What Might Life Be Like At Sixty Five?
I’m not a great planner, but I do find it helpful to think about my future self. This kind of helps me take a snapshot in my mind of where I’m at along my journey and gives me a little motivation to prepare for what’s coming. I’m currently in my mid forties, but recently I was reflecting on what might be going on in my life at the age of sixty five, so I thought I’d share some of those thoughts.
Empty Nesters
It is so easy to get caught up in the recent past and near future. Since my wife was pregnant more than ten years ago and then with our other kid a few years later, our children have been the focus of our lives. It is so much fun to watch them grow and learn and develop.
But I also realize that they will become adults, they may move out, may not be reliant on us, and there will be times that they won’t have much time for us. It is possible that this may be the case when I’m sixty five.
Our kids will have been out of high school for more than ten years. Hopefully they will have true friends and maybe even jobs that bring them joy and satisfaction. We hope to be a big part of their lives at this point. But we will also need to plan for a good chunk of time to spend without them.
Retired
At this point in time when I’m sixty five, my guess is that work will be optional for my wife and I, and we may be retired. We still have a lot to figure out financially about how much money will be in which account, what our withdrawal strategy is, figuring out how much our pensions will be, and if social security will be in the picture.
But I’d like to think that money won’t be something that we will need to worry about at this time in our lives. We’ll have enough set aside for housing, food, transportation, travel, and any surprise needs that may come up.
Living Situation
If kids aren’t living with us, I’m not sure if we’ll need to keep our house. Two of the main reasons we like our house so much are the size and school district, but neither of these may matter as much at this point.
Could we scale down to something smaller, but still allow for space needed for get togethers or out of town family or friends visiting for a while? I think we would keep our eyes open in case just the right ownership or rental opportunity came up. It also might make the most sense for us to stay in our current residence until much later in life.
Health and Exercise
It is important to both of us to stay healthy and active as long as we can. At sixty five, I imagine we will continue to prioritize trying to stick to healthy meals.
Before kids, we would take regular walks, and I can see going back to this routine. Some of the best conversations take place when we’re outside and in connection with nature. We will also need to be focusing on building muscle and stamina, so regular exercise will need to be a priority.
Travel
We hope to go on many trips with the kids, but I feel that around this time we will be active and will take several small and even international trips from time to time just the two of us, or even individually with friends. I look forward to taking different types and lengths of trips over the coming years to see what works best for us as a family and with just my wife and I. This will help determine how much we want to set aside for travel as we get closer to retirement.
Community
I can see my wife and I getting involved in groups both together and potentially individually. We follow similar sports and music, so I can see us attending local events.
She is also involved in the education field, and has other interests as well, so it will be fun to see what she ends up enjoying during the period of her life.
I currently really enjoy the Financial Independence community and promoting education that helps put people in control of their own finances. I hope to be a part of this and other communities when I’m in my mid sixties, and I look forward to seeing how the related communities evolve over time.
Other Hobbies and Interests
I look forward to learning more about myself and perhaps taking up new interests between now and when I’m sixty five. Even so though, I have always been interested in learning more about a variety of topics, from health to technology, to finance. I’m really looking forward to this part of my life. I don’t ever want to stop learning.
I also think that volunteering could be in my future, whether it’s teaching or providing resources to others, or giving time to a cause that I feel strongly about.
Considering the Future Me
I’m going to try to keep thinking about the future, and modify my forecast as life and goals change. I think running through these scenarios will help me prepare for what’s to come.
Reader Question
- Do you find it helpful to imagine future you from time to time?
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