MousermanA retired carpenter you say, you must have been a Master Carpenter and more than likely had apprentices and others as you were self employed.I was in the same boat as most of my working life was self employed with employees , retired well before the usual age as my wife and l wanted a different style of living. The wilds of the Maritimes were our calling. Hence l too have a very reduced CPP and just OAS , my wife the same with an additional small pension for a relatively short service in the government. However while obviously not rich by any stretch of the imagination we still reinvest all divs in new shares and can still add a few bucks every couple of months, and yes we are totally debt free. I realize talking to you , that l am talking to an Adult , unlike some and believe you me as a similiar age , l too get grumpy and can vent . With the best. Good on you Mouser , keep up the good work on FTN and l wish you all the best.You are the type of self made man l greatly respect.