Faces of Social Security: Rosemary McGovern

My husband and I worked for a mining company that sent us to live in Indonesia early in our marriage. We were in an isolated area and spent almost nothing for two years, and that's where the bulk of our savings came from.

Rosemary McGovern, 63, California. — Photo by Daryl Peveto © 2011

I retired at 62. We had decided we wanted to spend more time together. We had health issues — he had a heart attack and I had breast cancer. These late-life illnesses kind of threw us. They ate up a big chunk of our savings. I didn't realize we would be relying on Social Security so much. Our check and a small pension are our sole income now — we're trying not to touch what's left of the savings in case my cancer recurs. We really are planners. But you can't plan for everything. That's where Social Security is a real safety net.

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