This is what I’ve been working for and what I am going to do! It bean as a pipe dream that I am brings to reality…kind of unbelievable to be sure…i made up my mind that I was not going to work until I 70 or so and not have the time or perhaps strength and mental to do a van build and go out and explore…the plot is still devolving, nevertheless I am building my van…I have retired from my job of 20 years and a new plan is in place…progress reports to follow!
Back in early 2022 I finally decided to slow down on work and make plans on retiring. That was the year I was turning 65 and had been working for the same company for 20 years. I had been told by those who cared for me that if you don’t do something besides work before you get too much older you will get to old to do anything but work! Made all sorts of sense to me! I was lucky enough to have the blessing of both worlds, that being the offered the freedom to travel and work at the same time fall into my lap so to speak. I was starting my SSA at 66 and 3 months to get the most without working until 70 and an offer to work remotely with the company I worked for! What a blessing! Over the previous year or so I had bought a tear drop trailer to pull behind my GMC AWD Terrain which I wanted to use as part of my retirement into photography! Well I out grew using a the teardrop without even using it because I starting reading and watching YouTube all about the van life….Off to the races! The things I wish I knew at the beginning when deciding on getting a van and the things I learned after getting and building the van! OMG! Don’t get me wrong I had a blast and enjoy what I have…but there are a few thing that I would have done differently! I will share those things and events that I have experienced on this journey! Enjoy!
When I finally realized that I had the ability to actually be able to retire and not have to work until I no longer could just so I could keep alive and safe. I had not planned well and made more than a few bad life decisions. Alcohol, drugs and prison where the ones! I will tell that story in other areas on my website if you care to take a look. Anyway, at age 44 my life started over…fresh out of prison, clean and sober, a true faith in GOD. I didn’t make all the best decisions, but I keep focused and the three things I had gained, being clean and sober and know that GOD is real for it was proven to me and remains with me to this day! I worked hard and was fortunate enough to buy a house, get a great job, make it through the great recession, and many other life-changing events. I will tell you that retiring from work was way more difficult than I anticipated. I was not ready to give up the security of a steady paycheck, health insurance, and to my surprise the responsibilities of my job! I was needed on a almost daily basis for my hand skills, my construction knowledge, and my ability to deal with clients. I felt needed and my job gave me purpose and benefited the company I worked for. More to come!
Just getting ready for retirement is a job in itself! You have to start way earlier than I did and I will tell you why. 1st you have to figure out when and if you are leaving your job! You must sign up for your with the SSA three months before your 65th birthday. So your Medicare will kick in and or your SSA benefits will begin. No big deal right! Well if you plan on still working which I did for a bit…for the following reasons…I was using my companies health benefits to have a knee replacement before I left my job. I wanted to wait to turn 66 and 3 months to get full benefits…So here is the kicker the following year I left the company and sighed up for Medicare but did not want to collect my SSA benefits until I made the age bracket I wanted. You have an option when you go on Medicare you can choose to have part A only or you can have A and pay for part B.
Wait there is more! A & B only cover so much so you have to pick a supplemental plan also, which of course also costs…it is a rude awaking when you out how difficult it is to navigate the system…get help… part B is a monthly cost and if you aren’t collecting your SSA benefit yet you must pay every month to Medicare if you are collecting your SSA benefits you can have it taken out automatically…but your supplement plan you pay for yearly or at least the one I picked. I will tell you in the next segment what happens if you mess up…as I did!
