Five Ways to a Booming Retirement

A previous post, The Five W's of Retirement Planning, addressed the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “why” of retirement planning. While choosing when and how to retire is a personal decision, this post offers some approaches to answer the “what” to do when it comes to defining your retirement question.

 

If you’re retired, or are considering it, tailoring your post-professional plans is probably your primary focus.

Some other retirement websites suggest golfing, knitting or clipping coupons; but there are other ways to utilize your newfound freedom from the 9-5 to redefine retirement. In case you are in need of some inspiration, here are 5 ways to retire the cliché of retirement:           

1)      Become Techie – Retirees 65 and older are the fastest growing demographic of social network users, so if you’re not yet part of the technological revolution, now’s the time to get on board. With the perpetual introduction of new phones, computers and websites, consider taking a computer class at your local community college or find a design school online and learn to create a blog, check email, design a website or follow grandkids on Facebook and Twitter.

2)      Become a Foodie – Always loved food, but never had the time to cook? Learn to make delicious meals that will impress your spouse, family or friends at one of the best culinary schools in Dallas, New York City or close to home. There are full-time culinary schools that offer bachelors, masters or individual classes. There are also schools that focus solely on baking and pastries.

3)      Fly Solo – Of course, you don’t have to actually fly alone, but learning to fly (a plane) is not for the faint of heart. Take private flight lessons for a few hours in your area, or find a certification course; if you really do want to fly solo, a certification takes at least 60 hours in the cockpit, depending on the state.

4)      Get Schooled – Hablas Español? Parlez-vous français? Like the saying goes, it’s never too late to learn! Language learning software programs, like Rosetta Stone or Fluenz, allow you to practice fluency at your computer on your own schedule. Additionally, they offer a variety of different languages, so you could be speaking Mandarin in no time!

5)      Road Trip! – Yes, edifying one’s self later in life is certainly important. But, if you’ve had enough of academia, and you’re itching to boohit the open road, then purchase or rent an RV or Motorhome and tell the grandkids you’re coming to visit. Consider driving down the Pacific coast of California on Highway 1, the Atlantic coast between New York and Florida or across the country on US-50. Note that some RVs also convert into Campers, if your road trip leads you into the wilderness.