We often hear of lottery winners and retirees taking that “Big Trip” and I wonder how that is for them if they choose 5-Star options? Do they travel for travels sake, undertake “tick box” tourism, is their travel focused or themed, or just a general “see what we find”? A few disclosures, then jump on […]
We have our house on the market and of course our friends regularly ask us where we are going to move to. Our throwaway response is “not sure, maybe the south of France”. Actually, that isn’t very likely: although if we did find ourselves suddenly homeless, travel would be our immediate choice of temporary location/s. […]
Yes you do have consumer rights. Unfortunately, Australia has regressed from strong consumer laws passed in the 1970’s. However, take heart, you still have power. Hopefully this post provides some insights into dealing effectively with well-founded, significant consumer complaints of any dollar value. One of the first considerations when following through with a consumer complaint […]
I continue to be amazed when I hear the sad and stressful stories from friends whose family or close friends die intestate or are critically ill but have no power of attorney in place. Just like manners and courtesy there is seemingly no socio-economic pattern here either. I wonder what the barriers are to putting […]
One of the things regularly recommended for retirees is to take up a voluntary role. Indeed, volunteering can be a great way to keep connected and maintain our self-worth. Many of us will have done volunteer work throughout our lives through involvement in long standing service groups, e.g. Lions, bodies associated with our children’s school […]
If you have spent a lifetime trying to better your neighbours, friends or family with material possessions and pleasures, coming to retirement may be a time to reflect on that. Appreciating what you do have is a good starting point; waking up another day and still breathing are bonuses; consider the alternative. If you have […]
One morning earlier this year I woke up and realised it was the 50th anniversary for my Telopea Park High School class of ’65 (Canberra, Australia). So, I posted on a relevant community Facebook page to see if I had been forgotten, left out … or rejected! Surely someone was organising a get-together? A single […]
If you are 65 and already have several millions to play with, questions raised in my previous post on Getting Started are not so much of a worry. If you are much younger and are developing a “retirement vision” then START PLANNING NOW! If you are fortunate enough to have a great super scheme already […]
The Wheel of Life is the perfect tool for planning your retirement. Answer the questions, ‘How is my life now?’ and ‘How do I want to be?’ and you are on your way. The Wheel is a great tool for both evaluating your current level of satisfaction with life and for visioning how you wish […]
…. is not enough. But a week we had and we made the most of it. We stayed in an apartment in the 11th arrondisement. This area is away from the main tourist areas and for us, was perfect. The location meant we could do some shopping and cooking for ourselves and enjoy eating in restaurants […]
