My 62-year old colleague, working for my company as a freelance Accounting clerk/typist/processor/data entry/double-checker for the last 25 years, saw her contract terminated overnight.
We often had lunch together (brought from home), and our conversation often turned to her difficulties in paying-off her mortgage/social security contributions/etc. She and her partner had had a row of bad luck and bad financial choices, including not reading the market properly. For instance, her partner was offered to relocate to Belgium for work, which he accepted and they moved, a great adventure. However, within a year, the plant was closed. They had sold their house in the UK, and within two years, the buyers had sold it on for three times the buying price.
They stayed in Belgium, bought an apartment with a flexible interest rate, which was supposed to follow the market rate. However, it only went up (of course...): 5% after the first year, and another 5% after the second year. At a time where everyone has 2 or 3% mortgage rates, they have 14%! I told her to talk to the bank, and to take their mortgage elsewhere, but because they are both self-employed, making only little money, it is difficult to get a mortgage anywhere, and the bank won't budge.
They still have a few family members and friends in the UK, and like to visit twice a year. Eurostar (train) costs around €200 return, and they enjoy taking it. However, taking the ferry (boat) costs only €100-€150 return. There is not much of a travel time difference.
With the limited funds they have, my colleague collects hat pins, her partner collects horror movies and horror fiction, together they collect choral sheet music (they used to sing in two choirs). They always buy, and never sell. I have suggested libraries, selling, secondhand sites, etc, but they buy to keep. And then buy the cupboards to keep the sheet music, and additional insurance because it's both valuable and a fire hazard..... If the newspaper article I saw last week is anything to go by, actual sheet music is destined to lose its value shortly, with orchestras moving to tablets.
She is 62, her partner about 55; she planned to work another few years until the mortgage was paid off. With Brexit looming, it is very unclear what (and if) the pensions will pay out. She has a British pension from the years she worked over there, she has a tiny Belgian pension from when she was employed, and a Belgian self-employed pension. She has not yet checked the conditions under which these will be paid out, nor has she checked under which conditions the State Pensions of the two countries will pay out. She is trusting the UK government to do what they should do, the decent thing.
It's both frustrating and fascinating. She is a very sweet person, and I feel very sorry for her.