Moved, retired, happy

D

DeborahB

Full time employment: Posting here.
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
939
Hi! I was on this forum years ago and recently re-joined. I’m

I’m 70. Retired at 62, never will be employed again. I’m living very comfortably on stock dividends and interest. At 67 I left my prior life and no longer significant other, and moved back to New England, to my home town. I bought a house and have a large mortgage. Seemed better financially than selling investments to pay for it. Big change.

I’m comfortable financially, enjoy living alone and seeing friends. Moving back was the best thing I’ve done in years. I’m an artist and if I can get the studio unpacked I’ll be doing that again.

I live in an area with a village-to-village group. I didn’t know that when I moved! I plan to take advantage of it at some point. And there are uber, lyft, Grubhub and instacart. I have intermittent chronic fatigue syndrome so I often have groceries delivered, or meals. I like to save my energy for having fun, and it doesn’t end up that expensive.

I have macular degeneration which makes driving at night uncomfortable. That’s not fun. I need to try again with yellow glasses for glare reduction. That’s somewhat limiting, but I can take uber if I’m somewhere they work.

I chose well, considering there were very few houses available at the time. The house was completely rehabbed in 2014. New barhrooms, kitchen, retrofitted with central air. It’s a 1940 bungalow, with a master and bath on the first floor. Another first floor bath with a shower is going to get stacked laundry put in it.

Feeling like I’m babbling a bit... hi to all.
 
Sounds wonderful. Welcome back. The health issues are unfortunate, but it sounds like you’re dealing with them very well. I’m excited for you.
 
Welcome back DeborahB. You have company with other babblers on this site, who tell some good stories.
 
There's no place like home

DeborahB said:
I’m 70. Retired at 62

At 67 I... moved back to New England, to my home town

Moving back was the best thing I’ve done in years.
Click to expand...

Very Interesting. You are running an experiment that intrigued me for many years. Having long ago moved away from my home town, I had subscribed to the adage "You can never go back." My (numerous!) disappointments and failures in new locations always made me question whether leaving home was a mistake, but I never came close to moving back.

Whenever I return to my old stomping ground for a visit, it is at once familiar and foreign. Some landmarks are exactly the same, but there are new roads, new neighborhoods, and of course all the neighbors have changed.

Time and distance have fractured contact with most of my previous companions, even many family members. I wonder if you could comment on your experiences and feelings after moving back "home". Were you able to re-establish a lot of relationships, or are most of the friends you make brand-new ones? Are the sights and sounds and smells mostly what you remember from the good old days, or have the decades of change wiped out all but a fraction of those sensory inputs?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts and anecdotes you feel comfortable sharing.

I live in an area with a village-to-village group.
Click to expand...
I'm don't know this expression. What is a village-to-village group?
 
Happiness, Joy, Tranquility. Happy you found it.

A bit surprised NE winters and a large mortgage at 70 are contributing to your tranquility. Interesting. Many paths.

Living on dividends/interest is a withdrawl. If that is all you are withdrawing ~2%, then you probably aren't spending enough.
 
bloom2708 said:
Happiness, Joy, Tranquility. Happy you found it.

A bit surprised NE winters and a large mortgage at 70 are contributing to your tranquility. Interesting. Many paths.

Living on dividends/interest is a withdrawl. If that is all you are withdrawing ~2%, then you probably aren't spending enough.
Click to expand...

I don’t know where you got 2%, I think I’m spending more than that. Maybe 4%. I just take money when I need it. I don’t like having a mortgage but it makes financial sense for me. And I’m in my happy place. :cool:

When you pay someone to shovel, and don’t need to work, cold weather isn’t an issue. I wanted to be near some family and old friends, major considerations for me after 30 years in Kansas City.
 
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Mdlerth said:
Very Interesting. You are running an experiment that intrigued me for many years. Having long ago moved away from my home town, I had subscribed to the adage "You can never go back." My (numerous!) disappointments and failures in new locations always made me question whether leaving home was a mistake, but I never came close to moving back.

