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1 week ago | 
kitces.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
Executive SummaryRetirement has long been associated with leisure, relaxation, and winding down from a long career. But as more individuals confront the emotional realities of this life transition, many find that the absence of structure, socialization, and identity once provided by work can create a gap that traditional retirement planning doesn't fully address.
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1 month ago | 
rethinking65.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
Editor’s note: Kathleen Rehl is a columnist for Rethinking65. Read more of her articles here. Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. Each set out to build a home — one of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks. You know the rest: A hungry wolf huffs and puffs, and in the end, only one house is left standing.
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2 months ago | 
rethinking65.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
My mom expects to receive a big life insurance check soon. She’s overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do with that payout. Should she invest it?
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Feb 28, 2025 | 
sixtyandme.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
Twenty years of marriage is a milestone worth celebrating. My late husband, Tom, and I had grand plans – a dreamy Caribbean cruise, soaking in the sun, and the love we had built over two decades. “I’m the luckiest guy to have married you, Kathleen! And I’m gonna love you forever!” he would say, his voice filled with warmth and certainty. But forever was cut short. That cruise never happened. Our 20th anniversary passed, not with champagne and ocean breezes, but with an emptiness I never saw coming.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
rethinking65.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
February 12, 2007 — right before Valentine’s Day — marked the day I unwillingly joined a club no woman ever dreams of entering: The Widows Club. Membership comes with no invitation, no forewarning, just a shattering knock at the door of your life. The initiation is cruel, stripping away certainty and leaving you bare. The dues are paid in tears, heartache, and the slow, painful work of learning to live again.
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Nov 7, 2024 | 
sixtyandme.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
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Jul 27, 2024 | 
sixtyandme.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
Looking for a birthday card to give my 75-year-old friend, I passed up almost every message featured in the card section of my local markets. You know the ones I’m talking about. Intended to be funny, their messages ridicule older people! After a failed search, I made a card for her, emphasizing my friend’s virtues. She loved it! A much better choice. I’m in my 78th year, happily entrenched in the fourth quarter of life.
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Jul 23, 2024 | 
rethinking65.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
In the blink of an eye, life can change forever. For Lizette Zambrano, this transformation came tragically and unexpectedly. While enjoying a dream vacation at a Mexican beach resort in June, her husband, Jorge, was suddenly killed in a hot tub electrocution accident caused by faulty wiring. The incident not only took Jorge’s life but also left Lizette severely injured, plunging her into a new widow’s world of grief and confusion.
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May 30, 2024 | 
sixtyandme.com | Kathleen M. Rehl
Losing a spouse is a challenging and transformative experience. Your partner’s death can reshape your life. I get it. It happened to me when my late husband, Tom, passed 17 years ago. His death was the most devastating event I ever faced. Discovering your own voice, embracing new freedoms, and living life to the fullest are all important aspects of navigating this new chapter, which goes beyond just learning to live with loss.
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Mar 26, 2024 | 
humbledollar.com | Kathleen M. Rehl |Jonathan Clements
Kathleen M. RehlMY HUSBAND SAYS I’LL never retire. He’s right. Now in my 78th year, I have no intention of stopping work altogether to devote myself to round-the-clock leisure. That sounds unappealing, especially since I plan to live well into my 90s, just like my great-grandmother. Most of my friends opted to retire in their 60s. That includes my husband, Charlie. He retired at age 61 after 38 years as a nuclear engineer, all that time with the same company.
