I started journaling about the time I retired 8 months ago. (I use the iPhone app Journal.) it was just to make note of unusual things seen or experienced or things accomplished or other satisfying moments. When I started this, I thought some entries would be like “Sat around today, watched some TV, otherwise not much.” Looking back over the entries now, I see only two days like that. I’m surprised retirement life has offered so much variety and small-scale adventure, along with a few bigger excursions. For the recently retired, is this your experience too? submitted by /u/Odd_Bodkin [vi ..read more

I'm about to give my notice, and planning to retire in about 2.5 months. I've seen some advice online about taking out a HELOC prior to retirement just to have an available line of credit. We should be completely debt free by the time I retire, have sufficient income to live on, and have no imminent plans to use the HELOC for anything, but just wondering your thoughts... submitted by /u/bd1223 [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

I am a male 61, wife is 53. Our marriage has consisted of traditional rolls, and very successful. She has been working for school system for 15 years as a teachers aide. I will retire before my wife. I’m not sure yet how many years before , but let’s s just say three. I guess i am having trouble imagining myself retired, not working, and my wife still at it. She does have 11 weeks off a year, so we will have time for trips, ect. But it still feels weird and against what has been ingrained in me for 25 years. Anyone have thoughts on this, especially men’s feelings, thoughts. submitted by /u/M ..read more

I fell into the assumption that my daughter would be taking care of all the payments. Well now I'm retired and on SS and a small supplemental income and daughter hasn't made payments in quite awhile. There are some reasonable excuses such as the pandemic and disaster allowances but the worst part is they haven't had a real full time job ( only a part time one for 10 months a year ago) since October of 2019. Lost that 2019 job due to tardiness. Job prior was laid off. When pandemic hit there was no new hiring. After the crunch from 2020 the job market was not kind (she has a degree in finance ..read more

Love my teaching colleagues beyond measure, but it is time. Just turned 63, hubby retired 3 years ago and financially we are set. We are closing on a new house at the end of June in a brand new location (although not terribly far from our current one). We are looking forward to meeting new people and being a bit more sociable than we currently are. Early Sept trip planned to Glacier National Park, so we’ll be finalizing plans as the new school year gets underway. More time with baby granddaughter which I am really looking forward to. No, I will not be babysitting full-time. Any other tips, ex ..read more

Interested to know how you track spending v your budget. We are semi-retired w a variable income that we do not figure into our income so taking withdrawals down savings and not tapping SS until 70 per our excellent CFP. I have a spreadsheet budget broken down by monthly and annually. What do you use to track spends v budget? Excel? App? Site? How do you track and save for I tems you’ve budgeted for but aren’t regular spends, like home upgrades and repairs, travel, gifts, medical beyond insurance? You leave those monies invested? Trying to develop an organized and simple system that will allo ..read more

IMHO marriages should view finances from an "our" perspective, not a this is "mine" and that is "yours" perspective. Especially before and during retirement. Marriage should be a union of equals, with (often) different responsibilities, capabilities, and even assets. An "unshared" view of finances in marriage is potentially opening the door to problems. We are 38+ years married and I have been the primary breadwinner and investor throughout our married lives. I view what we have as ours, not mine. I am living what I am endorsing. 2nd and 3rd time marriages will have a tougher time with the "o ..read more

I am a 70-year-old retired male, single with no children, currently living in the Midwest. I’ve spent most of my life living out West and am used to living single. I moved back to my hometown in the Midwest three years ago, hoping to settle here, but I find myself unhappy with the long, cold winters and frequent cloudy days. I have a large extended family here who I know would give me basic support if I were ill, but I wouldn't expect long-term care from them. The dilemma is familiar to many retirees—should I stay close to family for support or move to a warmer, sunnier location? I imagine th ..read more

Thank you to the folks on this sub whose posts helped encourage me to move out of Wells Fargo, hire a CFP to develop a plan, and then work that plan through Fidelity. It took me too long to pull the trigger on WF but the sharing of information really helped me make the decision, and I feel happy and comfortable with it. Thank you all for sharing your experiences ~ it helps us those of us who are a few years from retirement so much! submitted by /u/HelpfulWorth8654 [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

I am 60 but my spouse is 38. I currently have our health insurance through my job. I plan to retire at 67. 1. When I turn 65 can I keep my employer insurance or will I be forced to take Medicare with supplements? 2. When I retire can we just go on my spouses employer sponsored health care and not have to deal with Medicare supplements? I know that basic Medicare is automatic at 65 employer Healthcare is better and cost less. TIA submitted by /u/Inthecards21 [visit reddit] [comments ..read more