First, my retirement wasn't planned. I lost my income overnight because of a business partnership gone horribly bad. I was living in a trailer park trying to decide if I was unemployed or retired. Unemployed won and I worked for 5 more years saving up funds and building a house until a lack of certification and layoff forced me to have to decide again. This time, at 56, retired won. I'd bought into real estate (thanks Trailer Park Boys!) and became a landlord, but that didn't allow for enough cashflow, so I started my CPP and small pension at 60. Then I sold off the rental properties in 2021 just before interest rates went up and real estate dropped and I did really well. I propped up my RRSP to cushion some of the capital gains, but also lost a lot in the markets last year. I'm a long way from hurting financially thanks to that most recent nest-egg, but all along this journey for the last 15 years, I learned life isn't as structured for me in the same way as the experts and books say. I learned that I have to rely on my frugalness, learn new skills to lessen my dependence on contractors and get good at a lot of things I never had time for before, like cooking instead of eating out. Life, for me anyway, is more satisfying when you take the road less traveled.