Many consider retirement is almost the end of their lives. They cannot go to work and that is why they are useless. However this is simply not true. You have worked at least thirty years and now is the time to enjoy your life and do all the things that were left behind before.
After retirement there will be plenty of time for fishing, gardening, traveling, or whatever you want to do. To make this happen though you need to make some retirement planes earlier in life the money, the house, the insurance these all must be taken into account if you want to retire gracefully and to be able to afford the activities that matter to you now.
Arranging finance for your life after retirement must be your first priority earlier in life. Of course your savings matter but if you take into account the inflation this cannot be your only source of income. You should think about investing your money wisely so that they can work for you after you retire. Low risk investments bring less money while high risk investments are much more profitable. If you are tempted to try you better hire a professional to take care of this.
Your home is the second thing to worry about. When the time comes for a retirement your mortgage will be fully paid so you will not have to worry about this. Also it is very likely that your home is too big for you and your partner now as your children are grown up and surely don’t live with you anymore. You can sell it and get a smaller home. You can invest the rest of the money or use them.
Your health insurance is also something that should be carefully considered. If you were insured with some kind of group policy provided by your employer it is very likely that you will lose it after you quit working. One option is to go for an individual policy but it is quite expensive and it is likely that you will not be able to afford it. Another option is to depend of some kind of government insurance such as Medicare but it applies only to people after 65 years of age. Some employers allow retirees to retain group medical coverage in retirement so you better check this in advance.
After you have settled these outstanding issues you can plan the rest of the things you want to do after you retire. Some people who retire earlier continue working but they spend their time working on their hobbies. Do so or just enjoy your free time. After all these years working you deserve it.