Where do you find retirement seminars/workshops? (graduate, older, travel)

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by LookingatFL

What do you do to keep yourself occupied?

1) Volunteering at a museum.
2) Volunteering at the local high school (tutoring/career planning)
3) Walking 5-7 miles a day.
4) Joined the local art cinema that shows foreign and independent films.
5) Playing bocce.
6) Attending various lectures and seminars (mostly free).
7) Interacting with all of my neighbors. Often helping them out on home projects.
8) Doing wellness checks on some of my older neighbors.
9) Cooking at home as opposed to heading out to eat.
10) Getting involved in the local community governance.
11) Reading.
12) Traveling and planning future trips.
13) Advising students on college/ post-graduate studies.


I guess that is a start.

[LookingatFL]

Thank you

[Escort Rider]

Originally Posted by LookingatFL

What do you do to keep yourself occupied?

Although that question was not directed to me, but to another poster, I will be so bold as to answer anyway from my own perspective.

I'll start with one thing that I would not recommend to my worst enemy - I am the president of the 26-unit townhouse homeowners' association where I live. Our units are 35 years old so there are lots of maintenance issues. But the worst thing about it is the nut cases - there are two out of the 26 owners.

As for the minor uses of my time, I read (as I always have for a lifetime), see movies (I actually enjoy going to a theater and seeing films, especially foreign films), travel (not continuously but occasionally), have lunch or dinner with friends, attend live classical music concerts, etc. None of the foregoing was completely new after retirement, but there is more time for that sort of thing now.

The major use of my is my volunteer work in schools, conducting chess clubs in two middle schools and two elementary schools and reading aloud once a week for 30 minutes to fifth grade classes at the two elementary schools. Admittedly that will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love it.

[LookingatFL]

Escort Rider, I always appreciate your input. I'm not always able to rep you

[LookingatFL]

So the book says that the mistake is retiring from something. We are supposed to be retiring to something. I am thinking about this because the book is also talking about using volunteer opportunities as a means to fill time and you both seem very happy with this solution. But then I wonder why I would want to commit myself to be somewhere to volunteer when I could just as easily commit myself to be at my store and I would be just as happy... maybe more happy because I treat myself very kindly at my store and I don't have any internal politics to put up with.

I can see I have to change my attitude.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by LookingatFL

I'm reading a book about retirement. ... single-focus can cause difficulties in adjusting to retirement. ...

But the book is saying that there is more. I need to plan what I am going to do with all those hours in the day. I need to have plans for a social life. I need to have plans for medical care.

I am learning a lot on this forum, but I did want in-person classes to learn what other people are doing in their retired lives. I am having a difficult time figuring out what I am going to do once I am retired and I fear that I will go back to work just to assuage the boredom.

whoa... boredom has never been an issue in my 3 retirements or my 40 yrs employment or 5 college programs never had a chance to be bored (except on occasional 6 hr layovers at international airports for last 30 yrs... )

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

1) Volunteering ...
7) Interacting with all of my neighbors. Often helping them out on home projects.
8) Doing wellness checks on some of my older neighbors.
9) Cooking at home as opposed to heading out to eat.
10) Getting involved in the local community governance.
11) Reading.
12) Traveling and planning future trips.
13) Advising students on college/ post-graduate studies.


I guess that is a start.

FL,, what do you LIKE / envision yourself utilizing your final years doing? I love being retired (cuz it gives me time to help others) and also love working (helping others and getting paid for it!). Guess I like helping others... you might enjoy something totally different (as many do).

Originally Posted by LookingatFL

So the book says that the mistake is retiring from something. We are supposed to be retiring to something. I am thinking about this because the book is also talking about using volunteer opportunities as a means to fill time and you both seem very happy with this solution. But then I wonder why I would want to commit myself to be somewhere to volunteer when I could just as easily commit myself to be at my store and I would be just as happy... maybe more happy because I treat myself very kindly at my store and I don't have any internal politics to put up with.

