Do you plan to stay in your home as long as possible? What happens when you can no longer climb a ladder, and you need to change a light bulb?

Look for help from community organizations. Many areas of the country are served by nonprofit orgs that can help retirees obtain affordable or even free home maintenance assistance.

-Foundation for Financial Wellness

Video Transcript:

Ask most retirees where they want to live, and chances are they'll say they want to age in their home. It just makes sense. Recently, an AARP survey found 87% of those age 65 and older said they would prefer to remain in their current home and community as long as they can as they age.

However, as we age, living at home comes with challenges. Homeowners who in previous years would have easily climbed ladders to change light bulbs or cleaned gutters, may not be advised to do things like that any longer. It’s just too dangerous. However, when retirees try to hire out these and other tasks, they often find it difficult to find dependable and fair-priced work.

So, we have a few ideas where you may look to find people you can trust to do a good job at a fair price. Here’s a few in no particular order:

This may sound surprising but ask your financial professionals - your accountant, financial advisor, attorney, etc. Oftentimes they have relationships with a lot of people across a variety of industries, and they know many other retirees who are having the same issues. 

Do a little online research. Angie's List – like those types of websites. Consumers can search company profiles, read reviews, and use that information to select the right people for the jobs.

Or, you can look for help from community organizations. Many areas of the country are served by nonprofit orgs that can help retirees obtain affordable or even free home maintenance assistance. Get creative!

So at this point do you have any decisions to make or actions to take?

Have you begun to think through the years remaining while living in the home? It may be a lot of years. It may be a long time from now, or it may be something you’re dealing with in the present.

Once you do, begin thinking through it thoroughly, begin writing those expenses into your retirement budget! Don’t ignore it. Don’t just hope it’s not an issue. Plan for it. It’s much less stressful to do this on the front end, and you can begin to build your supporting cast in the meantime.

Don’t forget - take advantage of your private counseling session. You can talk about these things. It’s included. It’s private. It’s confidential, and it’s always with one of our Certified Financial Wellness Counselors. To schedule that counseling session, simply click on the "Request Counseling" button.