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Exactly! I find it hard to believe that some of the posters here, with their years of living and experiences, still find it necessary to label people and try to fit them into a box; make them conform to what THEY think is proper.
I'm well past judging people. This RV lady is doing what she wants to do. IMO she's pretty brave. It's so much easier to just follow the crowd and do what the crowd is doing. Round pegs don't fit into square holes! Learned that as a toddler! haha
LOL, well don't dislocate your shoulder patting yourself on the back. It's apparent this woman is doing what she wants to do, her lifestyle is her choice. And she has to live with the consequences of those choices, as we all do our choices. But perhaps the author should not have used her rough situation, much of which appears to be the result of poor choices and bad financial management, to try and elicit sympathy as though she had been forced into the situation against her will and now is crying out for help.
That said, it's an article brought to the attention of an internet forum, people speak their minds, pros, cons, some criticize the subjects in the article, perhaps identify to some extent with the subjects and question the wisdom of her decisions. Others, like you, criticize other posters for their comments and present yourself as the pinnacle of tolerance for your fellow man. All in all, it makes no difference in real life, either for this woman, who will no doubt keep on keeping on her merry way oblivious to internet criticisms about her, and the rest of us, many of whom will forget this entire thread once it disappears off their screens and they are off to better things.
It's human nature in an anonymous internet setting. Time to get over it.
It sounds like these people are taking their pre-retirement lifestyles on the road and instead of focusing on survival, they are continuing to make wreckless choices................
If you're on the road, those are the best kind of choices to make!
In the video that accompanies the article the woman says sheknows it would be cheaper to get off the road, but she doesn't want to.
I don't fault the woman for living the life she wants to live, I fault the author for trying to elicit sympathy where none seems to be needed.
She owes $50,000 on her credit cards. I am not judging but I believe that's what's really holding her back. I think the first thing she might do is look into filing for bankruptcy. Not a pleasant way to go, but for her it might be the only way.
Then maybe she should consider moving to an area that is less costly than where she is living now. It really makes a world of difference.
401(k)s are total scams designed not to make you financially secure but to save companies money on pension costs by shifting ALL of the risk on the employees. I can't believe people are so ignorant they don't know that simple truth.
They were originally set up for use by high-paid executives until the Reagan administration relaxed the rules.
They were never designed to replace pensions, which are a FAR better deal, by the way, but loopholes in ERISA made it easy for companies to ditch their defined benefit plans--these are pensions--in favor of the horrible defined contribution plans like 401(k)s. 401(k) are NOT pensions.
This is not my opinion--this is FACT, which 30 years of this horrible 401(k) experiment has borne me out.
People have no conception of how much money they would have to save in these DIY accounts or savings to even remotely come close to the most modest pension. Hint: It is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The ONLY way the vast majority of people have ANY kind of "wealth" to see them through a halfway secure retirement is if they own a home outright and are able to sell it. That, of course, almost always requires one to be married to a working spouse. It is virtually out of reach for most single people, women especially.
She owes $50,000 on her credit cards. I am not judging but I believe that's what's really holding her back. I think the first thing she might do is look into filing for bankruptcy. Not a pleasant way to go, but for her it might be the only way.
Then maybe she should consider moving to an area that is less costly than where she is living now. It really makes a world of difference.
True. She should. She may still feel she has "pride" reasons for not doing it.
We should not ever judge or lord it over others just because we had spouses or high-paid jobs or were never afflicted with joblessness (almost impossible to get back on one's feet if you are past 50, by the way--I living this now) or poor health. Millions of us were not so lucky to have such a cushy retirement.
In the video that accompanies the article the woman says sheknows it would be cheaper to get off the road, but she doesn't want to.
I don't fault the woman for living the life she wants to live, I fault the author for trying to elicit sympathy where none seems to be needed.
I don't think you read the article. She would LIKE to get back close to her sister, but she, being way back East, cannot afford to do it.
