Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Make Your Retirement Bucket List

Whether you believe you have another three years or thirty years left in your life, it is always important to have something to look forward to.  Everyone should have goals, hopes, and dreams.  One way to put them all together is by creating your own personal bucket list.  You may want to have a short one for the coming year and a larger one consisting of things you would like to accomplish during the remaining years of your life. If you are looking forward to retiring in the next few years, you will be even more excited about the future if you create a bucket list full of the things you would like to do after retirement.  In this way, you will immediately have a plan for how you want to keep busy after you stop working.

Your bucket list should contain a list of places where you would like to travel, people you would like to see, performances you think you would enjoy, new experiences or hobbies you want to try, financial changes you need to make in order to accomplish the above things, and anything else which is important to you.  Below is a list of suggestions to get you started, but feel free to let your mind run wild.  Whether or not you achieve everything on your bucket list is not important.  In fact, you may even want to update your bucket list from time to time.  You just need to make sure you have a reason to get out of the house and stay engaged in life right up to the very end.  Whether you are still in your working years or newly retired, having goals and working to achieve them is a proven way to stay physically healthy and mentally active.

Ideas for Your Bucket List

1.  Have you visited all the tourist traps in your area, or did you postpone going to see them because they are so close?  Make a list of all those sites you have been meaning to see, but never thought you would have the time.  People travel hundreds of miles to visit some of these places.  Maybe it is time you should check them out, too.

2.  Make a list of two or three distant places you have always wanted to visit.  Do you have a yearning to go to Europe, Indonesia, or South America?  Do some research.  Make a list of specific cities or locations you would like to visit.  Find out how much it would cost in air fare.  How much are hotels or other accommodations in the area?  How would you get around once you are there?  Are there tours which would save you time, trouble and money? Order a travel guidebook and read all about the locations on your list.  Start a savings account so you can make your dream a reality.

3.  Why not travel around the U.S.?  You could go on a road trip in your car, rent an RV, get a bus pass, or travel by train around the country.  Who knows what adventures you might have as you travel throughout our nation?  You may even want to venture into Canada or Mexico when you near our borders.  Better bring along your passport, just in case!

3.  What types of cultural and entertainment events do you enjoy?  Make a list of museums, plays, sporting events, musicals and concerts you have always wanted to enjoy.  Then, try to find a way to do at least one thing on this list every year.

4.  Do you have relatives or old friends you rarely see?  Get in touch with them.  Plan a reunion.  Perhaps they will want to join you in completing some of the other items on your bucket list.  In fact, you may want to combine visiting some of your relatives while on a road trip around the US. You could also add in a side trip to attend a special event which is high on your bucket list. 

5.  You are never too old to learn something new.  Have you always wanted to learn a new language, play an instrument, become an artist, improve your cooking, or learn some other new skill?  Sign up for classes.  Depending on what you want to do, you may be able to find fun classes at your local community college or senior center.  Classes are a great way to make new friends, too.

6.  Are you an empty nester, divorced or newly retired?  You may be lonelier than you realize. Have you considered getting a pet?  Visit the local animal shelter and check out the cats and dogs they have available.  If you don't want a puppy, they often have house-broken older dogs which are looking for a home.  Don't be afraid to get something a little more exotic, too, such as a bearded dragon, bird, guinea pig, rabbit or miniature goat.  This is your opportunity to get the type of pet you always wanted, but never thought you would have the time to take care of.

7.  Unsure how you will be able to afford to do the things on your bucket list?  Talk to a financial planner so you are confident you are in strong financial shape going into retirement.  Having a financial plan which includes money set aside for travel or hobbies will give you the confidence to enjoy your retirement.

8.  Do you have some other "crazy" ideas which have been bouncing around in the back of your mind.  Sky-diving? Trekking the Himalayas? Scuba diving in Indonesia? Living and traveling in an RV? Learning to fly a plane? Sailing around the Caribbean or the San Juan Islands in Washington State?  Put them down in writing and create a plan to make them come true.  Life is an adventure.  Enjoy it.  These ideas may not be as crazy as you think!

If you are interested in learning more about aging, financial planning, ideas for where to retire, common medical issues, Social Security, Medicare and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional helpful articles.

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