Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Single and sighing

This article is geared towards Canadians, but I still found it interesting: "Going It Alone: Retirement for Singles" (2011).

There were a few things in it that made me think about my own situation:

(1) It confirms my sense that there are tradeoffs involved. I pay higher tax rates and have higher housing costs than if I were splitting a 1-bedroom apartment. On the other hand, I'm not paying for children, and I bet that will easily save me the $250,000 the article mentions over the course of a lifetime. I could see how it could be more -- you need a bigger housing situation, medical care, school stuff, clothes, food, and then eventually college plus, if they're anything like I am myself, they then need financial help while they figure out what they're doing in their adult lives!

(2) It reminded me that nothing is certain. The sisters they interviewed had both been married; then one was divorced and one was widowed and they were right back where they started! Even if I were married, the odds would have to be at least 50-50 that the other person would die before me.

(3) Yeah, I have to seriously get going on this savings thing. I feel (and am) so far behind.

No comments:

Post a Comment