General Discussion

At 65+, I've got just above average invested retirement myself (over six figures, but not much over) even though I had to dip into it several times over the years for medical reasons - even with insurance - and a disabled spouse who can't work. I still have to work until 71 or 72 just to have enough saved that I could get around $12k a year 5% investment return; on top of two moderate pensions and two SSI payments, my spouse and I should be able to survive old age reasonably well

I was lucky in my jobs; learned how to make due from growing up in a family that didn't have a lot of stability job wise, and I've had access to resources that allowed me to be able to do vehicle and home repairs, access to quality thrift and used items, able to cook healthy, and live below my income.

All that being said, I'm very cognisant, having grown up poor, how difficult it is to save if there are limited resources available to deal with issues like a family health crisis, job prospects -especially those that didn't come with benefits, divorce/child support, affordable housing availability or reliable transportation - and all of those conditions are a matter of luck rather than hard work or smarts.

I have seen too many people my age and older who picked up as many skills as they could, worked hard, tried to make all the smart moves - and they still ended up with little more than Social Security to live on.