Are you "lucky"if you have a secure retirement?

[Travelover]

I have lived in the Central Michigan area all my life, meaning all my friends and family are here. It's well below zero right now (minus 28 degrees with the windchill) but that is part of living here.

I've lived in MI my whole life as it provided a good income with low cost of living. But as soon as my DW retires next year, we are gone to a warmer climate with no state income tax.

 

[TomSeller]

Low cost of living is more of a benefit than people sometimes think. Similar to what you spend vs what you make. Anyone living in a state where the relative value of $100 is more than $100 has an easier time making ends meet. Similar to the relative VALUE of housing map. Look at the difference between Hawaii and Mississippi.

 

[TomSeller]

Duplicate

 

[bstrom]

In answer to the original question I think you are lucky if you have a secure retirement. Lets not forget all those people with devastating illness, divorces, accidents, natural disasters, disabled veterans, lays offs and other things that have ruined them and their families financially. Please - consider yourself lucky. Yeah maybe you made some of the right moves but consider yourself lucky that you were one of the people who could. That's all I have to say.

 

[vtsnowedin]

In answer to the original question I think you are lucky if you have a secure retirement. Lets not forget all those people with devastating illness, divorces, accidents, natural disasters, disabled veterans, lays offs and other things that have ruined them and their families financially. Please - consider yourself lucky. Yeah maybe you made some of the right moves but consider yourself lucky that you were one of the people who could. That's all I have to say.

I agree and you said it well.

 

[texasjohn]

I agree and you said it well.

+1 for me

 

[oldballs]

In answer to the original question I think you are lucky if you have a secure retirement. Lets not forget all those people with devastating illness, divorces, accidents, natural disasters, disabled veterans, lays offs and other things that have ruined them and their families financially. Please - consider yourself lucky. Yeah maybe you made some of the right moves but consider yourself lucky that you were one of the people who could. That's all I have to say.

Ditto, I have good health and peace of mind. It doesn't get better than that.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[ovrszd]

Ditto, I have good health and peace of mind. It doesn't get better than that.
Cheers,
Mike

I agree Mike. That was my comment 200 posts ago. I've never saw a content rich man in bad health. But I've saw plenty of content poor men in good health.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I am also a fan of the Salvation Army. In my years of activity with amateur radio, I had occasion to work with them and also the Red Cross. I still haven't gotten over how shameless the Red Cross was for a photo op. We had a local flood and, of course, the Salvation Army was right there. The Red Cross came only after the media arrived. I swear .... they drove 2 well marked vehicles through the neighborhood to get on camera and then left. The Red Cross, in my opinion, is nothing but a vehicle to raise money over every single opportunity.

Back to the point ....

I agree completely that trusted causes for humankind are worthy charities. Having worked in animal rescue for a number of years, it seems there is an ENDLESS stream of money into those human efforts - although much of it is wasted. The other of God's Creations - our pets - suffer in an endless array of underfunded shelters or are simply killed. My estate, almost all of it, is going to help one or two dedicated local animal shelters.

I am impressed. I have never agreed with your politics, but we share the same heart... Isn't that something!

 

[Parkanzky]

In answer to the original question I think you are lucky if you have a secure retirement. Lets not forget all those people with devastating illness, divorces, accidents, natural disasters, disabled veterans, lays offs and other things that have ruined them and their families financially. Please - consider yourself lucky. Yeah maybe you made some of the right moves but consider yourself lucky that you were one of the people who could. That's all I have to say.

While I agree with this, there are lots of people on this very thread who have told stories of their illnesses, divorces, multiple career problems, etc. and they've managed to make it through just fine. Sure, they'd be better off if they'd never suffered adversity.

But consistently making good choices will mitigate the impact of those setbacks, whereas almost no amount of luck with make up for making poor choices repeatedly.

 

[vtsnowedin]

But consistently making good choices will mitigate the impact of those setbacks, whereas almost no amount of luck with make up for making poor choices repeatedly.

True enough.

 

[bstrom]

While I agree with this, there are lots of people on this very thread who have told stories of their illnesses, divorces, multiple career problems, etc. and they've managed to make it through just fine. Sure, they'd be better off if they'd never suffered adversity.

But consistently making good choices will mitigate the impact of those setbacks, whereas almost no amount of luck with make up for making poor choices repeatedly.

In some cases but there are a lot of people who don't always have choices or don't have the information to make good choices. Also people make it through but they usually get help from somewhere. It's not just all about good old American fortitude, sorry. It's not just about choices. A friend choose to go into the military and he's an invalid and has mental problems now and will never work again. Lucky he has some help now but was that a bad choice to go into the military? Well I don't know but it was a choice. Some people might think it was a bad choice. That's just one example. People can choose and make the wrong decision. It's quite easy. What I don't like is smugness and I'm not saying you are but If you have what you need and more thank your lucky stars or God or whatever you believe in because it's not just due to our amazing shrewdness and all the smart moves and choices we made. If someone is not capable of making good choices then I hope they will still be able to get help so that they can but the way things are going I'm not so sure it will always be like that in this country.

