That's a bummer, arkie, but you're not alone--and this may be your ticket to a better life. Imagine what you would be doing if you were completely free...
We're now 56, and my husband was laid off in Silicon Valley 4 years ago. I asked him if he really wanted to do it agian (hire a development team and manage it)--he said not really. And my software company had already had a couple of big layoffs so I felt insecurely employed myself. My father died the same week
, and it took me a day to decide to join my Mom & brother in South Carolina. We could've both retired and made it off of our portfolio (although I didn't know it at the time--it took me a while to find sites like this one). But my husband always thought he'd enjoy teaching and got a job as a computer science instructor at the local state college. He's very happy--with great colleagues and mostly great students, 4 months of vacation a year, no 10-hour days, a pleasant commute, and essentially no stress, he's a happy camper. I telecommuted part time until I decided to retire completely last summer. I didn't have anything in particular I wanted to do other than to be free. So far I'm doing a little volunteer work, a lot of reading, better cooking and housework, spending more time with my 80-yr-old Mom, visited one of my adult children, hosted major holiday celebrations and planned Mom's 80th birthdsay bash (a large and elaborate affair), and am helping my daughter plan her wedding here in a few months. I'm happy, but looking forward to my husband retiring so we can travel more easily to warm places in the winter (he gets a month off, but with Christmas in the middle of it, plus he needs some time to prepare for the next semester). I'm one of those married women who loves having her hubbby around the house.
So, my 2 cents' worth is...figure out what you both want to be doing, where you want to be doing it, and how you're gonna pay for it--and go for it! If you care to post some info about your investment/pension/net worth situation, there are posters standing by
who can help you determine if you can afford to retire and maintain your current lifestyle, retire anyway on less, and so forth. As an example, we're living just about as well as we were in San Francisco on 25% of our former income! (I'll tell you how if you're interested.)