Whenever I return to my old stomping ground for a visit, it is at once familiar and foreign. Some landmarks are exactly the same, but there are new roads, new neighborhoods, and of course all the neighbors have changed.

Time and distance have fractured contact with most of my previous companions, even many family members. I wonder if you could comment on your experiences and feelings after moving back "home". Were you able to re-establish a lot of relationships, or are most of the friends you make brand-new ones? Are the sights and sounds and smells mostly what you remember from the good old days, or have the decades of change wiped out all but a fraction of those sensory inputs?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts and anecdotes you feel comfortable sharing.

I'm don't know this expression. What is a village-to-village group?
Click to expand...

I love being back here. I stayed in touch with friends and looked up some people I was close to in high school. Also my younger brother’s here and we get along very well. I never fitted in in Kansas City. I was “different”. My values and directness were unusual. After a while I really wanted to live in RI again. It took a long time to realize it and do it.

I broke off a 25 year relationship when I left. We had grown apart, that’s the quick version. For quite a while that was keeping me in KC. My mother died in 2007, before I left. My difficult father died in 2015.

I always spent at least a couple of weeks in Providence, annually, went to the beach, saw my parents and friends. The stress around my father’s death from old age, at 95, was extreme. 3 weeks later I had chronic fatigue syndrome.the stress shot my immune system.

But as to going back... I love it. I live in a city residential neighborhood, in a house. My neighbors and neighborhood are friendly. A lot are older, like me, but we also have kids running around. I live near a big playground, and a farmer’s market. There’s a biking and walking path. All of this contributes to my comfort. There’s always something going on.

I don’t think I’d feel as comfortable in the suburbs, where the houses are farther apart etc.

There’s a lot to do and my health hasn’t allowed me to do some of it. I also have macular degeneration, and try not to drive at night. I need to try again - it’s self-imposed. I don’t have any life-threatening illnesses and I expect to live to be 85+. So I need to be happy!
 
Glad retirement is w*rking out after 8 years. Sorry about all the health issues.



Did you have health issues when w*rking? If you could do it all over again, would you have retired even earlier than 62?
 
FreeBear said:
Glad retirement is w*rking out after 8 years. Sorry about all the health issues.



Did you have health issues when w*rking? If you could do it all over again, would you have retired even earlier than 62?
Click to expand...

I had different health issues when working. Lots of stress. Asthma. I honestly felt my job was shortening my life. Health insurance was the issue. I retired 34 months before I qualified for Medicare. I was refused insurance. COBRA lasted 18 months and then I went into my state’s high risk pool for 16 months. It was $941/mo. and didn’t cover much. I think of it as bankruptcy insurance. Because I had significant assets, I needed to protect them being used up for medical expenses. ACA started about 6 months later and would have helped.

The last straw was my manager giving me a tepid review. I decided to retire. But then my best friend’s husband dropped dead at 67. I quit 2 weeks later. I thought - nothing is worth this stress.
 
DeborahB said:
I had different health issues when working. Lots of stress. Asthma. I honestly felt my job was shortening my life. Health insurance was the issue. I retired 34 months before I qualified for Medicare. I was refused insurance. COBRA lasted 18 months and then I went into my state’s high risk pool for 16 months. It was $941/mo. and didn’t cover much. I think of it as bankruptcy insurance. Because I had significant assets, I needed to protect them being used up for medical expenses. ACA started about 6 months later and would have helped.

The last straw was my manager giving me a tepid review. I decided to retire. But then my best friend’s husband dropped dead at 67. I quit 2 weeks later. I thought - nothing is worth this stress.
Click to expand...


Wow! A bit of a reminder of life before ACA. Must have been scary retiring without decent retiree healthcare, with the j*b causing stress related health issues. Between a rock and a hard place. I admire your courage to bail out, even before ACA. Agreed with perspective that health insurance is often mainly medical bankruptcy insurance if the network is limited and out of pockets & deductibles sky-high.


DeborahB said:
When you pay someone to shovel, and don’t need to work, cold weather isn’t an issue. I wanted to be near some family and old friends, major considerations for me after 30 years in Kansas City.
Click to expand...


