Sweeping pension reforms are looming large on the political landscape. George Osborne’s latest proposals have made us all think about national finances, the benefits system and how our health will hold out if we’re working longer.
But put politics aside for a moment and remember all that’s brilliant about giving up work. Changes in the pensionable age needn’t stop you making the most of your retirement.
Here’s three of the most popular ways to enjoy the time and freedom that comes with retirement:
Try something new – retirement gives you a chance to grab new opportunities. Take up a sport that you’ve always fancied like tennis or fishing, take to the water and learn how to sail, or hire a bike and race round the country. You can take any number of courses to learn how to do something new – make your own charcuterie, find out about film making or become an expert in brewing beer.
Travel – lots of people decide to take a long, adventurous trip to celebrate retirement. Others make travel their passion. They use their time to fully investigate destinations, how they’ll get there, where they’ll stay and what they’ll do there. They fully immerse themselves in different countries and cultures and are always on the look out for the next big trip. Getting out and about is one of the greatest luxuries retirement can bring.
Get a job – so-called encore careers can prove liberating once you’ve given up your every day job. You might want to start up your own business fixing computers, run a taxi firm or even walk the neighbours’ dogs. But you could work for someone else in an industry that’s always appealed to you. Volunteering comes under this category too. There are few organisations these days that would turn down the offer of free work.
If you’re thinking about retirement, you may also be considering other life changes like moving to a new home to be nearer family, the seaside or the bustling city. Log on to the website at McCarthy & Stone, the UK’s largest developer of privately-owned retirement properties, and see what new living opportunities you might want to further investigate.
While you’re online enter McCarthy & Stone’s online prize draw for the chance to win one of five Apple iPad minis. You can enter up until 28 February 2014 and the random draw will be made on 14 March.
