Husband and I both need to submit retirement applications in April, so we decided that this dreary, rainy Saturday afternoon would be the perfect time to sit down and look at matters. We each brought out our respective manila folders (yes, some of us still write things down on paper!), pulled up some websites and spreadsheets, and started taking more notes. There are so many decisions to make, especially for Husband, who has been the (by-far) primary breadwinner. What is the optimal day of the month to retire? Do we want full survivor benefits for me? (Duh, yes.) Should we both start drawing on Social Security at age 67, or do a 62/70 split? How much life insurance should we keep? Whose IRA will we touch first? Is the portfolio balanced well enough to account for inflation? And so on.

Needless to say, about three hours later, I needed a drink. My head was swimming, and I needed to relax. Our discussion will continue until final decisions are made, and I know we will re-visit our manila folders time and again.

Tonight’s cocktail is also called the Lillet 50-50. Combine 1 1/2 ounces of gin with 1 1/2 ounces Lillet Blanc in a shaker with a few cubes of ice. Shake well, strain into a Nick & Nora-style glass, and garnish with citrus peel.