This is pretty high level (it’s by age group), but it’s hard to see anything like that in this data (Figure 1).
We’ve had no problems after seven years of retirement. It helps to be busy and have separate home offices and a place big enough where we’re not on top of each other all day (unless we want to be.) We’re even writing a book together.
I suspect if one partner doesn’t have the resources to do things on their own and wants to be entertained it might be tough.
As for the statistics, I wonder if the relatively better health in each age cohort has something to do with it.
I just got notice that my CFP is switching from TD Ameritrade to Schwab. I don’t want to read back over all of this. Should I be happy or despondent? Presumably they are going to take care of all of the transfer stuff for me.
Schwab is fine IMO. I’ve been using them for a very long time. My lady friend did have a problem when her company did the same: her TDA account converted to Schwab and didn’t convert to a ‘real’ Schwab account for a while (they do them in batches over time), so she couldn’t use all the Schwab services. I’ll ping her to ask what speed bumps she hit
I’ve used Schwab for over a decade, and I like them. If I have any financial questions, I’m always able to call them and talk to a live knowledgeable person. Their online live chat is also good, and the website is easy to figure out
That said, I’ve never used any other broker so I can’t compare them. I have gone into my husband’s eTrade account and find their website confusing and completely non-intuitive, for what that’s worth.
Agree with this. They’ve been great and helpful, for more than 10 years for me.
I just checked with her and that was the whole problem: she wanted to open a regular Schwab account and couldn’t until her TDA account ‘converted’, which seems to be taking a long time. Schwab finally told her to just mail in a paper application to get a second “real” Schwab account. Sounds like a PITA, but if you only want to use your TDA account the same way you have been, perhaps a non-issue.
One quip I heard was “I married you for better or for worse - but NOT for lunch!” (along with an exhortation to the husband to get out of the house and out of the wife’s hair).
I figure when our time comes, we have a similar history of dealing with being stuck together, when in our 20s we drove cross-country, in a compact car, camping along the way. If we didn’t kill each other then, we can survive retirement. Plus 3 years now of full time work from home.
I’m jealous of a friend of mine; she never married or had kids, so she has a pretty decent nest egg at the same as as I am, so she’s preparing to retire later this year. Then her company announced planned layoffs - so she’s volunteered for that (longer severance, and longer health coverage).
TD Ameritrade was purchased entire by Schwab in 2020. Right now Schwab is in the process of migrating all customers and affiliated brokers, CFPs, etc., to Schwab’s facilities and systems then shutting down all of what was TD Ameritrade’s systems. They intend to be done before year-end 2023.
Whether that is good or bad is a separate topic. But it’s not your CFP’s doing.
Ah. Thank you. It was probably in an email that I didn’t read.
So today I am retired.
I was hoping to get another year out of this job, but I was informed today that my services are no longer needed. It was not entirely unexpected, but a shock none the less.
I can collect unemployment, and I have enough to retire comfortably on. If another job presents itself, I may take it, if not, well it’s time to find something else to do.
I think I can find a way to keep myself busy.
Congratulations! This is how my mom retired as well - she was close to retirement age when her employer, who was heading rapidly towards bankruptcy, laid her off. She spent a few demoralizing weeks applying for jobs and bring passed over once she got to the interview stage and they could see how old she was before realizing that she actually had enough saved to retire right then. I hope you have a long and happy surprise retirement!
Thank you. I intend to.
I am going to be finally getting the condo in shape with the possibility of selling it and moving somewhere more relaxing than Silicon Valley. There a lot of little jobs I have been meaning to get to.
When covid hit and I was working from home for a year, I was amazed at how much there was to do. I don’t expect to be bored.
I think congratulations are in order. You’re going to love it.
Agree. Congrats!
I think so too. Get the heck out of SV and enjoy life.
Come over to the Santa Cruz side of the hill! I’ve been here nearly five years and love it.
I’ve been thinking of doing just that. Where do you recommend?
I had a long weekend planned, it will be longer than I thought it would be.
Depends on how well you deal with traffic mostly. Highway 1 can be a nightmare depending on where you need to get to at what time of day. I’m in Aptos/Rio Del Mar, which is sleepy and full of retired people, and wooded with lots of beach and wildlife (I have a red shoulder hawk that likes to hang outside my kitchen window, and a gray fox and baby showed up night before last). But to get to the grocery store I need to get to Capitola/Soquel, which can be a chore some times of day, so I schedule around it. But once you know the tricks you can deal. Much like any area.
Capitola or Live Oak is the choice area to live, lots of retail and you can take the back ways into Santa Cruz, if you’re lucky walk to the beach or into Capitola Village. In Santa Cruz, up by the university is nice and def pricey. I don’t really know the rest of SC all that well yet re housing. The choke points on that end are the Fishhook (hwy 1 and 17 junction), and Mission street (what they call hwy 1 in Santa Cruz) is always a mess and quite slow.
I love it here so much: lots of restaurants, lots of live music all over. There’s a really decent BBQ place in Aptos that has blues every night and I hang out over there sometimes, sometimes I go to a show at the Rio or Moe’s Alley or other places. Always something to do, and beaches and beauty everywhere.
I used to live in south SJ, near Oakridge Mall. I didn’t care for that at all.
DM me if you need more. After 5 years I’m still a noob here, but I have friends I can ask.
ETA: it’s going to be hot hot in the Bay Area tomorrow. If you pop over the hill it’s going to be mobbed, because all of Silicon Valley comes to the beach when it’s hot, and tomorrow will be the first truly hot day of this year. Come on over! - just be aware.
Thanks. That’s certainly something to think about.
I intent to spend the weekend decompressing, and maybe longer than that. I will get over that way a little later, after the holiday weekend since I don’t have to worry about scheduling around work.
My thought is to start checking out places after I recover from this past year at work.
Today on “All Things Considered,” Melissa Block announced her retirement after 38 years at NPR. She said that a friend described the change in her life as “being repotted.” I understand, and like that term.