I hate job hunting. That's the only explanation for my having spent more than 10 years each with three companies, in good-but-not-great circumstances. All small businesses with limited benefits and no pensions.

My wife and I own our house outright, having paid off the mortgage with flood-insurance proceeds last year. We're hoping that we'll be able to finance a half-decent retirement, starting about five to seven years from now, through a reverse mortgage.

The longer we can keep working, of course, the better. For one thing, the monthly annuity paid back by the bank is adjusted according to the age at which you begin the process. Also, our neighborhood is in the process of serious flood recovery, and property values ~ which are artificially low right now ~ are very likely to increase quite significantly with each passing year.