It worries me , I try not to think about it too much, but everything I bring in goes back out as well, no savings, I have Ira with 2000 in it, so won't starve first month. I hope something improves and I get my house paid for at this point I'll be 70 when that happens.
I read about elderly people in temp jobs living in rv parks, maybe I'll at least get to travel!

I am keeping my fingers crossed I come into some money. I need a lawyer to straighten out my mess. I am divorced but the house is still in both names, I took his name off of all of my stuff, he kept my name on all of his accounts. I have a fear if we do not get stuff straightened the bio dad will blow whatever he gets instead of taking care of the girls. I am in the process of taking out a life insurance policy that will be in effect until the youngest is 24.

Problem is to set up a trust for the little bit I have, house, life insurance, and a small savings, it will empty my savings to set it up. As they say the rich get richer the poor get poorer.

And heaven forbid what if the girls become a drug addict or have the mental issues their bio Mom has and maternal grandmother had? They will not be able to handle any money.

I put into my 401K, although not as much as I probably should be. I'll get a small pension from my ex's retirement fund & I'm blessed to have 2 pension funds through my employer, but all of that combined won't pay for my living expenses & college for 2 boys.......so much can change, too, we all have to just take one day at a time & do the best we can!!

My husband and I talk about this a lot. Right now we are forced to move from our 2 room house (1 bedroom) and do something so that gd will have space. Our lot is too small to add on, and the 1 bedroom is upstairs. Already at age 64 I dont want to have stairs. Living in Boston area, housing is so expensive, and we had just planned to live out our lives in this tiny house. We have talked to atty about a trust for gd when we are gone, and that is quite expensive to do. And, what if she does go the path of her parents? Well, we cant control what happens after we are gone, so it's mostly just one day at time, like everything else. I dont think I will ever forgive my son and his gf for so much that they have brought to this family. BTW, we did lots of RVng (before gd) and yes, it's a way to live pretty easily in the parks as seniors.

I had nightmares about our future. We sold our five bedroom home in an upscale suburb and one of our cars to pay lawyers and doctors. The three of us moved into a rented townhouse. I left my job and insurance to start my own business. I wrote my books but no money to promote them. The doctor found I was holding my breath waiting for the next disaster. My husband is disabled and could not work. We were happy and grandson was doing well. Not complaining but understand your concerns. Anyway, we survived and recently qualified for a mortgage and are looking for a condo to settle down and enjoy retirement. Somehow it works out and the grandson we love is safe and remembers a happy childhood. Take it one day at a time, have faith and God will see you through.

I will be 75 when my youngest turns 18.....We are already trying to figure out how to send our 16 yr old gd, who will be a senior this fall, to nursing school. We are checking out grants, loans, and work programs for her. Don't know how this is going to work out but all we can do is try. As for the younger ones, there is just no way to save any money for their education as every penny goes to just feeding and clothing them......always something to worry about!

The kids' "other grandmother" lives 1000 miles away so we rarely see her. She claims that she's putting away money for college to make up for the fact that she isn't in their lives. I suppose time will tell...

As for healthcare, forget it. We're in the "gap" between 55 and 65, and just for my husband and me it's $1500/month - plus a nearly $6000 deductible and none of our doctors OR hospitals are on the Bronze plan.

So we sort of live without a net.

Thank yall for sharing. I know that god will take care of us he has this far. I just worry from time to time.

I'm blessed with good employer benefits & thank God for it. It makes me angry to know that these insurance companies can charge amounts like Sara speaks of with ridiculous deductibles on top of it!!! Credit card companies, pharmaceuticals & insurance companies rob people of hard earned money & something needs to change! I literally got an offer in the mail for a loan in the amount of 1000.00 - 2001.00 which came with a NINETY SIX PERCENT INTEREST RATE, 96%!!!!!! I wanted to write something VERY UN-Christian in bold marker across it& send it back, but I refrained & fed it to the shredder instead.....

As many of you know, I graduated college last November with an AA in Psychology. My advisers recommended I go for my bachelor degree and I started back in January and have now taken classes in forensics, addiction and personality formation. It is so interesting and will be of great help in my work with grandparents. I found out today I qualify for job as case manager or researcher plus a few others. I am preparing my resume. I plan to work only part time but the money will help and perhaps we can regain some of what we lost in battle for grandson. They say we are living longer and working longer. I'm hoping that by working part time we will be able to travel also as we originally planned for our retirement. Do not give up hope!

That is awesome news, Daisy! You go girl!!

I'm in the same boat as you. when our oldest GD came to live with us, we told her College is a privilege and she needs to do her part to work hard at school so she can have doors open up for her. My job is to instill good study habits to help her along the way. She was accepted into the IB program and also this year she just recieved NSHSS status. I'm bringing the younger two up the same way. I know all three can do it, but it's going to be up to them. My 9yo really took to studying towards the middle of the school year and her grades show'd her that if she applies herself she can do it!

I have to come up with a plan soon. I am almost 59 yrs old and raising a 12.5 yr old GD and a 9 yr old GS on my own. My husband was part of the family, but two incidents of physical violence and repeated verbal abuse required a restraining order. And he doesn't seem to be interested in getting help. I am the only wage earner. He was a photographer until a couple of years ago and he has already told me he is unable to work due to age and pain. He is 59 yrs old and not interesting in getting help to manage his pain. I have arthritic pain on a daily basis, but work more than 40 hrs per week.

So if I get a divorce, I will likely end up supporting him and not sure how I will be able to support me and the kids. He will get half my retirement, equity in the house, etc. Right now he is spending about $1800 a month on cigarettes, gas, coffee drinks, restaurants and who knows what else. I will probably have to pay for his health insurance as well as he will not be on my policy any more.

And I can't go on Medicare at any age as dependents are not covered by Medicare. I will need to continue working as long as I am physically and mentally able. I just wish there were some other adults in the picture who could forget about themselves and care about what happens to the kids. Not sure what will happen if something happens to me. I am sick of this epidemic of drug abuse that destroys everything in it's wake.

My plan: Work until I die.

Zigzag,, I would talk to a lawyer. Since you are supporting the two kids it sounds like it might be cheaper to get rid of you husband you may not have to pay him any thing. A lawyer is the best place to start.

The children should be eligible for health insurance through what ever plan your state has for children that do not have health insurance. If my gds were not covered by their Dad the state would pay for their health insurance. Not sure if all state have that but Hey we have Obama Care so there must be something.

Do you have joint guardianship?

You need to clarify the status of the children. Do you have legal or informal custody? If it is informal the divorce court may not include them. If your husband has social security he may qualify for disability. I agree you should consult an attorney. You may be able to file that you are not responsible for his debts. There was a period where I worked 90 hours a week running my own business and working at the hospital to have health insurance for me and our grandson. My husband was on social security. You have to consider yourself or you will not be there for your grandchildren. You need a plan besides killing yourself with work. Get legal advise and make a plan. You sound like you're down today but you can do this.