For many people, retiring from their job is an exciting goal. For the fortunate few who still have regular employment, having a good retirement plan is as important as having the weekly paycheck. After spending twenty or more years at a job, the average worker looks forward to spending the rest of their lives in some sort of comfort that they deserve for putting in all those years of work. This is what used to be many years ago, but sadly, it is no longer true. The kindly company that we work for these days will try its best to not pay the worker anything past his or her last workday. The days of the "gold watch and the pension" are long gone. If we want something to make our last days on Earth pleasant we must look to ourselves to provide the elements. Following is a good system to start your retirement years in relative comfort and security.

1) Find something that you love to do. When your work life is done, don’t think of the easy chair and TV remote. Start a new career that will give you something to do that is meaningful and that you would do even if you didn’t get paid for it. (Maybe you won’t.) The main thing is that you have a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning, something that gives you a feeling of being useful to society. The worst thing we can do is get lazy at retirement time. This is when the mind and body can either get busy doing something, or get dead.

2) Make a financial plan. Have something on paper that outlines how much money you need to live comfortably, and how you are going to get that money. Make this plan reasonable. Stay within your means and use common sense in putting this plan into action. Keep things flexible. If you find that your plan isn’t working, then change it to arrive at your goals. Make sure that the plan includes vacations and other leisure activities as well as whatever work you choose. Now is the time when you, the worker, get to choose when and how much you will toil.

3) Never stop making money. Try to earn money all through life. If money is not available, try barter or work as a group for a deserving charity. We are in a money hungry, money grabbing society and there is no way to live without a copious supply. Working for nothing on occasion is fine, helping friends is fine, volunteering is fine, but when you can see yourself making a buck, go for it. It’s what we Americans do.

4) Stay healthy. When you have your health, you have everything. If you had a choice between being a wealthy person who was sickly and a pauper who was healthy, most of us would correctly choose to be a pauper. Take care of your health in every way. An hour of vigorous exercise per day is cheap insurance; learning to eat healthily – and following what you learn – is smart; keeping your stress under control is easy. Feeling good is the best way to go through the day. Stay as healthy as long as possible; there is no profit or joy in being sick or lazy.

5) Put together a good backup plan. Always have a couple ways to go with any plan. Flexibility is paramount in getting a plan that will always work for you. As time goes on there will be more depressions and wars and disasters that can interrupt anyone’s well laid plan for retirement. By having multiple directions to go, like having the ability to change jobs, or changing living locations, you can create more security in life. Life should be joyful and creative in all aspects – especially in retirement.