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Most can not retire on any thing at age under 62 unless its their own money tho. Also given the choice i am sure you would have retired much different. That is the question because most retire on disabilty with others paying the cost willingly for them to do so.But its not what is best for indivduals or society as a whole. In fact its in crisis from revenue shortages coming soon.Anyone who does has to plan on paying their way and consider things carefully.I would bet most would rather work their entire lifes than be disabled. We are talking about retiring at 40;not going on disabilty at that age. That is not really a choice.
Most can not retire on any thing at age under 62 unless its their own money tho. Also given the choice i am sure you would have retired much different. That is the question because most retire on disabilty with others paying the cost willingly for them to do so.But its not what is best for indivduals or society as a whole. In fact its in crisis from revenue shortages coming soon.Anyone who does has to plan on paying their way and consider things carefully.I would bet most would rather work their entire lifes than be disabled. We are talking about retiring at 40;not going on disabilty at that age. That is not really a choice.
You have made some good points. Most people cannot retire on their own money before age 62.
Yes, you are correct about me that I wish, everday, I had another choice of retirement. I did not want to go on disability. I resisted applying for Social Security Disability and tried to continue to work. I was forced into it by not being able to work and I could not get health insurance, after COBRA ended.
All my plans for my career and life, ended. I was forced now to live on much less. I did not anticipate getting suddenly ill in my 40s, which should be your best earning years. The depression, the angst, the despair was my constant companion which I did not need as I do have much physical pain and illness.
So, you are correct, no one in their right mind would choose to be disabled. Sure, tomorrow, I can wake up and do what I want to do, without any obligations, but what I want is many times prevented by pain and illness, for my medical problems are variable from day to day. There are also times that I wish that I will never wake up.
Again, you are right, you must think more, everyday how you will survive without monetary help and paying your own way. The only way I know is to be frugal and reduce wants and needs to a simple life--that is still under my control.
I would say that we fall into 2 groups; most focused on career and did not think about retirement at all until the last month before it happened. I know men who retired, and flying back stateside still had no idea of what they were going to do. No portfolio, no house paid for, and no idea of what state to move to or what school their kids would be transferring to. They each jumped into a follow-on career, mostly corporate. Whatever they could find.
I know one guy [in my lodge] who returned stateside with no plans, he took a 6-week fishing trip hiking somewhere, when he returned he shaved, put on a suit and tie, and got a corporate job within the week.
And then there was a second group of us. Guys who realized that on X day they would be thrown out and getting a pension. So they began saving, investing, paying off a house, and planning what they wanted to do next.
In that first group of men I would include the guys who went to their home-town [that they had not lived in for 20 years] and started college, and seem to have made follow-on careers as pro college students.
In the second group, are mostly guys who bought homes overseas during one of their tours, and are happy living the ex-patriot lifestyle.
I know men in both of these groups.
To my knowledge, I personally know of only two of us who focused early on to retire stateside. I would not have been able to have done it, without my investments. Had my investments failed, I would likely be living overseas now. I really do not want to go corporate. The other guy bought 'the family farm' early in his career and his uncle stayed on it, until he retired.
On the other hand, most of these guys retired at 38.
I really do not know how many of them retired in their 40s, like I did.
Yes you can retire on any income and do whatever you want as long as you do not want much. I was forced into retirement when I was in my 40s by a disability. I had little savings and I have no pension--only Social Security Disability. I never made much money so my benefits are not the highest. But for 15 years...
I have lived debt free in my own mortgage free house and I can do whatever I want. That is because my wants and needs are less, I live simply with minimum desires...so I can do anything I want because I want very little; I need very little to be happy.
I am free. I can turn my back on all the nonsensical expensive attractions of society. I live to my own standards of success; I buy what I want and not to impress. Tomorrow, I will get up when I want, go where I want; and not owe any work effort or money to anyone--I am free.
I would say that we fall into 2 groups; most focused on career and did not think about retirement at all until the last month before it happened. I know men who retired, and flying back stateside still had no idea of what they were going to do. No portfolio, no house paid for, and no idea of what state to move to or what school their kids would be transferring to. They each jumped into a follow-on career, mostly corporate. Whatever they could find.
I know one guy [in my lodge] who returned stateside with no plans, he took a 6-week fishing trip hiking somewhere, when he returned he shaved, put on a suit and tie, and got a corporate job within the week.
And then there was a second group of us. Guys who realized that on X day they would be thrown out and getting a pension. So they began saving, investing, paying off a house, and planning what they wanted to do next.
In that first group of men I would include the guys who went to their home-town [that they had not lived in for 20 years] and started college, and seem to have made follow-on careers as pro college students.
In the second group, are mostly guys who bought homes overseas during one of their tours, and are happy living the ex-patriot lifestyle.
I know men in both of these groups.
To my knowledge, I personally know of only two of us who focused early on to retire stateside. I would not have been able to have done it, without my investments. Had my investments failed, I would likely be living overseas now. I really do not want to go corporate. The other guy bought 'the family farm' early in his career and his uncle stayed on it, until he retired.
On the other hand, most of these guys retired at 38.
I really do not know how many of them retired in their 40s, like I did.
I had a mixed career 10 years Active and the same Reserve along with a Federal Civilian career, when I retired at 53 I had a very good combination. I still like to live by Ft Huachuca, It just feels comfortable
You can live off $100 a month for food if you cook at home.
our stove would probley cost us 100 bucks in electricity just to light it ha ha ha i think just our fruit and vegetable bill a week is about 50 bucks.
the thought of feeding my wife and i on 3 bucks a day is a joke here.... thats a cup of coffee ... if i make it myself we can have the coffee and a buttered roll.
im curious what you live on for 3 bucks a day.... we cant even do tv dinners for that price
a funny story about sensless purchases was being kind of a car buff since im a kid i always wanted to have a bmw just to see what the allure was about.
being practical my entire life i could never get myself to get one. the thought of so much money for a car when i could invest it just made it something i couldnt do..
well we were recently going to get another car and my wife says you know we are entering that last down of our lives and for alot of the more frivilous things this is our last chance before the paychecks stop to do something you want so why dont we lease a bmw for a bit , you will get it out of your system and then we will buy a car later on after the lease is up. you deserve it and we are well placed for retirement so think about it..
she didnt have to twist my arm much and so we did it....
the only thing was all the cars shipped to our area had the cold weather pkg and heated steering wheels..
i laughed about the 200.00 bucks for a heated steering wheel.. what a waste of money i said, a shame we cant get a car with the options we want without this....
well i got to tell you that heated steering wheel turned out to be my favorite option.. it was wonderful on those below zero pennsylvania mornings..
having my hands warm instantly just warmed up my entire body while waiting for the heated seats and the heat in the car to do there thing.....
out of everything on the bmw the thing i would miss the most was that silly "sensless steering wheel heater"
by the way when the lease was up they made us such an incredible deal on a new one because they no longer were offering that model for lease so they were trying to keep their customers from leasing from benz or lexus so they made attractive programs to buy other models instead of leasing. we wanted to buy a car anyway , so i just bought one for the same price as the nissan xterra we were going to get would have cost us once the free bmw maintaince was put in the equation. . yep had the steering wheel heater.
Last edited by mathjak107; 11-06-2009 at 05:53 AM..
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