5 Essential Investments for Aging Grandparents
Becoming a grandparent is a wonderful experience. You get all the joys of young children again without having to take care of them full time when they are screaming in the middle of the night.
However, usually, grandparenting doesn’t occur until later in life when most people no longer earn a substantial income. Even though money may be tighter, that doesn’t mean you can’t spend anything. Here are a few things that you may want to put some money toward to make sure that the latter half of your life is as carefree and enjoyable as possible.
1) Safe Mobility
Small slips and falls become much more dangerous as you age. The likelihood of breaking a bone dramatically increases as you get older. To combat these challenges and continue to live an active life, consider investing in mobility equipment such as a stair lift.
Choosing to invest in a stair lift is a big decision for an OAP, which is why you should conduct significant research. As you get older, your safety and physical health is something that should become a significant priority in your life. Plus, these machines come with child locks, so don’t worry about inquisitive toddlers hurting themselves!
2) Travel
While you certainly don’t need to act like you are going to kick the bucket tomorrow, now is the time for you to do things that you have never had the chance to do before. Trips, especially with family, can help you to feel fulfilled. Even if extravagant vacations to far-off lands aren’t possible, consider outings such as the beach, zoo, or museum.
Just because you have experienced many things does not mean that there is nothing new for you to explore. Visiting new places with children is magical as you get to see the wonderment on their faces when, for instance, they see a giraffe at the zoo for the first time.
3) Quality Time with Loved Ones
Memories are one of the most important things you can share with your grandchildren. They will persist long after you have departed. The more you can spend quality time with the people you love, the happier you are likely to be.
If you don’t live near your grandchildren, you may want to consider moving closer or at least visiting more often. Investing time with those you love will make everyone involved much happier and allow the memories made to last forever.
4) Estate and End of Life Planning
This suggestion is a little less fun than some of the others on this list, but it may be one of the most important.
Seeking professional assistance with your will and estate planning will alleviate much stress from your loved ones in your absence. If you make the time to take care of these things yourself, it is also much more likely that your loved ones will observe your wishes.
5) Things that Make You Happy
No matter how old you are, life is short. You can only put off the things you want to do for so long before they never happen. There’s no reason to be extremely frugal in your later years.
If you have always wanted to visit Italy or take up pottery, there is no better time than the present. Not spending money on things you enjoy may shorten your lifespan by negatively affecting your mental health.
Getting older has its challenges, but ultimately, it is just a new stage of life with a whole new set of opportunities as well. Even though you may have to pinch pennies a bit more than when you were working, that doesn’t mean you can’t live a full life.
As long as you budget your money to accommodate the things that are really important to you, you will have the best golden years possible to share with your children and grandchildren.