WWYD: 53 years old, £400,000, no commitments.

[Flobbyblob]

Imagine please you are 53 years old, single, grown up kids, no husband, no house... but £400,000 in the bank.

WWYD?
What kind of life would you make for yourself?
Where would you start?

I’d move to Cyprus, buy a small apartment and work for one of the big travel firms or hotels.

How do you picture your retirement? Then work backwards to see what you need to do to get there from where you are now. Property and pension will be the big focus.

I am not sure about the seven years of sacrifice plan. Hopefully you and I and everybody on this thread will live until our 90s but there are no guarantees.

I like to ask myself, if I was on my deathbed in five years' time, what would I wish I had done between now and then. That doesn't necessarily mean blow the £400k, but I do think life is for living and if there are things that you want to do, start doing them now and don't put them off.

I also hear what you are saying about isolation. I am a similar age to you and my philosophy is to invest in friendships and networks now, which will hopefully see me into my 60s and 70s.

Good luck!

I would buy a lovely big motorhome with a good shower and bog and fuck off anywhere I wanted to. Few possessions, just me and my dog 🤣 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/motorhome-details/202311143929919?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_motorhomes&berth=7&page=2

Don't retire so young, you will atrophy.

Work part time maybe and find somewhere you want to live long term.

I'd spend about £300k on a house or flat in good nick, somewhere I'd like to live, and rent it out for a year or two while I travelled the world. Then come home, find work I found interesting, get a cat and enjoy being home.

This is a very pertinent point. It is being talked about but not as much as it should. I mean the point that working actually keeps you younger. I saw on YouTube the other day, a professor talking about this and his point really stuck with me that as you get older, you should move more not less. I also took this to mean mentally, too, that we should in fact be working more as we get older not less. Very controversial but at 53, I feel as though I’m ready to embrace my full potential in my career, but I am battling with the fact also that time is running out and I may wake up in 10 years time and wonder what the heck I’ve done with the good years that I had left.

I also like the idea of “enjoying being at home”.

I travelled a lot when I was younger at a time when I believe the world was a better place before iPhones and selfies and mass tourism really took hold. I was so lucky and as a result, I do not feel the need to really travel.

Same as pursuing friendships. I’ve always found them quite unfulfilling. Socialising for the sake of socialising is tedious I think. I feel as if stay connected with other people should involve a common task or mission. As in working together with people on a common purpose. I might need to join the church, seriously.

Sitting around in a pub or drinking tea and nattering really has no appeal because I don’t find individuals interesting enough and I get bored hearing about their business. Men don’t seem to do so much of that they all seem to get together over football or sport. Hardly ever. Do you see two men sitting having a cup of tea nattering about their families. But because I’m a woman, that’s how my friendships are supposed to be.

I am interested in just about everything from politics to crafting to exercise. But it all can be performed in my home. On my own.

Maybe I should just accept that I should buy a nice house, stay working at the job I love, accumulate assets, reach my potential, staying on my own with my dog and then look at things again when I’m either so bored, I can’t stand it anymore or 63 and a bit richer.

By then I might be ready for a more sociable, integrated life of adventure!

Hopefully I’ll not be too old for it.

Sorry, was referring to point about atrophy.

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Glad you've got your head round it. I agree with a lot of your points. Carry on as you are you'll be fine, God willing.

The point that working keeps you younger is about new input.

If someone is retired, and spends their days doing laundry cleaning the house and walking the dogs they are not really getting anything for their brain to work on nor are they doing much physical exercicse.

If you are working then usually you are in contact with at least some people (real life or virtually) and your brain is working.

But there are plenty of other ways to keep your brain working. Many people who are retired or not working have hobbies, crafting, music, etc etc.

Paid work is not the only way.

However if you love your job then I wouldn't be talking about giving it up. Most people don't, and they give up work to do the things they actually want to do.

Definitely buy yourself a place. If it's one which needs a lick of paint you can take your time planning to make it how you'd like it. You have then got the security of not renting.

You like your job, so you can put more effort into that.

It already sounds as though you have a lot going for you as you are.