“Retirement is a blank sheet of paper. It is a chance to redesign your life
into something new and different.”—Patrick Foley
***
“I am closing my 52 years of military service,” said General Douglas MacArthur in a speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. “When I joined the army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all my boyish hopes and dreams.
“The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most barracks ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that old soldiers never die; they just fade away,” he went on. “And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye.”
If you are now in your late forties or early fifties, now is the time to plan for your retirement. Don’t wait for the day to come because it may be too late. Most of those who retire are lost since they don’t know what to do.
I have a friend, who is older than me though, who said that when he retired he got sick. In the beginning, he liked it. But as days passed, he had problems because he didn’t know what to do. He was used to waking up early in the morning, taking a bath, eating breakfast and going to his job.
The routine is gone now. He had nothing to do the whole day but sleep, eat, and watch television. He was bored. Before he knew it, he thought he was sick. He went to see a doctor only to be told that there was nothing wrong with him.
It’s good that for me, when I retired, it was still “business as usual.” I worked for a non-government organization and moonlighted as a journalist. So, when I retired from my daily work, I was still working as I could still write for various publications. I was still in my usual routine – although I don’t have to wake up early now.
Retirement means being free from all the hassles and stress of your job. But the question is: What will you do after retirement? Perhaps you can stay and play with your grandchildren. Or you can visit those places you really wanted to see. Or just stay near the beach and watch the time to go by.
“Retirement has been a discovery of beauty for me,” said Hartman Jule. “I never had the time before to notice the beauty of my grandkids, my wife, the tree outside my very own front door. And the beauty of time itself.”
Life, someone once declared, begins at retirement. Another thought of it as the “world’s longest coffee break.” But American author Ernest Hemingway considered retirement as “the ugliest word in the language.” He did not elaborate on why but I think Malcolm Forbes provided the answer: “Retirement kills more people than hard work ever did.”
Studies show that many retirees die early because of the following: not mentally prepared to retire, lack of finances, lapse into depression, and develop hypertension and/or diabetes because of worries, anxiety, uncertainty and financial pressures.
Start planning your retirement now. Here’s a suggestion from someone (don’t know who the author is) which I have read from social media. It’s worth the read:
1. One day you will retire. You won’t be going to work. You won’t have office power any more. No influence or at best, a reduced influence. Your cash flow will also be reduced! Check the retirement date on your pay slip.
2. Always go for your two-week annual leave. Whatever you do during your leave is what you will be doing when you retire. If all you do is to sleep or watch television, then that’s what you are likely to do in your retirement. A little sleep and a little slumber, the Bible states, so shall your poverty multiply.
Binge watching will not save you heartache in retirement. Learn a trade or a skill during your leave. It will come in handy. Spend your after-office hours learning something. Don’t spend it sleeping, gossiping, or watching TV! Same goes for your weekend. Make them productive. You will thank yourself for spending your time productively.
3. Invest for your retirement. Your children are not a retirement investment. Don’t bank on your children’s support or the support of friends or relations. That’s a BIG risk. It may not happen. Be ready to take care of yourself!! Everyone has his own responsibilities. They won’t be able to help you that much. You will also lose your dignity and respect if you adopt a life of begging.
4. Start a hobby early in your working days to take you along when you retire. Rearing chicken, farming, or owning a shop. Acquire marketable skills (not useless paper certificates), among others.
5. Where shall you retire? Build yourself a home. Don’t retire and start to rent a house or refuse to vacate the government house. You will be at the mercy of your landlord at a time when your cash flow is not only reduced but unpredictable!
6. Don’t retire and stay in a big city unless you can truly afford it. You can’t continue living in a big city after 60 with limited financial resources. The language and the hustle will be hard for you. Where possible, relocate to a less expensive town where your reduced take home (pension) can go further.
7. Have property which can be rented or converted into cash. Have shares that pay good dividends. Plant cash trees. Rear goats, cultivate vegetables etc. these activities will not only give you income but will also keep you healthy.
8. Live a simple life. If you have never built a house in your rural home, don’t use your retirement package to build. It is unwise unless you plan to live there on a permanent basis or you are super rich and therefore can afford the luxury. The choice is yours.
