She's Worked 36 Years As A Nurse and Saved $828,000—Now She Wants to Retire, But Suze Orman Says No. She'll Need Keep Working And Move To Oregon

7 hours ago 2

Caroline Lubinsky

Sat, January 31, 2026 astatine 2:07 PM CST 5 min read

After 36 years successful nursing, Lisa was acceptable to commercialized scrubs for structure pets.

The 57-year-old widow, who precocious sold her location to chopped expenses, hoped her $828,000 nest ovum would beryllium capable to discontinue and prosecute a lifelong dream: moving part-time with animals. She called into Suze Orman's YouTube amusement for advice—and possibly a small validation. What she got was a crisp dose of Suze-style reality.

Orman asked Lisa to people herself connected her fiscal readiness. Lisa, hopeful but realistic, gave herself a B+. Suze gave her a C-minus.

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Lisa's financials weren't terrible. In fact, they looked coagulated connected paper:

  • $311,000 successful status accounts

  • $87,000 successful exigency savings

  • $430,000 successful investments

  • No mortgage, nary user debt

  • Monthly take-home wage of $3,000

  • Monthly expenses of $2,707

But Orman was speedy to constituent retired that portion Lisa's numbers adhd up now, they don't relationship for what's astir to change. Leaving full-time enactment means losing employer-provided wellness insurance. Taking a part-time job—especially 1 with animals—might beryllium fulfilling, but won't travel with benefits.

That's wherever Suze's $4,000-a-month benchmark came in. According to her math, Lisa's assets would lone safely make astir $2,000 a period aft taxes. Add a humble part-time income—around $20,000 a twelvemonth oregon $1,250 a month—and Lisa inactive falls $750 abbreviated of her target.

Lisa mentioned successful her paperwork that she'd see relocating to Oregon and perchance surviving with her sister to trim expenses. Even then, Orman calculated a shortfall of $165 per month.

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Suze Orman didn't conscionable manus retired a harsh grade—she mapped retired a way to improvement. Her advice:

  1. Keep moving full-time until property 60 to support employer-provided wellness security and debar drafting down savings excessively soon.

  2. Relocate to Oregon arsenic she's considering, which could little her monthly expenses and let for shared lodging with her sister.

  3. At 60, statesman collecting Social Security subsister benefits from her precocious husband, which would supply astir $700 per month.

  4. Take a part-time occupation that brings successful nary much than $15,720 per year, the income bounds that keeps her subsister benefits intact without penalty.

  5. At 67, power to her ain afloat Social Security payment and driblet the subsister benefit. Between that and concern income, Orman projects she'll person astir $4,100 per period aft taxes, a sustainable income for retirement.


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