Accomplished saver is now afraid to spend

DEAR AMY: I am a 64-year-old woman, and I've been careful but not miserly with my money. I was a teacher who lived below my means for years. I paid off my home in 15 years, invested in my retirement account to the max and have been reasonably successful in the stock market. My problem is that I'm now afraid to spend my money. I am able to live comfortably on my pension, a small annuity taken from my savings and a meager Social Security stipend earned through working before I became a teacher. Is it because I was raised in a poor family that I am afraid? I do allow myself vacations; I also bought a new car for cash a couple of years ago. I have long-term care insurance. Two financial planners both say I am in a fine financial position to enjoy my "golden years," but it's almost as if I've been saving for so long that I don't know how to spend! Do other people from humble beginnings also have this problem? Is there a cure for feeling insecure about money? I'd like to enjoy it now.Fortunate

DEAR FORTUNATE: There is a cure for feeling insecure about money -- and having enough money is a start.

The cure for anxiety is trickier -- and your anxiety, not your spending and saving habits, is holding you back. If you were happily holding your funds, you wouldn't have a problem. So deal with your fear.

Your habits are familiar to anyone who lived through the Depression, but your desire to adjust your habits and spend well now is in line with the generation of the baby boom.

You need a financial adviser who cannot only assure you of your financial position, but will also help you develop a spending plan based on your short- and long-term goals, which I hope will include ways you might be able to use some of your well-earned wealth to support a favorite cause. Giving your money away may give your spending more meaning -- and lead you to insight.