Aging ain't for Sissies
Aging isn't easy. My name is Marcy Backhus and I am your host! Make sure your complete well-being is handled with a community and information that can make it easier and FUN. Aging needs humor, which you can find in the "Aging ain't for Sissies" Podcast, along with informational guests that give us the information we need.
Aging ain't for Sissies
From Amazon Addictions to Asset Management: Redesigning Your Future
Ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about retirement planning? Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a candid conversation that goes far beyond the typical financial advice.
Retirement isn't just about quitting work—it's about intentionally designing the next chapter of your life. Whether retirement is decades away or just around the corner, this episode offers practical wisdom wrapped in humor and real-life experiences. You'll discover why defining your retirement vision must come before crunching numbers, and why retirement might include working on your own terms.
We dive into AARP's 10-step retirement planning guide with personal commentary that transforms dry financial advice into actionable insights. From the surprising truth about retirement assets (they're not just monetary!) to why maintaining physical fitness during cancer treatment matters, this episode balances practical planning with quality-of-life considerations that traditional retirement guides often miss.
The conversation takes unexpected turns as we explore how volunteering can fill the purpose gap, why isolation is the enemy of cognitive health, and whether Amazon shopping habits need intervention. You'll hear about Social Security timing strategies, emergency planning necessities, and why flexibility might be your most valuable retirement asset.
Whether you're planning to travel the world, spoil grandchildren, or finally pursue long-dormant passions, this episode provides a roadmap for creating a retirement that reflects your authentic desires. Because as we learn, aging may not be for sissies—but it is definitely for planners!
What would your ideal retirement look like if money were no object? Share your thoughts and join our community of seasoned adventurers navigating the journey of aging with humor, wisdom and practical planning.
Hello, and welcome to Aging Ain't for Sissies Podcast. My name is Marcy Backis, and I am your host. Oh my gosh. It's a good thing this isn't Aging Ain't for Sissies podcast because I completely forgot how my intro goes. I've only been doing this podcast for several years now, and I just froze. Just so weird. Anyways, hello, my fabulous friends, and welcome back to Aging Ain't for Sissies, the podcast where we laugh in the face of aging. Usually we'll try to find our readers, which are already on our head. So if that's you, you're in the right place. If it's not you, it might be your parents and you're still in the right place. So I am your host, Marcy, and today we're diving into a topic that's equally parts terrifying and liberating retirement. Now, before you think, oh, this episode isn't for me, I've got years before that, or I've already done it. Stop right there. Retirement planning is like colonoscopies. You may not want to think about it, but it's coming whether you like it or not. Now you would think at 65, and Craig is turning 70 in October, and I'm not 65 till January. I've just aged us. I don't know why. We're 64 and 69. Um, you would think we're retired, but we're not. I am, but I have delved myself right back into the land of volunteering. And sometimes I wonder why, and other times it feels very fulfilling. If that's you, you know what I mean. I want to live a life without people expecting stuff out of me. That's what you think about retirement, right? Like no more emails, no more this, no more that. But then when you have that, you're wondering, am I doing enough? Or maybe that's just me. I don't know. But I have, I've got myself back into I last year I agreed to do the stewardship campaign for the Cathedral St. James here that we belong to in Chicago, never having done stewardship in my life, and was doing it by the seat of my pants. And I agreed to do it again this year because, as I told my dean Lisa, I want to see if what I learned really works. And uh so far this year's going quite well. I I know what's expected, I'm on top of things. Whenever you have to count on others, it's always scary. But I have a good group of people surrounding me. Also, in the vein of church volunteering, when Craig and I moved here, Craig really wanted to start up a book group. So I agreed to help him. Well, who do you think is running that book group? Not Craig, me. Um, and it's fine. Book group, it's fine. It's fine. I'm just gonna say it's fine. But the emails, the this, the that, the making sure things are in the bulletin, all of that has fallen on me, which is fine. It's fine. Who am I convincing, you or me? Um, and what else? I feel like there's something else in my life that I'm in charge of. Well, I'm in, you know, I have to manage Craig and the house and everything