Planning for Retirement Is About More Than Money

If you’re planning for retirement right now, you’re probably pretty focused on the dollars and cents of it. After all, money is a massive part of what you need to consider when retiring. Sadly, it’s easy to lose sight of some of the more essential aspects, namely what you intend to do once you’re retired, and how you’re going to process this significant life change.

Here are some things you might want to keep in mind:

Give Time for Processing
This is a huge life change for you. Remember, even good changes require an adjustment period. Before you knock yourself out, running in all directions, you might want to schedule in some downtime to get used to the new status quo.

You Need a Plan
Once you’re settled in, where do you go from there? Without a clear idea of what retirement is going to look like for you, it’s relatively impossible to plan at all. Worse, for those looking at the money aspect, you might not even have enough saved for everything you want to do. Here’s where you need to get a handle on what you want your daily life to look like in retirement. Do you want to travel? Are you moving? These are important to figure out too.

Find a Purpose
The days of your retirement can very quickly become long and tedious once you acclimate to the new schedule. To avoid anxiety and depression about the coming days, you need to find a purpose for your life. What would you still like to contribute to the world? How can you carry this out? Don’t be afraid to dream big.

Create Goals
Once you have a purpose, set out some goals to push you in the right direction. Maybe you’d like to mentor. A goal would be to maybe volunteer at an organization that needs mentors.

Try Something New
Now is the perfect time to experiment with your life. If there’s something you’ve always wanted to try, your retirement allows you the time to do this. Take a class, go on a trip, try that new food you’ve always wanted to try. Trying new things also has the added benefit of giving you something to look forward to during the day.

Journal Your Journey
This is a new life experience for you. Journaling gives you a record you can revisit later, and also something you can pass along to your children and grandchildren as a record of your life.

Find a Team
Who’s on your side through this life change? Here’s where you want to rally friends, mentors, and professional people, including accountants, financial advisors, lawyers, and doctors, to help smooth the way.