I am officially retired today.  got my first social security check..and if i didnt know how to manage money, i'd be in trouble.  of course, i have an interest check to help me also.  when i look back on my life, I had no clue as to what ss would be.  so many things i wished i had done differently.  but when you are young and stupid , old age is so far away.  i worked for 20 years at low paying jobs , so i ended up receiving half the amount my husband draws.  so my years working didnt make a bit of difference as far as ss goes.  it only helped at the time i was working and of course i didnt think about savings or bonds ,etc.  live for the next payday if you worked enough to draw one. but i will be doing okay if i watch my p's and q's.  does anyone else fall in this same boat?  Or do you have any experiences that might help the younger people on this site so they won't make the same mistakes.

Congrats on your retirement.  The only advice I can give young people on this thread is constistanly save some money out of every paycheck even small amounts add up over time.  I am trying to get my nephew to start young but just don't know it isn't because he has not been told so hope he makes the right decisions.

I'm 53 and stopped working two years ago. I don't receive a pension and will have to wait till 62 or 65 to collect SS. My husband is fully retired and works part time. I could if I wanted to but we are managing well. Besides there are others who need to work more than I do. I'm fortunate to be married to a compulsive planner and we've always been on the same page financially. Unfortunately most young people 20-30's are too busy living in the now to even consider the future. My advice would be to always save whatever you can. Plan to be debt free by the time you retire. When you hook up with someone, make sure they are capable of earning and MANAGING their money wisely and not working against you.

Oh and Congratulations on retirement :)

 Congratulations on your retirement.  You might feel at loose ends for awhile.  

As for advice for younger people, save as much as you can, don't spend your life buying every little wasteful gadget, and as much as possible don't go into debt except for things like a house or a car, and even pay cash for those if at all possible. If you do have debt, try to have it gone by the time you retire. Keep a savings account built up so that emergencies can be paid for, and then after that - Go Out and Have Fun.  You've earned it. Edey

Congratulations on your retirement!  If only I'd know as an early 20-something what I know now - but at least I learned as an early 30-something and made up most of the difference.  My goal at this point - and it's within reach - is to pay off my house before I retire, which leaves me balancing between paying extra to the student loans so I can pay them off (should be done within a year) and then accelerate the mortgage, and continuing to save for both emergencies and retirement.