Marjorie, do you talk to younger people today to give them that same sense of valuable lessons from your experiences? I love talking to younger people…my adult kids’ friends, classmates at the State University I take classes at, guys at my religion’s Men’s Club, etc. They may not all be interested in my advice/ insights but many seem genuinely interested (as you did when you were younger) to get the perspective from someone who’s been in their shoes and did OK to come out on the other side. Pay it forward.
Jonathan, well stated and needed by many of us who retired or are considering retirement. I am retired for almost two years and my wife and I have each adapted to our routines to fill our days and are traveling and planning trips while we are healthy enough to do so.
I find myself speaking to many friends and former colleagues who are contemplating retirement and they (or their spouses) are asking me what I do in retirement that might help guide them to pursuits that will fill their days. As I struggle to describe my routines I realize that there is no set roadmap as to “how to do retirement “. It is very individualized and requires each person to explore their interests, capabilities and personality to determine the things that will fill their days.
BTW, I sleep less now in retirement and have been up since 5 AM packing away winter clothes out of my closet, updating our WiFi network for every piece of technology in our home (we got a new Verizon router installed yesterday….its staggering how many things rely on WiFi) and having my coffee while reading Humble Dollar. All the best to you and your continued pursuits in retirement.
RDQ, I agree with you and appreciate your compassion of annuities to a pension. My wife and I each have a pension (mostly employer paid) and receiving that direct deposit every month is a great feeling of knowing that the money to pay the bills comes will be there every month.
We have assets in other investments that we can annuitize or not at our choice.
I’m not commenting on the Annuity Instruments that are sometimes sold with inappropriate disclosures, but being able to take advantage of a lifetime income stream of monthly (not dependent on dividends, interest rates or market performance) is certainly a reassuring benefit in retirement.
Rick, thanks for the thoughtful post. I think about these things all the time (without verbalizing to anyone, especially my spouse). I try to live my life to maximize experiences with my family NOW as there is NO certainty of how much time we will have. We’ve all worked hard to “get here” and missed doing things in the process/ journey. Take advantage of these times in retirement to enjoy the things we want to do while we can and have the time and health to.
Today, I’m off to my Intro to Jazz class at Montclair State University (under the NJ Senior Citizen Learning Program) which I am enjoying immensely. Then it’s back home to pack for our trip to Italy on Friday with our 13 year old granddaughter.
Enjoy these days and times and experiences while we can!
Hey Dana, when I went to add you, I found I’m already following you on the Peloton leader board. I’m sure we’ve rode together many times as your handle is very Familiar. Ride with you again soon. Brian
Like others here…nothing. Thankfully our “soon bucket” has sufficient cash at reasonable interest to carry us for supplemental spending needs for quite awhile. Just glad we planned our retirement assets with our FA several years ago for just such market gyrations. Yes it was fun watching the values go up the past 3 years but we didn’t think that would go on forever and we stayed the course as we plan to do now.
Congratulations Dana. It sounds be like you have well researched and planned the timing which is a first big step to Retirement. Yes, there may be some bumps in the road but dealing with SSA for Medicare Part B is a relatively painless process. My wife retired from the NYC employees system (NYCERS) a few years ago and their knowledge of coordination of benefits for medical with Medicare is impressive as I’m sure Calpers will be. They were very helpful every step of the way when I retired and we went full Medicare plus her retiree supplemental health coverage almost two years ago. What is your Peloton screen name so we can ride together on the bike? I’m Luvtoride40 and recently rode my 1,500th ride in the studio. I got a nice shoutout from Jess King. Have you been to PSNY? See you on the bike! 👍🚴♂️
Budapest Hungary and Fulda Germany, the birthplaces of each of my parents. Being a first generation American, I often think about the very different (and difficult) childhoods of my parents and grandparents and their struggles and determination to leave their home countries during times of war and political persecution. I’ve heard some of the stories of the difficult lives they had but I would love to go back and see the places they lived. I am truly grateful for their sacrifices and the opportunities they saw in coming to America to make a better life for them and their families.
We are currently planning a River Cruise next year that would start in Budapest.
Comments
Marjorie, do you talk to younger people today to give them that same sense of valuable lessons from your experiences? I love talking to younger people…my adult kids’ friends, classmates at the State University I take classes at, guys at my religion’s Men’s Club, etc. They may not all be interested in my advice/ insights but many seem genuinely interested (as you did when you were younger) to get the perspective from someone who’s been in their shoes and did OK to come out on the other side. Pay it forward.
Post: Going Against the Grain
Link to comment from April 29, 2025
Nick, thanks for the heads up on this great article/ service. Just started my search using the google tool.
