Retirement is the time to reflect on your career and work life and explore new horizons. Fortunately, there’s never been a better time to retire because of the opportunities out there.
Moreover, technology makes it easier to manage your affairs and pursue your interests and passions. From keeping in touch with relatives and friends to keeping track of your finances to engaging in hobbies, apps and other tools are there to support your new freedom-filled lifestyle. This post will describe some of these tools that retirees can explore to make the most of their time.
Stay in Touch
When you’re retired, you have more time to connect with friends and loved ones. But what if they’re a long distance away? Communication apps like Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, Google Duo and WhatsApp enable you to keep the communication lines open. Additionally, with Facebook Messenger, Snapchat and Instagram, you can send and receive messages and share pictures and videos with your family and pals, no matter how far apart you are.
Track Finances
You may need to keep track of your income, spending and investments. It can all be overwhelming, especially if you’re transitioning from saving to spending. Apps like EveryDollar, YNAB and Personal Capital can help you monitor your expenses, budget, and track investments. You can see your overall financial situation, make progress toward goals, and plan for future costs. Your bank may also have apps that enable you to check balances, pay bills and transfer funds.
Digitize and Archive Documents
You may need to keep copies of important documents like insurance policies, wills, and medical powers of attorney. Evernote and Dropbox enable you to keep digital copies of documents securely and access them on any device when needed. Password management apps like LastPass help you organize your login credentials so you don’t need to keep track of a whole list of passwords.
Pursue New Hobbies
In retirement, you may want to start a new hobby (or pick up an old one). Whatever your interest, there are probably apps for it. Duolingo teaches you new languages, tonestro and Fret Zealot support learning musical instruments, and GrowIt! and Garden Tags help you learn gardening. If you want to connect with others who share your passions, Meetup enables you to do it.
Plan Travel
Many new retirees are eager to travel, and there are plenty of apps to help with planning and booking. Apps like TripAdvisor, Airbnb and Kayak help you select flights from a comprehensive list and read about destinations and lodging. You can also make reservations, compare prices, and read reviews. Navigation apps Google Maps and Citymapper help you get around in a destination city, discover attractions, and view public transportation options. When you’re driving, Google Maps enables you to remember where you parked. These tools let you plan your vacations and travel the world.
Whether you’re across town or across the country, your loved ones want to ensure you’re safe. Life360 uses GPS tracking so your loved ones can see where you are and you know how to reach them. It even shows your speed limit and total travel time.
Stay Healthy
You’ll want to track your medications to stay healthy and active in retirement. GoodRx helps you compare prescription drug prices between pharmacies and offers digital coupons. It also notifies you when a medication has decreased in price and when you’re due for a refill.
Drugs.com Medication Guide helps you identify pills by shape and color, check interactions and side effects, and maintain medication records. The app also lets you look up more detailed pharmaceutical data and the latest FDA alerts on a medication.
SmartBP is a blood pressure app that helps you record your blood pressure measurements. It displays charts and tables so you can track your progress. It syncs with the Google Fit and Apple’s Health apps and can be used with blood pressure monitors and smartwatches.
If you’re an avid walker, the Pacer app tracks your steps using your phone. It can even be combined with a smartwatch to increase accuracy. You can track your calories and participate in challenges and fundraisers.
Read Better
One-third of people age 65 and over have eye disease. If you have difficulty reading small print, such as labels on food packaging, small print in magazines, forms, or restaurant menus, the Magnifying Glass + Light app can be helpful.
It uses your phone’s camera to zoom in on whatever it’s aimed at and lets you tap to freeze the picture while you’re reading. The app also lets you shine the phone’s light on your reading material.
We’ve described just a few of the most popular apps. Of course, there are many other apps and software products to simplify your retirement and enhance your enjoyment of this new phase of your life.
We hope you found this post, Best Personal Technology for Retirement helpful. Be sure to check our post, Top Technology Trends to Look Out For in 2023 for more great information.
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