After doing a few calculations I determined it was doable so I
called the Social Security department yesterday and set up an appointment.
In the last year or so have made me realize that what time I
have left is limited. Several people I know have passed a way -
a neighbor at age 57, the brother of a friend at 59 and
my father about 7 weeks ago. Also the pain in my joints seems
to be spreading to my hands.
I’ll have to pay my own heath insurance for about 9 months before
I qualify for Medicare which I’m sure won’t be cheap. But I am
so tired and stressed right now it’s sometimes hard to concentrate on work.
I also need to sell the house and move to someplace that will
be easier to take care of.
I was hoping retirement would be fun - taking a few nice trips, enjoying
some hobbies (like drawing and building models) but with the joint pain
the future looks really scary.
Congratulations! I retired last year, and although we’re dealing with some health issues that were decidedly not in the plan, once I revised my expectations a little, I’m enjoying the heck out of it.
Sorry you are dealing with health issues, but congratulations on retirement. I retired almost seven years ago, and dea with some health issues, but I am really enjoying retirement. Best decision I ever made!
Congratulations and welcome to the class of 2023. Two weeks in myself. Seems to be a handful of us here that have decided it was time. Now that I have my taxes done, I feel the stress slipping away.
Retiring, eh? I’m sure you’ve been nowhere near Canada recently? A likely story!
But more seriously, I’m hoping your retirement will be better than you think and that you can have some good times.
4 months into it, myself. Still don’t really know what to do with myself but I was burnt to a crisp and OVER it. Still may go back contingent…
I wonder if the lifting of the stress of working might help your pain…crossing my fingers for you! Congrats!
This could start a dozen threads, easy! How do we avail ourselves of your expertise? I have about a week or two left before I finish my career obligations and figuring out this and SS and tapping my investments are my remaining tasks before retirement. I turn 66 in a month and was going to get an account at Consumer Reports today…
I’m not really an expert, but I have learned a lot about this complex issue. I direct you to this thread, built by @JohnT , which I always cite as the all-time MVP of SDMB threads. This is where I began my journey. The thread is now two years old, but still contains a ton of great info.
Very short summary: Do not try to get by with just Part A & B. Do not get Medicare Advantage if you can afford the monthly cost of a Medicare Supplement (aka Medigap). Spring for Part D (meds), even if you don’t have many prescriptions; you will one day. Dental/vision/hearing is often a toss-up, go for it if you have more than routine needs/expenses in any of these areas.
With Supplement plans, there are a number of confusing lettered plans. Research them and see which fits your situation. I determined that G was best for me, followed by N. Top rated plans are UHC (through AARP) and BCBS (which I went with, plan G).
Oh yeah, get yourself a Certified Finanical Planner. Make sure they are a CFP so they will have your best interests in mind and not try to sell you something. The key word is fiduciary. It does not need to be an ongoing relationship; I found one for a one-time consult. Not cheap, but not doing this can be very expensive long term. This is some of the smartest money I’ve ever spent.
