Marilyn Degodny Winters
"Health Forced Retirement"
Please Login or Signup to Email Marilyn Degodny or Post Comments
Login to Comment
3 Comments
Retirement Forces Difficult Choices
September 17, 2010 by Marilyn Degodny Winters
My husband, Randy, and I must make a difficult choice. Now that we are both retired and living on a fixed income, we have to choose between taking a trip to see my children who are moving to Scottsdale or replacing the flooring in our home. We have the savings to do one or the other, but not both right now.
Oops! What About the Dog?
We also have to take into account our dog, DeeJay. If we travel to Scottsdale from Ft. Lauderdale we would stay for a week. It is too long a trip for a weekend visit. Being dog people we don’t like to leave DeeJay for more than a few hours. Is it feasible to take a dog on an eight-hour plane trip with a stop over? He is too large to fit under a seat so he would have to stay in the cargo area with the luggage. That seems cruel. Should we leave DeeJay at home and get a dog sitter? Could we afford to pay the additional costs of dog care and still afford the trip? Or, should we forget about going to Arizona now and get a new floor? I guess it will come down to what we need to do to help my children with their move. Will my Disability Impact Travel Plans?
In addition to the problem of what to do about DeeJay, I have to consider my health issues. How difficult will it be for me to handle a trip of that magnitude with a seven-day turn around? Can I do it? In my head I believe I can, but will my body be as cooperative? As a parent my first thought is to do whatever I can to make my child’s life easier. Does that thought process have to change, as I get older? Do I need to put myself first now?
As parents we always want to do the right thing. Balancing how much help one can give adult children is an issue many retirees are facing in today’s weak economy. Can we afford to take money out of a battered IRA, spending several thousands of dollars for a trip, when we need things at home? Or handle the stress of such a trip when you need to take care of yourself?
These are the questions that I must now try to resolve. I think it will only get more difficult to make tough choices as my life as a retiree continues.
|
Login to Comment Comments:09/19/2010
Not to be morbid, but who know how long we will need our IRA dollars? The kids can use help now and embracing family seems more beneficial than upgrading an old floor, unless the floor is a health hazard? DeeJay might really enjoy the company of lots of other doggies at the Day Care while you're off helping the kids in Scottsdale. I lean toward doing the trip now (as prudentenly as you can) and letting that floor go for now. Tim09/17/2010
Great article - I really feel for you. Take good care of Deejay. Abe09/17/2010
Boy do I identify. Who would have thought that at this point in our lives, these choices suddenly are so difficult. We all thought that we would have money to last forever, and that we could just do \" stuff\" . I bleed with you. Sammy |
You will find these interesting:Unexpected Benefits of Retirement, Time for Party PreparationsMy Career Transistion Has Brought Some Welcome Changes Job Search Commitment This article was posted in:Money ManagementFinance Things You Need to Know Retirement Career Management & Transition Click on a category name above to read more on the subject |
