by Colleen Taylor

Created on: May 22, 2008   Last Updated: May 29, 2008

Preparing for retirement? My recommendation is don't! They say that life expectancy after retirement is three years. You will probably be bored, lonely and broke in a very short time. Pension and insurance schemes sound good, but if you calculate the value of your installments at the time of payment against the value of the payout, you will probably discover you have lost on the deal. Short-term investment plans are safer and if you don't actually need the money when they mature you can re-invest it or spend it on that dream trip to an exotic resort you have always wanted to visit.

If you have to retire from your present job, look at it as an opportunity to get into something new. Look at turning your hobby into a lucrative business or if you are computer compatible find a way to earn on-line. I have been looking into this and there are many interesting possibilities, including writing articles for publication as I am attempting to do now. You can take your laptop with you and earn wherever you go. Photography and art are other possibilities if you have any talent in those areas.

Perhaps you have some money to invest, buy vehicles, preferably with small engines that run on very little gas! Or if you enjoy fixing things, buy second-hand cars or machines that you can renovate and sell at a good profit when you need some cash. Love boating and fishing - invest in the boat of your dreams and take wealthy businessmen out on fishing trips, or sightseeing in beautiful countryside with lakes full of large salmon, bass or trout. For longer term investments, buy property, but be prepared to hang onto it during a depression until the economy starts to improve again. Perhaps you have spent years looking longingly out of your office window at the green grass and sunshine invest in a sit-on mower and earn money mowing for busy people who still have full-time jobs. Make sure you can do this in your own time so you don't have to go out in the rain, and in the winter when the grass doesn't grow anyway you can take a vacation to some warm and inviting tropical paradise.

The possibilities are endless, and I guarantee you will enjoy your retirement far more doing something constructive instead of sitting around waiting for your pension check with its ever diminishing buying power.

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