Your Comments Concerning: Retirement

[Copper Catcher]

I am curious to know what you think about the subject of retirement

Do you think it is possible? Do you think the best way you can secure the ability to retire is via investing in the stock market or real estate or something else?

43% of Americans have less than $10,000 in retirement savings

27% of workers have less than $1,000

Source: 2010 Employee Benefit Research Institute in their Retirement Confidence Survey
http://www.ebri.org/surveys/rcs/2010/

Changing Expectations About Retirement
http://www.ebri.org/pdf/surveys/rcs/201 ... pectns.pdf

With the above information as a back drop look at the below chart....

This chart is from Dr. Ephrem Siao Chung Cheng and is an actuarial study of life span vs. age at retirement, based on the number of pension cheques sent to retirees of Boeing Aerospace. Source: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/07/374/

[Country]

I retired at 57. When I was layed off from the company I'd worked for 25 years, they felt so sorry for me, but I told the managers on the exit interviews that I was going to retire anyway because I had it planned out over the years.

While circumstances may intervene, the way I got there was to work hard, save, stay out of debt-slavary, and live below my means all my life. Maybe it will work for you, maybe not. Have a mix of investments, while you may incur losses in some investments, you will never get wiped out.

[Thogey]

I could scrape up a couple hundred grand...net. But,

I plan to work till I die.

[Tourney64]

I had heard about these statistics, but had not seen the actual numbers. They are quite a shock to me, as I am 54. I am not yet ready financially for retirement, but not in bad shape either. With what I believe will happen to the US $ in the very near future everything may get wiped out. I believe the best option is just to work until 86, or just never retire.

[aloneibreak]

very interesting chart

id be curious to see how close it relates to real life not just boeing employees

i honestly never plan to "retire"

i am saving for my old age of course, but just as a reserve i guess

i'll work till i die or my back finally gives out

[Rosco]

We lived below our Income an were able to retire at 62 now 73 still traveling an sorting , trying to stack but less extra each year. We volunteer in several areas an have hobbies that keep us busy

I think about going back to work to buy more coin or metal detector then say I can do without

[Copper Catcher]

I agree the chart is a shocker...I have searched a little and can't find any other study that shows anything like this for the general population.

With the way the economy is and the unemployment rates, the word “frugal” which many people associate with the word “cheap” might become the new norm mainly out of necessity.

I can't help but wonder however how people 20 and under feel and think. Are they really willing to accept or even do they understand the importance of living not just within your means but below your means in order to have some chance at securing their future.

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

Interesting chart. I can see the logic in it. Smart people generally retire before not-so-smart people. Smart people live the longest in any study you will read. Phi Beta Kappa live the longest of all Americans on average (from a study many years ago).

It is, however, the very opposite of the studies I have been reading in the last two years. Those studies showed people in countries that have no traditional form of retirement actually lived longer than the average American. People in underdeveloped countries had to work their whole lives and ate a diet with less rich (think fattening) foods.

The island of Corsica is my favorite study. The mountain folk who live in the center of the island are rather genetically isolated. They work agricultural jobs, walk everywhere, drink one of the finest wines in the world, are supported by very close family ties, and have little stress. They live far into their 90's. Some are 100+.

Okinawa is next with their fishing based diet. Lots of steamed veggies, kelp, and seafood. Lots of physical work, low stress, very high family ties and close connections in the local community.

All the studies I have read lately call for a low calorie plant based diet, avoid risky behavior (think illicit drugs, sex, and too much alcohol), ingest lots, and lots of phyto-nutrients, resveratrol, and anti-oxidants. Get plenty of sleep. Avoid stress, keep you mind engaged with challenging tasks (keep learning things), keep the blood pumping, and have lots of family/community/ friendship support.

All the rest is genetics. Some live a long time, some don't. Make the most of what you have.

You have to play life with the cards (DNA) you have been dealt. It is more important to focus on morbidity, than mortality. Mortality is when you die. Morbidity is the lack of a quality life in your older years. In other words, you are sickly. Avoid being sickly by all the health tips you can find at places like RealAge. http://www.realage.com/

Edit: Oh, yeah, I most likely will work until I fall over dead.

2nd Edit: The RealAge link sometimes has a weird ad. superimposed on it. This one should get you there: http://www.realage.com/the-you-docs/my-realage

[Corsair]

My goal is to be done by 50. I know it's some serious wishful thinking, but I've found that there's no reason to go through life, let alone a week, without having a goal. So, for now, I'm out at 50.

