Good place to live, young professional, early 30s (Denver: neighborhoods, school)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by gpraceman

Not unless they scrape it. I hear in some Denver neighborhoods that is a real problem.

You would not get 1/2 acre in the city with rare exceptions.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

You are naive about hospital/dr costs. Even a short illness could wipe out your savings quickly. That's why insurance costs so much.

Pittnurse is so correct. I would listen to her. There many things you do not know.

If you get sick without insurance, you will be charged the top rate for care. When you have group insurance that cost is never that exorbitant top rate, it is a negotiated rate. So health insurance, not only gives you coverage, but gives you a protection against these high rates--which you would be responsible. Also, it may not be said openly, but with no insurance you get the worse care.

Also, when you are very sick, you may not be able to work and disability coverage will only cover a percentage of your salary and you will have to go into savings cover the rest. And you may not have disability coverage.

Do not think that you can rely on Medicare under Social Security for coverage if you become disabled and are very sick. Social Security Coverage start after a 5 month waiting period from onset of your illness. Medicare does not go into effect until after 24 months, after the onset date of your illness, by then all your savings will be gone. That is why health cobra coverage is extended to 24 months, if you are declared disabled under social security. But you do not have health insurance. Medicaid, the state programs, have many restriction based on the state where you live but it does not immediately come to the rescue.

Your money saved in not adequate for an illness or injury. You can use up 50,000 easily in a few weeks, or in many cases a few days, remember you will pay top rate.

I would find a way to get into a group policy versus being a direct insure.

[justsomeguy]

What are the chances of me getting sick though. I am young and vibrant. If I feel there is something seriously wrong wth me I'll get insurance before I go to the doctor and get checked out so that I will be covered.

Originally Posted by livecontent

Pittnurse is so correct. I would listen to her. There many things you do not know.

If you get sick without insurance, you will be charged the top rate for care. When you have group insurance that cost is never that exorbitant top rate, it is a negotiated rate. So health insurance, not only gives you coverage, but gives you a protection against these high rates--which you would be responsible. Also, it may not be said openly, but with no insurance you get the worse care.

Also, when you are very sick, you may not be able to work and disability coverage will only cover a percentage of your salary and you will have to go into savings cover the rest. And you may not have disability coverage.

Do not think that you can rely on Medicare under Social Security for coverage if you become disabled and are very sick. Social Security Coverage start after a 5 month waiting period from onset of your illness. Medicare does not go into effect until after 24 months, after the onset date of your illness, by then all your savings will be gone. That is why health cobra coverage is extended to 24 months, if you are declared disabled under social security. But you do not have health insurance. Medicaid, the state programs, have many restriction based on the state where you live but it does not immediately come to the rescue.

Your money saved in not adequate for an illness or injury. You can use up 50,000 easily in a few weeks, or in many cases a few days, remember you will pay top rate.

I would find a way to get into a group policy versus being a direct insure.

[gpraceman]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

What are the chances of me getting sick though. I am young and vibrant. If I feel there is something seriously wrong wth me I'll get insurance before I go to the doctor and get checked out so that I will be covered.

Ah yes, the "I'm young and thus invincible attitude". Health insurance is not only for when you are sick, but also when you get injured. So, you think you are immune from injury? Are you going to get that insurance in the split second before that car T-bones you? Getting into a serious car accident or other injury could end up costing you a fortune, even with insurance. At least insurance would cover a good chunk of the expenses.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

What are the chances of me getting sick though. I am young and vibrant. If I feel there is something seriously wrong wth me I'll get insurance before I go to the doctor and get checked out so that I will be covered.

You may not have a chance because the illness could be sudden and debilitating or waiting for insurance to go into effect and going to see a doctor could kill you. You will have a health questionnaire and maybe a physical. In addition, you must think about traumatic injury. Also, once you are sick or injured, there will be a waiting period or exclusions for coverage for pre-existing conditions--that is if you can qualify for insurance; you would probably be rejected.

I do not want to tell you too much about myself but at one time, I was young, vibrant, excellent health and because of my job required me to go to extremely remote areas of the world with minimum or no healthcare---I had numerous and recent health checks-- and I got hit with a very severe illness, suddenly on a trip. So, I know, therefore of what I speak.

