If we haven’t learned by our 60s that life is about living and not about how much money we have, then retirement may not be much fun.
When you think about it, it’s only logical retirement planning should focus on how we are going to spend the next 20 – 30 years. Instead we see that most retirement planning advice is all about your money. It’s as if we we’re still living in the last century.
I’m not saying that financial planning isn’t important. It certainly is, as it gives us the basis to plan and fund our preferred retirement lifestyle. But it’s only one part of a retirement plan.
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably been around for long enough to realise that money doesn’t guarantee happiness. Lasting happiness comes from within us – not from how much stuff we own.
While having enough money is clearly better than having too little, you can’t spend the next 20 plus years focussed on your bank account or share portfolio and expect to be happy.
Most of the people that I’ve spoken to about enjoying retirement talk about the importance of being involved with life, of having good relationships with those close to them, of having a positive attitude and of continuing to challenge themselves. Money comes further down the list.
We have been pioneering the idea of retirement lifestyle planning for the last 10 years and it’s encouraging that 4 major super funds and numerous financial advisers are now using our books to better prepare their clients for this next stage of their lives.
Living for another 20 – 30 years after leaving full time work can be great if you’re using this extra time constructively and having plenty of fun. If no one has ever told you about any of the lifestyle issues I’m writing about, and you haven’t given much thought to what you want to do in your 60s, 70s and 80s, there’s a real danger that these could be boring and unsatisfying years.
We can help. We have produced a range of five books under the “50Plus Books” brand. They cover all the main issues that most people are likely to encounter in their retirement years and give plenty of good advice on how you can have a lot of fun in this great time of your life. You can find out more by clicking on “Books” on the menu bar at the top of the page.
