Finding the Right Retirement Activities for You

When you retire, you have a chance to start focusing on things that make you happy and to make sure your later years are everything you’d hoped they would be. While one common perception of retirement is ultimate relaxation and more free time, how you live after you retire should ultimately depend on your desired lifestyle and your expected costs as you age.

This new free time is a great and freeing thing for many people, but for others, it may not be as helpful. In fact, some struggle with boredom, loneliness or a lack of purpose in old age. To keep your mind sharp and spirits up, you may look for some activities to pursue or new things to do in retirement. You may pursue a life-long hobby or try new ideas. Perhaps spending more time with family or grandchildren is all you want to do. Some retirees start new projects, learn new skills, pick up a new language or volunteer in their free time. Whatever it is you choose to do with your time is completely up to you.

In this article, we’ll discuss some potential things to do in retirement and how to evaluate which ones might be right for you.

Discover What You Want to Achieve

There are countless pursuits you could take on after you retire, and you may choose one or another for very different reasons. It’s important to ask yourself what you want out of retirement before jumping into any individual activities. However, once you know what is most important to your happiness and health as you age, you can plan which activities will help you get there.

Here are some common influencers and some potential retirement activities that may correspond with them:

• Family and Friends: You may wish to spend time with grandchildren or live close to friends or other retirees. Deciding which relationships will contribute most to your happiness is crucial. But the answer may not be simple. You may have to compromise in order to spend time with different groups of people depending on their respective locations. Some potential activities relating to this are babysitting grandchildren, being a part of a retirement community or having regularly scheduled meetings with your family or group of friends.
• Religion or Spirituality: If your religion or spiritual practices bring you joy and fulfillment, you may consider ways to be more involved in those activities or discover new ways to enjoy them. You may look to be a part of a religious committee, sing in a choir or help out any way you can.
• Community Involvement: Whether it’s getting involved in local government, volunteering to help the school system or participating in neighborhood organizations, some retirees enjoy helping their local communities.
• Hobbies or Interests: This section can be very wide-ranging as people tend to have a variety of interests. But doing whatever you’re passionate about can add to your happiness and may even extend your overall lifespan. Your activities could range anywhere from traveling to knitting at home. You may wish you learn a new language or take up woodworking. Sports like golf, biking, running and hiking can be good for your physical and mental health as well.
• Personal Improvement: Some retirees choose to look inward in their retirement activities. Whether it’s writing your memoir, meditating or doing the daily crossword, there are many ways to keep yourself engaged, maintain your mental health and grow as an individual.
• Work or Income: Believe it or not, some people enjoy working—even in retirement. This may not be the choice for everyone, but for those who like to have a task at hand, part-time or even full-time work may be an option. Alternatively, some retirees choose this route for the additional cash flow. Generating retirement income from pensions or investments may not be enough for everyone, and working part-time is one way to reduce your early withdrawals.

There are some important things to consider when choosing which retirement activities to pursue though. While your hobbies may be limited or constrained by other situations, finding ones that will make your retirement more fulfilling is crucial to enjoying life as you age. If certain hobbies fall beyond your financial means or physical abilities, you may be able to find other, more achievable alternatives without making huge sacrifices. Said plainly, it’s never too late to try something new—regardless of age.

Fisher Investments UK May Be Able to Help

From decades of working with people in or nearing retirement, we understand that everyone has different needs and no situation is the same. Whether financial or non-financial matters, you need an approach that’s personalized to you. Contact Fisher Investments UK to speak with one of our representatives see if we might be able to help you enjoy your retirement.