First things first: a bit of history and context

Here are a few revelations for the average person in the over-45 set:

• You don’t have to wait until you’re 70-plus to retire BUT
• Your 401(k) is probably not going to be enough to keep you in the manner to which you’ve become accustomed AND
• You better get it together if you want to stay off the cat food in retirement

So what to do?? Join me on the trolley ride of a newbie who is half a century old and looking to real estate investment to change her life. That’s what this blog will be about.

First, let’s talk about my parents – that’s where Freud would start after all. My parents were my example of what I thought could never happen for me – they retired when they were in their late 50s. They came up in the days of pensions (my dad has three; my mom has two!), and their health care is covered by the military since my dad was career Navy. They always lived frugally, and they are really enjoying their golden years. Believe it or not, I’m their daughter! I was a wild child with an attraction to punk rock musicians and a degree in English Literature. My 401(k) wasn’t even born until I was 32, and frugal living??  Yeah, 38 was in the rear view mirror before that started happening.

So now I’m 52, relatively successful in spite of my sputtering start, and I’ve been pondering retirement more seriously. As would be expected with my checkered past, my 401(k) is not EVEN close to retirement size. I look at my parents (late 70’s, early 80’s) and my husband (early 70’s, that sly fox!), and I realize that I may need even more bank if they get sick or need care. My son, Kenny, has been investing in real estate and owns a couple of rental properties. He doesn’t have to do much with the properties, and they pay his house note (uh, hello!). We discussed it a couple of years back, but I was in a new role at work that was taking a lot of time and mind space. Recently, we discussed it again; this time I feel ready. First thing, he sent me to the Bigger Pockets podcasts which I listen to religiously, especially the ones about getting started and investing in multi-family properties.

So my backstory – I’m in the HR/Learning & Development industry; I work as an Account Manager/Salesperson for a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider. I’m at a point in my current job where I’m not learning too much new, and I’m starting to get bored. My psyche is such that I require new challenges regularly, or I take on bad habits (too much food, too much drink – you get the idea).

The ironic thing is that my husband and I seem “set”. The only debt we have is our house and a car, and the car should be paid off by end of this year. Our FICO scores are pretty amazing; my 401(k) is not Bershire Hathaway size, but I can borrow against if need be, and we have 4 months of income banked. We both know that we’re better off than most, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about my retirement options.

What will happen? Will Lisa be successful or will she just thrash about and never get going? And why is she suddenly talking about herself in the third person?? Find out the answers to these and other questions in the next installment of my blog.