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

My goal is to be done by 50. I know it's some serious wishful thinking, but I've found that there's no reason to go through life, let alone a week, without having a goal. So, for now, I'm out at 50.

Old Ben Franklin retired at 40!

Corsair, if anyone can do it... I bet it's you!

[AGCoinHunter]

From early on my goal is to retire at 45. I began saving for retire at the age of 12. Opened my first IRA with money I scraped together working odd jobs. Man, let me tell you how hard that was as a kid. You can’t touch that money for 45+ years. Still have that fund even though the company it was with has been bought out multiple times. Converted it to a Roth in the late 90's. Parents had a huge influence on me early on to save, save, save. First few jobs out of college I saved 20% in my 401k and my maximum amount into my IRA's yearly. First thing was to pay myself, then work a budget to live off of that fit with what was left. It was hard to do. All my friends blew through their paychecks on a weekly basis with high rent, new cars and parties all weekend. My parents gave me enough money to put a down payment on my first house (which eventually became a rental property in the future). Had a roommate for the entire time I lived there who split the mortgage and utilities with me. This allowed me to save even more. After getting married, my wife and I continued to save. Then the kids came along. I can see now why it’s so hard to save with kids. It can be done but it’s hard. While we do save for retirement it has slowed down considerably. The investment I made early on though helps to offset this and while I don’t think I can retire at 45, I think I can get it done a few years later. I probably won’t ever fully retire as idle time kills me.

This is why it infuriates me to think that everything I have saved and worked so hard for could ultimately get seized by the imperial federal government. As I have said before I will pull it all out and burn it in my driveway before I had one red cent to this corruption. I do believe its real and its coming. I can’t pull it all out and put it into PM's but am slowly positioning myself for life after the great burn.

[Rosco]

From early on my goal is to retire at 45. I began saving for retire at the age of 12.

This is why it infuriates me to think that everything I have saved and worked so hard for could ultimately get seized by the imperial federal government. As I have said before I will pull it all out and burn it in my driveway before I had one red cent to this corruption. I do believe its real and its coming. I can’t pull it all out and put it into PM's but am slowly positioning myself for life after the great burn.

I Agree


We who save feel the threat of Government spending the party hard are always in debt and except Uncle to bail them out Not going to happen.

We all need to support Conservative candidates for Office and expect improvement in government by working to make it Smaller

[tbram88]

My plan ever since I was 14 was to retire at 55. that chart is interesting and it mirrors my own beliefs basically the longer you work the shorter you're life (in a nutshell)

That is why our pension is set up so at age 60 I can take my full pension, but I can go earlier at the penalty rate of 6% p/year. So at 55 I can retire with a 30% cut.

When I was in college I ran a test in my economics class with the current pension balance. What I discovered that even though you take a 30% penalty you get an extra 5 years of payments, and dollar for dollar you have to live past 77 before working till 60 would pay off.

Since I smoke 1 1/2 packs a day and neither my Dad or his Dad lived past 70, I'm going at 55.

I will still do work but not my current job.

All the best...Bob.

[IdahoCopper]

I was never a good saver. During the 1980s run-up of Ag, with each weekly paycheck I bought $100 worth of bullion rounds or bars for about $8 to $10 per oz, then sold them a few days before the peak at $35. But I eventually spent that money down to nothing.

I bought my 1st house at 19, my 2nd at 21, then sold both of them to buy a bigger house on 1/2 acre with a pool. All of them were roommate/party type houses. I had a great time. When I was 25, I sold the big house and hitchhiked on sailboats from California to Australia, blue-water sailing for 8 months of island-hopping, then living in Oz working casually for another 10 months.

I came to realize that I had enjoyed partying away my 20s and also knew that a cluey guy could put a retirement together in his 40s decade, and retire at 50. So I partied away my 30s as well, always living close to the beach in San Diego, and/or living on my own sailboats.

When I was 38, I began my Internet business and by the time I was 48 I had quit my day job and relied solely on my Internet biz. I now consider myself to be semi-retired, working about an hour per day, checking emails, stuffing packages, and visiting the post office. I reckon I can do that into my 80s and still consider myself retired.

So long as I put a lot product in the vehicle, can get my email daily, and visit a post office; I can travel anywhere in the US for 10 to 14 day road trips. When I want to exercise my passport, I can put the biz on hold for a bit more than a week, without a lot of real consequences.

