Your Retirement | Do you just need a good, long break?

"I was bored stiff," he said.

After the big trip around Australia and a few months to relax and unwind, he found he had nothing much to do with his life.

Fortunately for him, his old company still had a need for his talents and experience so he managed to get a part-time job without all the management pressure of his earlier, full-time job.

He's now much happier and finds that a part-time job fills in much of his spare time, keeps his brain active and gives him some extra cash.

His story is a common one...particularly at the end of a year, when we feel tired and overwhelmed and think retirement will fix all that.

We forget all the good bits about working (not just the regular money).

There's brain activity, social interaction and even routine.

Before retiring full time, it's worth considering how these needs will be met.

I've been writing these regular columns and spruiking our helpful books for over five years and yet nearly every week I run into, or get a call from somebody who's struggling to adapt to life in retirement.

The unfortunate reality is while some people make the transition easily, there are many others who have some form of difficulty.

Some of them can be major life disasters, such as divorce, if you haven't thought about your relationship and the strains placed on it when you are together 24 hours a day every day.

So if you are either approaching retirement, or in the early stages, you might care to make the transition easier by taking note of the expert advice available in each of our five books.

They contain advice about retirement planning, relationships, singleness and health.

They can be purchased on our website at www.retirementbooks.com.au