What Retirement Might Look Like for the ‘Gilmore Girls’
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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“Gilmore Girls” is having a moment. Again. It’s happened every fall since the show began streaming on Netflix in 2021. Seasonal data shows the family drama hits top 10 lists as a consistently popular binge every fall, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
But have you ever thought about what happened to Lorelai, Rory and Luke after the 2016 sequel, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life?”
At age 57, Lorelai is probably facing typical Gen X struggles and perhaps concerned about the best way to preserve the wealth she’s amassed from the Dragonfly Inn. Meanwhile, Rory, an elder millennial at age 41, may still be struggling with career advancement in the admittedly rough field of journalism.
Here’s a closer look at what their lives and financial situations could be like today, if the show had continued.
What We Know for Certain
Toward the end of “A Year in the Life,” we learn that Luke and Lorelai married. Both Luke’s Diner and the Dragonfly Inn seem to be doing well in the small town of Stars Hollow. However, there’s no clear succession plan, other than selling the businesses, if they wanted to retire.
Meanwhile, Rory has a Yale degree, some clips from The New Yorker and The Atlantic as a freelance writer, and an 8- or 9-year-old child, presumably Logan Huntzberger’s. She was supposed to receive a trust fund of $250,000 established by Richard’s mother (Rory’s great-grandmother), but it was never made clear in the series if she received that money. There were also references to a trust fund from Richard.
In “A Year in the Life,” Rory’s strapped for cash or, as she said, “I have no job. I have no credit. I have no underwear.”
Rory’s Retirement?
On her own, Rory probably doesn’t have good prospects to retire at 62. According to ZipRecruiter, the average freelance writer earns roughly $48,412 annually, with the low end of income at $15,500.
Depending on how Rory structured her business, she may not have amassed much in Social Security retirement income and it’s doubtful she would establish an independent retirement account, like a SEP IRA.
Even so, Rory Gilmore’s retirement plans are a huge wildcard. In theory, she could marry Logan and be set for life, as his family is even wealthier than the Gilmores. There’s also a possibility of inheriting money from her grandparents and Lorelai, eventually.
How much might the Gilmore girls, collectively, inherit after Emily passes? One article at CheatSheet.com speculated that the family’s net worth is around $50 million. With that number in mind, it would take a lot of bad decisions and money mismanagement for Rory not to be OK in her later years, even if she continues earning a middling income as a freelance writer.
Then again, the girls’ relationship to Emily could be rocky at times, so it’s impossible to know who exactly the money would go to (but hard to imagine her passing over Rory in the end).
Lorelai and Luke: Focus on Wealth Preservation
If they are all left to their own devices, Luke and Lorelai’s prospects for retirement seem much better than whatever’s on the horizon for Rory. But retirement may not come any time soon.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, small business owners tend to retire, on average, at the age of 72.6, compared to the average age of 68.4 for employees.
It’s likely that Luke and Lorelai have established some type of retirement savings plan. Especially as Luke demonstrated his capacity to save money throughout the show, as he was able to purchase property and offer Lorelai financial help in times of need. But anything that might be in their 401(k)s is a drop in the bucket compared to what Lorelai might earn from the sale of the Dragonfly Inn, even if she splits the money with Sookie and pays off any outstanding loans.
The inn that the Dragonfly was modeled after sold for $18.61 million in 2013, according to the NewsTimes. However, the property boasts 58 acres, while no size was ever indicated for the Stars Hollow property.
A 2,100-square-foot retail location in the business district of Washington, Connecticut, which could be similar to the Luke’s Diner building, is currently listed at LoopNet.com for $600,000. It would make sense for Luke to keep the building and shift from restaurant owner to landlord in retirement, providing semi-passive income to supplement their investments.
This way, if Lorelai does receive any inheritance, they can maintain their lifestyle without touching that money. And if Emily’s money disappears when she dies, funds from the sale of the Dragonfly Inn can help Lorelai rebuild the Gilmore wealth, with the hope that Rory doesn’t fall prey to the third-generation curse and lose it all.
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