Published: 13:13 BST, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 13:13 BST, 15 August 2026
I'm 62, single and have spent most of my adult life trying to pay off my home.
I'm finally nearly there. I only have about $45,000 left on the mortgage and my house is worth around $1.2million.
The problem is, I have only about $180,000 in super.
I raised my children, had years where I worked part-time and then went through a divorce. Paying off the house became my financial priority because I was terrified of reaching retirement without somewhere secure to live.
I work four days a week, but I honestly don't know how much longer I can keep doing it. I keep thinking, I have a million-dollar house – why do I feel like I can't afford to stop working?
Vanessa Stoykov (pictured) responds to a woman who feels she is unable to retire at 62
My children tell me never to sell because the house is my security and eventually it will be their inheritance.
But what is the point of owning an expensive house if I don't have enough money to actually live?
Should I keep working and try to build my super? Sell and buy something cheaper? Or is there another option I'm missing?
You've spent decades building financial security. The question now is whether the version of security that served you at 40 is still the right one at 62.
Because there's an uncomfortable contradiction in your letter: you own an asset worth around $1.2 million, yet you're exhausted and frightened that you can't afford to stop working.
This is what people mean when they talk about being 'asset rich and cash poor'.
'On paper, I know I'm fortunate. The problem is, I have only about $180,000 in super,' April writes to Vanessa. (Stock image)
For many women in their 60s, there's a story behind those numbers. Years spent raising children, periods of part-time work, divorce and lower retirement contributions can all show up decades later in the balance of your super.