 01, 2011 at 09:07 PM
Finding the best place to retire is the first priority, assuming you have the retirement money that you worked so hard for. A beach house or condominium is probably the best place to spend retirement. Time to enjoy yourself with the wonderful sea and sand.
Posted by: Darius Cartmell | May 19, 2011 at 08:44 AM
Not everybody retires by choice. Sometimes people are forced to do so due to illness or physical problems that prevent them from continuing in their careers, or financial considerations such as layoffs.
Posted by: homeowner associations | January 05, 2012 at 10:15 PM
At this stage of the game, to get me out of retirement, and away from 'enough', the bottom line would be all that would matter. The money would have to be big enough to garner my precious time.
Posted by: association management companies | January 10, 2012 at 06:06 AM
I think a military veteran's "commitment to service" makes them especially vulnerable to retiree guilt. Besides, after you've spent an entire career taking care of your people, in retirement it's sometimes hard to set limits.
Posted by: carpet cleaning coogee | January 16, 2012 at 09:07 PM
My blog, "7/24, 365 - How to Survive Retirement" was published in 2008...I have taken a sabbatical for a year, but the title is obviously 'borrowed' for lack of a better word." Suggest you check on intellectual property laws.
Posted by: Cathie Sarnecky | January 30, 2012 at 07:56 PM
@Cathie: I will certainly have to go check your blog when I have a moment!
Posted by: Retired Syd | January 30, 2012 at 08:33 PM