Daddy worked hard all his life and saved so Mom can stay at home and afford her medications and insurance. Mom's insurance is being changed and I have had to decide what type of policy she needs. There is an exchange that is helping us but I still have to decide which works best for her. She takes 12 different medications a day and some of them are expensive (Nexium for one!).
It makes me worry that while my husband and I have good jobs, we will never have the retirement or savings that Mom has. We had a great childhood, and I never wanted for anything, but the way the economy and world is right now it is more and more difficult to just get by, never mind saving for the future.
It is the kids just starting out now that I really feel sorry for, most of them have grown accustomed to and expect a lifestyle that they will find hard to achieve on their own. They put off working and go into debt getting an education that no longer guarantees high paying jobs, or any job for that matter, and those who don't have higher education are increasingly limited to low paying jobs with no hope of advancement. No wonder there are so many boomerang kids.