A divorce after 20 years of marriage wiped me out. My savings now is all in our property, embellishments, tools and SS. Fortunately, SS for me will be substantial because of my lifelong income. It is even more substantial when you take into account the cost of living where I now live (rural Kentucky). It’s almost like retiring in Thailand. Almost...
I'm so sorry to hear that. Speaking of retiring in lower-cost areas, a co-worker of mine left California after retiring, settling down in Nicaragua with a new wife there. Lived like a king there only on his SS, able to hire a maid, and fishing daily off a dock at the back of his house. He caught all the lobster he could eat and more. Lots of people I know left California in retirement, too expensive here. Some went to Tennessee, almost as good as Kentucky, where the SS goes further.