If you are nearing retirement or have recently retired, it is only natural that you are eager to return to your newfound freedom. You may be planning to travel, pursue your hobbies and interests, and reconnect with loved ones and friends.

Welcome to the “go-go” phase of retirement, when you are still active and energized and have the energy to achieve your dreams. Enjoy this period of your life!

However, remember that one day you will move into the “slow” phase of retirement, when you will still be able to move around and enjoy activities, but you will no longer be as energetic as before . And finally, you’ll reach the “no-go” phase, when you’re not very active and might depend on others to help you get through the day.

I hope you’ve already carefully made the most important retirement decisions, including when to retire, when to start Social Security, how to deploy your retirement savings to generate lifetime retirement income, and where to get insurance illness before and after you become eligible for Medicare at age. 65.

ForbesSix Important Decisions to Make During the Critical Retirement Transition ZoneBy Steve Vernon

Better yet would be to develop a strategy to pay for care during your lawless years. These strategies include keeping your home equity in reserve, setting aside money you don’t use to generate retirement income, or purchasing long-term care insurance.

Now let’s look at some nuances of each of the three phases of retirement.

Plan Responsibly to Enjoy Your Go-Go Years

Many retirees may want to spend more money during their working years to travel and pursue their interests while still being active and healthy. How can they do this responsibly without jeopardizing their long-term financial security? A helpful strategy is to set aside money from your retirement savings to devote to travel and entertainment. Fund this bucket with an estimate of how much additional money you’ll need for the next five to 10 years, or for however long you think you’ll need it.

However, don’t count your travel/fun bucket as money that generates your lifetime retirement salary. Instead, use your remaining funds to generate paychecks that supplement Social Security and any pension income you may have. If you have balanced all of your lifetime retirement checks with your planned living expenses, then you should be able to safely spend the money in your travel/fun bucket.

ForbesCan retirees spend more money responsibly on travel?By Steve Vernon

Another way to spend extra money safely during your starting years is to earn money by working part-time. But don’t rely on this income to meet your daily expenses, because you may not be able to continue working to earn an income. When that time comes, you may be entering your slow years and you won’t need extra money for travel and entertainment.

Here’s another nuance of planning for your starting years: Make plans for your slow, unfulfilling years, and implement them while you still have the capacity and energy. Now let’s look at these two phases.

Revisit and refine your plans for your slow years

If you haven’t already, the most important task to undertake during your slow years is to determine what type of home and community will work best for your slow, non-transition years. For example, you may want to consider downsizing your home and opting for a home that is less expensive to maintain, has no yard to mow, and is easily accessible for daily activities such as shopping. , healthcare providers, your friends and your interests.

Another consideration is whether you need to have relatives or friends nearby to help you with basic care and assistance when you reach your lawless years.

A common mistake I’ve seen is that people stay in their big house in the suburbs until their lawless years, then find out they can no longer live there. At this point, they have to rely on friends and family to help them move (and clean out a house with a lifetime of accumulated trash). You can avoid this mistake by moving to a more suitable community and home during your startup or downturn years.

You may also want to anticipate and implement repairs that may be needed in the coming years. Keep in mind that you will be less able to keep up with these repairs during your maintenance-free years.

Finally, you’ll want to study and implement strategies to protect your money as you age. People in their down or stagnant years are often less able to manage their money and may suffer financial losses due to errors or fraud. Consider using free online tools from The Roadmap to Thinking About the Future: A Guide to Protecting Your Money as You Age.

Plan ahead for fragility during your dead end years

In their later years, many retirees become frail and will need care and assistance with daily life. You will want to think about and research specific caregivers and people who can help you with these activities. These could be relatives, friends, or even paid caregivers, and you’ll want to factor any increased costs into your monthly budget.

The best time to think about these unavoidable issues is during your slow years, before you need caregivers. This way, you can evaluate which providers would be best for you. If you wait too long, someone else – often your adult children – will make these decisions for you. While they may have your best interests at heart, they don’t know you as well as you know yourself.

Here’s the bottom line: With long retirements, you can’t assume the retirement years will last the rest of your life. Instead, you will need to plan ahead for several phases of life that each have different needs.