Dan, I really enjoyed your post, probably because I now handle everything to do with our finances (my spouse’s cognitive issues meant making changes.) I use a very good preparer, but I’ve learned how to assemble all the details she’ll need. Meanwhile, I just want to weigh in on the sub-topic of CCRCs. My father & mother set an example - they lived happily in a nonprofit CCRC in the 1990s until they died, as my mother sank deeper into Alzheimers’ Disease. I became a fan of the concept, and we started visiting choices available where we live and went on the waitlist in 2019. Best decision we ever made, we’ve been very happy here for more than 3 years. I encourage people to move in while they are still healthy and able to handle the stress of the move (mid-70s for us). I’ve made lots of friends and done a lot of rewarding volunteering. I strongly recommend finding a non-profit like ours with a large endowment and a culture of friendliness and volunteerism. They’ll probably have a high occupancy rate in the 90%+ range and a waitlist of several years.
You asked for personal experiences. I resided in North Carolina when I became eligible for Medicare. At that time Plan F was an option, providing very good coverage, and I went with it, and chose a nationally-known carrier with decades of experience and good reputation. A few years later, we moved to Florida. No underwriting needed. No change in monthly fee. The transition was seamless. My same NC insurance carrier is still my Medigap policy-holder. The company is well-known throughout the US, including Florida. My advice is to choose the carrier that is highly-rated in both states. I am so glad I decided to pay monthly for a Medigap plan when I became eligible for Medicare. The older I get, the less I would have wanted to deal with extra recordkeeping, pre-approvals, co-pays,and so on. I can choose a specialist recommended by other trustworthy doctors and friends, make an appointment, and easily schedule what I need.
Beyond the expenses of the trip, could there be a limited-time-away-from-their-jobs factor leading them to suggest postponing the birthday event for 6 months?
Or is the birthday just a weekend away? I ask because our younger family members do have time constraints and can’t schedule week-long, fun events the same way retirees can.
Smoke, sparks, and surprise retirement spending arrived shortly before our house went on the market. A lightning strike took out our sprinkler system and a chunk of landscaping that had to be replaced. It could have been worse - no fire in the garage - but those pretty Florida palm trees aren’t cheap. Then a hurricane hit, days before the real estate agency photographer was scheduled, with more damage, again nothing serious. But we had to scramble, competing with thousands of other homeowners needing similar repairs. Now we live in a CCRC, where an onsite, skilled, & bonded maintenance staff is a phone call away. If our microwave explodes, they’ll replace it at no charge. Yes we pay a monthly fee, but it’s predictable and covers a lot.
I also am curious about several things. Age entering retirement and size of the portfolio, and what % the fiduciary advisor receives annually. I can’t see why a fiduciary would suggest that a retiree invest in anything illiquid that would tie up capital for 5 to 10 years.
Are part-time jobs an option during this retirement phase? This plan worked well for us, providing a modest extra income to supplement Social Security so we could continue to leave our retirement savings to grow. The key was control over the work schedules. My spouse worked a flexible, seasonal job helping to run a family entertainment center at a beach resort. I transitioned to occasional freelance work with complete control over my scheduling. We bought a used “class B” RV diesel engine van and made long trips (one to two months away at a time) around the US and Canada for about 8 years. The van served as a second car when we were at home. Those were great years.
We retired early (50s) and our three homes during the next 20 years all had elements we sought of “universal design,” such as single level, wide doorways, walk-in showers, open floor plans. It turned out that we remained nimble - the real beneficiaries were our elderly parents & siblings (we are both the youngest in our families), and my nephew who has has lived in a motorized wheelchair following an accident at age 20. For him, we installed a ramp from the garage into one house which had about 5 steps up from ground level. Of course, the physical plant is one thing, but a big element of aging in place is how to maintain necessary services. By our mid-70s, we researched CCRCs and found one we’ve loved ever since we moved in three years ago. Maintenance, housekeeping, menu planning, cooking, etc are very well managed. Extras such as a library, salon for haircuts and a fitness center with an array of classes are 5 minutes away. The beauty of a well-run CCRC isn’t just that someone will come to our home to fix something - it’s that pre-screening is done by someone else, their faces are familiar, we know their names, they’ve likely worked here for years, and they fix problems quickly. For me, the best part of our CCRC has been the opportunity for friendship and volunteerism. We all read the articles that stress the importance of social contacts, and this setting is like a congenial village.
