Retire VA 22 - 30

Retiring
for One
written by Dan Smith
What can single retirees expect or anticipate
in their golden years when planning for one?
L
ike so many who are entering
retirement, those who are
single-whether by choice or
chance-face a wide variety
of possibilities. Some good,
some not so good.
Many of those who enter retirement
alone never expected that outcome.
Divorce or death of a spouse or partner
leave some retirees with no choice.
Others have made their lifetime as singles
and they know the ups and downs. It
is not so much a crap-shoot for them
because expectations won't change
much.
Investment advisor Andy Hudick of Fee
Only Financial Advisors in Roanoke says
the smart approach has little difference
whether single or married. The questions
remain the same: will there be enough
money? How much is enough? Where is it
coming from?
30 / Retire-VA.com / RETIRE-VA 2023
Those who have been single for a long
time are well-versed in how to live alone
and don't need much coaching. The
newly-single likely do. The big question:
What next?
It is those who have planned on a
married retirement with a beloved mate
who sometimes have their worst fears
realized. Jennifer Grover of Montgomery
County is one of those. She discovered
widowhood as she neared retirement age
and her now late husband flirted with it.
" In spite of working hard my whole life
and having several good, well thought
out, rational plans for retirement, " her
roof fell in. She had a bachelor's degree
in art from Virginia Tech, is a licensed
massage therapist and worked with
horses all her adult life.
Her husband, Frank, built two
companies, saving energy for
supermarkets.
He built a company in partnership with
a Norwegian company and European
investors to do energy management
in the US. They were to have signed a
deal Sept. 13, 2001. On Sept. 11, the
unthinkable happened, the companies
backed out and his retirement was put on
hold. He designed a new company with
four partners and it slowly grew.
The company was sold for a tidy sum
and Frank agreed to work for two years.
But Frank was diagnosed with terminal
lung disease and had a lung transplant.
He got well fast and " our retirement plan
was on track, " says Grover today.
However, Frank's condition
degenerated and " I kept believing that
we would find an answer, " says Grover.
" It was a very intense personal journey,
for me as well as for Frank. " After a short
period, however, " all his organs were
disintegrating, and I had to make the
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Retire VA 22

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