I bet you do not get annual checkups that are prudent as you age.

[Katarina Witt]

I work in a pediatrician's office. This week we admitted about three kids to the hospital, this in a four doctor office. One had appendicitis, something that can happen at any age. A friend had a brain tumor at age 28. My neighbor was in a serious biking accidnt last year and spent about two months in hospital/rehab. It happens, believe me.

[lawadvocate]

Originally Posted by Nevada1

A $270K mortgage has a $3500/month payment PITI? How much are taxes and insurance in Florida?

I'd like to find at least a 1/2 acre home site (or more if possible) and keep the cost to $500,000 in a nice neighborhood. Is this possible? In Las vegas it is twice that amount (but the payment is only a few hundred more than yours).

Taxes in FL- $6,500/yr
Insurance- about $10k
HOA Dues- $255/month

As for the poster who thinks he can save $120k on a $165k salary LOL- your taxes alone will cut you down to about $120k. Also, you would be foolish to live without health insurance-especially major medical coverage which can be had for most people under 40 at about $150/month. My bill is $800/month for our family with 3 kids for full coverage including doctors visits and I don't regret paying it. A friend of mine earning $200k+ a year had major heart problems at age 37, did not have health insurance and his medical bills for a month in the hospital and surgery topped $400k. He will be scr**ed for a long time and can no longer afford to buy a home, etc. ---he got all these problems for a grand savings of $150/month for major health coverage

[Nevada1]

Originally Posted by lawadvocate

Taxes in FL- $6,500/yr
Insurance- about $10k
HOA Dues- $255/month

As for the poster who thinks he can save $120k on a $165k salary LOL- your taxes alone will cut you down to about $120k. Also, you would be foolish to live without health insurance-especially major medical coverage which can be had for most people under 40 at about $150/month. My bill is $800/month for our family with 3 kids for full coverage including doctors visits and I don't regret paying it. A friend of mine earning $200k+ a year had major heart problems at age 37, did not have health insurance and his medical bills for a month in the hospital and surgery topped $400k. He will be scr**ed for a long time and can no longer afford to buy a home, etc. ---he got all these problems for a grand savings of $150/month for major health coverage

It sounds like Denver is about as expensive as Las Vegas. Our home was built in 1999, and is 4200 ft on 1/2 acre in a gated community. Depending on the condition of the market it is $850K to $1,000,000. In more upscale communities, the same home would be $1.5M to $2M or more. It all depends on where you live. But 1/2 acre lots are very rare here too.

I'd like more rural living where we can ski, snow mobile, dirt bike, mountain bike, hike, etc. Las Vegas is tough because of the extreme heat. We have nice weather in the spring and fall, but by the time we get home it is dark.

[sumisu]

Lodo (lower downtown Denver) lofts are hot and in the area. Good luck. Sumisu

[IV_XI_XI]

I am confused as to why so many of you are intrigued by this gentleman's financial situation. His intent by visiting this website was to obtain information on hip urban neighborhoods for young people, not to explain the nature of his work or justify his compensation.

$125k a year is commonplace for a young attorney with a good degree at a reputable firm. It is actually kind of low when you consider that firms charge their clients an average of $225/hr. $225 hr @ a minimum of 1850 annual billable hours... = $416k net revenue for the firm. If anything this man should be making more money.

Anyways, I digress. My reason for being on this page is that I too am interested in moving to the Denver area after finishing my educational goals here in northern California. I'm looking for the exact same living situation as the OP and wanted to hear what Denver had to offer. As a native Californian, I understand where daimyo is coming from. Many of us here work hard and earn excellent incomes, but still cannot afford to live comfortably and own a home. We have become so used to low standards at expensive prices that when we discover a city like Denver, with its excellent neighborhoods and relatively affordable prices, we wonder if it is too good to be true.

So please lets talk about neighborhoods... no more commentary from any of you on how much money you make (nobody cares), how much you wish you made (work harder/go back to school), how far you can make a dollar stretch (you're a cheapskate) or how much you hate educated people from California with six figure incomes (we're actually pretty nice people). Just tell us where some nice neighborhoods are that we can live close to work downtown, sit down and sip some coffee, listen to live music, take a stroll through the park with our girl and be around nice people in their mid 20's, early 30's who may or may not have kids.