Without debt to service (no more mortgage, car, or credit card interest payments) we were liberated. We retired early, left our retirement accounts untouched to grow for years, and were enabled to make choices based on fulfilling dreams. Those choices led to lasting friendships and some priceless experiences. So I’m a believer in saving for retirement starting in your 30s, keeping cars a long time, paying cash to replace them, paying the balance every month on a credit card, and paying off a mortgage before retiring. Not always easy but, even with bumps in the road, that plan worked for us.
We used to have a binder labeled “Emergency” with the basics updated before each trip for our nephew/executor to easily find. (We have no children.) Last year, I bought an all-in-one-place organizing system called the NOK (Next of Kin) Box when it was on sale. I’ve gradually had to take over our financial tasks as my husband has become unable to manage. This has slowly revealed the minutiae he took care of, and can no longer easily remember. Some info/paperwork has been simple to add such as our wills, powers of attorney, CCRC contract, etc. Other additions are less obvious such as insurance renewals, auto-payments, medical info, keys, etc. I continue to work on filling these folders, backed up by digital records on an external hard drive. I know from serving as a personal representative (executor) that a person taking over needs to be able to answer many, many questions quickly without hours of tedious searching. The NOK Box people provide an actual box filled with dividers and folders, or people can use their own boxes or filing cabinets.
Comments
Dan, I really enjoyed your post, probably because I now handle everything to do with our finances (my spouse’s cognitive issues meant making changes.) I use a very good preparer, but I’ve learned how to assemble all the details she’ll need. Meanwhile, I just want to weigh in on the sub-topic of CCRCs. My father & mother set an example - they lived happily in a nonprofit CCRC in the 1990s until they died, as my mother sank deeper into Alzheimers’ Disease. I became a fan of the concept, and we started visiting choices available where we live and went on the waitlist in 2019. Best decision we ever made, we’ve been very happy here for more than 3 years. I encourage people to move in while they are still healthy and able to handle the stress of the move (mid-70s for us). I’ve made lots of friends and done a lot of rewarding volunteering. I strongly recommend finding a non-profit like ours with a large endowment and a culture of friendliness and volunteerism. They’ll probably have a high occupancy rate in the 90%+ range and a waitlist of several years.
Post: Debriefing
Link to comment from March 29, 2026
You asked for personal experiences. I resided in North Carolina when I became eligible for Medicare. At that time Plan F was an option, providing very good coverage, and I went with it, and chose a nationally-known carrier with decades of experience and good reputation. A few years later, we moved to Florida. No underwriting needed. No change in monthly fee. The transition was seamless. My same NC insurance carrier is still my Medigap policy-holder. The company is well-known throughout the US, including Florida. My advice is to choose the carrier that is highly-rated in both states. I am so glad I decided to pay monthly for a Medigap plan when I became eligible for Medicare. The older I get, the less I would have wanted to deal with extra recordkeeping, pre-approvals, co-pays,and so on. I can choose a specialist recommended by other trustworthy doctors and friends, make an appointment, and easily schedule what I need.
Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?
Link to comment from March 17, 2026
Beyond the expenses of the trip, could there be a limited-time-away-from-their-jobs factor leading them to suggest postponing the birthday event for 6 months? Or is the birthday just a weekend away? I ask because our younger family members do have time constraints and can’t schedule week-long, fun events the same way retirees can.
Post: Opinions Wanted: Please Reply Freely (I’m used to being called an idiot)
Link to comment from March 10, 2026
Smoke, sparks, and surprise retirement spending arrived shortly before our house went on the market. A lightning strike took out our sprinkler system and a chunk of landscaping that had to be replaced. It could have been worse - no fire in the garage - but those pretty Florida palm trees aren’t cheap. Then a hurricane hit, days before the real estate agency photographer was scheduled, with more damage, again nothing serious. But we had to scramble, competing with thousands of other homeowners needing similar repairs. Now we live in a CCRC, where an onsite, skilled, & bonded maintenance staff is a phone call away. If our microwave explodes, they’ll replace it at no charge. Yes we pay a monthly fee, but it’s predictable and covers a lot.
