Illinois Hypnotist

People regard retirement in different ways. Those who have saved or invested enough to be able to enjoy their retirement in style usually look forward to giving up the daily grind, whereas those who have not saved are normally not looking forward to it. However, there is another group of individuals who span both of these classes who do not want to retire either.

It is not because they do not have enough money, it is because they are frightened that they will not have enough to do. This is a real pity, but it is normally evidence of an over-concentration on one’s career and not enough other interests outside work.

Here are a couple of tips to help you prepare yourself to make the most of your retirement.

Do not regard retirement as the end of your useful life. Yes, it probably was for your father or grandfather, but it does not have to be for you because individuals live longer nowadays. Your grandfather almost certainly only had six or seven years after retirement, but you could have twenty or more. If you still want to work, you can, either for someone else or for yourself.

Broaden your circle of friends and interests or hobbies. Five to ten years before you retire, start an interest that has absolutely nothing to do with your career – archery, ballooning, deep sea fishing, marathon running, bridge or embroidery, anything, but be prepared to fill the gap that losing the nine to five will make.

Many retirees become far less active than they were when working. This not healthy, so plan to take up a replacement activity like gardening, rambling, swimming, sailing or golfing. In fact, anything to stop those pounds from piling on just at the time of your life when they can do the most damage. If you do not like the idea of taking up an active hobby, adjust your diet and walk for thirty minutes every morning and each evening.

If you do not want to start a new job or a new business, consider donating some of your free time to a decent cause. You could visit the elderly or the lonely in hospital. You could visit lonely individuals in the community or you could teach computers or gardening to those who would like to learn. Join the Women’s Institute, Victim Support, visit prisoners or help out at one of the local institutions.

Learn something new. Have you always wanted to be able to play the guitar, speak Spanish or use the Net? Well, now is your opportunity. There are usually day and night classes in these and other topics.

Travel more. All right, you might not have a lot of money, but you do have a bus pass (in many countries, anyway). You could set up a fortnight’s holiday using your bus pass for daily travel from guest house to guest house. You could write a book or simply read all those books that you have not had time to read over the last fifty years.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on many topics but is now concerned with Ways To Enjoy Retirement. If you would like to read more, please go over to our web site entitled Retirement.

There was a colossal increase in the birth rate after the Second World War. These babies were dubbed the Baby Boomers and they are the babies born between around 1946 and 1960. This means that the first Baby Boomers became pensioners in 2011 at the age of 65.

It ought to be noticed that when the first Baby Boomers came of age, they created the changes in civil and human rights and discrimination associated with 1968. They also fashioned the Hippy Movement, Flower Power and the Sexual Revolution. So what will ensue when they get to be pensioners?

The Baby Boomer generation is the richest generation ever, but they have never felt the drop in earnings, status, health and mobility linked with older age, so it is likely that there will be some type of pensioners’ pressure group.

About 22% of the American population are Boomers, which means that there will be tens of millions of people retiring over the next ten years. This has a number of vital consequences. The first one is for health care; the mass retirement could or almost certainly will put the health care system under enormous strain.

The second one is employment. Because the Boomers’ generation is the largest section of society, when they retire, there will be a shortage of labour. After all, if the Boomer generation is the biggest section of society, then by definition the following generation has to be smaller.

These statistics are roughly the same for all Western countries and it probably accounts for why there is a rush in Western countries to allow immigration. Firstly, immigrants will take up the slack in the workplace and second, their taxes will help pay for all the old Boomers.

So, with any luck, neither the state finances nor the Boomers’ health will suffer, but what other effects may this mass retirement have? Well, there could well be a huge increase in demand for retirement homes both in one’s native country and abroad. Baby boomers are prolific travellers and many may want to retire to warmer countries or warmer parts of their country.

The southern states, provinces or counties of Western countries in the northern hemisphere and warmer countries in general, like Thailand, Spain and Italy could see a growth in retirement housing. The construction industry might get a much needed shot in the arm.

Most Western governments and many private construction firms already have plans and even active projects to satisfy this need for retirement housing when it begins to kick in. If the Boomers make a mass migration out of the cities into the countryside or to the seaside, it could free up millions of inner city dwellings and at the same time create lots of construction work outside the cities. But not just that, millions of extra jobs will be created in support and service staff positions.

The aging of the Baby boomers could be just the boost that most deteriorating Western economies need to get back on their feet after the banking crisis of 2008-2010. Let’s hope so.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on many topics but is now concerned with Baby Boomer Retirement. If you would like to read more, please go over to our web site entitled Retirement.