Retirement should be one of the happiest times in your life. There is a reason they call them your golden years; you get to spend time with the people you want doing the things you want to do. You have saved hard for 40 years and how you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor and the interest earned from your financial discipline. Almost 50% of Americans report being happier in their retirement than in adulthood, so how can you make sure that you are among the most satisfied 50%? We have five secrets to living a happy retirement.
5 Secrets to Living a Happy Retirement
- Create Financial Stability
- Work Part-Time
- Stay Busy With Hobbies
- Move into Senior Living
- Retire With Someone You Love
1. Create Financial Stability
We meet a lot of residents at out Senior Living in Oceanside CA facility and the most critical factor in determining happiness in retirement is making a financial plan for your best years. While money can make you happier, it doesn’t buy happiness after a certain point. After half a million dollars of wealth is amassed, most retirees begin to have similar levels of satisfaction.
Where they differ in happiness, and the feeling of financial stability is where their money comes from. People with steady sources of income like a rental property or a pension feel better off than those who spend directly out of their savings. This is likely due to psychology. Retirees have been saving their whole adult lives, so it feels out of character to spend it.
The most crucial part about retiring is getting your ‘ducks in a row’ before age 65. Try and plan for stable and recurring sources of income like a small rental property. You can create a steady income from multiple sources to reduce the anxiety of living off of your savings.
2. Work Part-Time
It can be a shock to get up every day and not go to work. The change in schedule is difficult for some people, and getting a part-time job has been shown to increase happiness. It gives retirees a sense of purpose and can improve your physical and mental health. When you work part-time, you get to move around and interact with people outside of your age group and learn now cultural things and stay on top of trends.
The best way to stay happy is to pick a job in your field or getting paid for a hobby you love. There are tremendous benefits in switching fields unless it was a life-long dream. Retirement is supposed to be a fun, relaxing time, not a time to stress about if you are learning new skills quickly enough.
3. Stay Busy with Hobbies
Get yourself a few hobbies. The best amount we have seen seniors have at our Senior Living in Oceanside CA facility is three to four. The busier you are, the happier you will be. With lots of hobbies, you will feel as though you are continually learning new skills and getting a more in-depth understanding of your hobby of choice.
The best way to stay happy is to pick a social hobby or a hobby that you can do in a social setting. Choose something like volunteering, golf, or group scrapbooking.
4. Move into Senior Living in Oceanside CA
As you age, keeping up a home becomes unmanageable. While there is pride in homeownership, keeping up with maintenance and repairs can become difficult as we get older. After one’s 80s, owning a home doesn’t contribute much to happiness. Another benefit of moving into senior living is to avoid social isolation. Living in a single-family home can be more isolating than living in an apartment or a senior living facility. It is imperative to plan for transitioning into a rented place or a senior living apartment. Make sure you plan that into your financial plan, as you also have the option of renting out your home as a stable source of income.
5. Retire with Someone You Love
Retiring with someone you love will bring you great joy in your golden years. If you got along well in adulthood, you will add to each other’s happiness later in life. Just make sure to keep separate lives. Retirement is not the time to spend all day together. It is vital to keep your interests and hobbies alive independent of your spouse. That way, you will still have things to talk about once the day is over.
To stay happy and healthy in retirement just follow these simple steps: create a solid financial plan, work because you want to, enjoy your hobbies, move into senior living Senior Living in Oceanside CA, and retire with the person you love. You will be sure to be among the happiest Americans in retirement!
If you are looking to downsize or move into senior living, contact us today for a tour of Ocean Hills Senior Living!