The thing that is so often ignored, including in this thread is the other side of this recent bought of inflation.
Yes, inflation has gone up and is still running about 3% higher than last year.
But my Social Security went up 17% as well when several years in the last decade there were 0% increases.
I’m still making 5.4% on my savings when many of those years it was a fraction of 1%. In some of those years, it was barely above zero.
The stock markets are at all time highs. This positively impacts most retirement funds.
The net worth of those 55+ is up 30% since 2019.
Real estate values at least where my house is at an all time high.
Inflation can be jarring but I know that I, and many if not most of my contemporaries are doing better. Not everyone, no circumstance is 100% but the data are what they are.
And virtually everyone who wants a job can find one, there are far more job openings than people who are unemployed.
Look around, there are more young people retiring early than ever before. Late 50’s, early 60’s, some were able to retire even before being eligible for early Social Security. By my eye, Sawgrass Grove has plenty of them on any given night and the other Town Squares have them, too. Some may be telecommuting and still working but many are retired.
It’s not all positive and this is a generalization. There are still critical shortages, especially in the medical field which can cause delays in treatment. Many here used to point to delays as the biggest weakness of the Canadian system, but we have delays now here, too. Mortgage rates are still too high for those that need them. But we hope that things continue to improve.
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