Getting older gives you plenty of things you didn’t have when you were younger.

Money is another concern many of us face as we get older. I discuss some practical ways to handle it in my Simple Guide to Financial Peace After 60.

Experience is one.

Perspective is another.

And, if we’re fortunate, a little more time to decide how we actually want to live.

But getting older doesn’t eliminate worry.

The things we worry about simply change.

At 30, I wasn’t spending much time wondering whether I’d still be able to live independently years from now.

At 40, I wasn’t particularly concerned about whether I could understand the latest technology.

And when I was working, I knew another paycheck was coming.

At 79, some of those things naturally look different.

I don’t spend my days worrying about getting older. I have too many other things I’d rather be doing.

But I do think about the future.

And I’ve learned that there’s an important difference between worrying about something and doing something about it.

Here are several concerns that become more noticeable as we get older—and how I think about them today.

1. Will I Be Able to Stay Independent?

This may be one of the most important questions as we age.

Most of us want to remain in control of our own lives for as long as reasonably possible.

We want to live where we choose.

Drive if we’re still able to do so safely.

Take care of ourselves.

Make our own decisions.

Continue doing the ordinary things we’ve always done.

But I’ve come to think independence means something a little different at 79 than it did at 40.

When I was younger, independence often meant:

I’ll do it myself.

I’ve always been that way.

I’ve done wiring, plumbing, flooring, fencing and all kinds of work around the house.

Today, independence sometimes means having enough judgment to say:

I probably shouldn’t do that myself anymore.

Asking for help doesn’t necessarily take independence away.

Sometimes it helps preserve it.

Staying active and independent becomes increasingly important as we get older. I cover this in more detail in my Simple Guide to Health & Independence After 60.

2. Will Our Money Last?

Retirement changes the way you look at money.

During your working years, there’s usually another paycheck coming.

In retirement, income can become more predictable while expenses aren’t.

Insurance goes up.

Property taxes change.

Groceries cost more.

The car needs something.

A utility company raises its rates.

Something in the house breaks.

I’ve learned that one of the best things I can do is concentrate on the expenses I can actually control.

I’ve become more willing to question bills.

Recently, when one of our monthly bills increased substantially, I contacted the company and asked whether they could do better.

I’ve learned to ask about discounts.

I’ve found that sometimes buying a slightly larger quantity at the grocery store lowers the price per pound.

And after overlooking it for years, I finally took the time to sign up for a veteran discount that saves me money on many purchases.

None of these things will completely change someone’s retirement.

But small savings repeated throughout the year can matter.

One of the simplest financial lessons I’ve learned is this: ask.

The worst answer is usually no.

3. What Happens If My Health Changes?

This is probably impossible to completely ignore as we get older.

You notice things you didn’t notice at 40.

Maybe you’re more careful on stairs.

Maybe you don’t recover quite as quickly.

Maybe you hear about someone your age having a health problem and briefly wonder about yourself.

I don’t want to live my life anticipating everything that could possibly go wrong.

But I don’t want to ignore changes either.

There’s a middle ground.

Pay attention.

Get appropriate checkups.

Ask questions when something changes.

Keep moving within your abilities.

And make sensible decisions about unnecessary risks.

I don’t think worrying about tomorrow improves my health today.

Taking reasonable care of myself today is something I can actually do.

4. Will I Be Able to Keep Up With Technology?

I have a different perspective on this one now because I’ve spent so much time learning technology myself.

I didn’t grow up with computers.

There were no smartphones.

No apps.

No Google.

No online banking.

No social media.

Certainly no artificial intelligence.

Yet at 79 I’m running a website that requires me to use many of those things.

Do I understand all of it?

Absolutely not.

I’ve had plenty of frustrating days sitting in my office wondering why something that worked yesterday doesn’t work today.

But eventually I usually figure out enough to keep going.

I’ve stopped believing I need to “keep up” with every new piece of technology.

