Alive & Twitching

Need for exercise

It is generally accepted that regular exercise is necessary for health and fitness.  In its Coronary Heart Disease Statistics, published in July 2007, the British Heart Foundation reported that cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart disease and stroke) is the principal cause of death in the UK, with more than one in three dying from it each year. read more »

Always make sure that you give priority to debts such as mortgage or rent, Council Tax and utility bills. If you are familiar with spreadsheets, you may well find that is the best means of monitoring your expenditure and ensuring you keep to budget. read more »

When you retire, your income could be significantly lower than when you were working so it is essential to know not only the amount of your retirement income but also your anticipated expenditure. This should not be the subject of guesswork but of a careful and detailed calculation. I am now going to suggest a process that you may find helpful. read more »

It was a slight blow to my self-esteem when my wife indicated that she had various reservations about me retiring early, one of which was that I might upset her routine. I subsequently learned that this is a common concern among wives who are themselves no longer working. read more »

Some people will have a clear idea on how they wish to spend the large amount of additional leisure time they will have on retirement. Others will be daunted by the prospect and fear they will not have enough to do to occupy their days, especially those who have had little time, during their working lives, to devote to leisure activities. read more »

For some people the thought of changing from working full-time to not working at all is very unsettling and it may be sensible for them to attempt to arrange to break themselves in gently by working on a part-time basis for a while. This should preferably be arranged in advance of the retirement date. read more »

Retirement can be a daunting prospect for many of us. It can be difficult to adjust from the routine of going to work five or more days a week to a life far less structured and one of comparative leisure. Our concerns might include one or more of the following: read more »