If you truly are retired, there should be little or no income from working, with the exception of interest and gains on your IRA and other investment programs that are working for you.  As your Pension and Social Security checks clear the bank, your new goal in life should be to spend these dollars freely plus what you’ve saved for this occasion, leaving very little remaining for your heirs.  If there was a Retirement Game, I would call it YLOPONOM, the reverse of “MONOPOLY,” or to ease pronunciation, SPENDOPOLY.  In the game of “MONOPOLY” your mission is to accumulate property and wealth.  In SPENDOPOLY your aim is to divest and spend.  Keep in mind, you may want to set aside some money to pay for your Grandchildren’s education so you pay it forward like your parents were supposed to do.  At the end of the game of SPENDOPOLY, you should be flat broke but still healthy, savoring lots of great memories.  In “MONOPOLY” you start with little, and ultimately win if you have succeeded in bankrupting everyone else.  It’s a vicious, cruel game with only one winner.  SPENDOPOLY is much more satisfying and winning isn’t at the expense of others.

In SPENDOPOLY every time you pass “GO,” you continue to receive Pension and Social Security checks, but essentially you are circling the playing board spending those dollars on fine hotels and dining.   Hopefully, during the course of your travels, you don’t draw a “Chance” card that depletes your savings for medical care, or “Go to Jail” for failing to file your taxes.  All you want is that “Advance to GO” card so you can collect another check without unpacking.  Maybe there’s a “Community Chest” card that entitles you to an inheritance.  Shame on them for leaving you their savings.  They did not play the game properly.

If you are fortunate, you get to spend most of your time on “Boardwalk” and “Park Place,” rather than with your relatives in “Indiana,” “Illinois,” and “Kentucky.”  Although the Windy City is well worth the travel time to get there.  Sports, theater, and fine dining await you.  Also, make sure you enjoy the luxury of a fine hotel on “Pacific Avenue,” rather than staying in a small house on “Oriental.”  Spending some time on the  “Railroad Properties,” would allow you to see all the National Parks, but don’t forget to pay your “Water Works” and “Electric Company” utility bills while you’re away from home.  A mistake like that could come back to haunt you when you’re forced to draw another card.  Do some “Reading” and avoid “B&O” on those long train rides.  Maybe take the “Short Line,” find a nice hotel, and spend some time in the shower.

SPENDOPOLY would probably include a space for a Retirement Community and Assisted Living Facilities.  Stay away from them as long as you can.  Make all your rolls of the dice count and see as much of the game board as you can.  I might suggest selecting the “Race Car” or the “Ship” as your playing piece, as opposed to the “Old Shoe.”  Some of you may want to take your “Top Hat” along, or even your “Dog,” but leave the “Thimble” and “Iron” to those who are still working.

Take your time on your travels and smell the roses at “Marvin Gardens,” enjoy some sweet syrup in “Vermont,” and take advantage of “Free Parking” whenever possible. SPENDOPOLY will also include “Community Chest” cards for Senior Citizen Discounts, Early Bird Specials, and AARP insurance. Don’t be afraid to pay a “Luxury Tax.”  After all, you’ve earned it.  Finally, spend some time confessing to “St. Charles” and “St. James” just in case there are some Pearly Gates that you need to pass through on your last stop.