I have a small pension and IRA but took my SS at 65 to retire. My job was getting dangerous. I did a few part-time jobs after that for extra money. I'm single. There's no spouse's income to rely on. I wish there was. However, I bought into a LifePlan Community, which keeps you forever regardless of your finances. Hopefully, I will stay in the 55 and older community I live in, but if I need assisted living, they have another campus you can move to. None of my heirs have to worry about me. It's a bit of a crapshoot, but it was the best choice to keep my kids (four) from big decisions in the future about me and my money. Otherwise, I was planning to wait until I was 70, but once I became single, my whole life changed.