DAMMAM: Somewhere in your not-so-distant future is retirement, and there is nothing you can do to stop the clock from ticking. Each year you come closer to the last day of your job and the first day of the rest of your life.

Retirement is actually the beginning of a new life where expertise and experience can be of great help to society.

Speaking about his retirement decision, Abdullah Al-Qahtani said: "It shocked me at first, as I did not imagine that the organization would ask me to retire. But then I decided to open a real estate office where I worked in the contracting and implementation of projects, although I had no expertise in that field before."

According to a field study conducted by Ali Al-Sultan and Ibrahim bin Omar at the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh, 27 percent of retirees in the Kingdom live in villas, 43 percent in houses and 15 percent in apartments.

The study revealed that 58 percent of retirees own homes, while 40 percent rented homes, which raises a number of important questions concerning the reason behind their lack of ownership. Is it poor planning for retirement, low salaries or high property rates? There is no clear answer.

Moreover, about 69 percent of retirees do not have a housemaid or a driver, although they are desperately in need due to their old age, while another 20 percent of them have either a driver or a housemaid only, and one percent has more than six housemaids or drivers.

Since it is an unavoidable future, it is best to plan ahead to avoid any unwanted surprises or psychological problems, the study said.

An important step includes planning to keep busy by participating in volunteering works, establishing a private project or business, visiting friends, and participating in group tours, it said.

It is important to renew the daily routine, strengthen social relationships and fill your spare time with useful activities to remain comfortable after years of working, the study added.