Money Smart Ways to Give Back

THE Washington Post recently profiled a man from Baltimore County, Md., who spends his free time— actually, pretty much all of his time—retrieving illegally abandoned tires from stagnant creeks and mosquito-infested swamps.

- THE NEW WORLD OF RETIREMENT BY SANDRA BLOCK

Since 2013, Jon Merryman has dug up an estimated 15,000 tires and has set a goal of picking up tires in every county in the U.S. The average tire weighs 25 pounds, so he doesn't need to go to the gym to stay in shape.

While most of us aren’t as driven as Merryman, just about everyone I know has expressed a desire to volunteer in retirement. Along with the recipients of their generosity, volunteers reap the rewards, too: Research has shown that older people who volunteer on a regular basis are less likely to suffer from age-related health problems and cognitive decline.

The key is finding a good fit. In some cases, that may involve volunteering for an organization that will benefit from your professional skills. A friend of mine who has a background in health care is a volunteer for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (www.shiphelp.org), which helps Medicare beneficiaries navigate their benefits at no cost. Another friend, a longtime journalist, is helping high school students publish a local newspaper.