Published: 13:13 BST, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 13:13 BST, 15 August 2026<\/p>\n
I'm 62, single and have spent most of my adult life trying to pay off my home.<\/p>\n
I'm finally nearly there. I only have about $45,000 left on the mortgage and my house is worth around $1.2million.<\/p>\n
The problem is, I have only about $180,000 in super.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
Vanessa Stoykov (pictured) responds to a woman who feels she is unable to retire at 62\u00a0<\/p>\n
My children tell me never to sell because the house is my security and eventually it will be their inheritance.<\/p>\n
But what is the point of owning an expensive house if I don't have enough money to actually live?<\/p>\n
Should I keep working and try to build my super? Sell and buy something cheaper? Or is there another option I'm missing?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
This is what people mean when they talk about being 'asset rich and cash poor'.<\/p>\n
'On paper, I know I'm fortunate. The problem is, I have only about $180,000 in super,' April writes to Vanessa. (Stock image)\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n