Get things done the way you want them before you retire.
When you’re looking to retire you need to prepare yourself prior to retiring. What I mean is this. When you’re working and making money you have the resources to buy a car, remodel your kitchen, get the newest thing in a mattress, get a new roof, etc. But what happens when you’re retired and you are on a fixed income of only about 30% of what you were making when you were working. What a lot of people miss is taking care of your body.
I am the youngest of 5 kids. Almost everyone in my family has dentures. My dad had dentures from the time he was 30 (never knew why), my mom had dentures, my oldest brother has dentures, both my sisters have dentures. The other brother we don’t talk about (family history) but I think he has all of his teeth, not sure. As for me, being an RN and seeing my patients every day in their hospital bed taking out their teeth to brush them, then putting them back in, in order to eat drives me nuts. I have known for a long time that I wanted to keep as many of my teeth as possible. I don’t want dentures. So I am doing the necessary work now, while I have a working income, instead of being in my 60s or 70s and wondering where I would get the money to take care of my teeth.
Do you realize that when you’re 65 and getting Medi-Care that it doesn’t cover dental? That means if you need dentures, you, yourself are paying for it, unless you are also under Medi-Cal (California’s term for Medicaid – California has to be “special” and use special names for Government programs) then you get to go where Medi-Cal wants you to go, not the dentist of your choice.
It is your best bet to use your company’s flexible spending account (FSA) every year and take care of your teeth. Get everything done that needs to be done, don’t wait until you’re retired. You want to keep your teeth, not have dentures. There’s nothing that says when you’re retired you “have to have dentures”. Not me, I want to keep as many of my teeth as possible. And I am spending the money now during my working years in order to do that.
So go to the dentist now, get everything taken care of NOW while you can, then retire!
The same could be said for your housing. See my next blog THINK BEFORE YOU RETIRE Tip #2
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Here’s to reading on!
American Senior Citizen 