else. And I there was a TikTok that came by this morning talking about that. It was kind of a little joke between a husband and a wife, a little satire they did in their bathroom. And he said, We're out of soap. And she said, Okay. And he said, Well, you know, where is it? And we'll have to pick it up. It's like he just thinks it just shows up all the time. And I feel there's a lot of relationships, and it could be male, female, female, male. I'm not gonna put it on anybody, but in our relationship, I am the manager. I am the manager of all things. I am the manager of family, I am the manager of the children. Now, mind you, my children are 30 and 33. Again, I've aged my oldest. The guy will be 33 in October. Um, I am the manager of all things. Are you the manager of all things? I'm the manager of everything. Craig's family, my family, our friend group. I mean, even Craig's friends. I know they have text chains about sports, but if it's about meeting up, if it's about dinners, if it's about anything like that, they come to me. I needed a cup of coffee, a sip of coffee, sorry. Um, so if you're the manager, you have my sympathy. Um, I'm also a control freak, so being in control of everything is is good. But what's really hard, and I'm gonna tell you this, Craig and I put an offer in and we're surprised it was accepted. So we've it's thrown us kind of for a loop for a two-bedroom condo here in our building. 43rd floor floor, we're 36. I wanted to go higher. It hasn't it has everything I wanted. Um, I'm very excited. I'm very stressed. Craig moves at a snail's pace, and you can't make him move any faster. Our closing is on October 31st, and I am leaving out of town next week for six days. I come home, and on the 17th of October, we are leaving until the 29th. We will be in Dublin, Ireland. So if that doesn't stress you out, it stresses me out. But it doesn't stress Craig out, and that's a problem for me because there are things that need to get done, and he is a procrastinator. And it works well in his life, it doesn't work well in my life. So last night, before I went to sleep, because I needed a good night's sleep, I thought I I've told Craig everything. I can't control him. It's what's gonna get done, what's gonna get done. If we lose this condo because of some reason and we lose our deposit, it's not on me. And I'm gonna let go of that. Uh Craig has not failed me in my life. He gets things done. It may be the last minute, it may be behind the times, but he gets it done. So I'm just gonna have to sit back and let it happen. Now, one of the things is our 24 taxes. Yes, they've been done by our accountant. Yes, she needed a few more things by Craig. Yes, we paid them on time. Um, but they need to be filed in order for us to get our financing, and they're not filed yet. Again, I can't control this. This is something I don't have control over. He has the information that is needed. So deep breath, and I'm telling you all this so I can let it out because that's part of what helps me feel better. And that's probably why I love having a podcast and talking to all of you. I also have great girlfriends here in Chicago, uh, my bestie Lynn and Mary that listen to everything I have to say. And uh, so that's that. I am very excited. It's a beautiful condo, and yes, we are keeping the condo we're in, which is another thing. We remodeled this with all of our favorite things. It's a beautiful remodel. It's going to be a uh short-term lease property for us. Uh, if you're going to be in the Chicago area, it will be available November 1st. It's stunningly gorgeous, a minimum 30 days. If you know any traveling nurses that are coming through Chicago, let me know. Hit me up. You can hit me up at um aging8forsissies podcast at gmail.com. You can also go to the webpage www.aging8forsissies podcast.com. You can reach me through there. If you're interested, I'm gonna start advertising that sucker. And if I don't have paid advertisement on this, it's gonna be advertising for my short-term lease every week. So get ready. It'll just remind you. Anyways, I hope your week is going great. It is a beautiful, stunning week here in Chicago. Had some guests run through a couple a week or so ago. Um, the weather has just been stunning. Yes, we know it's coming. You all seem to want to tell us that, but we're gonna revel in this. So, speaking of managing the family aspect, we are going to my sister-in-law's on Sunday for the final pool day before she closes up her pool. It's supposed to be 80 degrees this weekend. Another final pool day at the end, like squeaking into October is awesome here in Chicago. So I'm looking forward to that. My job is to bring a charcuterie, which I love to do. I um I do love doing a charcuterie. I got some great little charcuterie boards and things. So I'm gonna put that together. Where's your favorite place to buy things for charcuterie? Mine is Trader Joe's. Now, I'm getting an Aldi up the street. Uh, it's going in where the old Whole Foods used to be Whole Foods Build, a beautiful store. So within my two-block radius, I have Trader Joe's, I have I will