Having a good retirement means figuring out what happiness means to you and working your time, effort and money around making those things possible. It’s possible with a little planning and goal setting, to make the most of your free time while spending within your budget.
Find your Ikigai
Pronounced Ick-ee-guy, Ikigai is a Japanese concept that refers to your reason to get out of bed every morning. Honing in on what fuels your mind can make all the difference to a more satisfying retirement.
What’s your motto?
Some people work better when they have a plan, a goal, or a budget that helps them make sense of things. Creating a mood board every few years, a chart or a simple note you can post on your fridge can inspire you to power through each day.
Make exercise fun
Unless you love doing it already, exercise can become a huge challenge. Look for ways to add fun activities that help you break a sweat. Find excuses to walk to your favorite spots around town, take a dance class with a friend, or plan mini hikes. As you get the heart rate going while you enjoy the activity, you win every time.
Travel the world
Having a good retirement typically involves figuring out how to make the most of your travel plans. Start off with day trips by car to nearby places you’ve wanted to visit and graduate to journeys around the world. Or you can ease into it with a leisure cruise!
How do you make this dream come true? There are a number of great Retirement Calculators online that can help you plan and prepare for this part of your life well in advance.
Plan time with the family
Research has shown that grandparents who spend time with their grandchildren are much less likely to be depressed. This bonding time is great for their overall health and has a direct role to play when it comes to emotional and mental support for grandparents.
Finally, planning ahead to pay post-retirement taxes can add more to your happiness and wealth than your saving and investment returns. Ensure this goes to the top of your list early on.