Like most parents, Rose Bloom dotes on her children, which means she's spending a lot of money toward their education and other needs.
Bloom had raised her two offspring herself and thought little of sending her daughter to England to study for a month and helping her son buy a car as his high school graduation gift.
"I try to help people all the time. I get sucked into that vortex," Bloom said. "I'm always at the bottom of the pile, which I don't mind."
But she's 53 and has saved only $12,400 for her retirement, in addition to her pension. She always figured she would remain for life at her desk reviewing disability claims for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Now, however, working hard and putting others first are taking their toll. Bloom, who lives in Dana Point, suffers from serious health conditions, including diabetes, that she has left unattended.
"It's really important that she be a little bit selfish," said financial planner Victoria Collins of Keller Group in Irvine. "She needs to see that she is important. Her first and foremost investment should be herself."
Bloom shares a townhome with her children, Erin, 22, and Erik, 18. Erin expects to graduate from Cal State Long Beach in December; Erik plans to move out soon.
Bloom earns $94,712 from her county job, but she carries $13,000 in debt on four credit cards that is accruing interest at rates ranging from 12% to 28.99%.
Because two of her older siblings died young, Bloom said, she never expected to live past 40. The ravages of diabetes have left her in need of dentures, which could cost her $5,000 -- an amount she said she isn't ready to spend on herself.
In addition to suffering from hypertension and a thyroid condition, Bloom was diagnosed with a heart problem several years ago. The heart medication doctors put her on caused her weight to balloon rapidly from 180 pounds to more than 250, which made it difficult for her to navigate around Disneyland on a recent visit.
"Dang, it's just miserable," Bloom said. "I don't like to pay too much attention to this because it makes it real."
She stopped paying $120 a month for a weight-loss program after daughter Erin got an opportunity to study Shakespeare at the University of London for about $4,800.
"How do you pass that up?" Bloom said. "It's one of those things where it's like, 'Do you do it for the kids or do you do it for you?' "