have Aldi, I have Whole Foods, I have a family-run market right up the street. Can't think of the name of it right now. I'm I'm surrounded by great stuff, but I think Trader Joe's is my go-to. We'll see what Aldi has to deliver when it comes. You know, it's owned by the same company. A German company bought Trader Joe's, it owns Aldi. So there you go. Uh, I like to do a little candied bacon on my charcuterie. I like um some nuts. I like a little bit of dried fruit and some cheeses and some meats. Craig likes the meat part. So I will focus on that. The Bears will be playing this weekend. I lost my fantasy football game last weekend, so I'm two and one. My team's got some serious issues going on, but we'll see how we go. I might have to trade up some players, which I hate doing, but I might have to. These boys are not performing to their best, and I may have to just chuck them out. All right. Well, I think I've told you enough about what's going on. So before um, oh sorry, lost my train of thought there. I've entertained you with my chaos. So we're gonna get down today's business. I stumbled across a great little article from our friends at AARP. It's called 10 Steps to Take Before You Retire. And because I know none of us want to read dry financial advice without a little sass, I thought I'd bring you the highlights with my commentary, of course. So hang in there, give me a minute, take a couple sips of my coffee, and I'll be right back with you. All right. Not just I'll relax. Be specific. Travel, grandkids, garden, salsa lessons. What is it that you see in your retirement? Uh, and a reality check. Salsa Desson said salsa dancing sounds cute until you need ice packs for both your knees. Write down your top three dream retirement activities. I think this is a great idea. I think it's the first thing you should do. What is it? Define your retirement. Um again, Craig's is working. He loves to work. I I don't know if Craig is gonna ever retire. I really don't. We manage to fit in our life within his working. His working isn't the nine to five grind or eight to five or eight to six grind that it used to be. Um, he works from home. He works at our cathedral right now. He's in he's the pro he's the project manager for the remodeling of St. James. Um, I thought he was gonna retire when that was done, but I don't think he is. I really don't think so. I don't know what it'll take. I I am guessing he'll he's gonna work till he's probably 75. And that's fine. He's in great shape. He runs, he does everything. And like I said, we fit in our life. My retirement is a podcast, two podcasts, by the way. Yes, I have another podcast, Inside Marcy's Mind, and just a little commercial for that. This week's Inside Marcy's Mind, I am going to share my sobriety journey. I had a uh listener ask me if I would. And I've thought about it for the last few weeks, and I think I'm going to. Uh if you are my friend and you've known me a long time, you may not know my sobriety journey. I've shared it at many an AA meeting, but I don't think I've shared it. If you are my family, you may not exactly know my whole sobriety journey. Um, and if you are a listener, you may not know. But I've been sober 37 years. I did not age that. You never age your sobriety because we're never guaranteed we'll be sober tomorrow. I have been, I will, January 11th, 1988 was my sobriety date. So I've been sober 37 years. So if you want to hear my sobriety story, listen to this week's Inside Marcy's mind. Back to retirement. Write down your top three dream retirement activities. Ours is traveling and we're doing that. Mine is making sure I stay physically fit so that if I ever get grandkids, that's one of the reasons, I will be a granny that can move. Uh, there was a point in my life when we first moved here to Chicago, I was in really poor shape, fat, out of shape, unhappy. I am happy to say I'm not as fat. I'm in way better shape and I'm very happy. And so, although people do say weight shouldn't dictate your happiness, unfortunately for a large portion of us out there, it does. I took J GLP1s to lose my weight, the greatest thing I ever did. Um, maybe I'll talk about the GLP 1 journey. I've been off them since I started chemo because chemo was making me sick and the GLP 1s wasn't driving. Uh, today I start back on them. I put on 10 pounds. I'm not happy about it. Um, it's been a struggle to try to keep it off, and I don't want it to keep creeping up. And so today I go back on my GLP one shots. Again, I'll do an episode about that because I think they are the greatest thing that ever happened. And if you don't have a weight problem, you'll never understand. And if you do, you will. So next week we'll talk about that. All right. So now you've got those three, your top three retirement activities down. I think it's important to really think about that. And you know, you may not want to quit working. I, you know, like FYI, you don't have to. And working's not a bad thing. I mean, look at Home Depot. You go in there, there's a bunch of guys in there that are retired, and they're not some of them