06/18/2026
I’m competing for the Best in the PNW title, please vote and help me win. One vote per day, please support me here 🫶🏼✨
https://www.votethepnw.com/PermanentJoybyVeronikaTaylor
I turned 40 this year, and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about retirement. Not exactly the most exciting topic, but here we are.
My current relationship is going great, and I hope my boyfriend and I will grow old together. Everything looks promising. But whether you retire with a partner or by yourself, sooner or later everyone has to think about what that future will look like. One of the strange parts of being a small business owner is that nobody sets any of it up for you.
There is no company 401(k).
No paid vacation.
No HR department reminding you to contribute to your retirement account.
No benefits package waiting in your inbox.
Every dollar saved has to be saved on purpose. As an immigrant, I didn’t even know what a Roth IRA was for several years after moving to the United States. Looking back, I wish someone had sat me down and explained all of this sooner. I’m catching up now and doing what I can, but sometimes I still wonder whether I’m missing something important. Maybe that’s part of adulthood: realizing nobody really knows exactly what they’re doing, they’re just making the best decisions they can with the information they have.
So I’m curious. What was the best retirement decision you’ve made? The thing that made the biggest difference for your future self. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from running a business, it’s that sometimes the best advice comes from people who have already made the mistakes you’re about to make. BusinessOwnerLife SelfEmployed SeattleSmallBusiness WomenInBusiness LifeAt40 PersonalFinance SmallBusinessReality EntrepreneurJourney SeattleBusiness PermanentJoySeattle