Post: I want to see less of me on the internet
Link to comment from April 25, 2025
Jonathan, well stated and needed by many of us who retired or are considering retirement. I am retired for almost two years and my wife and I have each adapted to our routines to fill our days and are traveling and planning trips while we are healthy enough to do so. I find myself speaking to many friends and former colleagues who are contemplating retirement and they (or their spouses) are asking me what I do in retirement that might help guide them to pursuits that will fill their days. As I struggle to describe my routines I realize that there is no set roadmap as to “how to do retirement “. It is very individualized and requires each person to explore their interests, capabilities and personality to determine the things that will fill their days. BTW, I sleep less now in retirement and have been up since 5 AM packing away winter clothes out of my closet, updating our WiFi network for every piece of technology in our home (we got a new Verizon router installed yesterday….its staggering how many things rely on WiFi) and having my coffee while reading Humble Dollar. All the best to you and your continued pursuits in retirement.
Post: Tasting Retirement
Link to comment from April 25, 2025
RDQ, I agree with you and appreciate your compassion of annuities to a pension. My wife and I each have a pension (mostly employer paid) and receiving that direct deposit every month is a great feeling of knowing that the money to pay the bills comes will be there every month. We have assets in other investments that we can annuitize or not at our choice. I’m not commenting on the Annuity Instruments that are sometimes sold with inappropriate disclosures, but being able to take advantage of a lifetime income stream of monthly (not dependent on dividends, interest rates or market performance) is certainly a reassuring benefit in retirement.
Post: RDQ Sorry folks, I still see annuities, including deferred annuities, as a viable option for creating steady retirement income.
Link to comment from April 24, 2025
Rick, thanks for the thoughtful post. I think about these things all the time (without verbalizing to anyone, especially my spouse). I try to live my life to maximize experiences with my family NOW as there is NO certainty of how much time we will have. We’ve all worked hard to “get here” and missed doing things in the process/ journey. Take advantage of these times in retirement to enjoy the things we want to do while we can and have the time and health to. Today, I’m off to my Intro to Jazz class at Montclair State University (under the NJ Senior Citizen Learning Program) which I am enjoying immensely. Then it’s back home to pack for our trip to Italy on Friday with our 13 year old granddaughter. Enjoy these days and times and experiences while we can!
Post: Tempus Fugit
Link to comment from April 8, 2025
Hey Dana, when I went to add you, I found I’m already following you on the Peloton leader board. I’m sure we’ve rode together many times as your handle is very Familiar. Ride with you again soon. Brian
Post: Today’s the Day!–Well, Sort Of (by Dana/DrLefty)
Link to comment from April 5, 2025
Good words of calm that many should heed. And yes, there are other things that are more unsettling than a market decline. Good health to all!
Post: Finding Your Balance by Dennis Friedman
Link to comment from April 4, 2025
Like others here…nothing. Thankfully our “soon bucket” has sufficient cash at reasonable interest to carry us for supplemental spending needs for quite awhile. Just glad we planned our retirement assets with our FA several years ago for just such market gyrations. Yes it was fun watching the values go up the past 3 years but we didn’t think that would go on forever and we stayed the course as we plan to do now.
Post: Tariffs and our retirement assets
Link to comment from April 4, 2025
Congratulations Dana. It sounds be like you have well researched and planned the timing which is a first big step to Retirement. Yes, there may be some bumps in the road but dealing with SSA for Medicare Part B is a relatively painless process. My wife retired from the NYC employees system (NYCERS) a few years ago and their knowledge of coordination of benefits for medical with Medicare is impressive as I’m sure Calpers will be. They were very helpful every step of the way when I retired and we went full Medicare plus her retiree supplemental health coverage almost two years ago. What is your Peloton screen name so we can ride together on the bike? I’m Luvtoride40 and recently rode my 1,500th ride in the studio. I got a nice shoutout from Jess King. Have you been to PSNY? See you on the bike! 👍🚴♂️
Post: Today’s the Day!–Well, Sort Of (by Dana/DrLefty)
Link to comment from April 4, 2025
Budapest Hungary and Fulda Germany, the birthplaces of each of my parents. Being a first generation American, I often think about the very different (and difficult) childhoods of my parents and grandparents and their struggles and determination to leave their home countries during times of war and political persecution. I’ve heard some of the stories of the difficult lives they had but I would love to go back and see the places they lived. I am truly grateful for their sacrifices and the opportunities they saw in coming to America to make a better life for them and their families. We are currently planning a River Cruise next year that would start in Budapest.
Post: Where Next? What Next?
Link to comment from April 1, 2025