Planning For and Enjoying Retirement
by Winifred
(Michigan)
It's so wonderful to hear a positive retirement story! When I retired I felt so sure I was doing the right thing that I never worried about how I would handle it. I knew at almost 57 that I has chosen to leave a job where I had been for 13 years and chose one I was not made for...customer service account manager.
I had worked at the present company for 4 years and I was beginning to feel anxiety upon signing in every day. I would be vested after 6 years, and my late husband's military pension and my salary gave me a feeling of security even after I'd signed a 30 year mortgage for my own home.
I decided that I would retire on May 2, 2006, exactly 6 years after my start date and I immediately started planning for retirement at 59 1/2. I started saving 25% of my salary and putting away every penny that I could afford into a company matching IRA plan.
Six months after my planned retirement date, I started collecting my husband's social security, my small pension from the previous job and an even smaller pension from the last company.
My old employer hired me as a contract seasonal worker for 3 years, working usually 3 days per week, adding to my income. Soon I learned I'd get an annuity from the military in addition to the pension. I claimed my own social security at 67 and, in total, I have 5 sources of retirement income.
My retirement has been very comfortable - no money worries, an untouched IRA and the ability to travel as much as I've wanted and offer gifts to my children and grandchildren.
I owe it all to planning - not just for the 2 years before retiring, but forever. I appreciate every day God grants me and pray that my health continues to be manageable for as long as possible.
