A heads up before you listen. This podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.

We are not financial advisors. You should always do your own research and consult your own financial advisor before spending or investing your money.

Please note that all income, financial information, and expenses in what we spend are self-reported.

I'm kind of feeling stuck, and I'm not super excited about being retired, like I thought I would be.

And my mom keeps saying to me, you really are going to be okay.

She's like, you've done your time with, like, working now, enjoy retirement.

But I just feel like I haven't really had a chance to, like, say,

I'm really enjoying retirement because I've just been on edge.

Yeah. enjoying retirement because I've just been on edge. This is Cherry. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

And I am gracefully 57 years old.

And how long have you been retired?

Six months.

Before she retired, Cherry was a social worker for the Department of Children and Families for 38 years.

She loved her job, but she also had dreams of a new life in retirement, where she could spend more time with her friends and set her own schedule.

In the U.S., the average retirement age is 62, so at 57, Cherry is a bit

ahead of the curve, but retirement hasn't turned out the way she expected. She's needed to give

a lot of her time to caregiving for her mom, and even though she has a pension, she's come to realize

that she wasn't financially ready.

This week, we'll follow Cherry as she figures out what it's going to take to make retirement work for her.

I'm Courtney Harrell, and this is what we spend.

Generally speaking, how would you describe your relationship with money?

I will say that I am not the greatest

...