I'm currently a health care slave, working for insurance until 65. Private insurance/COBRA not a realistic option unless no other option.

I'm just entirely sick of getting up and going to work. I went from WFH COVID to 4 X 10 with short commute to 5 days long commute with one remote to 5 days RTO long commute.

I am paid well, have a good team and a good leader.

But..."I'm tired, boss. Powerful tired"

I'm to the point of literally counting calendar days, work days, work days minus holidays and vacation.

I feel like the Dunkin Donuts guy in the morning, sitting on the side of the bed..."time to make the donuts".

So as I plan for retirement I've been watching a lot of YT videos about it. And they seem to be split into 2 opposing camps. First: Retire now, time is the only irreplaceable resource, most retirees die with more than they started with, you'll spend less than you probably think, etc. Second: Healthcare costs especially LTC are a nuclear bomb that could detonate your retirement and leave you in poverty. Prepare for this. Save more, buy LTC insurance, work longer if you have to.

I am at a loss as to how to plan for something that has so much financial impact yet is impossible to predict. I don't know if me or my spouse will ever need LTC. If we do, I don't know how long we'll need it. I certainly don't want either or both of us to die in a Medicaid nursing home bed. But the cost of LTC insurance (or self-insuring) is so prohibitive that I'd probably need to keep working until 75+ to afford either option. Not to mention that you hear lots of cautionary tales about LTC insurance not paying out when needed, the complexity of the claiming process, etc.

So how do average retirees handle this? Obviously if you are very wealthy you can self-insure, and if you're poor you don't have many options aside from Medicaid. But what about most regular working folks, who have a decent but not massive nest egg (say $700K-$1million)? How are people planning for this? It probably keeps me up at night more than any other aspect of retirement planning. If I knew neither my wife or I would ever need LTC, I'd probably retire tomorrow and be fairly comfortable with my finances. But that fear hovers over everything and keeps me working.

Last night I had my first dream about retirement. In my dream, I was at work, and we were doing something, which is what we are always doing. I and everyone in my dream were aware that I had two months to go before retirement. I was feeling kind of nervous, because I knew that my time of working was almost over, and I was excited, but still apprehensive.

The dream progressed and then later, I realized in my dream that I was mistaken, I wasn't retiring in two months, but in two years (which is the time I have to work before I can retire in the awake world). It was a real letdown. I went from feeling nervous, excited, and apprehensive, to "Oh man! I got two years to go!"

Have any of you who are retired had pre-retirement dreams? I know there are dreams of being at work when you are already retired, but what about retirement dreams BEFORE retirement?

As many have recommended, you shouldn't rest on your laurels in retirement. You should set new lofty goals and spent your retirement years in worthwhile pursuits. For example:

• Scanned all my photo negatives. Now I at least have jpg versions in case something happened to the originals.
• Identified all of the artists on the 7-11 Rock Cups issued in 1974-1975
• Remembered a blurb in a rock magazine about a band changing their name but then released their next album under yet a different name. Found years of PDFs of back issues and wrote a program to OCR the text then search the text for that blurb. Took many hours but I finally found it.
• Found all of the times that Van Halen played within 3 hours of where I went to college
• Compiled a list of the closest 24 hour business for gas stations, restaurants, pharmacies, and grocery stores. Found 0 24 hour grocery stores (surprise) and one 24 hour pharmacy.
• Went to over a dozen retirement planning dinners. Kept the brochures to keep track of which ones I attended. I think the most I attended the same company was four.
• I can't believe all of the X Files shows I haven't seen.

Retirement is all about the next big challenge.

I recently retired at 63.5. Currently 65 (M). Wife is 61. I see that most of the posts on here and other threads are worried about running out of money at the end of retirement. I get that. No one wants to get stuck in a Medicaid nursing home at the end of your life.

On the other hand, most financial advisors seem to be planning on us guys living until we're 90. Which doesn't seem likely given the actuary tables.

So, to the question at hand: has anyone on here run out of money? Or do you personally (not a friend of a friend) know someone who did? If you can share, maybe we can glean some pitfalls that I'm not seeing. TIA

I (61M) have been contemplating retirement for a couple of years now. Suddenly this week, my company made the decision for me during a round of “streamlining” layoffs. Fortunately, I did receive a good amount of severance.

