I’m planning to retire/quit my job/whatever you want to call it in just a little over one year from now. I’ll be 60. My husband and I have run the dollars a hundred ways and we should be fine. So I’ve gotten over the money fears – at least mostly, but I still have some other concerns (translation: crazy paranoid worries) about actually leaving the workforce.
First the reasons why I want to retire: 1. My husband and I love active travel doing things like kayaking, hiking, camping. My husband is 8 years older than I am and we can see that there will come a time when we can’t do this. We’d like to do it now, while we can. 2. I have quite a few interests that I’d like to pursue more than I can now including gardening, conservation, natural history, reading, bicycling… 3. We’d like more freedom to visit out-of-town grandchildren, friends etc. than our schedules provide. 4. I worked part time for a few years and loved being able to volunteer etc. My job no longer allows a part time option.
But the fears: 1. At 60, if I decide it was the wrong decision, I’m not likely to be able to get a job that either pays as well or that provides the match to my skills that I now have. 2. About 3/4 or more of the money that we’ll be living on comes from my husband’s pension, social security and savings. I’m afraid of the balance of power that this causes. We’ve figured out how I’ll do financially if something happens to him so that isn’t the problem. I’ve just seen a lot of really nice men be a bit dictatorial with their wives when most of the money is “theirs”. And my first marriage, though admittedly many years ago had this problem. I’m fairly sure this is just paranoia rather than anything in my husband’s nature (we’ve been married 16 years) - still, I’d love to hear from other women who found themselves in this situation. 3. I’m worried that I’ll fritter away my time rather than pursue the things I think I’d like to do – or conversely so over-schedule myself that I don’t really get involved in any of it.
So if any of you recently retired folks can address how some of these things worked out for you, I’d appreciate the advantage of your experience.
First the reasons why I want to retire: 1. My husband and I love active travel doing things like kayaking, hiking, camping. My husband is 8 years older than I am and we can see that there will come a time when we can’t do this. We’d like to do it now, while we can. 2. I have quite a few interests that I’d like to pursue more than I can now including gardening, conservation, natural history, reading, bicycling… 3. We’d like more freedom to visit out-of-town grandchildren, friends etc. than our schedules provide. 4. I worked part time for a few years and loved being able to volunteer etc. My job no longer allows a part time option.
But the fears: 1. At 60, if I decide it was the wrong decision, I’m not likely to be able to get a job that either pays as well or that provides the match to my skills that I now have. 2. About 3/4 or more of the money that we’ll be living on comes from my husband’s pension, social security and savings. I’m afraid of the balance of power that this causes. We’ve figured out how I’ll do financially if something happens to him so that isn’t the problem. I’ve just seen a lot of really nice men be a bit dictatorial with their wives when most of the money is “theirs”. And my first marriage, though admittedly many years ago had this problem. I’m fairly sure this is just paranoia rather than anything in my husband’s nature (we’ve been married 16 years) - still, I’d love to hear from other women who found themselves in this situation. 3. I’m worried that I’ll fritter away my time rather than pursue the things I think I’d like to do – or conversely so over-schedule myself that I don’t really get involved in any of it.
So if any of you recently retired folks can address how some of these things worked out for you, I’d appreciate the advantage of your experience.