How I'm Dealing With a Broke Retirement Future

When I graduated high school, I had dreams and aspirations to become a registered nurse and orthopedic surgeon. Soon thereafter, those dreams were replaced with motherhood and wifehood. I gave up my college years to change diapers and watch my husband reach new career heights. Thirteen years passed quickly and my husband's retirement savings were growing rapidly. We just knew life was going to be okay despite the fact that I had no retirement savings and no social security money to draw on. That is, until he left his career to spend more time with our children. We cashed out that retirement savings to pay the bills and survive, but now the money is all gone and we are facing retirement with no savings and not a leg to stand on.

Making the Most of What I Have

I find myself asking the question, "What do I have that I can use to create a steady stream of income for retirement?" Working as a freelance writer since 2007, I have a good rapport with private clients and media companies, but that money is a one-time payment without retirement savings. There are no 401K matches in the freelance business and even if there were, paying the bills month to month and keeping food on the table and the lights on is more important right now than saving for when I grow too old to type.

Some freelance writers build a strong portfolio with media websites that offer regular, residual payments. This could be a good source of retirement income, but payments can be low and spread out over many months. Trickling income is not going to keep be out of bankruptcy or homelessness. So what do I do? I work 14 hours a day some days with 10 hours dedicated to "right now" income and four hours dedicated to "residual" income. I live every day hoping I will soon see some return on the investment while battling with the desire to spend more time with my children. They are the reason we chose this life in the first place, but reality can cloud dreams.

Maybe If I Win the Lottery

Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery and living the life of comfort without the need for retirement savings? That is the dream I have every night. If I could just spend that infamous dollar and walk away with a few million, I would never have to worry about trading off time with my children for a paycheck. But that is not a reality and I need to live in the here and now.

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