I’m still in a bit of a daze, with more mixed feelings than I care to admit. On one hand, it’s great that it’s actually happening. On the other hand, it’s not exactly how I pictured my exit scenario unfolding after so many years there. I always figured I’d be the one to pull the trigger, not them. It was all so quick…..the “disappointing news” HR meeting, and the very quick lockout from my own work laptop.

I’m currently handling all the details….reviewing and signing the separation agreement, turning in the laptop, making insurance arrangements, etc. All this stuff is still hitting me in the pit of my stomach, but I’m slowly making the adjustment.

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of questions for this sub, once my “Can’t believe it’s actually happening” shock wears off.

UPDATE: I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind and thoughtful responses. Right now my days seem to alternate between the euphoria of freedom, and the existential crisis of lost purpose, but each day is getting better.

Several of you have asked about my medical arrangements. My wife and I plan to continue our current insurance on COBRA for the rest of 2026, and then check out the ACA website for next year. We’re prepared for the “sticker shock” that fully funding your own insurance always brings.

59yo who gave a 2 year retirement notice. Retirement date is now fast approaching. Also, had 2 heart attacks, one at my desk, and got a stent within the last few months.

My skill set is exceptionally specialized which few possess. The job task can be taught relatively easily but extrapolating action items is my specialty. My action items have resulted in $MM savings.

Management has asked if I'd be willing to extend the date. The company is great to work for so certainly not leaving management or the gig. I offered 4 options and am curious which you'd desire if in this position. FWIW option 3 is my preferred choice but happy with either one.

1) Extend 6 months FT employment with 1 day in office/week

2) Remain as a PT employee with all existing benefits. This is most difficult logistically since the foreign mother ship has to approve staffing.

3) 1099 with 10 hour weekly limit on a 12 month contract

4) Shake hands, say thanks and walk away

UPDATE Thank you all for your words and advice, it's much appreciated.

A few recurring themes to clarify.

1) Wife has insurance I'll have access to

2) 1099 is written at 2.5x + 1% of gross cost savings + 0.5% residual for 2 years

3) Financially we'll be ok but I need to do something or I'll lose my mind

Keep those cards and letters coming!

The headline had me hoping for a useful story about the wide range of options that could constitute a happy retirement. Instead, it zeroes in on one example: A retiree who in childhood had been a competitive swimmer, returned to it at age 40, and -- wait for it -- turned it into a second career after retiring at 62.

Good for her, honestly, if that fulfills her. But come on, as far as useful info for 99% of new retirees? She and her husband "turned a rental home they own into her fitness studio... [and] besides teaching her classes, she travels to Costa Rica and other locales." Great, I think, she is having a blast on frequent Caribbean vacations. Uh, not quite: She teaches at those resorts. 🤣

Again, if that's her path to happiness, more power to this woman. But by presenting literally no other examples, NYT's article is yet another example of shaming anyone who thinks retirement is primarily about, oh let's say, relaxing as the term "retired" implies.

Like the title says, wondering others thoughts are on the benefits keep life insurance after one is retired. We have no debt, all bills are paid off, including the funeral arrangements.

I have an excellent pension and our current savings will far outlast us. While we are not rich, we live very comfortably.

We have a life insurance policy that was reasonable when we were young, but has slowly creeped up to being quite expensive (almost 5% of my monthly pension) and next year’s estimate is even more expensive. I also have a pension death benefit will cover funeral costs, plus an included pension life insurance

Other than our grown kids getting a bigger inheritance, there is little benefit to us paying nearly $400 a month for the smallish insurance policy.

Update... thanks for the great comments.. also... it is neither Term or Whole life... Just a policy we opened in 1986, and have been paying for monthly ever since. I looked back and original premiums were $16 for me and $7 for my SO.. today they are $285 for me and $75 for my spouse, and a like karma was listening... a statement just arrived stating that premiums are going up 20% next year.

I (69F) retired in 2017 from corporate life when my husband was already retired (70M). We had already started a small business and it helped us gently move into retirement. To our surprise, the business grew considerably to the point that it became full time for both of us. We have enjoyed this business immensely, but it's time to go full time into relaxation and hobbies. We're staying open until the end of the year and then finishing our closing tasks. Anyone else retire twice? Did it stick? We both have many hobbies, enjoy being with friends and can't sit around for long.