I too live in my hometown city, except I never left. Dream of leaving all the time, but I want a sunny place that's warm in the winter, not too hot or humid in the summer, has water sports, and isn't as expensive as southern CA. Also, our friends are here. Wouldn't want to start over again. So, I'm still here.



Before retiring, DW and I bought a nice townhouse with a solid HOA. The fool with the shoveling, lawn, and exterior maintenance. We enjoy the outdoors, travel, and eat out with friends.


Glad you are enjoying FIRE!
 
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Life before ACA meant many people had no insurance. They just wouldn’t insure me, despite nothing big and expensive going on. They listed everything that was wrong with me: asthma, slightly high b.p. & cholesterol (totally controlled with low meds), menopause... at 63... this is a precondition? And they knew I’d be on Medicare in 16 months so they weren’t at risk for long. It was a terrible situation. It’s why more people my age didn’t retire earlier, I think.
 
DeborahB said:
Life before ACA meant many people had no insurance. They just wouldn’t insure me, despite nothing big and expensive going on. They listed everything that was wrong with me: asthma, slightly high b.p. & cholesterol (totally controlled with low meds), menopause... at 63... this is a precondition? And they knew I’d be on Medicare in 16 months so they weren’t at risk for long. It was a terrible situation. It’s why more people my age didn’t retire earlier, I think.
Click to expand...

The insurance industry has been taking advantage of people for a long time. I’m glad it came to an end. I had minor panic attack and while they didn’t deny me, but lots of questions were asked. This is back when I had to buy insurance for my family.
 
Fedup said:
The insurance industry has been taking advantage of people for a long time. I’m glad it came to an end. I had minor panic attack and while they didn’t deny me, but lots of questions were asked. This is back when I had to buy insurance for my family.
Click to expand...
It was insane. I remember having a panic attack pre-ACA and thought it was a heart attack(my PCP had scared the crap out of me regarding new discovered hypertension) and went to the ER. Oh my, I was grateful I wasn't having a heart attack, until I received the bill. A panic attack is mental and I didn't have coverage. Took years to pay off that mistake. It wasn't a mistake to seek help, the mistake was allowing plans like that to exist.
 
MRG said:
It was insane. I remember having a panic attack pre-ACA and thought it was a heart attack(my PCP had scared the crap out of me regarding new discovered hypertension) and went to the ER. Oh my, I was grateful I wasn't having a heart attack, until I received the bill. A panic attack is mental and I didn't have coverage. Took years to pay off that mistake. It wasn't a mistake to seek help, the mistake was allowing plans like that to exist.
Click to expand...

Mine was after 9/11, I didn’t go to ER at all, but I think maybe doctor did prescribe something for a short time. No hypertension yet.
 
DeborahB said:
I have macular degeneration which makes driving at night uncomfortable. That’s not fun. I need to try again with yellow glasses for glare reduction. That’s somewhat limiting, but I can take uber if I’m somewhere they work.
Click to expand...
Welcome back! Have you received injections for your macular degeration such as Avastin? Hope that can be controlled. I'm been dealing with a branch retinal vein occlusion from age 48 for the past four years, and have had several types of injections commonly used to treat macular degeneration.
 
DeborahB said:
Village-to-village is a national movement to help seniors age in place, in their houses.

https://vtvnetwork.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?sl=1000979450
Click to expand...

This is an interesting concept. I found a few in my state.
You obviously like and support this movement. Are there any cons? E.g. I've heard of some retirement communities that help you age there until the end, but to be honest, the entrance fee and houses ain't really affordable (at least not to me). So, I wonder if V-to-V is of similar concept: expensive and you must committed if I don't like it after joining? It would be interesting to hear an insider's thoughts.

It's a while until I need to think about it, but time flies :facepalm:
 
Welcome back. In another thread, you said you were here as Thinker25. I remember that screen name, and also that you posted on the photo thread (showing off my superior memory here :) ).

Perhaps you forgot your password. I did that all the time.
 
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