My Economy

Preparing for retirement, one Google search at a time

Andie Corban Dec 17, 2019
HTML EMBED:
COPY
Janet Johnson and her husband, Duane Esarey. Photo courtesy of Janet Johnson
My Economy

Preparing for retirement, one Google search at a time

Andie Corban Dec 17, 2019
Janet Johnson and her husband, Duane Esarey. Photo courtesy of Janet Johnson
HTML EMBED:
COPY

My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

Janet Johnson, 63, is a small business owner in Raleigh, North Carolina. When she’s not working, she spends her time reading about finances and retirement.

“I never did before because it was just too boring,” Johnson said. “But now I need to know this stuff, and I’m realizing I don’t even know what I don’t know.”

Johnson and her husband before a road trip in 1975. (Photo courtesy of Janet Johnson)

As she and her husband approach 65, they’re receiving advertisements for dinners where they can pay to learn about retirement. Even though Johnson wants expert advice on how to prepare, she’s skeptical.

“I had a friend go to one of those and then totally make bad decisions based on advice that they gave her.”

Johnson plans to spend conservatively for the next few years until she’s certain she understands the ins and outs of retirement.


This series only works with your help. Let us know how your economy is doing using this form, and your story may be featured on a future edition of “My Economy.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.