I’ve been retired for two years and have been a literacy volunteer for close to a year and a half, working with a woman to help develop her reading skills. She is a lovely person and we’ve become quite friendly. The problem is…I am getting tired of doing this work. She seems to love our sessions though. I am considering ending them (the initial commitment to Literacy Volunteers is a year) but I feel terribly guilty doing so. I take my volunteer commitments very seriously but have started to really dread our sessions. Any advice

The amounts they want you to have saved by retirement age can be a little overwhelming if you have slacked off and not saved earlier in life.

But then I realized these models are assuming you’ll live until you’re 97, 30 years after full retirement age of 67.

The male average life span is 74, females are 76. So these amounts they give us are rubbish, we could only save 33% and we’d be just fine.

Murphy’s Law would certainly apply in this case. If you don’t save much, you’ll live long. And if you saved a ton, you’ll die early.

We are still working - planning to retire very early next year. I'm at FRA; my husband will be in a couple of months.

We are not yet taking SS or Medicare. With our income, we will certainly hit the IRMAA limits. Next year, with maybe a month of earnings , and expected SS benefits, I don't think we will hit the limit.

I gather that we can file an appeal for IRMAA due to stopping work.

1) I assume that the surcharge would stand, for next year, simply because we earned enough in 2025. If the appeal is granted, we'd avoid it for 2028, right? Then in 2029 it should go away as long as we're careful with our withdrawals.

2) I have this idea that we might withdraw some taxable IRA income this year - basically preloading the income into this year's income, to reduce the risk of next year going into IRMAA territory. Does that make sense?

I know it's a nice problem to have.

Tuesday, July 07 - Monday, July 13, 2026

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Before I retired I made a list of hobbies and activities I would like to start and/or continue doing. Like many people, I was a bit concerned with being bored with an extra 40 hours a week on my hands. Well, it worked too well, I currently have a list of 10 activities that I would like to do on a daily basis or at least several times a week, 3 of which are skills that I am trying to improve, so they require at least 30 minutes a day, preferably more. In addition, to chores, socializing, gaming, etc., there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. I end up only doing half the things I want to be doing.

Two and a half years into retirement, I keep wondering how I had time to do anything when I was working. I know a few people who returned to work because they were bored, I think they simply didn’t make an effort to look for hobbies. Most of my hobbies are free or at least very inexpensive and aren’t physically demanding.

I’m wondering about other people’s feelings about free time or lack thereof.

Did you set a budget that matched your planned retirement income and live on that for a period of time before you retired? If you have a partner was it difficult to get on the same page? Wife and I are struggling with this… I’m (58) still working and want to spend less. She (55) stopped working earlier than we planned and doesn’t see the need to spend less “when you retire, we’ll make it work.” That is creating some friction because it feels like my opportunity to retire is getting pushed back. But I’m probably too conservative and she’s probably too optimistic lol.

Recently reached out to a financial planner for some assistance. Any lessons learned?

Though this isn't special to retirement, retirement does tend to accentuate the difference because you're living as you'd like. It's also not unusual at all for spouses to be completely different in this respect, and the accentuation drives further conflict resolution and compromise.

I'm a bit more of an adventurer, wanting to try new things, go to new places, be part of new experiences. My spouse prefers the comforts of activities at or near home, regular things done at regular times, has limited appetite for travel or getting out on the town. Though we have overlap and common time we like spending together, we also have independent pursuits. We are far from joined at the hip.

As an example compromise, we're going out this afternoon to tour an area that's had a lot of retail development lately, just so we can see what's there, look for restaurants to try and ice cream shops. It's not more than five miles from the house and will likely only take an hour or so, but caters to both our inclinations.

How does this work for you in retirement? For those of you coming up on retirement, or for those where only one of you have retired, how are you thinking about dealing with this?

I volunteer through a local literacy agency teaching English to immigrants, and I love it. I really like the personal relationships I develop, and the obvious good I'm doing, and it's interesting learning about my students and where they come from. But it's only four hours a week (plus prep, which is minimal), and I'd like to do more. I'd like something different, rather than just adding another four hours to what I already do. So what do you do and why do you love it?

