The One Where I Talk About Retirement
This week marks the occasion of 11 months of retirement for me. Fifteen months have in fact passed, since I took Long Service Leave, then the balance of my annual leave, and failed to return to work. I know it is a cliché, but I do wonder how I ever had time to go to work; life in retirement is very busy. All the retirement seminars talk about ‘transition towards retirement’ and ‘planning for retirement’. My fund provided me with a ‘Retire-ready checklist’ with the sub-heading ‘Giving up work and living off your retirement savings needs planning’. There are different rules for retirement based on age. There are terms like ‘preservation age’ and ‘income stream accounts’ to learn, and a myriad of financial decisions to make and navigate. My fund invited me to a ‘Life Beyond Work’ workshop and encouraged me to first complete the ‘Get ready for the Life Beyond Work workshop’ document to be found on their website. This 9-page document asked questions such as: How are you feeling about