Adjust to Unexpected Retirement With These 6 Tips

While some people long for an early retirement, others get forced into leaving work before they planned to. Faced with an unexpected retirement, your vision of your carefree golden years may become tinged with fear, and self-doubt. How will you handle your household expenses without your work income? How will you fill all those empty hours in your day now that you don’t head to work each morning?

Before full-blown panic sets in, look at six tips to help you not only survive but thrive when faced with an unexpected early retirement.

Assess Your Financial Situation

To survive an early unexpected retirement, face your financial reality right away. Take action to make any required changes as soon as possible. Step one: Figure out:

• Start with your cash flow, the money coming into and going out of your household.

If you have a spouse who’s employed, list their take-home pay, along with any Social Security payments and employer pension payments for which you may qualify. When you reach age 62, you’re eligible for a reduced Social Security payment (75% of the full amount you’d get if you waited until age 66).

• Find your most recent retirement account statements.

Take note! You can access your retirement funds such as your 401(k) and IRAs without penalty at age 59½, and sometimes prior to that if you meet eligibility requirements for a penalty-free early withdrawal. You still will owe taxes on any pretax contributions you withdraw.

In planning for long-term income, the financial planning rule of thumb is that if you withdraw 4% per year from your retirement funds, your savings should last about 30 years.

• Look at your monthly expenses, or outgoing cash flow.

Refer to your monthly household budget or, if you don’t have one, list all of your current bills and expenses. And then add “make a household budget” to the top of your to-do list.

Include everything:

Consider how not working may lower your monthly expenses. Will you reduce your transportation costs because you’ll no longer have to pay for public transit or gas for your car to commute? Plus, you may now spend less on clothing, dry cleaning, and restaurant meals.

Determine What You Own and What You Owe

This helps you identify potential money making and money saving opportunities. Perhaps you have little-used assets you could sell to gain cash and lower your monthly expenses. Could you forego a second set of utility bills and property taxes if you sell a cottage or vacation home? Or you could save money on auto insurance and vehicle maintenance if you sell a second car.

If you were laid off, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits, or you may have received a severance package. Make note of the dollar value after deductions. A portion of this money could be used either for additional savings to live on until you reach the age of 59½ (when you can withdraw from your retirement accounts penalty-free) or to pay off outstanding high interest rate debt.

As you list your debt, include the balance owed and the interest rate you’re currently paying. Start keeping your eyes open for opportunities to move credit balances to 0% balance transfer offers from credit card companies. This can save you money on interest (for a specified period of time) and also reduce your monthly payments to help with near-term cash flow.

Adjust Your Financial Lifestyle

It’s possible you could survive on your non-work income. Or maybe you do need additional income, and will decide to look for a new full-time or part-time job. In either case, it’s a good idea to get rid of unnecessary expenses quickly. This way you won’t be adding to your financial stress as you adjust to your new reality. Here are some ideas to consider:

You may notice you’re surviving just fine within your new budget, and can afford to reintroduce some of the items you originally cut out.

List the Benefits of an Unplanned Early Retirement

It may be easier to adjust to an unexpected retirement if you think of it as a blessing in disguise, rather than a devastating setback. Now you’ll have the time and opportunity to do all sorts of things you didn’t have time for when you were working.

Some benefits of an unexpected early retirement may include:

Pursue a Money-Making Dream

To thrive rather than just survive an unplanned retirement, consider it an opportunity to pursue your money-making dreams.

Have you always wanted to own your own business?

Maybe you’ve daydreamed about running a bed-and-breakfast, offering a dog-walking service, or setting up a pet-grooming business. Or perhaps you’re ready to share your professional knowledge by writing a book, launching a website, or starting a freelance consulting business.

Your early retirement could be just the excuse you needed to chase those dreams. The money can come in handy as well.

Plan Your Days and Work Your Hobby

Now that you’re no longer punching a time card or required to be at your desk at a set time each weekday, your days are your own.

It’s important to have a rough plan or schedule of how to spend your days. This helps you ease into the freedom of your new lifestyle, after having spent years on a regular work schedule. The good news is that you can choose to fill your days with activities that make you happy, and boost your retirement income.

If you love gardening, look for seasonal work at a nearby nursery or garden center. Love to read? Check out part-time positions at the library or local bookshop. If the outdoors beckons, consider working at a golf course. New retirees who aren’t quite ready for a more relaxed lifestyle may find part-time work to be a good solution.

At first, an unexpected early retirement may seem devastating. But, if you have a partner who still works, your home is paid for, or your debts are small (or you don’t have any), just a few adjustments to your monthly expenses could be all that’s needed for your household to survive without your work income. When you change your mindset about becoming a surprise retiree, you may soon see that early retirement offers new opportunities to thrive as you pursue your money making dreams or favorite hobbies.

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