may be working because they need the money or the benefits. I'm not gonna lie, that that is a definite. But I think a lot of people our age are out there working because of the love of the job and the fact that we are keeping ourselves happier and healthier. And the thought of not having a job and getting Alzheimer's is not exciting. And we do know, and I've talked to this about this on this podcast many times, keep that mind busy. And work does that. If I was back in California, I'd still be at my job at the city of Irvine. I love my friends there. I loved my job. I was darn good at it, and it gave me a lot of fulfillment. All right, take stock of your assets. Assets aren't just dollars, they're also skills, hobbies, and resources. Got a hobby, it might pay. Knitting, consulting, dog walking. If you've got 200 beanie babies in the attic, who knows? You might have your retirement goal mine right there. So your assets are not just financial, they could also be all of those things. If you love dogs, become a dog walker. Make that extra money. You know, I've thought about it in this building. I do love animals. And there's people in this building. I can do pet sitting, and pet sitting pays very well. And I'm telling you, if this uh new venture of mine and Craig's of moving into a two-bedroom and having this uh having this furnished short-term rental doesn't work out, I might be walking dogs. Elevate your health. And I've talked about this again on my podcast. You are in charge of your health. No one else. No one take charge of it. You need to get the checkups, take the meds, eat the veggies. Mental health counts too. My mental health over the last 20 years has suffered greatly through ups and through downs. And um you need to stay on top of it. You need to take care of yourself, stay social, stay curious. My doctor asked if I exercise, and I said yes, I walked to the fridge 12 times a day. They didn't laugh. That was three years ago. That's not me anymore. Five days a week at the gym for minimum. Three minimum during chemo. If I can do it during chemo, you can do it when you're not on chemo. Okay. I'm gonna use my cancer against all of you. Yeah, I made it to the gym at least three times, sometimes five, sometimes four, never less than three during my chemo treatment. And you know what? It helped me get through my cancer and my chemo. And the doctor told me that I did very well through chemo. Yes, I had problems, but not nearly the problems people could have. And that's because I stayed active. Um, let's see, what's next? Create a retirement budget, know your spending now, project your spending later, plan for 80% of your current income as a rough guide. And don't forget fun, wine, movies, cruises, grandkids, bribes, grandkid bribes, couldn't even say that together. Think of all of that. Um we're pretty good at that. I think we have some areas we need to tighten up and getting this two bedrooms a little scary. But we can always sell it. We can always sell this one. So it's just another asset. And we're not retired yet. So Craig's still working. It's the time to do it. Decide when to start Social Security early at 62 equals smaller checks. Wait until 70, you get bigger checks. You may not make it to 70. You have to think about this. Or you may take it at 62 and invest it and make more money than you would get waiting till you get the 70 bigger checks at 70. Talk to a financial advisor or do your own research online. Online has great information from reputable sources. If you still work, watch the earnings cap before full retirement age. It's like dating, wait a little longer and you might get a better deal. Decide if you'll keep working. Work isn't just for money. We've talked about this a little bit earlier. It's for purpose. Maybe you consult, volunteer, or finally open that Etsy shop. Just don't tell your kids you're bored or you'll be babysitting every Saturday night. Well, my kids don't have kids. Um, as a matter of fact, I will be heading to California next week to go visit my oldest. And for those of you that know the ups and downs of my oldest, this is a great accomplishment. Kyle is excited that I'm coming. Kyle is gonna spend time with me. And Kyle is turning 33 and I think has finally become the adult they want to be. So with that being said, them being happier equals a better relationship with me. Network online and offline, stay connected with old colleagues and new friends. LinkedIn isn't just for 30-year-olds and skinny jeans. Retirement without friends is just you talking to your plants, which is fine until they start talking back. So make sure you stay connected, network with people. Um isolation and loneliness is the first step to uh really losing your mind. I'm sorry. It just is. We need they proved that during COVID when elderly could not communicate with people, remember, when we couldn't go in the retirement homes, so on and so forth. Well, it did not bode well for that group of adults. And my mother-in-law was in that group, and it didn't, she was not a super social person, anyways, but the small amount of social she