And finally, when the SHTF, I will have between 100 and 200 pounds of fresh & tasty beef jerky on hand. I'll quit selling it on the Internet and trade it for silver or other goods from my neighbors, or eat it myself. The Ring of Fire red-hot pepper flavor jerky will be sold first.

That is how I got to my retirement plan, with http://www.beefjerky.com I'm 53 now.

[TXBullion]

I was never a good saver. During the 1980s run-up of Ag, with each weekly paycheck I bought $100 worth of bullion rounds or bars for about $8 to $10 per oz, then sold them a few days before the peak at $35. But I eventually spent that money down to nothing.

I bought my 1st house at 19, my 2nd at 21, then sold both of them to buy a bigger house on 1/2 acre with a pool. All of them were roommate/party type houses. I had a great time. When I was 25, I sold the big house and hitchhiked on sailboats from California to Australia, blue-water sailing for 8 months of island-hopping, then living in Oz working casually for another 10 months.

I came to realize that I had enjoyed partying away my 20s and also knew that a cluey guy could put a retirement together in his 40s decade, and retire at 50. So I partied away my 30s as well, always living close to the beach in San Diego, and/or living on my own sailboats.

When I was 38, I began my Internet business and by the time I was 48 I had quit my day job and relied solely on my Internet biz. I now consider myself to be semi-retired, working about an hour per day, checking emails, stuffing packages, and visiting the post office. I reckon I can do that into my 80s and still consider myself retired.

So long as I put a lot product in the vehicle, can get my email daily, and visit a post office; I can travel anywhere in the US for 10 to 14 day road trips. When I want to exercise my passport, I can put the biz on hold for a bit more than a week, without a lot of real consequences.

And finally, when the SHTF, I will have between 100 and 200 pounds of fresh & tasty beef jerky on hand. I'll quit selling it on the Internet and trade it for silver or other goods from my neighbors, or eat it myself. The Ring of Fire red-hot pepper flavor jerky will be sold first.

That is how I got to my retirement plan, with http://www.beefjerky.com I'm 53 now.

Off topic but now after reading the whole story, I think Ill order. Which one do you recommend and also, didnt you have a special discount code for Real Centers?

[IdahoCopper]

TxBullion - Anyone reading this on Realcent during the next 30 days, can get a extra bag of beef jerky for free. Just place your order for USD$65.00 or more, then send an email to HQ@beefjerky.com, with the subject line: "I WANT MY FREE BAG". Please mention in the email body which flavor you want the extra bag to be. See: http://www.beefjerky.com/flavors.html

Thank you.

I recommend my own recipe flavor, Final Frontier Jerky. It is a coarse black pepper flavor. It has flown to orbit 5 times so far.

I think it will fly its 6th time on the next shuttle flight to ISS, the last week of this month. One of that shuttle crew is married to a friend of mine. The current ISS commander took my jerky on a previous shuttle flight and gave me this photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Beef_ ... _space.jpg Anyways, his birthday is a few days before the next shuttle flight, so I asked my friend's spouse to take a bag up to the Commander as a birthday present from me.

EDIT: I got an email this morning (16 Feb), my friend's spouse won't be allowed to take the bag of jerky on the next shuttle flight to ISS.

[rickygee]

Retire! How timely! The boyz at the Walmart Supercenter told me they could put 4 Goodyears on the old Dodge for right at about $200.

[Delawhere Jack]

AGCH and Idaho, Great stories. I started saving when I was about 10. Paper route and birthday money put into a 5yr cd at 18% in 1978(9?). When it matured I went into the bank and asked if I could roll it over at that rate, the bankster gave me a shrewd grin and told me no.

I got a little loose with money in my mid to late teens, but got right back on the wagon when I began working full time. At 24, in 1992, I bought my home with 1/3 down. The parents did kick in some, but the bulk of it was money I'd saved. I think the teller at the bank thought it was a holdup when I handed her a check for $30k and asked for a cashiers check. I'm pretty sure it was her first day on the job. Driving from the bank to the closing I had to keep the windows closed in the car. It was a base model and didn't have ac, and it was a pretty warm day, but I was afraid the check might blow out the window.... BTW, I was making less than $9/hr at the time.

So now, I've been in this house almost 19 years. My mortgage is less than half of what a decent apartment would cost around here. I've changed careers from lumber/building materials sales to information technology. Tripled my income, but of course inflation over the years has made that less than extraordinary.

