I am so tired of this....

[Rachel]

...never knowing from one year to the next whether it's going to be my last year. Not having that long term stability. Being afraid to travel because I need save every single penny in case I lose my job and it ends up being the last really good paying job I can get (I'm over 60 and in my profession it is close to impossible to get re-hired if you are 'old.' - regardless of your skills which in my case are excellent.)...I know I can't be the only one in this Forum who has this to cope with. How do y'all cope with this perpetual sword of Damocles? Thanks for listening.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Last year on the job or last year on earth?

I'm pretty unoptimistic about getting hired when I get older as well, though I am not yet there. I guess the good news, though not if one expects to be dead in a year, is at 62 you can early collect social security (I know it's often not much, but it's something. Thank heavens for social security).

[SteveinMN]

I know I can't be the only one in this Forum who has this to cope with. How do y'all cope with this perpetual sword of Damocles?
Every year at work they threw at us the possibility of shipping our work to our outsource "partners" in India. They also hinted (darkly) that if each of us failed to climb aboard the "new-software-this-time-it's-gonna-fix-everything" bandwagon that our careers would face a sure (but undefined) end. Well, the company needed much more than the the new software to manufacture and ship product daily, so that was BS, but that's the message the footsoldiers carried down from the mount.

The way we dealt with it was to reduce our exposure. We were luckier than many -- we were not spending near our capacity for mortgage, cars, clothing, toys, ... So we didn't have to consider moving or looking at another 4-5 years of car payments. We simply looked at all of our expenses and evaluated whether they gave us something we really needed or enjoyed or if we could make some changes (if we're never home to watch TV, why would we pay the cable company more than $100 a month?). We prepared -- what could we do to earn money if either one of us was laid off? If it would not pay what we were making, what would it (likely) pay? How could we live on that? Or would we have to do something more wrenching, like sell the house? Lots of contingency planning. But when the time came for me, we felt pretty good that we'd function for a long time without one income. We did. And the benefits of not living through that stress all the time -- boy, that's worth a lot.

[kib]

My sympathy, Rachel. Do you have some plan for 'getting out' if the sword goes on dangling a for a few more years? In other words, if it levitates til you're 65, or 67, will you be at a point where retiring is ok? Or do you maybe some interest that you might turn into the silver lining of a downsizing? I understand that not having to face a layoff is better than the alternatives, but having some sort of exit strategy or Plan B might make you feel less anxious and vulnerable.

[Rachel]

Thank you, I appreciate the comments about Plan B and contingency scenarios. My best case scenario is to stay here until age 70--given that I love what I do I don't see that as a hardship at least as far as the work itself is concerned. DH and I really need to meet with a fee-based planner and get some objective advice on what our big picture will be if I get excessed at age x, age y, or age z.

The truth is that we have options and savings that many people would give their eye-teeth to have---even so, I wish we could travel more--now, while we're still vigorous. I've seen too many of our family and friends crossing over that line into infirmity and limitations. My DH says that once we retire we'll be able to travel off season and take advantage of last minute deals, and he's right, but gosh, then we'll be older!!!

Thanks for listening. I appreciate the reminders about doing a range of backup plans.

[profnot]

Hi, Rachel

Excellent idea to go to a fee-based financial planner for a review!

I like the idea of a Plan B, too. If in your shoes, I would try to come up with something I enjoy doing and could make some money. Your local Worksource could be great resource for this.

Worksource is state/federal funded and free to us. You start by registering and getting a card. Then you log into one of their computers and take an interesting assessment quiz. You get the results and make an appointment with a counselor. The counselors know your local area thoroughly. The session is free. This would be an excellent person to bounce ideas around with.

Re travel: your husband is wrong and you are right. I'm upper middle age and my knees are toast. Upstairs is fine, downstairs is painful. (I was athletic in my youth and wore them out.) Travel while your body still works. A famous saying: "Everything interesting is upstairs or uphill."

Hopefully Workforce can help you discover a way to be self-employed and create your own schedule so you can start traveling.

Good luck!

[Teacher Terry]

The problem with waiting until age 70 to travel is that may not be possible once you are there. My father & my MIL didn't make it & some good friends of ours in early 60's have major health issues that are serious. I think you guys should do some now even if you keep working.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Although it seems to me there are plenty of other things to do besides travel when one is retired (and before sure, but one doesn't have any time then), although for many things (volunteering at the nature center or the museum or whatever - yes it would probably make me happy right now - only I'm working) it helps to be able bodied.

I just wondered about being dead because I didn't read the forum category I guess, but I though that read was probably wrong (or what an incredibly depressing thread it would be). But if not that I thought this was a story of not knowing if one could make it to financially to retirement (it seems so many are becoming unemployable due to age discrimination LONG before even early collection of social security, and just barely make it to 62 by the financial skin of their teeth, and well it doesn't pay that well if you early collect usually anyway - but oh how tempting it is to do so, not that I'm that age).

[Rachel]

I can see how my original post could be read as implying that I have a specific health condition that I know is going to shorten my life. I should have made it more clear and I apologize for creating a more gloomy effect than intended. I am in great health and so is DH. I did survive a very serious illness of a some years back, something that just came out of the blue with no warning. A routine yearly checkup revealed a life-threatening condition. Yikes. So, I guess in a general way I have an understanding that this beautiful life is finite for all of us, but no current problems.

I appreciate the caring and thoughtful responses.