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All of you who say you have no sympathy for him better not say it too loudly.........life has a way of making you eat your own words and it can happen in the blink of an eye. At the peak of my career I was making more than a $100K a year and a rising star in my industry. Then a few setbacks, like my company closing my division, then a heart attack, then a stroke, then a divorce, then a sour economy, and pretty soon I ended up being 68 and working at a job very similar to the one the guy in the article holds to supplement my $1200 SS money.
A company I worked for repossessed a $3 million dollar boat from a man who put $ 1 million down. He was making huge money, and then all of his investments went south and he lost everything he had. What did he do wrong ? NOTHING. He worked hard, invested for his retirement, bought things he could afford, but life bit him in the ass.
It is SO easy to sit back and have a holier than thou attitude, but until you walk in another man's shoes it is impossible to know all the things that brought him to this point in his life. I am like him, I have NO regrets and love working every day.
As for saying this will never happen to you, NEVER SAY NEVER !
It is SO easy to sit back and have a holier than thou attitude, but until you walk in another man's shoes it is impossible to know all the things that brought him to this point in his life. I am like him, I have NO regrets and love working every day.
As for saying this will never happen to you, NEVER SAY NEVER !
All of you who say you have no sympathy for him better not say it too loudly.........life has a way of making you eat your own words and it can happen in the blink of an eye. At the peak of my career I was making more than a $100K a year and a rising star in my industry. Then a few setbacks, like my company closing my division, then a heart attack, then a stroke, then a divorce, then a sour economy, and pretty soon I ended up being 68 and working at a job very similar to the one the guy in the article holds to supplement my $1200 SS money.
A company I worked for repossessed a $3 million dollar boat from a man who put $ 1 million down. He was making huge money, and then all of his investments went south and he lost everything he had. What did he do wrong ? NOTHING. He worked hard, invested for his retirement, bought things he could afford, but life bit him in the ass.
It is SO easy to sit back and have a holier than thou attitude, but until you walk in another man's shoes it is impossible to know all the things that brought him to this point in his life. I am like him, I have NO regrets and love working every day.
As for saying this will never happen to you, NEVER SAY NEVER !
All of you who say you have no sympathy for him better not say it too loudly.........life has a way of making you eat your own words and it can happen in the blink of an eye. At the peak of my career I was making more than a $100K a year and a rising star in my industry. Then a few setbacks, like my company closing my division, then a heart attack, then a stroke, then a divorce, then a sour economy, and pretty soon I ended up being 68 and working at a job very similar to the one the guy in the article holds to supplement my $1200 SS money.
A company I worked for repossessed a $3 million dollar boat from a man who put $ 1 million down. He was making huge money, and then all of his investments went south and he lost everything he had. What did he do wrong ? NOTHING. He worked hard, invested for his retirement, bought things he could afford, but life bit him in the ass.
It is SO easy to sit back and have a holier than thou attitude, but until you walk in another man's shoes it is impossible to know all the things that brought him to this point in his life. I am like him, I have NO regrets and love working every day.
As for saying this will never happen to you, NEVER SAY NEVER !
Don
I think in this person's case, he made choices in life that put him in this situation. I think he understood his choices and was okay with his current position, but the article played it to justify a point of view. I think your situation and the example you gave are different and as you've said, it could happen to any of us, but the man in the article chose his path and to live a lifestyle he could not support. Your story would have been a much better example to justify the writer's point of view.
A company I worked for repossessed a $3 million dollar boat from a man who put $ 1 million down. He was making huge money, and then all of his investments went south and he lost everything he had. What did he do wrong ? NOTHING. He worked hard, invested for his retirement, bought things he could afford, but life bit him in the ass.
Don
Among things I'd argue he did wrong: "Bought things he could afford"? He was making payments on a friggin luxury boat for one thing. Doesn't sound like he could afford it. I don't care how good you think you are, being in debt on a boat is a dumb idea unless you're a professional fisherman. And ALL his investments went south and he lost EVERYTHING? Sounds like life didn't bite him in the ass; sounds like his lack of diversification bit him in the ass. Even the stock market only lost, what, 50% in the great recession? A diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds would lost 20-30%? If I'm in the market for a luxury liner, I'd make sure that I had plenty of dry powder around to keep me out of the poor house.
It's easy to say things like "I have no sympathy for him" when you don't actually see that person. I wonder if they even know anyone who's 77 or have an idea of the reality of what happens to your body by the time you reach that age? The reason people start to retire at 57 is their bodies are now tired.This man is 77--just think about that for a second. He's been retirement age since before many 20-somethings were born. For a lot of seniors that means your body can't do much anymore.
Go to a nursing home and meet a few people that age, it might be an eye opening experience. Sure, newspapers occasionally run stories of a person who reaches 80 and can run marathons. It's news because that's rare. More often you reach that age and you have real physical challenges.
I wonder if people would have the same feelings if they walked into the fast food place and saw the reality of a man that old doing a physically demanding job like that. More likely they'd think "Oh that poor man, having to do that. It's hot, the greasy steam is probably bad for him, I hope that doesn't happen to me." And I doubt they would go up to the man and say "I have no sympathy for you" to his face. Funny how people say things on the internet that they would never say to someone's face.
It's also worth pointing out that the man isn't asking for sympathy--in fact the article is about how he's found a way to take it all in stride. Which earns my respect, to be honest--I'd have a hard time doing that work at 77, myself. And that's what you should take from the article, a warning about how difficult life may be if you aren't careful--not a condemnation of someone who actually seems to have an admirable attitude. He's a lot less whiney than a lot of 20-somethings I know who have a degree (as this man does) yet due to unfortunate circumstances have to work in fast food (as this man does).
He has a great attitude. I especially like that he feels no need to tell people who he "used to be" or what he used to do for a living. He raised his kids and gave them a good start in adult life and doesn't blame anything or anyone for his life. He's a man I'd be happy to know.
Ummm....this charming old fellow considers himself lucky, and is described as optimistic. He clearly takes pride in his work, no matter how humble the job. He did not ask for anyone's sympathy. He was generous to his children. He exercises every day. There is no mention of him wanting sympathy, or charity. We could use more like him.
We certainly could use more with his work ethic. But we also need more folks with a savings ethic. While he technically makes enough to survive without working, this man should have more than enough income to not need to work in retirement.
Among things I'd argue he did wrong: "Bought things he could afford"? He was making payments on a friggin luxury boat for one thing. Doesn't sound like he could afford it. I don't care how good you think you are, being in debt on a boat is a dumb idea unless you're a professional fisherman. And ALL his investments went south and he lost EVERYTHING? Sounds like life didn't bite him in the ass; sounds like his lack of diversification bit him in the ass. Even the stock market only lost, what, 50% in the great recession? A diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds would lost 20-30%? If I'm in the market for a luxury liner, I'd make sure that I had plenty of dry powder around to keep me out of the poor house.
I second this. There are just too many people out there who operate as if nothing bad can ever happen to them. They never try to plan for the unexpected. Heck, even Suze Orman says this is one of the biggest mistakes people make. I agree with her even though I don't even care for her that much.
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