1. You Need a Personalized Plan — Retirement Rules of Thumb Don’t Work as Well for Single

1. You Need a Personalized Plan — Retirement Rules of Thumb Don’t Work as Well for Single

2. Overcome Your Financial Insecuritie According to a study from Northwestern Mutual, “Overall, single men and women are generally less satisfied with their financial circumstances than married Americans.”

3. Maintain a Schedule Experts suggest that a major contributor to aging after retirement is the lack of the schedule that a job provides.

4. Special Note for People Who Become Single After Retirement At 65, my grandmother had never paid a bill in her entire life.

5. Consider Adopting a Pet The research on the benefits of owning a dog is overwhelming and is probably particularly true if you are single

6. Cultivate a Support Network Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, maintaining friendships is actually critical to your health and well-being.

7. Stay Social Besides the practical support, a lot of research has shown the benefits of being social as we age.

8. Avoid Emotional Loneline Being alone can be great. Feeling lonely can have a detrimental impact on your health.

9. Think Carefully About Where You Live Housing is generally your biggest retirement expense. Whether married or not, all retirees need to think carefully about their housing choices.

10. Divorced or Widowed? Think Through Your Social Security Claiming Strategy You probably know that delaying the start of your Social Security benefits until 70 will maximize your monthly benefit check.

11. Take Special Note of Your Heart Health According to the American College of Cardiology, single adults are 5% more likely to develop heart disease than their married peers.