There comes a time in most working people’s lives when they feel like sour milk — past their “best before” date. Retirement is on the horizon.
Certainly, some people retire at the pinnacle of their career, while others stay until that magic number arrives which guarantees them a full pension. And that could be the sour milk zone.
Either way, those of us facing retirement within five years definitely need to prepare ourselves for the next chapter in our lives. And that doesn’t just mean being financially secure, although that’s probably the most important piece in the puzzle, and one that people fret about the most.
Besides a pension seminar or retirement preparation course that your workplace might offer, the library is the next best place to go for information and inspiration on the topic.
In Catherine DePino’s book Fire up Your Life in Retirement: 101 Ways for Women to Reinvent Themselves, readers are treated to an abundance of great ideas in easy-to-digest, bite-sized chapters.
She covers everything from finances to post-retirement jobs, spiritual and physical health, relationship advice, exploring creative outlets, travel ideas, third-age learning, and the particular challenges that new retirees face.
In practical, readable chapters, DePino helps ease women through this new transition period with solid, useful advice. Employing a lighthearted style, she shows you how to explore and celebrate the myriad of possibilities that await you.
In What to Do to Retire Successfully: Navigating Psychological, Financial and Lifestyle Hurdles by Martin B. Goldstein, the reader gets useful advice from a neuropsychiatrist on how to prepare emotionally and financially for a fulfilling retirement.
While a lot meatier than DePino’s book, this one might just scare you off retirement entirely. The section on personality types and how they can affect one’s readiness and ability to embrace retirement is particularly interesting.
And with people living longer than ever before, the retirement period can approach one-third of a person’s lifetime, or more. So, Goldstein cautions, it’s wise to be ready for it in every way that you can.
For other insights into retirement, check out You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think: The 5 Money Secrets of the Happiest Retirees by Wes Moss, and Retirement: Different by Design: Six Building Blocks Fundamentally Changing How Life After Work is Viewed, Planned For, and Lived by Rick Steiner. For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library’s website at yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/.
Shelley Civkin is the communications officer with the Richmond Public Library
