While Rick Angus, a retired teacher, spends a lot of his time travelling, he recently bought a condo in Calgary – "a place to hang my hat."In Tales from the Golden Age, retirees talk about their spending, savings and whether life after work is what they expected.I retired in 2020 at age 56 after a 30-year career in education, including as a teacher, consultant and administrator. Just after the pandemic hit, my school district offered a generous voluntary retirement package.
Retirement can get a bit lonely, especially when you’re travelling regularly. The lifestyle isn’t for everyone, and I miss my two daughters a lot, but they have busy lives. I’ve taken up pet sitting when travelling; dogs and cats can be great company. Recently, I was pet sitting in Puerto Rico. I’ve also been a pet sitter in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Norway, and one of my favourites was in Switzerland, where I assisted a breeder in tending to 14 Bengal cats.
I also have my work pension and just started taking my Canada Pension Plan benefits when I turned 60. I know some people recommend waiting longer to take CPP benefits so that you can get a higher monthly amount, but my dad passed away from cancer at 50, so I didn’t want to wait. I’m healthy and want to spend the money in my prime retirement years. You never know what’s around the corner.