I Retired During the Pandemic: 7 Reasons That Was a Mistake
Written by
Laura Beck
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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Minnie D. taught high school for 30 years and was ready for her hard-earned retirement. Unfortunately, her retirement date was in April of 2020 — that’s right, about a month into the COVID-19 pandemic. She was faced with a choice: keep teaching or leave when she said she would.
Minnie didn’t want to learn how to teach online school, and she was also ready for a break, so she decided to retire anyway. “Plus, I thought it would be safer to stay home and hunker down for a few weeks,” she told GOBankingRates. “Now, I laugh at how naïve I was!”
Today, Minnie thinks retiring during the pandemic wasn’t a great idea. Here are seven reasons she thinks retiring during a pandemic was a mistake.
It Was Lonely
Minnie couldn’t hang out with friends or family like she planned. Her retirement happened about a month into the pandemic, and she thought things would calm down and she’d be able to see her daughter and grandsons soon.
“Things just got pushed and pushed and pushed,” she shared. “I didn’t end up being able to hug my new grandson until he was six months old!”
She Couldn’t Travel
Minnie wanted to see the world after retiring. But travel wasn’t allowed during the pandemic.
“I had a list of places I wanted to visit,” she explained. “But I couldn’t even go to the next town without worrying about getting sick.”
Money Worries
The pandemic made the economy unstable. Of course, this made Minnie worry about her savings.
“I kept seeing news about the stock market going crazy,” she said. “I was afraid my retirement money wouldn’t last long enough.”
No Daily Schedule
Without her job, Minnie had trouble figuring out what to do each day.
“When I was teaching, I always knew what I had to do,” she shared. “But in retirement, especially during lockdown, I felt a little lost.”
Missed Out on Learning New Tech
Schools started teaching online. If Minnie had kept working, she would have learned new computer skills.
“My old coworkers tell me they learned a lot about using computers and video calls,” Minnie said. “I was scared at first, but now I wish I had stayed to learn those things, too. Something to do!”
Health Worries
Retiring during a health crisis made Minnie extra worried about getting sick.
“I became very aware of my age and health,” she said. “Without regular check-ups from my school’s health program, I felt vulnerable.”
Feeling Useless
As a teacher, Minnie always felt needed. Retiring took that feeling away.
“During the pandemic, I felt useless,” Minnie said. “My old students and coworkers were facing big problems — like newborn babies and dying relatives — and I wasn’t there to help.”
Moving Forward
Now that things are getting more back to normal, Minnie’s trying to find new joy in her retirement.
“I just got back from a river cruise in France with one of my daughters,” she shared. “I’m making up for lost time!”
Minnie learned that big life changes, like retirement, can be affected by world events in ways we don’t expect. She now considers herself more go-with-the-flow than she was before. “I survived a pandemic! I can do anything!”
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