Marion Leyland at an Ottawa condo she has rented for the summer before returning to Mexico for the winter come November.Ashley Fraser/The Globe and Mail
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In Tales from the Golden Age, retirees talk about their spending, savings and whether life after work is what they expected.
Marion Leyland, 88, Ottawa
I retired in 2002 at the age of 68 from a full-time corporate and entrepreneurial career in the cosmetics industry. I continued as a part-time consultant until 2012. By then, I was a professional artist, a self-taught painter, and am still getting commissions for portraits today.
My retirement in 2002 was driven by a desire to spend winters in Mexico. My contract was up for renewal for another five years and I decided not to continue. Instead, I carried on as a part-time consultant and worked remotely from Mexico for about six months of the year.
My husband died in 2019, which put an immediate strain on my finances. Neither my husband – a real estate agent who retired in 1987 – nor I had a company pension. We had registered retirement savings plans, guaranteed investment certificates and some disastrous stock investments.
We sold our house in 2002, the year I retired, to buy a cheaper home in a retirement community with very low maintenance costs. We then turned to a financial advisor to handle our investments. In November of last year, to further reduce my expenses, I sold our house on my own [to avoid real estate commissions] for a nice profit and moved into a seniors’ rental apartment in Collingwood, Ont.
I was concerned about outliving my money until recently. I’m in excellent health and very mentally and physically fit for my age. While I was in Mexico earlier this year, I realized I couldn’t go back this winter because I couldn’t afford to pay for both my apartment in Collingwood and accommodation in Mexico year-round. I was depressed. I hate winter. I feel strongly that the cold and walking and driving conditions in the winter are dangerous for people my age.
Then, I had an epiphany – sell everything I own, except my clothes, and become a nomad. I decided to rent a furnished one-bedroom Airbnb from May to October and then rent a furnished condo in Mexico from November to April. I will leave my apartment at the end of October, the day after I turn 89, and move to Mexico for the winter. With this change, I expect to save about $15,000 a year.
I feel excited and re-energized about retirement and look forward to this new adventure. No more concerns about outliving my money. No more winters. My grandson thinks I’m the coolest nana in the world because I’m doing what Gen Z is doing, but I’m almost 90.
Retirement is everything I hoped it would be. I spend my time reading newspapers and studying Spanish – both online – for an hour or two a day. I started taking piano lessons for the first time in 2021 via FaceTime with a teacher in Calgary. I also continue to paint – when I don’t have artist’s block – and love going to live theatre performances. The loneliest part of the day is the evening.
I like to lose myself in movies. I think staying mentally and physically active is important as we age. I like going for walks and dancing. Sometimes, I just put music on at home and dance!
As told to Brenda Bouw.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Are you a Canadian retiree interested in discussing what life is like now that you’ve stopped working? The Globe is looking for people to participate in its Tales from the Golden Age feature, which examines the personal and financial realities of retirement. If you’re interested in being interviewed for this feature and agree to use your full name and have a photo taken, please e-mail us at: goldenageglobe@gmail.com Please include a few details about how you saved and invested for retirement and what your life is like now.
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