Using Your Quarantine As A Trial Run For Retirement

April 20, 2020

Staying productive in the time of COVID-19 can be a challenge. Rather than pulling out the board games, you might want to use the opportunity to stress-test your plans for early retirement. Specifically, if you are preparing to retire soon, you might be able to examine a few aspects of your future life and look at ways to improve or rework them ahead of time.

If you are not working due to the quarantine, you have the opportunity to find your new place at home. Most retired people don’t spend all of their time at home, but you might find that “sheltering-in-place” may give you a taste of how you will cope without a job to go to every day. You might also have better ideas, being stuck at home, as to what might be a meaningful path for your life once you are retired. Make a list of ideas that come to you whether it might be for another business, volunteer work, or just pursuits that might suit you. If you are married, don’t forget that you will also be spending more time with your spouse. Now would be a good time to check in with your spouse and make sure that your retirement paths aren’t at cross purposes.¹