Question of the Month
The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael prior to event day. Click on the link to his blog for more participants. What does retirement look like for you?
As one who is already retired I have some advice for those who aren't: Make sure you're financially prepared! My job history never provided for any type of retirement plan other than Social Security and in all honesty I never thought about it that much. Besides, my retirement was kind of forced on me--I didn't expect it when it came as I had planned on working much longer.
When I was last employed I was working as a manager of a wholesale costume company near Los Angeles. I'd been working there for 18 years when my branch was shut down due to economic situations and changes in the way the industry was starting to do business. In a sense, the internet had a hand in my job loss and the internet has had a control over my life ever since.
My blogging is an offshoot of being retired and not finding a suitable job replacement. When I hit 62 I went ahead to go officially into retirement phase and collect my Social Security benefits. I still keep an ear open for money making opportunities, but so far to no avail.
Thankfully my wife is still working as a teacher so that we've been able to travel during the summers and other times of the year. But when she's working, I'm pretty much holed up at home which is prime time for blogging activities or other endeavors.
Since I never thought much about retiring, I had not much in the way of expectations about retirement. It is nice to follow my own pursuits and not have to work for someone else all day. Still, I do miss the work to some extent and especially the paycheck.
When my wife retires in the next few years we'll have to figure out what to do next. Our children and grandchildren live back east, which means we don't see them much now. We might need to address that when she retires. It would be nice to be closer to them so we can see them more often.
To my thinking, getting older should include being with the immediate family more often and participating in grandchildren's lives. My mother was fortunate to have a lot of family nearby or who visited her frequently. That added a great deal to her life and I'd like to see the same for my wife and I.
No matter what happens though I believe that God will provide the best for what we need. My life has been rich with blessings and I feel that good things are ahead.
Where would you most like to go to retire? Do you like to be close to children and grandchildren? Did you plan (or have you been planning) your retirement wisely?
