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Active Adult Living Del Webb Communities

Retire Your Risks

Several of us from our 55 and over community walked over to the hospital to have breakfast and talk. Someone spoke about how their life  went in directions they did not plan for or imagine.  Several of us agreed, our lives took twist and turns in unexpected ways to arrive at where we are today. Here is what we shared.

Randomness shaped our lives more than we like to think. Lots of things are out of our control. Life is not fair and bad things can happen. Sometimes things that look like disappointments at the time, turn out to have been the best thing for us.

The quality of your decisions and your luck determine how your life will turn out. We can’t do anything about the luck, but our decisions can make a big difference.

As you retire and reflect on things, you realize you don’t know everything. You are not even sure of everything. This is not a bad thing, just more in touch with realty.

Decisions about our careers are over, but we still want the best life for us and our loved ones. Many times thoughts come about how to protect our assets, our health and safety.

Even though we can’t control the outcome, there are things we can do to reduce our risks in retirement.

Financially, the standard advise is not to put all your eggs in one basket.  If you have enough assets to enjoy your retirement, you wouldn’t want to take on more risk than you need to. The goal is to position yourself so that you wouldn’t loose too much of your retirement funds.

I have heard more than one person recently talk about not taking overseas trips or at least be aware of the perceived increased risks to Americans these days. Travel insurance and medical jet insurance is recommended by several travel experts who specialize in senior travel. Consumers Advocate.org is a great resource  on reviews of insurance needs.

Personally, staying off roofs, ladders, motorcycles, ATVs, and race cars may save you a problem. There are too many things to list, but just thinking before you do something may be a good idea. Accident avoidance is the best way to do.

Health wise, regular exercise can be fun and help reduce your health risks.  Same with a balance diet.

Moving to an 55+ Active Community can help with one story living which is safer, yard work included, neighbors who can check on you, exercise facilities on site and socialization opportunities.  All of these help improve your physical and mental condition and improve your health.

By Robert Fowler

Robert Fowler is President of Retirement Media Inc. and publisher of 55CommunityGuide.com. Robert and his wife Mary Ann live at Village at Deaton Creek, a Del Webb Community in North Georgia. Robert has visited many 55+ Active Adult Communities and blogs about Active Adult Community Living.

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