had in her life got cut away, and I don't believe it did Jenny any favors. Step eight, find ways to cut expenses. Audit subscriptions, unused gym memberships. Don't, you know what? Don't cancel that unused gym membership. Get your butt to the gym. Random Amazon habits, that is my worst habit. I've got to, I don't know what I need to do about Amazon, but I need to cut out Amazon. I I need to go on a 30-day Amazon. Okay, October. All right. I'm saying it here and I'm saying it now. In October, I am not going to order anything from Amazon. Can I do it? I don't know. We'll see. Order a bunch of stuff today. Um, no, um, I do have some things that automatically come that I need eye drops, just the household things. I'm gonna let those go. I'm not gonna do any added purchasing from Amazon. Can I do it? Let's see. Okay. Umsizing can mean more freedom. I've told you this a thousand times. And while you are judging me for getting a two-bedroom now, we never planned on living in this. This was the place Craig and I are living in is our investment property that we've had for 23 years. Had we moved to Chicago and not had this, we would have bought a two-bedroom. So we are upside, but we don't need to buy any more furniture. We have everything we need to fill that two-bedroom. So there you have it. We won't be buying anything to fit in it. We will just fit what we already have squeezed into this one bedroom. Okay. Funny aside, well, I am still paying for a yoga app I used twice in 2019. Not true, but kind of. Let's talk about getting rid of those apps. I've got to go through mine. I'll tell you, there is a really great app, Rocket Money. If you connect all of your accounts to Rocket Money, it's like$5 a month. And it Rocket Money, if you're listening, I could use a um a sponsor. Rocket Money is great, it categorizes all of your spending on its own. It keeps track of all of your um subscriptions to anything. It will also unsubscribe from things for you. So that's Rocket Money. Again, I recommend the Rocket Money app completely. I've been using it for years. It tracks my spending. And Rocket Money, listen up, you're not going to see any Amazon charges in the month of October. So ha ha ha. Let's see if I can do it. I'm really, I'm excited about this, everybody. I like a challenge. Plus, I'll be traveling for two weeks. It'll make it easier. But usually when I'm traveling is when I buy things before I go. So we'll see how I do. Um, plan for emergency, emergency funds, insurance, wills, powers of attorney, boring, yes, essential, also, yes. Think of it like packing extra underwear for a trip. You don't think you'll need it, but when you do, you're very glad it's there. Make sure all your insurance needs. Get your life insurance, people, my young listeners, get it before you're old. I can't get it now. Craig already has it. Um stick to the plan, but be flexible. Life will change. Update your plan every year or two. Don't panic. If you slip, just recalibrate. Remember, flexibility isn't just for yoga, it's for your money too. So here are some reflections and takeaways. Those are 10 steps, and I I found them at through AARP. So you can go to their website and look at it in depth. Retirement isn't just about quitting work, it's about designing a life that you want. And that life may include work. My sister worked for a long time, part-time doing little things. Um a lot of people do. My other sister, she runs a dog training business. She is incredible. She does agility with dogs and she's doing great. My brother has fully retired, but I know he volunteers his time doing taxes for veterans and things like that. My sister-in-law as well has her volunteer opportunities. So everybody's retirement looks different. But make sure it's what you want. We're still in the planning stages and we are 69 and 64. So I'm excited about Medicare. Starts January 1st. Remember, I pay$1,500 a month for insurance. So yes, I'm excited about Medicare. All right. Your homework questions are which of those steps have you actually started? Which do you dread the most? And what does your dream retirement look like? Seriously, if money were no issue, and we know that's not the case for most of us, it is for a lot. Well, that's our show for today. My sassy survivors of time. Remember, aging may not be for sissies, but it is for planners. If you like today's episode, share it with a friend who needs a retirement reality check or someone who thinks retirement planning means buying lottery tickets. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and tell me what your retirement dream looks like. Next week, we'll tackle another juicy subject, one that might involve taxes, wine, or maybe a little creative cheating. I don't know what next week's episode is gonna be. I don't think about it until the week before. Every once in a while, oh wait, we talked about something on this episode. What am I gonna talk about next week? I don't know. I'm gonna have to listen to remember what I said. Until then, keep laughing, keep planning, and remember you got this. Go out there and do something positive.
