Welcome back Jerry and congratulations on the retirement and decision to get into woodworking.
I would wholehearted agree with Vaughns comment and add some more that i have picked up from being a member here. I wish i had done what you have and asked and joined this forum before i went out and bought my tools.
1) Buy a tool as you need arises rather than going full hog and kitting yourself out. That way you buy to suite your needs rather than hopes and wants. Eg if you find you like turning wood and have bought a expensive jointer you might find it sits collecting dust while you could have put that money into something better.
2) Look around and buy second hand. There are a great many deals to be had in these tough times as people off load or others upgrade. You can always come back to the forum to ask guys for advice on the purchase when you find something. They will all give you good advice on the price range they would pay and even on things to watch out for.
3) I would not get caught up in brand loyalty. I did and in a couple of cases i paid the price. I did use tool reviews and buyers magazines but i think i could have done better listening to some of the folk here had i known of the place prior to getting going.
4) My personal motto has not been to buy with a view to upgrading later so i bought with a hobby in mind for the longer term. If i wear out the level of tool i have bought then yup i would upgrade. So i have bought reasonable quality tools. Not the biggest or the best but fine for a hobby.
5) Most important consider where yo gonna do this woodworking and put he machines. You will want to consider the aspect of voltage and whether or not you are prepared to pay for electrical upgrades. Some machines come with 220v motors. You will also want to think about dust and dust control in your workspace.
So in my view with hind site i would have put a great deal more effort into planning my shop and consulting the guys here before buying a single tool.
Then make sure you leave some money for wood. Like an idiot i did not.
I am sure others will chime in with their views as well. Most important as loml says to me enjoy the ride its a great journey.
To get you going here some links to consider if you aint already found them
http://grizzly.com/ ( A pretty good one stop shop with very reasonable machines and pretty good after sales service and good shipping in the USA)
http://www.woodcraft.com/ ( You will need all sorts not just machines)
http://www.leevalley.com/ ( A favorite among many of us for you name it in tools)
http://www.harborfreight.com/ ( the low cost tools some good and really good deals some bad and really junk you gotta know what you are looking at here. I would ask before i buy a tool here what others think first.
Well i hope that gets you going.