What is a typical retirement skill you don't have?

[mickeyd]

I never learned how to manage a billion dollar investment portfolio, and probably never will.

Don't worry, I'll get over it eventually.

 

[kumquat]

After growing up on a grain farm, I can back up trailers quite well. The other day I watched, in awe, as a guy was backing a B-train up to a loading dock. That takes real skill.

 

[bbbamI]

hmmm...perhaps I should have worded it 'skills' and not 'retirement skills'

Well, now...that's a different story...

I have certain things that I do that she just doesn't attempt because she knows I am better at them then she would be. This is one of the reverse ones and I am more then happy to let her handle it I think.

Mmm...this is where I need to learn how to do things DH can do and I can not. I swear...I can not hammer a nail in straight.

 

[grasshopper]

I like to target shoot. Except I got one bad eye on the rear sight, and one bad eye on the front sight.

Dreaming, napping, birding, and gardening the day away.

 

[Alan]

I was never much good at house repairs, especially anything to do with plumbing, or with decorating.

Rather than improve those skills in retirement we sold the house and now lease apartments.

I was already pretty good at napping, but since retiring I seem to have lost that skill altogether.

I had planned to read a lot more fiction books once retired, but that hasn't worked out yet either. When I'm not busy doing stuff I'm on the internet. The exception being when we are on vacation, and then I take a break from the internet and do read more.

The main skill I want to develop now is good management of the finances in the decumulation phase.

 

[Moemg]

The main skill I would like to develop is understanding of the tax implications of withdrawals from Ira's ,Roth's and when to take each .I have a basic knowledge of the subject but I would like to know more . Also an understanding of estate planning would be helpful. I have the finances down pat now I want to learn the extras.

 

[oldtrig]

The biggest problem I think I will face is just doing it. I have plenty of things I can do and have a large shop to do them in. The problem is making myself do them . I try to pretend on weekends I am retired just to see. I find I take to many naps. Maybe some medication will help??

I am one (and by the way it is getting worse) to start something and before I get finished I have started 10 other things. ADD I think would be the name of what I have. I walked to the back of my shop today to get an oil filter and stopped 4 times working on different things before I got the filter. I do think I would like no being under the gun to get those things done. I tend to think about what golf hole I would be on if I were at the course.

I got to really plan more before I make the move next year. I am also afraid I will feel like I am wasting the day if I just play golf and not work doing anything. I have to get the guilt thing out of my mind because I have been working for 47 years. I hope that will fade away.

I see a lot of people everyday at the golf course I still work at that really looks bored. They show up rain or shine. I will not be one of those. I probably am one of those people that can really never 100% retire but I want to try at least 80% this coming year. Oldtrig

 

[GregLee]

I never learned how to manage a billion dollar investment portfolio, and probably never will.

We all hope you can get some practice at that.

 

[Badger]

Never learned to weld and don't have a welder. Something I wished I'd learned a long time ago.

I've wanted to learn that too. The college here offers a sculpture class that includes welding so I think that will be on the schedule for next year.
It took 40 years to finally get the opportunity to learn how to throw pots on a wheel and have been doing fairly well after a couple of classes. When the house started getting a little crowded the wife made me get rid of a couple of dozen early examples of my work. Now she is worried I will want to make an 8 foot metal scuplture for the front yard.

Cheers!

 

[Walt34]

Photography is something I plan to explore. Golf is my primary hobby, but I thought this would be a fun side hobby. I bought a entry level DSLR camera back in the summer, but didn't really get into it that much. I don't have the technical skills you mention above, but just bought a book and dvd relevant to the camera I purchased. So I plan to tackle that this winter. And my local community college is offering a beginner photography class next spring. Might do that.

I'm a big fan of those short no-credit classes at the local college. Over the last 20 years we've taken them in interior decorating, several computer classes when the desktop OS was DOS 5.0 and others I can't remember at the moment.

More recently we took one in digital photography and another in Photoshop Elements, both taught by local pros who do it simply because they love to share what they're doing. They're certainly not making much money at it.

The one in Photoshop was especially helpful because the software can be a bit overwhelming at first but it gave me a place to start from.