Enjoy Your Retirement Years

Should I, or Shouldn’t I?

Many people count down the years, months, and days to retirement. They look forward to spending time with family and friends, traveling, or providing child care for grandchildren. Others are more apprehensive, worrying about the financial aspects of lost salary or wondering how they will fill the long days.

Counting Down

Planning ahead financially is key to living comfortably in retirement years. Begin years—or even decades—ahead with these financial primers:

• The 5 Years Before You Retire: Retirement Planning When You Need It the Most by Emily Guy Birken
• How to Plan for the Perfect Retirement by instructor Dana Anspach (from the Great Courses Series Economics & Finance)
• Social Security Handbook: Overview of Social Security Programs by the United States Social Security Administration

Once you have a handle on finances, you will want to decide how you will fill your open calendar. Ideally, you will pencil in activities that motivate you to start the day with a smile.

It’s All Fun …

Maybe you will use the extra hours to pick up or improve on a sport - golf, for example. Whether you are green or master of the greens, you will find some tips in a book such as Make Your Next Shot Your Best Shot: The Secret to Playing Great Golf by Robert J. Rotella.

According to NPR, “pickleball—a cross of tennis, ping pong and badminton—is America’s fastest-growing sport.” Check out Pickleball for Dummies by Mo Nard, and decide whether you want to join the movement.

Travel is a goal for many retirees. Whether you want to stay close to New Jersey or wander the world, plan your trip with the help of books and DVDs.

• Rail-Trails: New Jersey & New York: The Definitive Guide to the Region's Top Multiuse Trails by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
• 100 Things to See in the National Parks: Your Guide to the Most Popular Features of the U.S. National Parks by Stefanie Payne
• Amazing Boat Journeys: 60 Unforgettable Trips over Water and How to Experience Them from the Lonely Planet Series

Keep Your Brain Sharp!

Do you like to be learning something at all times? Discover a new language through one of our language-learning platforms: Bluebird Languages, Mango Languages, and Pronunciator.

Through CreativeBug, you can teach yourself to quilt, crochet, sew; make perfume, body scrub, candles, or herbal tea; paint a portrait; and design jewelry.

Try LinkedIn Learning, where leaders in their fields teach courses such as “How to Get People to Like You,” and “How to Create a Life of Meaning and Purpose.” Professional musicians give instruction in singing and in playing piano, ukulele, guitar, drums, and other instruments.

We’re Here for You!

The library strives to entertain, inform, educate, and inspire you in your retirement life. Attend our in-person and virtual programs: book discussions, current events discussions, ESL, movie screenings, history presentations, cooking demonstrations, craft programs, and so much more. See you soon at the library!

- by Mary A., Hickory Corner Branch