All of a sudden while planning a cruise to celebrate our 40th anniversary it occurred to me. This year besides the big anniversary, I am turning age 65 and am fully retired (except for my retirement job which I am not counting). Wow, that is just special, a sort of boomer triad, hitting the 40th anniversary in the same year you turn 65 and also retire.
Then I noticed something else. Three other couples I have met this year also have a 40th anniversary this year. One couple from the senior center, one from an upcoming cruise and one from our dance club. What are the chances of that. Apparently pretty good. Since I am near the leading edge of older boomers having been born in 1948 there are a lot of us. We know that. Also I got married at age 25 and that was the average age to get married back in 1973. So it makes sense there are a lot of couples celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2013. Some of us may even make it another 10 years and celebrate our 75th birthday and 50th anniversary in 2023. That would be something. I remember my grandparents celebrating their 75th anniversary but they got married very early. We would have to live to 100 to celebrate our 75th anniversary.
Turning age 65 means you can officially retire and it is expected. No more early retirement, just retirement. The full retirement date for our age group for social security benefits is age 66, but you can start receiving the SS benefits as early as age 62. However the big thing is at age 65 you can get on Medicare. That is big because if you retire before age 65, then you will have trouble getting or paying for private health insurance. At 65 it comes together so you can get both Medicare and Social Security allowing many more people to actually retire.
Speaking of retirement, it is happening regardless of the financial press stories saying people can’t retire. Yes we boomers can retire. I have observed that retirement is a transition that takes most people 3 to 5 years to really feel retired. Yes, there is consulting and part time jobs that linger longer than we expect sometimes. There is learning how to retire and what retirement means for us. You will find your way and be happily retired.
Any way those celebrating the baby boomer triad this year, take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments and futures and then let’s party like it 2013! Take a cruise, a special vacation, a weekend away or something to mark this special time. With all the negative vibes in the world today, let’s forget them for awhile and focus on our special accomplishment.
Originally posted 2013-03-03 08:56:43.
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Wish you all the best for post-retirement years. My dad just recently got retired. It’s actually not that bad he says 🙂
Congratulations! I’ve got mixed emotions about retiring even though my husband has been retired 3 yrs already and loving it! He has no regrets, stays busy, just feels bad that I’m still working & we’re limited to my 5 wks vacation. I’ve always had trouble letting go! Hope you make it to 75th, that would be grand!