Work as long as you can, save as much as you can. If there is an opportunity for overtime, take it.
Using age 70 for retirement as a starting point, you may be able to withdraw 4.5-5% of the portfolio each year, so $20-23,000 is needed in the portfolio at age 70 for each $1,000 in annual spend. Given your modest means, that's pretty brutal math, so the very best "investment" is delaying claiming SS until age 70. Lifetime income that is inflation adjusted can't be beat here.
It would be a good exercise to go to the SSA.gov website and see what they project for your benefit at various claim ages and remember that Medicare takes some. Obviously any gap between your lifestyle and the benefits need to be covered by your fledgling portfolio (plus Medicare takes a chunk), so looking at this might be a way of gauging whether you are on track or living too large.
My bet is that since you have a "can do" attitude and willingness to work, that your retirement will be successful. (FWIW, I would guess the swindler former fiancé ends up broke and sad.)
Using age 70 for retirement as a starting point, you may be able to withdraw 4.5-5% of the portfolio each year, so $20-23,000 is needed in the portfolio at age 70 for each $1,000 in annual spend. Given your modest means, that's pretty brutal math, so the very best "investment" is delaying claiming SS until age 70. Lifetime income that is inflation adjusted can't be beat here.
It would be a good exercise to go to the SSA.gov website and see what they project for your benefit at various claim ages and remember that Medicare takes some. Obviously any gap between your lifestyle and the benefits need to be covered by your fledgling portfolio (plus Medicare takes a chunk), so looking at this might be a way of gauging whether you are on track or living too large.
My bet is that since you have a "can do" attitude and willingness to work, that your retirement will be successful. (FWIW, I would guess the swindler former fiancé ends up broke and sad.)