Joining your local senior center is a great way combat loneliness in retirement and meet people in your neighborhood, especially if you're a single or widowed female – approximately 70% of attendees are women. Find the center that's closest to you.
Many retirees experience emotional challenges after transitioning out of the workforce, such as social isolation and lack of purpose or fulfillment. The grief of losing loved ones and the stress of caring for a spouse or grandkids can create additional challenges.
Retirees are often advised to stay busy and do something meaningful. For the most part this is good advice. No one wants to feel bored and useless in retirement. But sometimes it's nice to just relax and do absolutely nothing.
Happy retirees often spend much of their careers actively laying the financial groundwork for their retirements. Careful deliberation about investment strategies, diligent and regular savings and other planning helped position them for a relaxing and financially independent life.
You may worry about managing financially on a fixed income, coping with declining health, or adapting to a different relationship with your spouse now that you're at home all day. The loss of identity, routine, and goals can impact your sense of self-worth, leave you feeling rudderless, or even lead to depression.
According to research from the National Institute on Aging in Washington, D.C., retirement after decades of being in the workforce can also be accompanied by anxiety, a low-level depression and even a sense of boredom, all of which can be expressed as fatigue.
The “4% rule” is a common approach to resolving that. The rule works just like it sounds: Limit annual withdrawals from your retirement accounts to 4% of the total balance in any given year. This means that if you retire with $1 million saved, you'd take out $40,000 the first year.
Therefore, as you consider ways you can support your clients as they prepare for retirement, determine to be proactive in nurturing their resiliency, resourcefulness, and renaissance spirit—three qualities that will help them to make the very most of every age and stage of life.
Follow the 3% Rule for an Average Retirement
If you are fairly confident you won't run out of money, begin by withdrawing 3% of your portfolio annually. Adjust based on inflation but keep an eye on the market, as well.
They use their newfound free time in a variety of ways, including taking up new hobbies, relaxing at home, watching TV and lingering over daily activities. Many retirees also continue to work or volunteer. Here's how American retirees are spending their days.
67-70 – During this age range, your Social Security benefit, if you haven't already taken it, will increase by 8% for each year you delay taking it until you turn 70. So, if your benefit will be, say, $2,500/month if you start at your full retirement age, it would be more than $3,300/month if you can wait.
It's estimated that almost one-third of retirees in the United States develop symptoms of depression at this stage of life. Managing depression is possible, though, and self-care and support can make a difference.
However, You Have Got to Be Ready if You Want the Happy Life After Retirement. Another study, this one from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, finds that while most seniors are indeed happy, a higher percentage are feeling more dissatisfied than before.
Volunteer in your community or at your favorite charity organization. Visit a senior citizen center and participate in social groups and other scheduled activities. Join a group focused on a topic or activity you enjoy, such as card games or a book club. Take a class.
Few things are more important to a happy retirement than creating daily routines — and ultimately sticking with them, says Nancy Schlossberg, professor emerita from the department of counseling and personnel services at the College of Education at the University of Maryland, and author of several books on retirement, ...
There's no pressure, no stress and no problems.
It's the freedom that many retirees appreciate so much. You'll enjoy freedom from the pressure to get ahead at work, get your kid into college and keep up with the neighbors. Next:You get to do what you want, not what others want you to do.