The Key to a Fulfilling Retirement: Behaviors of Happy Retirees

Time to read: 5 Minutes

When planning for retirement, most people are primarily focused on the financial aspects of the milestone. They determine how much money they need to set aside on each paycheck, project how much money they’ll need to have saved to comfortably retire, and determine what their ideal timeline is.

What many folks forget to do, however, is think about what their day-to-day lives will look like when they’re no longer working.

While no two retirements look the same, we’ve found that the happiest, most fulfilled, and, oftentimes, healthiest retirees have a few behaviors in common.

Keep reading to learn what they are.

They Have Purpose.

When most people think about what they’d like to do in retirement, they think about the dream vacations they weren’t able to take while working, the events they’ve been looking forward to, and other large, but irregular, activities.

What they don’t think about is how they’ll spend their time on a daily basis. They don’t think about what will give them direction. And when they leave their career behind and hang up their titles, they no longer feel a sense of purpose.

Discovering what that purpose is – whether it’s spending time with grandchildren, exploring a new hobby, mentoring young adults in their community, or using a special skill to give back – helps provide direction, create a routine, and bring fulfillment.

They Create and Maintain a Routine.

This habit may seem counterintuitive, as the very thing many retirees look forward to is the absence of a strict schedule. Luckily, there is a middle ground between the routine they followed while working and the lack of any structure whatsoever.

Without any routine, some retirees find themselves spending a lot of their time doing very little. They may end up sleeping in later than intended, spend most of their day in front of the TV, and spend very little time doing the activities they looked forward to most while they were still working.

Many happy, fulfilled retirees find that having a general schedule, such as an approximate time for meals, certain activities allocated to the mornings or afternoons, and set plans on specific days throughout the week, gives them something to look forward to and helps them make the most of their time.

They Remain Physically Active.

Remaining physically active is incredibly important in retirement, both for the obvious reasons, like maintaining or improving physical health and lowering the risk for a variety of diseases, and the more subtle ones, like the positive impact it has on mental health. Perhaps the most important impact of remaining physically active is that it helps retirees remain healthy enough to enjoy the activities they were looking forward to doing during retirement.

Prior to reaching the milestone, many people assume that it will be easier to maintain an active lifestyle once they are retired and have more time available. While that may be true theoretically, many people who had been very active find that their fitness schedule revolved around their work.

Perhaps they played pickleball every Wednesday before going home for the evening. Maybe they went to an exercise class before going to the office three times a week. Some may have even attended a gym in their office building. Physical activity was part of their work routine, and when it no longer exists, their fitness routine often goes with it.

The healthiest retirees make sure that physical activity becomes part of their routine in retirement, too. Whether it’s through a daily bike ride, attending an exercise class, or meeting up with friends to play a round of golf every week, they build healthy habits into their schedules.

They Value Their Relationships.

What many people look forward to most when they enter retirement is having more time to spend with the people they love.

For many retirees, this means their children or grandchildren, family members, friends, or even former colleagues they’ve formed close relationships with.

People who have happy retirements prioritize these relationships by making an effort to regularly see the people who matter to them and, oftentimes, make it a part of their regular routine.

From a walk every Thursday with a former colleague to weekly dinners with family or a book club with a group of close friends, they make sure that their retirement not only allows them to see more of the people who matter most to them, but also make the effort to do so on a consistent basis.

They Prioritize Their Health.

Unexpected health issues in retirement can impact goals or events a retiree is looking forward to, lead to mental health issues, mental decline, and cause physical, emotional, and financial stress.

While many health challenges may be unavoidable, there are steps that can be taken to prevent or lessen their impact. This means eating healthy, nutritious meals, staying active, attending regular doctor’s appointments, and visiting their doctor as soon as possible if something does arise.

They Have a Financial Plan.

A happy retirement is about more than money – but money does facilitate your ideal lifestyle in retirement.

Having a solid plan for how you’re going to withdraw money, handle unexpected expenses, continue to grow wealth, and build your legacy helps retirees feel confident that they can maintain their ideal lifestyle and achieve their goals while reducing financial stress.

They Structure Their Money to Last.

Nobody knows how long their retirement will last, and while most hope that theirs will be a very long one, it’s not uncommon for retirees to worry that their lifespan will outlast their savings.

It’s for this reason that the right kind of retirement planning is crucial to a happy retirement. When retirement savings are structured the right way, retirees have a clear picture of how much money they can spend each month so they’re able to confidently and comfortably enjoy their golden years.

Do you want to learn more about how you can plan a fulfilling, happy retirement? In the new edition of 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Retired, you’ll gain invaluable insights through real stories of The Tranel Financial Group’s clients. Download your free copy here!