I'm also glad to read that you have a healthy heart, especially since heart-related early deaths are so common.

I also think about what will happen if I'm the "last one standing" in my family. I don't have any children, but even if I did I am of the mindset that (in this day and age) that children need/should not have to be responsible for their parents. Well, at least ideally, though I know that was more the case in the past. I'm the youngest in my immediate family. I'm almost 13 years younger than my husband. I've been on disability for quite a while now, so obviously have not personally been adding to any 401K. As it stands, my personal retirement savings would not last long. As for Social Security (disability or standard for old age) its future is uncertain and it's not that much money considering inflation of all sorts. But that's where the suggestions from others above come in. Thinking outside the box. Adjusting lifestyle in a way that you can live with, but is much simpler. In my favor, I am not a person who requires fancy stuff, big house, etc. I could probably be almost as happy in a private room in a shared house as living alone in a much bigger one. I'm a fan of Henry David Thoreau's "simplicity". It's good to seek out simple pleasures that cost very little or even nothing. They do exist. Creating action plans in advance (when you are still well and/or supported) are wise, I think, rather than waiting until the you know what hits the fan. Such planning is a better use of time than dreading.

I think the above-mentioned planning is especially important for those of us with mental health issues. I often think "So if hubby dies before me, what's going to happen? Am I going to end up in the psych ward, or worse?" The answer may still be "yes", but maybe with some pre-planning I wouldn't, or it wouldn't be so long of a recovery. I know that there are things that I would have to do, if I lost my husband, that I currently don't know how to do. I've had therapists remind me that I need to learn.