Introduction to Working and Living in Retirement

Ah, retirement! Now what are you going to do with all that time? Retirement is best enjoyed when it is kept busy and productive. This is the time to do the things you have long put off. Go to Europe, learn the piano, master karate, take up herb gardening … or write the Great American Novel. This is the time you have lain awake thinking about for decades. Now is the time to make it the best time of your life.

For many of us today, "retirement" is a bit of a misnomer, because we find it necessary to maintain a stream of income to afford a desirable lifestyle once we stop working full time. Of course, even if you’re financially secure, a little extra money doesn’t hurt, and older people who work—especially those in jobs they enjoy—are often happier and live longer than those who don’t. Retirement for many people includes some kind of work, whether full- or part-time. People work for many reasons; whatever the reason, it’s important to begin preparing even before retiring so that your transition is a smooth one.