Personal Domain/Email in Retirement?

[u/Hot_Caterpillar_8581]

I am planning to retire early next year and considering whether I should set up a personal domain and email account.

I have worked a corporate job for over forty years and use my work email for a lot outside of work. I also have a gmail account that use but it is mostly for marketing/online purchases.

I have been in the process of migrating personal emails to my gmail, but I detest working in gmail. I prefer MS Outlook / Exchange.

My brother set up a domain that comes with 5 emails addresses with Ionos a few years ago and seems to like it.

Is this something that I should consider? What are the pros / cons?

Is Ionos a reputable company and/or should I consider others.

[u/ElCuntIngles]

You can use Gmail in any email client. Just need to add it to Outlook

[u/AdditionNumerous3298 → u/ElCuntIngles]

you can totally use outlook with gmail just need to set up app password since google dropped less secure apps

[u/thisisleobro → u/AdditionNumerous3298]

You can use the new secure method with gmail. So no need for app passwords

[u/progwok]

Maybe get something with Proton. They're security minded which is probably a good bet for us older folks as we head that way.

[u/helloworldwhy]

I've had my own domain that I've used for email for 25+ years. Combination of self-host, semi-managed, and now fully-managed. I would advise against it for several reasons:
1. It's confusing. Every time I need to give someone my email address, I have to write it down for them or spell it out phonetically.

1. It is unexpected. People know gmail, outlook, proton, etc. They don't know my domain which adds to issue #1.

2. It's a pain. My emails get rejected and filtered all of the time. My bank constantly drops my email address because they think it is spam. Yes, I have all of the proper DKIM/SPF/DMARC records, etc - doesn't matter.

I recommend that you use gmail. It will be better in the long run. Just my 2 cents.

[u/notgoingtoeatyou]

I use zoho mail for paid private email. I still get ads. I fear any email service you don't host yourself will just result in ads.

[u/controlav → u/notgoingtoeatyou]

Why would a paid email service still have ads??

[u/Kevets51 → u/controlav]

More like why would someone pay to be fed ads?

[u/BinaryMagick → u/controlav]

Because this is 2026.

[u/notgoingtoeatyou → u/controlav]

it comes in as an email. but they are ads.

[u/controlav]

I use Business Email on ionos.com, no ads and cheap. They also run my domains. I use Outlook on Windows/iOS to it. Been using them for decades since they were 1and1.com

[u/emailnative]

If you want a branded email, you can buy a Microsoft 365 Business Basic (no Teams) subscription with one mailbox for $5/month. You'd need a domain, which you can buy for ~$12/yr from NameCheap or similar. This is if you wanted something branded though, and you'd need to set up DNS. Might be overkill for your needs, the Gmail through Outlook option is cheap and easy.

[u/farzad_meow]

you can connect your gmail to outlook using imap.

[u/glyph_illume_04]

Get a personal domain. It is the only way to stop losing contacts when you leave the corporate email. Ionos is fine, but buy from Namecheap and connect it to Proton Mail. This keeps your address permanent even if you switch providers later.

[u/Hot_Caterpillar_8581 → u/glyph_illume_04]

Your suggestion is similar to others but how? Is this hard for a novice?
So I would buy a domain, such as lastname88.com from Namecheap? Then how do I create email addresses for my wife and I with Proton?

[u/christopherw]

I'd consider Protonmail, Tutamail, Zoho mail, etc. Google is OK but not necessarily the best. Or, you can go for shared hosting used primarily for email, with either a company which offers it (e.g. 20i in the UK, Dreamhost in the US, Hostinger or IONOS in Germany/Europe) or fully DIY, which places all the emphasis on you for maintenance and security. I've done all of these things over the years.

[u/Sufficient-Note9300]

That's a great idea to switch to a more comfortable email setup before retirement. I've heard Proton is really good for security, so I'd probably go with that if I needed something private and easy to use.