I can see I have to change my attitude.

Not sure what your store is,,, but there is no one pushing you into retirement (I hope). You will know when the time is right (different for all of us).

enjoy whatever you are doing and make a contribution to society every day. Maybe you can do that working, and you are safe and secure there. It is no crime to keep working... my grandparents did it well into their 90's (farmers). My own parents suffered serious health issues as young as age 40 due to stress of being self employed. My dad crashed at age 49 while running 7 businesses. He lost everything, including his health and ended up living very disabled and me caring for him for the next 30+ yrs. (mostly due to stress of owning too many businesses).

If you are happy and productive and safe... keep at it!

There is always tomorrow (maybe)... if not... you are checking out while doing what you love. You have our permission to do this!

[Escort Rider]

Originally Posted by LookingatFL

So the book says that the mistake is retiring from something. We are supposed to be retiring to something. I am thinking about this because the book is also talking about using volunteer opportunities as a means to fill time and you both seem very happy with this solution. But then I wonder why I would want to commit myself to be somewhere to volunteer when I could just as easily commit myself to be at my store and I would be just as happy... maybe more happy because I treat myself very kindly at my store and I don't have any internal politics to put up with.

I can see I have to change my attitude.

Those are intelligent ruminations about volunteer work. My thoughts:

First, there are so many different kinds of volunteer work that it's hard to generalize about its nature. Think of the various organizations which have volunteers - hospitals, police and fire departments, soup kitchens, animal shelters, museums, schools, and doubtless many more that didn't occur to me just now. So that leads to the "internal politics", which will also vary a lot, from none to easy for the volunteer to ignore to truly objectionable.

Second, the nature of "commitment" as a volunteer is pretty fluid, as a volunteer can always quit at any moment. Naturally if we are conscientious people we probably wouldn't want to up and leave in the middle of a "shift". But in general there are few consequences for quitting, and none are financial for ourselves. We may have to try a few different situations in order to find one that fits us well. It is the nature of the beast that we may encounter some potholes in the road, that we may take a few wrong turns along the way.

Third, volunteers can often determine themselves how many hours a week they wish to put in, which makes it so different from work despite the commitment to being at a certain place at a certain time. For example, I currently spend three days a week at schools, but not the entire school day. Only on one of the three days am I close to spending the entire school day. I retain my Mondays and Fridays (and of course Saturdays and Sundays) free. For me personally that's the best of both worlds, but for others it would be too much, or for still others perhaps even not enough.

Fourth, volunteer work is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of retired life. Many people find meaningful activities with hobby clubs, with gardening, and so much more. Those like me who find our volunteer work immensely gratifying run the risk of talking about it too much. I am just plain lucky that almost by accident I fell into something that suits me so well. Not all who seek will find, but seeking with an open mind may prove interesting in and of itself.

[texdav]

First I went to where sponsored by my work long ago. Basically made sure those who bothered to attend knew pension options and retired insurance before 65 and then at Medicare. Before that they had seminar on investment for long term for retirement when I was younger. Often they were started by a employee enquiring about HR taking it to management ;who responded. Every year they gave seminars on health insurance which you always saw the same as others attending.

[Caltovegas]

Move to Vegas and work conventions as greeters at events. That's what quite a few retirees are doing. Here is a site that can give you some great information. It's a start.
Enjoy.
http://whitecoatinvestor.com/

[Giesela]

I found this question brilliant and upon advice here checked for seminars. There is one offered at a local private university. 70.00. Not my favorite drive or part of town, esp at night. That was the only one I could find. If anyone wants to look for more this is Dayton.

I did get some books out of the library. But while I am a voracious fiction reader I find that this sort of stuff I prefer to be talk taught. I just lose focus and patience when trying to slog my way through a bunch of books with foreign terms, foreign concepts about something I find hard and don't like anyway.