RETIREMENT REGRETS: Top 5 regrets from elderly (70-80 yrs old) retirees!

Am 58 retiring next year but the thought of retirement gives me weakness. My apologies to everyone who have retired and filing social security during this time after putting in all those years of work just to lose everything to a problem you never imagined to happen. It’s so difficult for people who are retired and have no savings or loved ones to fall back on.

1. Retired at 56. 2. Never had a problem spending money. 3. At 68 I'm in good shape (don't take any medications). 4. Hobby? I have a big house and a yard to take care of. I walk, bike, lift weights, visit with friends, go to shows and other local events. 5. I have traveled and don't care to anymore. It's expensive and a lot of work. If I get in the mood, I'll go, but happy enough to stay home. Regards from Indiana!

Nobody ever looks back on their life and says " I wish I spent more time at the office".

I believe the retirement crisis will get even worse. Many struggle to save due to low wages, rising prices, and exorbitant rents. With homeownership becoming unattainable for middle-class Americans, they may not have a home to rely on for retirement either.

My Grandfather busted his butt his entire life. Finally retired and his brother got sick so he spent 2 years caring for him. Slightly after that, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. My father worked longer than my grandfather only to have his wife be diagnosed with MS. Enjoy life while you can. Nothing is guaranteed.

Very well done. Thanks for the overview! 1. Retired earlier 2. Spent their money earlier 3. Taken better care of health 4. Taken up a (challenging) hobby 5. Travelled more

Thanks for keeping the video short. Most other youtubers would make this 30 minutes. :)

I retired at 62. I did not plan to but didn't want a certain medical thing put into my arm. I believe everything happens for a reason. I was able to spend much of last summer with my 29 year old son while he temporarily stayed with me. THAT was a gift that I have come to treasure because he died suddenly last November. So, I would say, "retire when you can and enjoy your family " you never know when it will be too late.

I retired at 57, 7 years ago. My wife and I saved and invested early allowing me to exit the workforce when I did. We are not special and believe most people can do this with the appropriate level of planning and discipline. The key message I would communicate to others is don't delay retirement if you have the financial wherewithal to do so. Too often I have seen many people delay retirement and then experience health issues which constrain the very things they wanted to do post-retirement. Moreover, the most significant benefit of retirement for me is that I no longer have to deal with people I do not want to. That has proved to be the ultimate blessing.

Life is too short for regrets. It promotes a negative mindset. Instead, try to focus on happiness, purpose and the future.

Great insight, thank you for this! We retired at 55/57 from Boston to Phoenix in 2017 (now 62/64). Thanks to very low interest rates, we opted to refinance our Boston house in 2010 after the crash and buy the house in Phoenix for $168k cash, and it's now worth $575k. Yeah, we volunteered and had hobbies but still sat around way too much watching the boob tube. We bought a truck and travel trailer and did a 1 week trip every month for a few years until selling them in 2022. Then we bought some land near Knoxville, TN for the next move and bought a used motorhome and a new Jeep to pull. 1 year ago we decided to rent out our house in Phoenix and go full-time in our motorhome until we start building our new home in 2026. We are now on day 355, 11,500 miles, campground 80 and state 25 on our way to seeing all 50 states before selling the house in Phoenix and settling in Tennessee. Afterwards, we'll rent out the motorhome for passive income and start doing cruises and international travel again. I'm on my 2nd bout of prostate cancer but had radiation last year, and 6 months later I can still ride my non-electric mountain bike 50+ miles at 11mph average and hike for hours. Because of the cancer gene I opted to take social security at 62. And I'm with you on the "too much sweets"! For the younger folks, my advice is INVEST as much as you can as early as you can (start with any S&P500 ETF)! We'd been investing 20% of our income since our early 30's and delayed buying and spending beyond our means. Now, we can pay cash for a new $600k house, and we both earned under $100k/year. DINK helped a lot! (Dual Income No Kids) LOL!

I'm just 67, but I retired when I was 55. I hated debt so since my home was paid off, I froze my credit in 1997. I began to travel when I turned 40 and I had a beautiful place in Dominica, West Indies, where I would visit for 2 weeks twice a year. I was in a lot of jungles and volcanoes. I had a good sum of investment money that I converted into precious metals starting in 2017 and the value has nearly doubled.. I have more now than I did when I retired. I have a home on 4 acres and I grow a lot of my own food. I got solar in 2016 that gives me free power and pays me $460 a year in solar credits. I enjoyed the video because it confirmed that I did the right thing. The notion that I would have spent the last 10 years working is an awful thought! Best of luck to all who see this. Cheers!!

Biggest problem is when one spouse wants to stay at home and watch TV and the other wants to travel and meet people and get out and see the world. So frustrating when you aren't on the same page and there is no desire on the part of one of the couple to change.

Retirees who struggle to meet their basic needs are the ones who could not accumulate enough money during their active years to meet their needs. Retirement choices determine a lot of things. My parents both spent same number of years in the civil service, but my mom was investing through a wealth manager, and my dad through the 401k.

Retired at 55 (3yrs ago)...and a key lesson learned so far in addition to the 5 you mentioned...is make new friends...you may outgrow your life long friends cause many of them can't or won't retire...so find people that are in the same phase....it's wonderful but it does take effort.

I retired at 71 and that was the smart move for me. I didn't have a ton of money in the bank to rely on for the remaining years - and people are living longer these days. A lot of people don't know about the incentives for working longer. I was told that Social Security would max out at 67 for my age, but there is an additional incentive now. They add 8% for every year past your max year (with a limit of three years). I did this and that gave me an additional 24% in every S.S. check I'm now receiving. That's a big difference.

I am 73, retired at 72, due to open heart surgery . I was in manufacturing for the last 36 years. I miss the work, enjoyed it and it kept my mind sharp. I have fallen into "do nothing mode" and I have to get out of it. My biggest regret is not yet coming up with a hobby building, crafting items for pleasure and sell at flea markets, etc . I want to write a book of memories, got to have daughter to help me find a lap top. Would like to travel on the rivers, I'm single and a regret is not having a woman to be my partner. I guess I need to "strap on a spine" and get busy. Tired of T.V. UGH!

I stopped working full time at 38 years old. Worked 3 days a week, and retired completely at 61. At 67 years old I hit the gym 6 days a week. Life’s good.😊

I took my retirement at 62 and I love it!