So here I sit, a nearly paid off house, nice stash of pm's, money in the bank and a 401k that has been growing nicely, (I stopped contributing to it Jan 1, 08).

Getting back to the topic of the thread, what should we invest in? I have no idea... I'm sitting on 1/3 of a years gross income in the bank which earns nothing. I'd like to try and make a return on it, but I have ZERO confidence in the stock market. Real estate still has a LOT further to go....down.... The one thing I nailed recently was pm's. I bought in (physical of course), in '08-10, but have been wary of buying any more, (I know that will draw a lot of comments, but I feel like I've got enough, and that's that..).

I think the best investment at this point in ponzi is in a marketable skill. Something that you can do as a side job that does not require a large capital investment. For me that would be locksmithing or computer repair. I just don't see any options for investing in the customary manor that I feel comfortable with now given the current current state of government approved thievery.

Here's a good article describing the fallacy of investing in the stock market:

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/greatest-lie-was-ever-told-pt-1

I highly recommend zerohedge.com as a daily read.

[Delawhere Jack]

Oh yeah, like Thogey, I'll probably work til I drop. Hopefully I'll be working on my own terms and doing something I enjoy.

[DirtyFingers]

I was fortunate to have been raised by an old German who remembered everything about the Depression. He drilled into my head that if I worked hard and tried to live beneath my means starting at an early age that someday I would be able to enjoy the fruits of my labors without the worry of being in debt along with excessive usury. I had no idea what usury meant as a kid - had to look it up in a dictionary.

I raised from their birth two sons on my own and I tried to pass the same principles onto them. So far, so good. I was fortunate to have landed a very good position at a university that I really enjoyed for almost 32 years until health problems at the age of 55 caused me to have to step down. That was six years ago, I've been given a reprieve with my health and I have definitely learned to love being free. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for being raised "poor" and conservative. Those lessons have helped make my life comfortable today.

Oh, ladies and gentleman, keep stacking those bars and hoarding your copper. Because of that, the best is yet to come!

DF

[smalltimeopn]

It's always very interesting and informative to see what like minded folks are doing. I think the common theme is living below your means. That's what I'm trying to do even w/ a high school senior who will be going to tech school this fall. I work in the technology industry but it's been flat over the last few years like everything else. Like AGCH, it really angers me to know that what I have in the banks and stock market is going to go away. Savings accts are paying nothing and IRA's and 401k's will be absorbed by the feds. But, I'll still have my stash at the house w/ my 12 GA! I'm in my late 40's and would like to be done by 55.

[Beau]

.
I had plans to get a Motor Home and tour this [was great] country of ours.

that is all down the drain now thanks to your prez and the whole country going down.

I will never totally retire, hopefully I will get a better job that can be done by an old man when I reach that age.

only the rich retire anymore.

on my 2 ounces of silver I`am not rich by a long way, so I guess I will take what ever comes and do the best with it, hopefully not starve.

anyone over 60 ever get out your High School anual and cross out everyone that is dead?
try it 3/4 of the people that I can find are in the cemetary, not visiting, pushing up Daisys.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE WE ARE GOING TO NEED IT BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR.

DON`T FORGET TO TURN OUT THE LIGHT. Tim McGraw


.

[shinnosuke]

Before I found realcent.org I used to be regularly depressed thinking that so few Americans (and Canadians) understood what bad shape our country is in. Now I feel much more hopeful for the future. I know there will still be hard times ahead, but with each additional informed and prepared person we can improve our chances of survival. As individuals we can spread our influence to our family, to our friends and to our neighborhoods. America as we know it is about to change. We may all be speaking Mandarin before too much longer just to stay competitive.

Now that I have discovered the joy of sorting, I have told myself that I will never retire...well, if my eyesight goes bad, I suppose I will have to give up the job. I have 4 children. Hopefully I'll have grandchildren someday. If I keep working, I can do more for them and with them.

And I suppose if we can get some good leadership after America reboots in a few years, the coins won't need to be sorted because there will be no question as to the integrity of the coin content.

[VWBEAMER]

I hagve a GF that is 9 years younger than me and she a Doctor's Degree....that's pretty much my retirement plan.

[abe]

I'll be 50 in May and I don't believe I'll have to worry about retirement.
The way things are goin in the world I Believe most of our time is short.
Any religious people here? My uncle keeps talking about May 11th,
what the heck is he talking about?