Retirement is the time to reinvent yourself. After years of managing the everyday hectic nature of working full time, retirement offers a refreshing change in lifestyle. Suddenly, your reality is that your days are now days and not work days. With this comes a challenge as well as a new opportunity to grow. All your life you had money and not time; for once you are going to have both to pursue your true passions.
Here are 7 unconventional ways to spend time in your retirement:
1. Get Moving
Moving your body is a beneficial activity both mentally and physically. Keeping fit and staying healthy doesn’t have to be limited to walking or jogging in your neighborhood. There is a plethora of gyms, sports teams, country clubs, and other places where you can engage socially while getting your exercise in. Some unconventional exercise methods in retirement include; croquet at your local country club, swimming classes with friends at your gym, walking the golf course on a sunny day, joining a competitive tennis league, hot yoga in a relaxing studio, and many other options.
2. Spend Time Future-Proofing Your Home
Home renovations don’t just have to be for an updated look. Many seniors can make a financially-savvy decision by future-proofing their home for their later years. Future-proofing your home isn’t simply installing a new roof or solar panel –it’s making changes now so you can safely live in your beloved home as you get older. Examples are grab bars in the bathroom or widening doorways. Taking the initiative early on in retirement can help you avoid the financial burden of moving into an assisted living community. In fact, the average assisted living unit can cost $43,000 a year! Therefore, it can make sense to invest in your home now, so you can live comfortably later.
3. Pick Up an Instrument
It’s never too late to learn how to play an instrument. Research shows that learning an instrument can boost your memory and elevate your mood! In fact, it presents a challenge that can encompass a large portion of your retirement. Many schools and music programs exist that offer classes specifically tailored to students 50 and over. This is an unconventional activity to incorporate a sense of structure into your day.
Learning to play an instrument in retirement can open up new doors socially as well. You can meet people of a similar age, younger people, and people of different backgrounds. Not only can you meet people in classes, but if your skills reach a high level you can join a jazz quartet, a local chamber group, or even a good old garage, jam band!
4. Learn a New Language
Learning a new language can do more than help you stay mentally sharp. Testing your linguistic abilities in retirement can help challenge your mind and open new doors in your life. If you are looking for additional retirement income to supplement your social security benefit, freelance translator opportunities are often available online. Not only can you use this to market yourself, but learning a new language can completely change your vacation experience. Imagine traveling to Ibiza, Spain and being able to share cultural differences with the locals!
5. Change Up Your Style
Changing up your style can be a fun and interesting way to add some flair to your retirement. Going into your closet shouldn’t be a routine; by adding some new threads to your wardrobe you can reinvigorate how you feel about yourself. The phrases “look good, feel good” and “dress for success” get tossed around often. However, studies show that the way we dress does indeed have an effect on the way we feel. Asking yourself whether what you’re wearing is the style you want to portray can be an unconventional way to spend time in your retirement.
6. Start a Small Business In Your Retirement
Have you ever thought about being your own boss? Think of all the times you dreamed of selling your pottery, becoming a local handyman, or exchanging sports memorabilia online. Starting a small business in retirement offers this and much more. A small business can provide consistent income on top of your savings, as well as much needed structure to your day.
7. Give Back
“Giving back” can have multiple meanings. It can be something as simple as donating to your favorite charity (some of our picks include Autism Speaks, Shriners Hospital, and Special Olympics) or as involved as volunteering in your free time. You can find a volunteer job building houses with Habitat for Humanity, teaching children how to read, walking your neighborhood dogs, or even shopping for your elderly neighbors. Volunteering doesn’t have to be just in your local community. In fact, it can even be a vacation!
Figuring out how to afford your preferred lifestyle may occupy a lot of your retirement planning, but it is equally important to prepare yourself for the everyday changes. Ultimately, creating meaningful time in retirement is what promotes happiness and good health. These seven unconventional ways to spend time in your retirement can hopefully provide some guidance on how to enjoy a slow Tuesday afternoon.
If you need help positioning yourself financially in retirement, call Roger at 860-676-1100 to make it happen and jumpstart your new journey today.
Connor Rosenberger
connorctag@gmail.com
As Cowen Tax Advisory Group’s Digital Content Marketing Specialist, Connor provides in-house copywriting and manages the company’s electronic records system, email marketing, and blog.
