Well, I think (hope) I might have cracked the basics of this blog. A long way from feeling comfortable about it yet…. I can even see my stats. 5 views on one day. Whoopee!
Thanks to very clear instructions from Skint Dad and Millennial Money Man , I have started a WordPress Blog using BlueHost as the Host. I paid about $300 for 3 years hosting which included the domain name CrackingRetirement.com.
So I sort of followed the instructions, took M$M’s advice and used the secure password generation. Then I put up my first couple of posts to try everything out. I haven’t had any views yet, but it is early days! I am a long way from Search Engine Optimisation.
I am based in the UK (Scotland), so I have been reviewing how best to (p)reserve the CrackingRetirement.co.uk name. Given the exchange rate between $ and £ which is at a 30 year low, I don’t think I want to make a $ purchase at the minute. I have asked my son and a friend to help me with this. Thanks Andrew & Katy!! Despite having worked for many years in IT, this is all quite a steep learning curve….
I am taking Ricky’s of Skint Dad’s guidance, to get prepared and get a range of 10-20 posts ready to go. I have some bright ideas.
Having many retired friends and some about to retire, I am considering posts about
- maximising the UK state pension, particularly for women aged 60-66. (A sore point for many!) I should have a real-life update to post on this shortly
- opportunities in retirement. Several people I know have become accomplished artists, I discovered a love of metalwork, one chose flower arranging, another is a writer etc. So plenty of guest posts there.
- managing money pre-retirement. I will always bless a chance coffee with a friend, who opened my eyes to investing in AVC’s tax-free which could then be lifted as a tax-free lump sum. Thanks Les, you know who you are!
- pre-planning several years out prior to retirement. See above about AVC’s, also about going on a ‘pension diet’ several years before retirement. Not uber-frugal, just realistic. Meals out, holidays etc. Then you know in advance how much you really need.
- multiple income streams. Not one I had considered earlier (I should have!)
- tax opportunities for Inheritance tax etc. No, I am not an IFA, but I should be able to provide you with a starter list of questions to ask an expert.
- travel – optimistically retirement will be one-third of your life, so you have to make the most of the years while you are fit and healthy. I will hopefully get a few guest blogs on their travel experiences
- volunteering, using your experience, mentoring young people in your field.
- additional income opportunities in retirement, from blogging to mystery shopping and lots of things in between.
Not a bad starter list
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It’s interesting to see things from the perspective of a retired person! I’m very interested in your metal works. Hope you’re planning to make articles about it (I would love to learn more about metal crafting)!
Thanks – If you look at the tab Metal Work you can see some of my work. I am trying to add some items each week. I am determined not to waste my retirement