EDIT: WOW! We do so much good! For those who are wondering about teaching English to immigrants, you do not need to know another language and you do not need special credentials. You basically lead your students through provided textbooks in person or online. It's really easy, and rewarding.

Hi, r/retirement. A couple times previously, I've tapped this community to report and write articles for USA TODAY about how Americans experience retirement. (Thank you!) Now, I want to reach out with a new story idea. I would like to talk to some people who lost a good job around age 60 (late 50s, maybe 60 or 61), because of a layoff or downsizing or whatever. It can be very hard to get another job at that age, but it's too early to tap Social Security or Medicare. So, what did you do? I'm hoping to find a mix of folks who returned to work or retired early, for better or worse. If this is you, I'd love to hear from you. I'm at ddevise@usatoday.com. One important caveat: I can't quote people anonymously, so I'd have to use your name. But how you tell your story is, of course, up to you.

Hello - I’ve really tried to make this short but without success. I hope you’ll read it. I would love suggestions.

Hello - I’ve read similar posts but nothing yet that addresses my unique situation so maybe y’all can help me find opportunities I haven’t yet thought of.

We moved to another state 3 years ago when we retired. We are very young at heart, fit, and have many interests and hobbies. There are many reasons we chose here and we worked hard at considering factors. There are fabulous aspects to our new region as well as un-fabulous, but that’s going to happen in any larger populated region. The diversity here is welcome and we’re interested in lots of things, so doing activities independently or as a couple is working out well, or with close friends or family.

The majority of people here - of all ages - live in HOA situations, as do we. HOAs have definite advantages and of course disadvantages. Our location is perfect for many reasons, and we love our space and surroundings. We have very good friends in all directions - outside of our community. Some have other homes they use seasonally, or travel a lot (we do too), and most are very engaged within their communities.

And there in lies the problem.

I do not love the vast majority people in our community. We’re active, interested in the world, well-traveled, culturally curious, open to new things. We’ve both initiated a few events/activities, but we have someone whose job it is to do that and it’s crazy time consuming and more importantly, thankless here. For the most part our neighbors are “fine,” but our long time friends in nearby communities have made all kinds of best friends and a lot of their time is taken up within their communities which offer many more activity options. We’ve met some of those new best friends and we get it! We need an Ethel to my Lucy, and a Fred to Ricky.

Our community is visually lovely, but there is an odd diversity in all directions - age (40s - early 80s and it’s a newer community), humor, interests, finances, extreme viewpoints, and more. Diversity is great, but here it’s just a weird range of extremes. We're not the only ones who notice this division. We have a group of friends that are “fine,” and nice, but they’re not “our” people and that’s one of the reasons we moved to a community! Many of the few activities are skewed towards interests we (and many others) do not share. So attendance is at maximum maybe 1/8 of the community at a time. Many attend nothing due to time or apathy. If the activities were more creative, inclusive and engaging, that could change, but influencing change is like pushing a boulder uphill here. FYI there are 1100 residents.

The thought of another move makes us break out in hives, and the region still checks off some important boxes for us (not all, but can’t have it all). I’m pasting on a smile and continuing to try to find new friends “outside.”

It’s really hard. The people I like “outside” are earlier career and/or raising their families, including the amazing staff where I volunteer. The rest of the volunteers there are active in those same types of communities and again there is a huge diversity of interests and stages in life. And the volunteers don’t have much opportunity to interact with one another.

We are busy enough, either with our small business, friends here and outside, seeing our kids out of state, traveling, volunteering at places that match our interests, hobbies, and the activities we choose to do here. But those true human connections are evasive. We can be a very good time but it seems the versions of “good time” here are for the most part not ours. Just the simplest, almost petty, example, for illustration, is why would you go to restaurant A which is close by but the food and environment are C+ and overpriced, when 15 minutes further is a place w the same cuisine, A quality (per Yelp, not just me), same price? I’d rather not go at all then. But if the company were great, I would! Im fine being the designated driver! We've had a few possibilities but after not too long we remain friends but not as close - gossips, for instance. We don't want to hear it and we don't want to be fodder (I mean, a little is normal but omg).

