FREE NEWSLETTER
We’re putting it off, we are planning to … when I turn 70. We will be doing that in a few years…
As I read HD I see many people mention plans they have for the future. For people retired, I have a suggestion. The future is now – Carpe diem
I don’t care what assumptions you put into your spreadsheet or what the SS actuarial table says, in retirement the old adage “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” applies above all else.
Sure, for financial and perhaps other reasons some plans must be delayed, planned for, but try and keep that to a minimum. Any delays in retirement increase the risk of something not happening as planned.
Those of us in retirement, no matter what age, are not climbing the mountain, we are making our way to base camp.
Delaying Social Security until age 70? Okay, but ask yourself what am I giving up during the next three or four years in an effort to achieve greater financial security that may never happen or be valuable for only a few years?
Connie and I spent the first several years in retirement traveling Europe, Russia, Ukraine, around the US and on cruises – Alaska, Hawaii, South America and we are glad we did. We both got the car of our dreams. We expanded and then remodeled our vacation home.
No, I didn’t retire early, yes, my philosophy of income desirable in retirement helped make all this happen, but it is all relative to each situation. It doesn’t matter how grand a goal may be, what matters is you get to reach it.
And the last several years have demonstrated doing all that was a good idea. Connie’s freak accident with a baseball to her eye has now resulted in her not being able to drive – her dream car sits ideal much of the time. Her mobility issues make travel very difficult. Her cancer treatment means we plan every week around doctor’s visits – two, sometimes three times a week.
We couldn’t make our winter stay in Florida this year and who knows about the future. We have not been to Cape Cod since last September.
I’m not complaining or trying to depress anyone. We remain extremely grateful for what we have and what we have accomplished, but I wouldn’t want to be at this stage of life contemplating what we had planned to do, but were waiting…for what?
I hear you, Dick. I’m glad Doug and I were able to do some traveling during our four years of shared retirement. And after he died, that my teen grandson also enjoyed traveling, most notably that week in Iceland a few years ago that I’ve mentioned.
Totally agree. For that matter, I would say the same pre-retirement, if you can comfortably achieve. Many, many are not fortunate enough to even reach retirement. Incredibly sad…
I hear you!
“We’re putting it off, we are planning to … when I turn 70.” I think I know one person who you are referencing.
Please know that even though I mentioned a few things we have put off until that age we have been blessed with much travel. Since 2017 we have spent two weeks in Italy, Maui and Kauai, and Greece. This weekend we are taking our first winter vacation ever to Barbados, and have already booked a two week vacation to London and Scotland this fall. This bedsides several trips to visit our daughter in Orange County California, and several other trips throughout the US and here in New England (including several trips to the Cape).
Since retirement we do not take vacations during the summer months (which here in NH are only July and August), those are for gardening, exploring the mountains here in NH, and our weekly visits to the ocean which is only 1/2 hour away.
So even though projects like tearing down the deck and replacing with a three season porch won’t occur until we’re 70 we are living a blessed retirement. If we were no longer able to travel I would be sad but we’ve been able to see so much more of this world than many, thus again I would be sad, but still satisfied.
PS: I previously wrote about waiting until 70 to fly first class, and I still can’t bring myself to pay that tab, however I was thinking of not going to Barbados as I couldn’t find good value hotels, but finally I bit the bullet and spent about double what we normally pay.