Post: Smoke, Sparks and Retirement Spending.
Link to comment from March 6, 2026
I also am curious about several things. Age entering retirement and size of the portfolio, and what % the fiduciary advisor receives annually. I can’t see why a fiduciary would suggest that a retiree invest in anything illiquid that would tie up capital for 5 to 10 years.
Post: Keep it Simpler
Link to comment from February 16, 2026
Are part-time jobs an option during this retirement phase? This plan worked well for us, providing a modest extra income to supplement Social Security so we could continue to leave our retirement savings to grow. The key was control over the work schedules. My spouse worked a flexible, seasonal job helping to run a family entertainment center at a beach resort. I transitioned to occasional freelance work with complete control over my scheduling. We bought a used “class B” RV diesel engine van and made long trips (one to two months away at a time) around the US and Canada for about 8 years. The van served as a second car when we were at home. Those were great years.
Post: Laid Off
Link to comment from February 6, 2026
Definitely fraud, I reported it, too. Last year, it was multiple billings for Covid test kits.
Post: Less Paper, More Fraud
Link to comment from February 3, 2026
We retired early (50s) and our three homes during the next 20 years all had elements we sought of “universal design,” such as single level, wide doorways, walk-in showers, open floor plans. It turned out that we remained nimble - the real beneficiaries were our elderly parents & siblings (we are both the youngest in our families), and my nephew who has has lived in a motorized wheelchair following an accident at age 20. For him, we installed a ramp from the garage into one house which had about 5 steps up from ground level. Of course, the physical plant is one thing, but a big element of aging in place is how to maintain necessary services. By our mid-70s, we researched CCRCs and found one we’ve loved ever since we moved in three years ago. Maintenance, housekeeping, menu planning, cooking, etc are very well managed. Extras such as a library, salon for haircuts and a fitness center with an array of classes are 5 minutes away. The beauty of a well-run CCRC isn’t just that someone will come to our home to fix something - it’s that pre-screening is done by someone else, their faces are familiar, we know their names, they’ve likely worked here for years, and they fix problems quickly. For me, the best part of our CCRC has been the opportunity for friendship and volunteerism. We all read the articles that stress the importance of social contacts, and this setting is like a congenial village.
Post: “Too Much House” vs “Not Enough House”—But Through the Lens of Aging in Place
Link to comment from January 22, 2026
Without debt to service (no more mortgage, car, or credit card interest payments) we were liberated. We retired early, left our retirement accounts untouched to grow for years, and were enabled to make choices based on fulfilling dreams. Those choices led to lasting friendships and some priceless experiences. So I’m a believer in saving for retirement starting in your 30s, keeping cars a long time, paying cash to replace them, paying the balance every month on a credit card, and paying off a mortgage before retiring. Not always easy but, even with bumps in the road, that plan worked for us.
Post: The $8,000 Cost of Peace of Mind
Link to comment from January 20, 2026
We used to have a binder labeled “Emergency” with the basics updated before each trip for our nephew/executor to easily find. (We have no children.) Last year, I bought an all-in-one-place organizing system called the NOK (Next of Kin) Box when it was on sale. I’ve gradually had to take over our financial tasks as my husband has become unable to manage. This has slowly revealed the minutiae he took care of, and can no longer easily remember. Some info/paperwork has been simple to add such as our wills, powers of attorney, CCRC contract, etc. Other additions are less obvious such as insurance renewals, auto-payments, medical info, keys, etc. I continue to work on filling these folders, backed up by digital records on an external hard drive. I know from serving as a personal representative (executor) that a person taking over needs to be able to answer many, many questions quickly without hours of tedious searching. The NOK Box people provide an actual box filled with dividers and folders, or people can use their own boxes or filing cabinets.
Post: Your two best investing books—and do you also keep an End-of-Life “family binder”?
Link to comment from January 5, 2026