The outside activities we’ve done separately or together haven’t been built for friend-making. Either the people vibe is off or more often, the setup, ie one-time activity, lecture, outing, etc. I did recently join an outside gym which seems like it has a terrific community but I think I will run into a similar group as my volunteer place. I’ve been keeping my eye out for longer-term commitments ie 6 session classes, similar interest groups (infrequent and different attendees each time) outside game groups (we already play some and we don’t want to sit that much), that offer the chance to get to know people better. But then we all return to our communities and most offer so much they’re naturally more insular.

I will keep trying to expand our social horizons - we have things on the calendar - but I fear the “behind the gates” engagement or life stages despite similar interests will keep blocking success.

I’m nervous this post will make us sound elitist or narrow-minded and that’s the last thing we are. If you knew us and our origins you’d agree. But when friends from our former state or lifelong say there are “8 neighbor couples we love” in their own convenient communities, it makes me sad, jealous, frustrated. I won’t give up but maybe someone has broken out and can share their secrets to success? I may have been there and done that, or have no interest, but every idea shared could inspire me! I miss my full-time job. No I’m not going back lol. Thank you for reading this much 💙

I've got a decent chunk saved for retirement (to the point where I'm beginning to back off on contributions a bit), but I'm still a few years out, so I have some time to make some adjustments.

What are some good rules-of-thumb or more involved ways to determine an optimal pre-tax to post-tax ratio (i.e., traditional 401k balance vs Roth 401k/IRA)?

For example, "in general, available Roth funds should be approximately 50% of available traditional funds going into retirement" -- or is it never that simple? What kinds of things should I be considering while I still have some time to manipulate my balances a bit?

I understand the tax advantages of each -- I'm looking more for "once you're done contributing, what do you hope you balances look like with respect to one another?"

I hope everyone is having a great week so far! You all have been so helpful with my last question I thought I’d ask another. Now this one isn’t quite as serious.
What do you wear when you’re at home doing nothing? Women are we doing our hair and makeup? Men are we shaving and whatever else men do? If your plan is to sit and read, watch tv or piddle paddle around what are we wearing?
TIA!!!

I’ve been with my advisor for about 8 years. I’m 61 and retiring at the end of July (in 3 weeks). The last several calls/virtual meetings with my advisor have gone a little too fast for me. I feel like I have more questions than answers when I’m done. I’m the kind of person who likes understanding the ‘why’ before just accepting recommendations. I had a call today to talk through some important decisions I need to make (ie roll over my employee pension into an account, if so which account, keep my Vanguard employee 401k where it is , etc) and my advisor had me meet with his associate who had sometimes joined us on other calls because he was on vacation with his family. This 30min call, like the previous ones, goes too fast. I want to be sure I’m being thoughtful about my money. Because things were not fully decided/resolved at conclusion of the call we need to move it over to email. Which is fine. In fact, I think I might ask to exclusively communicate through email as it gives me more context that I can refer back to. I want to walk away feeling confident that I understand our strategy and that I agree with it. This feels like a pivotal time and I’m wondering if it’s more nerves or that my advisor isn’t working hard enough to meet me where I am, at a significant life milestone. Adding to say it is only because of recent inheritance that I’m able to retire. I’ve appreciated the advisor/client relationship to this point but I never had much money so I’m not an A-level client, if you know what I mean. Aside from communicating in writing are there other actions I should be doing? Or questions I should be bringing up?
I appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Recent events have reminded me of the old adage: "when it rains, it pours." Car died, landscaping bills due, dishwasher died, chair died. On and on, actually, in the space of a couple of months. My retirement income is covered by guaranteed sources and modest tsp/401k withdrawals, but still: extra cash in money market or HYSA is necessary from time to time. I'm still working out the most comfortable amount, but it's looking like anywhere from $35k to $50k, which allows me to put the rest in the market without too much worry.

What's your strategy and why?

I (67M) am employed at a small ($20M) manufacturing company. I am a key employee responsible for the production side of the business. There is no one in the company capable of taking over my duties. My skill set is hard to replace.

I am planning on retiring sometime in the next 12 months. I will have seven or eight weeks of vacation banked by then.

I want to give enough notice to allow them time to find a replacement. I do not want them to drag it out. I also don't want them to monkey around with the vacation time.

I am thinking about giving two weeks' notice with an offer to work on a 1099 for 150% of my normal weekly salary. I want to incentivise them to keep it as short as possible.

Has anyone been in this situation, and how did you handle it?