After years of hard work, you've decided to call it quits and retire. But before waving goodbye to your colleagues, you'll want to plan an exit strategy. A smooth transition requires more than just figuring out how to survive without a steady paycheck. You'll also need to figure out how to cope with the emotional impact of forgoing a routine you've followed for most of your adult life. 'One of the biggest challenges in retirement is really staying engaged,' says Tom Nelson, chief operating officer of AARP in Washington. Here are some steps to pave the way to retirement:

-- Create a health-care fund. If you don't qualify for Medicare, set aside enough money to cover the cost of health insurance, even if your employer offers health plans to retirees, advises Drew Denning, vice president of the retiree-services division at Principal Financial Group Inc. 'It's not a vested benefit like a company pension plan, meaning a company can retract that at any point in time,' he says. Also, get a physical before your current health-insurance plan expires, says Mr. Denning. Since some providers deny coverage to high-risk individuals, you'll want to know if you fall into this category. If you do, consider staying on the job a little longer to 'mitigate the significant risk of a huge health-insurance claim,' he advises.

-- Develop a long-term budget. Determine how much money you'll need on a monthly basis for as long as 40 years from now, says Sandy Timmermann, director of Mature Market Institute, a research division at MetLife Inc. People 'are focused on how much money we can accumulate, but not a great deal of attention gets paid to how you'll distribute that income for the rest of your life,' she says.

-- Assist your employer. Recommend successors for your job and help the person who lands it get off to a strong start, suggests David Smith, managing director of talent and organization performance at Accenture Ltd., a global consulting company based in New York. Offer to have your successor shadow you for a few days and prepare a list of resources and key contacts.

-- Join your alumni network. Just like universities, many businesses now have alumni groups for employees. You'll have an easy way to get in touch with colleagues who've also left the company, says Mr. Smith. Staying connected can expose you to volunteer or consulting opportunities, too. Accenture alums, for example, began mentoring and training young employees about three years ago; some are even paid a small stipend for the help.

-- Secure government aid. It can take 90 days for eligible individuals to receive Social Security benefits or Medicare, says Mr. Denning. If you're 65 or older, or will be by the time you retire, sign up online at ssa.gov or call 800-772-1213 to receive benefits immediately after you stop working.

-- Plan ways to stay active. Without an itinerary to follow, retirement can quickly become dull and depressing, warns AARP's Mr. Nelson. 'People get bored. People get isolated,' he says. Do volunteer work, take up a hobby, enroll in classes or pursue a part-time job. 'You really want to have a sense of meaning and purpose,' he says.

辛勤工作多年之后，你终于决定要退休了。但在跟同事们挥手再见之前，你还得规划一个退出战略。顺利过渡需要的不光是想好在没有稳定收入的情况下怎样生活。你还需要考虑，在放弃已经习惯了大半辈子的日常生活后，由此带来的情绪变化该如何应对。华盛顿AARP的首席运营长汤姆·纳尔逊(Tom Nelson)说，退休生活最难的一个地方是让自己有事做。以下是为退休生活做好准备的一些步骤：

－建立一个医疗基金。信安金融(Principal Financial Group Inc.)退休员工服务部的副总裁德鲁·丹宁(Drew Denning)建议说，如果你没有参加美国联邦医疗保险(Medicare)，就得留出足够的钱以备医疗保险之用，就算公司为退休员工提供医疗保障计划也不例外。他说，公司的保障计划不像公司退休金计划那样是种应有的福利，也就是说公司可以随时撤消；此外，在当前的医疗保险计划到期之前要进行体检。由于一些保险公司拒绝为高风险人群承保，你得了解自己是否在这个行列。丹宁建议说，如果你属于高风险人群，可以考虑推迟一段时间退休，以便降低巨额医疗保险费的风险。

－编制长期预算。大都会保险(MetLife Inc.)的研究机构Mature Market Institute的负责人桑迪·蒂默曼(Sandy Timmermann)说，判断一下从现在起最长40年，你每个月需要多少钱。她说，人们都关注自己能攒多少钱，但却不怎么重视余生如何分配自己的收入。

－帮帮你的老板。位于纽约的跨国咨询公司埃森哲(Accenture Ltd.)的人才与组织绩效董事总经理大卫·史密斯(David Smith)建议，为你的职位推荐继任者，并帮助接手的人顺利开始。让继任者跟着你做几天，并准备一个资源和重要联络人名单。

－加入职友网络。与大学一样，许多公司现在也有员工的职友组织。史密斯说，你可以很方便地与同样已经离开公司的同事联系。保持联系还会让你获得一些志愿或顾问工作的机会。举例来说，大约三年前，埃森哲的职友就开始为年轻员工提供指导和培训了；有的甚至还能为此获得一小笔津贴。

－寻求政府补助。丹宁说，符合条件的个人收到社保或医保福利需要90天。如果你的年龄在65岁以上，或是等到你退休时会到这个年龄，应当一退休就登录ssa.gov或拨打800-772-1213，登记接收福利。

－想想怎么让自己有事做。AARP的纳尔逊警告说，没有了每天都要干的例行工作，退休生活可能很快就会变得十分乏味，令人沮丧。他说，人们会觉得无聊、孤单。可以做一些志愿工作，培养点儿兴趣爱好，参加一些课程学点东西或是干点兼职工作。纳尔逊说，你得让自己的生活有点意义和目标。