Retirement Planning

If your vision of retirement is you at home, full time, you need to alter your plans.

I know the word retirement sounds great. Waking up late, leisurely breakfast, check your emails, make a few calls, buy some stuff on-line, watch TV, run some errands, laze around till dinner. that's the life! There's only one problem; You better be living alone. If you have a spouse, who is not used to you, being around 100% of their day, and now you are sharing the same home office, maybe even the same computer. Something is going to give, and it will be you.
I did this myself, just as listed above. The first thing I discovered, was that, more than a few days of 'sleeping in' will be the first of many issues. My spouse has a home office, and is on the phone pretty much all day. There would be no tiptoeing around and talking quietly while I slept in. Also forget daytime television, that is a rift waiting to divide the house and get you sleeping on the couch, with your TV. You might have gotten away with it on Saturdays for sports, but daytime TV is for maids, cleaning hotel rooms, it is not for you. Your spouse will be putting the foot down very quickly on that. 

Now consider trying to share an office space with someone, who has owned this space by themselves for a long time. You may rest there, but not camp. Consider also that they know where things are, and if you start moving stuff in or around, (remember the book, "Who Moved My Cheese?" ) then you might consider un-retiring after the battle contusions you will sustain.

So let's take a big leap, after learning all this, you decide you are going to pursue some consulting or volunteer work or some other thing at home in the aforementioned single space. If you think life in a cubicle is tough, try making calls and being told that you are talking to loud for them to think, or too loud for their own business calls. Someone will lose privileges, and it will not be the original inhabitant.

So what is my solution to guide you through the retirement maze here in paradise?

Simple: Change as little as possible in the routine of your spouse. You are the 'newbie.' I suggest that you find a remote distant space within your house to create your own space. If you don't have an extra room, then enclose part of the garage or the laundry room and give yourself a new office. If the washer is annoying, then do the laundry yourself at the end of the day as you are leaving your space. Next, endear yourself by offering to do things which increases their productivity and decreases their stress.

Make lists of errands, and where they are, in relation to different parts of town. Offer to cover a few spouse errands in exchange for quid pro quo ( "a favor for a favor") of your own in separate parts of town. You save gas and the frustration of crisscrossing the town and each other.

Life in retirement can be fun, but you have to satisfy others before you even think about yourself.
Good Luck.

Summertime Golf in SW Florida with coupons galore.

I have never lived in an area with more golf courses per capita than Southwest Florida. We literally have so many courses that you cannot play them all in a single summer. In the last two weeks my group has played Tiburon, Lely Flamingo, Old Corkscrew, The Rookery and Pelican Marsh.

Greg Norman has his annual televised tournament on Tiburon, and Old Corkscrew is a Jack Nicholas design. These are tournament quality courses and they are available for daily play for $28.

You must have a coupon book, and I am here to tell you about those. If you are a local you know that not only do we have Greg's annual tournament, but we also have an annual Seniors Event which bounces around to the different venues. When you buy a ticket for each of these events, they also offers a coupon book for discount golf in the summer season at over 30 courses. And that's just two of many discount coupon books available to us.
Other discounts cards are available from the local golf shops. St John Neuman Golf Card is $30 and allows discount play on 36 different courses. The PGA has a card, and so do several online tee time websites. You can play lots of courses in SW Florida for $25-$40.
The golfing season for year round residents starts on May 1st each year and the courses are a smorgasbord of tempting, fattening delights. If you have any friends who are members at local golf clubs, the summer is also the 'reciprocal' season. Other courses allow members from other clubs to play their clubs for a reduced rate.
We spent the winter paying $75 to $200 to play these same courses during the 'season.' Now that the 'off season' has arrived, we can play for $25- $40 practically anywhere.
So far since May 1st, The Rookery had the nicest fairways and greens we have seen this entire drought year in our area. The grass was so plush at this course, I wanted to replace the divot rather than fill it with sand from the cart. The greens were actually green, and fast. Play this course if you want a great experience. Old Corkscrew has new personnel and they even have a summer member package which is comparable to many of the local favorites. If you are a golfer, SW Florida is paradise.

If you are bored with your regular foursome, and are a member at Old Collier, Naples National, Naples Grande, Grey Oaks, Mediterra, Pelican Bay, Bay Colony, Olde Florida, Audubon, Royal Poinciana, Hole in the Wall, and of course Calusa Pines, my three-some will buy your lunch, pay our own fees and give you a heck of a match. Call me.