Retirement Plans for our sixties turns out to be a disappointment with our perceived expectations. To be honest, we expected more financial resources to be available with our I.R.A.s and other assets. My husband gets his college degree to get a higher level of employment and I go to a tech school and get a great job competing in his level of income. Of course, we both know our goal is for us to become a family with an ‘at home Mom’. My Plan B is my technical career. I don’t want to do this line of work, but it is my emergency back-up if I need to work.
We have the classic I.R.A.s and we know we are putting part of our income into Social Security. Our ‘family’ life is taking almost a decade to get its start. We have an affinity for houses, so there are lots of housing moves before we start to think in terms of paying our house off. This is the rock solid investment that is an anchor for our retirement. We get a late start paying extra on the mortgage, but we get ‘er’ done. The regret we have, and knew it at the time, is we don’t keep any houses and turn them into rentals. We decide we do not want the headaches and hassles. A management company works really well supplying these needs. If only!
Reality will Start, Right?
Retirement plans march on in the perception of somehow the I.R.A.s and Social Security along with owning our house is enough. Common sense, in retrospect, is looking how the I.R.A.s are increasing and if this is enough. We definitely underestimate our future needs. To be totally honest, I silently worry about this for a few decades. My thinking is the ‘hope strategy’, so paying off the house and having two measly I.R.A.s are the final solution. Good Plan, I think I’ll keep this thinking up for a few years with no results!
Retirement is upon us and it’s enough for several years; however, let’s set a goal for living awhile! We are now in our sixties and the numbers are not working. Reality is we are not going to make it financially if we follow into the ‘longevity’ pattern of our deceased family members. Now is the time to find a solution for our long term financial goals. We can work a few more years part time but we truly are not getting younger. Our retirement plans are not going to make it. However, we won’t worry about this while we enjoy our Wine!
A big blast of reality is always taxes. Property taxes go up and not down. Inflation goes up and not down. Our funds go down and not up! The solution is incorporating our own home business into our future. We find a business that grows with our actions and is not limited to our hours we work. A business that is going to work as we age and not be tied to our health. One question I ask myself is ‘how we can have a business that functions if we are laid up’? Broken bones might be in our future. This is not an uplifting thought, but the GOOD NEWS is we are old enough to have this concern!
The Accidental Winner
I take it upon myself to figure out our financial dilemma with a part time job. There is a connection I have at a big home improvement box store. I can start right away, but the niggling question is ‘how long can I work a physical job?’ What happens when age interrupts my ability? Maybe I should look online and consider alternative retirement plans that tie into my age and future physical limitations? I will keep an open mind and see where the Lord takes me.
And there it is as I look for part time jobs in our area! Work from Home Online with Link Post Blogging. This is a terrifying thought, I can barely send out emails, but this fits all of our needs. Get a Blog site ready to be modified into mine, get full training and support, and have another means of income while I build the traffic to my blog, which amazingly will earn an income with the number of visits that click the links. Work the hours I am comfortable with and remember it is my business that I can work my pace. This is a picture of me at my office. It’s actually an antique Hoosier kitchen with an ‘ice drawer’. It sits next to my antique desk that I got when I was twelve. I have a Great Office!
My needs are simple now. I have a computer and desk along with my printer and phone. My brain is pretty sharp as long as I “stay out of my own way” and don’t question my ability to learn. I have my ‘blog site’ right here, which you are looking at, and all the amount of time there is-is my own. Some of us keep our current jobs and do this on the side, but I am blessed with my own precious time. I constantly rearrange my plans when our grandchildren make plans for us, and I am loving this retirement life!
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