Open Thread: Retirement. Ready?

I’ve been thinking about retirement lately. I”m not planning to quit my job because I love it and hope to do it forever…

..but it’s probably wise for me to think about what retirement would be like. Especially one by a beach!

The thing that keeps me up at night, of course, is what the financial pressures might be like. Will I outlive my financial reserves?  (On my mother’s side, almost everyone made it to 99!) Will inflation or rising taxes or medical costs make me size up the offerings in the pet food aisle?

Besides that, I wonder about how to keep my mind occupied. (I’ve worked since I was thirteen.)  Even now some weekends are a challenge…I really have to struggle to keep away from the keyboard and checking one last email.

There are social issues, too, although as a widow, I don’t face the adjustment of a spouse who’s suddenly at home all the time…but I have friends who still work and it’s tough to coordinate a meeting sometimes.

I”ve started to look for books and resources on what to expect and how to handle this next phase of my life….but what about you? What’s your retirement experience? Share your stories or tips in the comments!

 

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send your suggestions for Open Threads to her at editor@seniorplanet.org.

Photo by Sean O. on Unsplash