 

[newbury]

Low cost of living is more of a benefit than people sometimes think. Similar to what you spend vs what you make. Anyone living in a state where the relative value of $100 is more than $100 has an easier time making ends meet. Similar to the relative VALUE of housing map. Look at the difference between Hawaii and Mississippi.

A quick glance at the map indicates MISSISSIPPI IS #1!

Having lived there about half time since 2009, and been invested by marriage there since 1984, I have to say that's one of the few times Mississippi comes out #1.

It's good for retirement but it's no place to raise children and expect to use the public education system. We've a niece who was an elementary teacher in Fulton and she moved to Hawaii, teaches there and loves it.

And low cost of living often goes along with low wages and high unemployment, something the average pensioner isn't too concerned with.

But then I'm selling out of the DC area and moving to Mississippi.

 

[Parkanzky]

In some cases but there are a lot of people who don't always have choices or don't have the information to make good choices. Also people make it through but they usually get help from somewhere. It's not just all about good old American fortitude, sorry. It's not just about choices. A friend choose to go into the military and he's an invalid and has mental problems now and will never work again. Lucky he has some help now but was that a bad choice to go into the military? Well I don't know but it was a choice. Some people might think it was a bad choice. That's just one example. People can choose and make the wrong decision. It's quite easy. What I don't like is smugness and I'm not saying you are but If you have what you need and more thank your lucky stars or God or whatever you believe in because it's not just due to our amazing shrewdness and all the smart moves and choices we made. If someone is not capable of making good choices then I hope they will still be able to get help so that they can but the way things are going I'm not so sure it will always be like that in this country.

You're not listening. I'm not saying it's all about choices. It's just like almost everything else out there. It's about balance.

What I'm saying is that planning well and making good choices allows you to take advantage of opportunity (good luck) and weather adversity (bad luck).

Obviously, if you're dealt a very bad hand and have nothing but bad luck you will not succeed no matter how smart/diligent/etc. you are. On the flip-side, there are people out there with so much luck (huge inheritances, for instance) that they can do tons and tons of stupid stuff and still have what most of us would consider a dream life.

But suggesting that it all comes down to luck strikes me as both amazingly cynical and terribly demotivating. It's exactly the sort of attitude I see most in people that make long series of poor choices. Because why work hard, plan, sacrifice, etc. if it's all going to turn out however it's going to turn out no matter what you do?

I have known a bunch of people that have smoked and when they've talked about quitting they say that they don't see the point because they could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Well, that's true. If you get hit by a bus tomorrow then the smoking didn't matter. But if you don't get hit by that bus then you might not get to take the same advantage of that "extra time" as everybody else the bus misses.

A friend of mine grew up in a very modest home and ended up an unwed teenage mother. She didn't have much support and things were hard for her for a lot of years. Most young women in that situation resign themselves to a life of just scraping by. She realized that she was starting with a big disadvantage and worked extra-hard in school, did the legwork to find grants/scholarships/loans/etc. to get her through college and then worked hard to advance professionally. Now, she is a great provider for her fantastic daughter. I understand that in a lot of ways she was very lucky, but she went looking for that luck. Do you see what I mean?

 

[timswi]

I hear what you are saying, but I am all for any kind of limit on any and all taxes. I pay somewhere around $10K a year on property taxes alone.

I pay $5500 in prop taxes and don't have a paved road, gas, sewage or water...Electric and cable are my only public utilities, the rest is on me. I have a decent place but it ain't Biltmore. :smiley_aafz:

Went though the ringer and back to make certain we wouldn't be mortgage poor when we built this house (succeeded there) only to find out they'll get at least $500 a month for the gubment ransom as long as I'm above room temperature.

 

[JDgreen227]

Maybe I should re-post the story of my cousin who lives in a 5,000 square foot home on 80 acres in southern Michigan and is a multimillionaire with a huge company, while I have another cousin the same age who lives in a run-down 110 year old farmhouse on a half acre a half mile down the road from him. Guess what? These cousins grew up in near-identical households. But one wanted to work and advance and one wanted to coast along and get by. Guess my rich cousin only had good luck, and the lazy one only had bad luck? What a crock of s***.......

 

[riptides]

Maybe I should re-post the story of my cousin who lives in a 5,000 square foot home on 80 acres in southern Michigan and is a multimillionaire with a huge company, while I have another cousin the same age who lives in a run-down 110 year old farmhouse on a half acre a half mile down the road from him. Guess what? These cousins grew up in near-identical households. But one wanted to work and advance and one wanted to coast along and get by. Guess my rich cousin only had good luck, and the lazy one only had bad luck? What a crock of s***.......

So the rich guy coasted into a lucrative career with a huge company? Wow. Good for him.

 

[murphy1244]

Sounds like a Rich Dad, Poor Dad story.

 

[JDgreen227]

So the rich guy coasted into a lucrative career with a huge company? Wow. Good for him.

He didn't coast...he and his father (my uncle) built it up from their hard work and one half-ton pickup truck....they worked 6-7 days a week for twenty years to build up that business. I resent your insinuation that he coasted into his career.

 

[TomSeller]

Money is not the true measure if success in this life. Money is the root of all kinds of evil.