First let me say that retirement can be a wonderful time of your life if you make a decision to make it so. Having the right attitude to this part of life's rich pattern is critical to making it work. My experience - Suffice it to say that retirement was suddenly thrust upon me. On becoming a retiree I was frankly unprepared for the massive changes that retirement brings and found myself floundering. Of course the first thing I thought about was that all this extra time I had available. This was going to be great, I could hone my golf game, could read more, could spend more time with my spouse, etc., etc. But it quickly dawned on me that I had no specific goal to achieve. In my working life I was always engaged in planning for outcomes but now suddenly seemed to be adrift.
Up until retirement, mine had been very much an ordered work existence. I realize now that I had been, to some degree, a workaholic. I don't think that I was "in extremis" but still did spend a lot of time working. I always had goals to achieve and plans to get the job done. I now realize that this was to the detriment of other areas of my life such as family, recreation, etc.
Even though in retirement I thought I knew what to do with all this time, I was missing some key ingredients. I did not have: a) A specific goal in mind b) A detailed plan to get there c) All of the information I needed
I was in a fortunate financial position of not being in immediate financial need but it became clear that there were other needs to be met.
After an initial period of struggle in defining our new relationship, my wife and I sat down did the research on the internet for information we believed we needed, and mapped out goals for each of us and plans as to how reach them. This has helped tremendously and we are still on track. We were fortunate (or should I say unfortunate) in that we had no aging parents care situations to deal with. Information needs - One need which I listed above was that of information. The internet has a plethora of tremendous resources which, if you take the time to do the research, can provide everything anyone will ever need to plan their retirement.
For many folks the financial side of retirement is one of the hardest to deal with and the needs are many and various but so are the resources.
Government resources - First as I see it, for most folks the needs are principally information on Federal, State and Local government resources. I have it on great authority that most folk contemplating retirement are not aware of what services and entitlements are available to them. It is amazing how many Federal, State and Local government resources programs and entitlements there are for retirees. I should point out that quite often folks are reluctant to apply for assistance feeling somehow that there is a stigma in doing so. To that I would say that you have paid taxes for most of your life to provide these services to those who need them, now it is your turn or that of your parents!
Health & Wellness - Then as time goes on you will find a need for information on health and wellness. Again internet is a fantastic resource and there are many specialized sites for all sorts of health and wellness issues.
Relationships - Another area that you will find a need for is information on dealing with relationship changes that you will encounter, not only within your family but outside. Just do a Google search and generally you will encounter many useful websites and articles.
Volunteering - Finally when you are all sorted out and if you have the inclination and the time, there are sites for information on volunteering to give you the opportunity to give back.
The purpose of this article was to relate not only a little of my own experience and the needs that I encountered, but also to indicate that the internet provides unprecedented information resources to assist anyone who is seeking advice to transition into the right attitude to retirement which can enable you to make this a truly happy time of your life.
Up until retirement, mine had been very much an ordered work existence. I realize now that I had been, to some degree, a workaholic. I don't think that I was "in extremis" but still did spend a lot of time working. I always had goals to achieve and plans to get the job done. I now realize that this was to the detriment of other areas of my life such as family, recreation, etc.
Even though in retirement I thought I knew what to do with all this time, I was missing some key ingredients. I did not have: a) A specific goal in mind b) A detailed plan to get there c) All of the information I needed
I was in a fortunate financial position of not being in immediate financial need but it became clear that there were other needs to be met.
After an initial period of struggle in defining our new relationship, my wife and I sat down did the research on the internet for information we believed we needed, and mapped out goals for each of us and plans as to how reach them. This has helped tremendously and we are still on track. We were fortunate (or should I say unfortunate) in that we had no aging parents care situations to deal with. Information needs - One need which I listed above was that of information. The internet has a plethora of tremendous resources which, if you take the time to do the research, can provide everything anyone will ever need to plan their retirement.
For many folks the financial side of retirement is one of the hardest to deal with and the needs are many and various but so are the resources.
Government resources - First as I see it, for most folks the needs are principally information on Federal, State and Local government resources. I have it on great authority that most folk contemplating retirement are not aware of what services and entitlements are available to them. It is amazing how many Federal, State and Local government resources programs and entitlements there are for retirees. I should point out that quite often folks are reluctant to apply for assistance feeling somehow that there is a stigma in doing so. To that I would say that you have paid taxes for most of your life to provide these services to those who need them, now it is your turn or that of your parents!
Health & Wellness - Then as time goes on you will find a need for information on health and wellness. Again internet is a fantastic resource and there are many specialized sites for all sorts of health and wellness issues.
Relationships - Another area that you will find a need for is information on dealing with relationship changes that you will encounter, not only within your family but outside. Just do a Google search and generally you will encounter many useful websites and articles.
Volunteering - Finally when you are all sorted out and if you have the inclination and the time, there are sites for information on volunteering to give you the opportunity to give back.
The purpose of this article was to relate not only a little of my own experience and the needs that I encountered, but also to indicate that the internet provides unprecedented information resources to assist anyone who is seeking advice to transition into the right attitude to retirement which can enable you to make this a truly happy time of your life.
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