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I used to spend a lot of time on the maintenance of my lawn. The seasonal fertilizing, weed treatments, fall seeding, etc. ... A few years ago I did the math and decided I could now afford to have this done for me.. and WOW how much difference that has made for me. ... Obviously there are plenty of folks that don’t care a hoot about the lawn, but that could be applied to anything that you do care about. ...
Exactly.
Early in life, we care about receiving good grades, or accolades from parents or teachers. Later we care about getting into a good university, a good grad-school… writing a good thesis… finding a remunerative job, building a record of scientific publications, accumulating money and so forth. Every decade brings new fondness, new competition and new criteria. Maybe it’s having a fancy sports-car, or membership in the right social-clubs, or living in a prestigious neighborhood, or having an exquisitely pampered lawn.
But for some of us, at some point in life, these charms and accolades and testaments to progress, become picayune and pointless. We come to favor and to crave things that are unattainable at all, or which are too hard to attain, or otherwise we reach a cynic’s (in the ancient Greek sense) disdain for any of them. Though I am not, when last I checked, a monkey – no matter how assiduously I type, it is unlikely that I’ll ever type anything quite as good as Hamlet. So why bother? And to what extent would money be able to advance my quest?
So, yes, if you crave the perfect lawn, then money buys you prompt and expert service, to advance your quest. But if you crave “perfection” in a difference sense, then money’s help is rather limited. But it does, I think, take money... to arrive at that realization.
Early in life, we care about receiving good grades, or accolades from parents or teachers. Later we care about getting into a good university, a good grad-school… writing a good thesis… finding a remunerative job, building a record of scientific publications, accumulating money and so forth. Every decade brings new fondness, new competition and new criteria. Maybe it’s having a fancy sports-car, or membership in the right social-clubs, or living in a prestigious neighborhood, or having an exquisitely pampered lawn.
But for some of us, at some point in life, these charms and accolades and testaments to progress, become picayune and pointless. We come to favor and to crave things that are unattainable at all, or which are too hard to attain, or otherwise we reach a cynic’s (in the ancient Greek sense) disdain for any of them. Though I am not, when last I checked, a monkey – no matter how assiduously I type, it is unlikely that I’ll ever type anything quite as good as Hamlet. So why bother? And to what extent would money be able to advance my quest?
So, yes, if you crave the perfect lawn, then money buys you prompt and expert service, to advance your quest. But if you crave “perfection” in a difference sense, then money’s help is rather limited. But it does, I think, take money... to arrive at that realization.
Oh dear - no you got that wrong. I don't crave a "perfect lawn". "Exquisitely pampered"?? LOL. I don't have the time, for sure, and definitely could not afford THAT.
I am just not one of those that has no cares about the yard. I do all of my own landscaping, mowing, spraying/weeding beds, etc. I always have. I do spend a lot of time working in my yard - I love it outside, and I would not be happy living anywhere that my yard was not "kept up". That isn't an option for me as long as I am walking and able to get around. But to have that seasonal grass maintenance handled for me, the part that has to be done at certain times, is a huge relief of time for me.
It's like...having a cleaner in your home. I hate housecleaning. I despise having to spend precious time doing something that I don't enjoy - but I HATE a dirty house. I had a house cleaner for a few years before my son started college, and then I had to let her go - couldn't afford it with college. So I clean. I have other things to do, that I’d rather be doing, but I clean my house. Does that mean that I am “craving perfection” in my home? Uh...no.
My parents probably won't be here 5 years from now. They are elderly, and frail, and really should be in a home. But they've made it clear that they want to stay in their home. They have an aide, a few hours a week, but man...if I had the money - they would have a driver, and full-time care.
Money absolutely can allow us to implement all sorts of positive changes in our lives. Those things that are unattainable, well, that has more to do with your own sense of worth, perhaps, or lack of it. Not anything that has to do with money. Apples and oranges, in this discussion.
****Good grief. I can't type spicandspan??
Last edited by ChessieMom; 10-18-2019 at 03:26 PM..
I draw a military pension, it is enough to support my family and I am able to continue investing. My income from investments now exceeds my pension.
I do not need a 'retirement calculator' to tell me that I can afford to stay retired.
Yep. I structured my life so I can live comfortably on a max Social Security check. Everything else is discretionary spending. I don't expect to run out of money but I'd be fine if I did. No calculator needed.
