For many people, retirement goes something like this: You work a bunch of years (or, more likely, decades). You land on a retirement age. A few months before you want to retire, you submit your resignation, giving your employer minimal notice that you're on your way out the door. You then essentially go from a full-time work schedule -- and a full-time paycheck -- to suddenly having no schedule whatsoever and no job-related earnings to fall back on.

It's not the best system, frankly. When you go from being a full-time worker to suddenly being retired, it can be financially and mentally jarring.

Suddenly, you have to find a way to fill your days. And you have to figure out how to manage on a smaller income that may consist of modest retirement plan withdrawals and benefits from Social Security.

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Source Fool.com