I think you and others need to learn how to walk in another person's shoes.
401(k)s are total scams designed not to make you financially secure but to save companies money on pension costs by shifting ALL of the risk on the employees. I can't believe people are so ignorant they don't know that simple truth.
They were originally set up for use by high-paid executives until the Reagan administration relaxed the rules.
They were never designed to replace pensions, which are a FAR better deal, by the way, but loopholes in ERISA made it easy for companies to ditch their defined benefit plans--these are pensions--in favor of the horrible defined contribution plans like 401(k)s. 401(k) are NOT pensions.
This is not my opinion--this is FACT, which 30 years of this horrible 401(k) experiment has borne me out.
People have no conception of how much money they would have to save in these DIY accounts or savings to even remotely come close to the most modest pension. Hint: It is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The ONLY way the vast majority of people have ANY kind of "wealth" to see them through a halfway secure retirement is if they own a home outright and are able to sell it. That, of course, almost always requires one to be married to a working spouse. It is virtually out of reach for most single people, women especially.
Good points. 401K's are never as good as a pension (if it is a secure pension). Still 401K's are a viable investment vehicle with employer match being the key. Also helps if they have good mutual fund families to choose from.
I am planning on being on of these "nomadic seniors" when I retire, but I'm starting to plan now. I got at the most seven years, before I can hit the road, maybe less.
I've read lots of web sites and watched a lot of You Tube that tells how one can live in an RV on a fixed income. If someone has a good retirement income and can afford the south Florida resorts with the golf courses, fine dining, and art shows, then bully for them. Bravo.
If someone is relying on Social Security and/or a small pension, then the equation changes.
You must dial down your lifestyle. The featured lady in the article made a choice, $100 teeth, or $100 art show. She chose the art show. If someone is going to live the nomad life, survival has to be the number one priority. Entertainment comes after all necessecities of survival are taken care of.
If someone wants to travel, fine. But it sounds like that original lady was doing it very inefficiently. Say you're doing a short term gig in Virginia. Ok, stay in Virginia and look for something in N Carolina. Go to N Carolina the following month. Then something comes up in S Carolina, ok, when you get final pay, go down to S Carolina. Inchworm your way down to cut down on gas. It sounds like she was driving several states at a time for low-paying short term jobs. Want an even easier way to cut down on gas? There are millions of acres of BLM land in Arizona, Nevada, eastern Oregon that you can camp on. Just need good boondocking skills. (No hookups.)
If on a fixed income, be aware that RVs were meant to be used recreationally, not to live in. People do obviously, so keeping the systems running is going to take a lot more diligence. A leak in a house is an annoyance, a leak in an RV is a disaster. You must have an emergency fund for unexpected RV repairs. A lot of people put away money on a regular basis just for RV repairs/maintenance. "Big Foot" is 20 years old, yeah she's looking at a lot of repairs.
Going back to entertainment. Again, dial back the lifestyle. There's art shows in Seattle that are free, just walk down a couple of blocks, the artists have their wares on display. Seasonal festivals are free, county fair costs about $10-20 to get in, not near $100. Ball game, soccer game at a local park, free.
It sounds like these people are taking their pre-retirement lifestyles on the road and instead of focusing on survival, they are continuing to make wreckless choices. I didn't get that they were complaining about their life, it's just that if they went about things a little smarter, they would have less stress in their lives.
Millions of people are forced to live in RVs. You have a lot of gall being judgmental. Try to exercise some critical thinking and put yourself in their shoes.
Lots of us have forgone going to the dentist. Have you ever looked at how much it costs when you don't have dental insurance and it doesn't pay for anything major? Yours truly has not seen one in TWENTY years. I cannot afford to do it and will be forced to have my teeth fall out. You have no clue what it is like to be a never-married woman who was kicked to the curb eight years ago illegally by an employer.
Don't insult us with your unsolicited advice.
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Choices for living on the road
