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This post is from FMF contributor Peter Shannon.

As we come to the end of our working lives, the prospect of having some time to ourselves can be exciting. Many look forward to living out their dreams without career or financial constraints. For some however, the end of their career can spell uncertainty and the prospect of having a lot of free time without a strict schedule can be quite daunting. A great way to ensure that your retirement is enjoyable and fulfilling is to take up a new hobby or pastime. Here we'll take a look at some ideas that will help you to relax, meet new people, stay active or possibly gain a new skill.

Sport

This post is from FMF contributor Peter Shannon.

After all the excitement and celebrations of Christmas and the New Year, January can be a month that leaves many people feeling rather flat. And it’s not just our moods that could do with a lift, it’s or finances too after all the expense of the festive season. So here are five ways that you can give yourself a financial boost online.

Get selling!

Maybe one of your new year resolutions was to de-clutter your life and make it more simple – and, even if it wasn’t, this could be a great plan. So take a look at all the stuff around you, from old furniture to CDs that you don’t need or want any more and get ready to sell, sell, sell. It’s easy to do on eBay or other more local sites like Gumtree and, before you know it, you’ll have less clutter and a healthier bank balance too.

Turn yourself into a You Tube Star

Fidelity lists six habits of successful investors as follows:

• Develop a long-term plan—and stick with it.
• Be a supersaver.
• Stick with stocks, despite volatility.
• Be diversified.
• Buy low-fee investment products that offer good value.
• Focus on generating after-tax returns.

This is a pretty good list and it's hard to argue with Fidelity. Here's what I'll add about investing success:

1. Go with low-cost index funds. They will give you the best overall return (once expenses are factored in) for the least amount of time and hassle.

Warning: This is NOT a political post, so do not turn it into one. I'm simply highlighting a statement from a very wealthy individual/family which demonstrates a solid financial principle.

One of the blogs I regularly read pointed to this article which features a story about Ivanka Trump.

She said she learned a valuable lesson about money when she was 14. Her mother booked a trip, reserving coach seats for Ivanka and her brothers. Her mom had a first class seat.

Ivanka's mother told her she could use her own money to pay for an upgrade if she wanted to sit in first class.

Now here's the gold nugget. Here's what Ivanka said she learned from the experience:

"Be judicious when deciding where and how to spend your money. Invest wisely and splurge selectively.”

Exactly!