I only need to learn the technology that’s useful to me. I’ve learned that continuing to try new things also has a lot to do with confidence as we get older.

That’s a much more manageable goal.

5. Am I Safe Online?

This concern has become much more important to me.

Technology gives us tremendous convenience.

We can bank from home.

Order something without leaving the house.

Communicate with family.

Pay bills.

Make appointments.

Look up almost anything.

But all of that convenience has also created opportunities for scams.

Suspicious text messages.

Fake emails.

People pretending to represent banks or government agencies.

Calls designed to frighten you into acting quickly.

I’ve become much more cautious.

If something feels wrong, I don’t rush.

I don’t click because a text tells me something is urgent.

I go directly to the company or organization instead.

One of the best protections I’ve learned is remarkably simple:

Slow down.

Scammers want urgency.

We don’t have to give it to them.

6. Will I Still Have Something Meaningful to Do?

This is one I probably understand better now than I did when I first retired.

For decades, life gives us structure.

Work.

Children.

Appointments.

Bills.

Projects.

Responsibilities.

Then retirement removes some of that structure.

At first, having unlimited free time sounds wonderful.

Eventually you may discover that having something you’re interested in matters too.

For me, Reinvent After 60 has become one of those things.

It gives me something to learn.

Something to improve.

Problems to solve.

And something to think about when I walk into my office.

That doesn’t mean everyone needs to start a website.

Purpose could be church.

Grandchildren.

Woodworking.

Gardening.

Volunteering.

Travel.

A home project.

Helping a neighbor.

Or simply having something you’re looking forward to doing tomorrow.

I don’t think purpose after retirement needs to be impressive.

It just needs to matter to you. I’ve written more about this in Finding Purpose Again: How to Rebuild Meaning After 60.

7. What About Losing People We Care About?

This may be one of the harder realities of getting older.

The longer we live, the more change we experience.

Friends move away.

Families change.

People become ill.

And eventually we lose people who have been part of our lives for many years.

I don’t have a clever solution for that.

I don’t think there is one.

What I have learned is to appreciate the people who are here now.

Diane and I have been together for most of our lives.

We have four children and eleven grandchildren.

Those relationships are increasingly important to me.

Younger Gary probably spent more time thinking about what needed to be done next.

At 79, I’m better at recognizing that the ordinary time we spend with people we love is part of the good stuff.

8. Am I Making the Most of the Time I Have?

This isn’t something I think about in a gloomy way.

Actually, I think getting older can make time more valuable.

I don’t feel obligated to fill every hour.

Diane and I enjoy staying home more than we once did.

I enjoy sitting in my office working on something.

I enjoy a quiet evening.

I enjoy going somewhere occasionally.

And sometimes I enjoy doing absolutely nothing important.

I no longer believe a busy day is automatically a good day.

A good day can be very simple.

That’s one of the things getting older has taught me.

Worry Is Different From Preparation

Maybe this is the biggest lesson for me.

There are plenty of things I could worry about.

Health.

Money.

Technology.

Scams.

Independence.

The future.

But worrying and preparing aren’t the same thing.

If I’m concerned about money, I can review an expense.

If I’m concerned about online safety, I can learn how a scam works.

If I’m concerned about staying independent, I can make sensible decisions about my home and health.

If I’m concerned about having purpose, I can find something interesting to work on.

Preparation gives me something useful to do.

Worry by itself doesn’t.

Final Thoughts

At 79, I certainly don’t have all the answers about getting older.

I’m living through it just like everyone else.

Some things about aging are difficult.

Some are surprisingly good.

And some things that seemed terribly important when I was younger don’t seem nearly as important anymore.

I can’t control everything that might happen tomorrow.

Neither can you.

But we still have considerable influence over what we do today.

We can learn.

We can prepare.

We can ask questions.

We can appreciate the people around us.

We can solve the problems we actually have instead of spending all our time worrying about problems that may never happen.

And we can continue being interested in what comes next.

At 79, that’s where I’d rather put my energy.