I've always liked what Sheldon Adelson said. Sheldon came from humble beginnings; a grandfather was a Welsh coal-miner; his father was a Boston taxi driver and his mother ran a knitting shop. He's a self-made rough-and-tumble college-dropout Billionaire, and several years ago said to a critic:
Nor do I, my pension well exceeds my living expenses.
On another forum just for retirement, they talk a lot of 'FIRECalc'. I attempted to play with FIRECalc myself, but I do not see the purpose.
My military pension is enough to support myself and my family, with enough on the side to continue investing. Some day in the future, I will begin to pull from Social Security, and maybe from our investments.
Obviously I understand that once I begin to draw on SS and our investments, we will have a lot more cash in hand to spend. But not having this extra money has not stopped me from being retired the past 18 years.
So I still do not see the purpose behind FIRECalc.
So long as your income exceeds your Cost-Of-Living your good.
In the past, when I have brought this up on 'retirement' forums, as I get criticized as a possible troll. Because to them, everyone needs to use a retirement calculator to determine if they make enough money to retire.
On another forum just for retirement, they talk a lot of 'FIRECalc'. I attempted to play with FIRECalc myself, but I do not see the purpose.
My military pension is enough to support myself and my family, with enough on the side to continue investing. Some day in the future, I will begin to pull from Social Security, and maybe from our investments.
Obviously I understand that once I begin to draw on SS and our investments, we will have a lot more cash in hand to spend. But not having this extra money has not stopped me from being retired the past 18 years.
So I still do not see the purpose behind FIRECalc.
So long as your income exceeds your Cost-Of-Living your good.
In the past, when I have brought this up on 'retirement' forums, as I get criticized as a possible troll. Because to them, everyone needs to use a retirement calculator to determine if they make enough money to retire.
If SS and or a strong pension provides more income than you need you wouldn’t need firecalc but for a lot of people that’s simply not a scenario that would apply to them. Retirement calculators are a very useful tool and if you don’t understand how or why you would be imo purposely being obtuse
Firecalc is very useful when you have a big ole pile of money and need to know how much can I spend and have it outlast me ...it has nothing to do with your other income streams like pension , rentals ,annuity and ss ...If you are not pensionizing your savings to create your own lifetime income stream you don’t need firecalc
...My military pension is enough to support myself and my family, with enough on the side to continue investing. Some day in the future, I will begin to pull from Social Security, and maybe from our investments.
...
In the past, when I have brought this up on 'retirement' forums, as I get criticized as a possible troll.
Your situation is unusual. Most people lack the combination of commodious pension so early in life, together with a lifestyle that can be reliably sustained by such pension. The reiteration of such fortunate circumstances can be interpreted in some quarters with chagrin - and thus, the negative reactions.
My own qualms with Firecalc and the like, is two-fold. First, I don't share their optimism about expected rates of return, especially after we account for taxes. Second, I can't abide the attitude of using one's accumulated wherewithal, as a piggy-bank from which to draw upon, to finance one's life. Instead I view it as an accumulated achievement, like the family-silver or prized book collection. Only the most desperate circumstances would call for hawking the family silver, to afford bread or firewood in winter. To intentionally plan for that, strikes me as misapprehending the whole point of saving and investing.
Your situation is unusual. Most people lack the combination of commodious pension so early in life, together with a lifestyle that can be reliably sustained by such pension. The reiteration of such fortunate circumstances can be interpreted in some quarters with chagrin - and thus, the negative reactions.
My own qualms with Firecalc and the like, is two-fold. First, I don't share their optimism about expected rates of return, especially after we account for taxes. Second, I can't abide the attitude of using one's accumulated wherewithal, as a piggy-bank from which to draw upon, to finance one's life. Instead I view it as an accumulated achievement, like the family-silver or prized book collection. Only the most desperate circumstances would call for hawking the family silver, to afford bread or firewood in winter. To intentionally plan for that, strikes me as misapprehending the whole point of saving and investing.
There are no expected rates of returns used in calculators like firecalc so I think you may be misinformed ...it is solely based on the worst of the worst outcomes.
Supporting ourselves is what we do in retirement... even with your pension check ,pay check or social security,you are spending your money . By your logic you should be saving that money as once those checks hit your account it is spending down your savings .
So the answer is find a way to go on welfare if you don’t want to spend down your own money to live because we all support ourselves by either working for our money or letting our money work for us
Last edited by mathjak107; 10-19-2019 at 03:34 PM..
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