Not a vacation

kennharriet · Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 11:37 pm Post subject:

Congratulations on your retirement! We did it three years ago at age 50. Actually I still work a few months a year if my previous employer asks for help. I feel very fortunate that my wife and I enjoy several different activities together (there have been times when she has had way too much quality time with me). Some of my old co-workers who have also retired have few activities in common that they enjoy with their spouses. I feel blessed that is not the case with us. The adventures we have planned with the boat are one more on the list of things we can enjoy together.

localboy · Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 11:44 pm Post subject:

Pat Anderson · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:06 am Post subject:

Oh little did I know what I have wrought!

dotnmarty · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:48 am Post subject:

rogerbum · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:08 pm Post subject:

El and Bill · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 4:01 pm Post subject:

A quick little comment, related to retiring - many have asked us why we rent a place to live now (and in most of our working years) and there are many reasons. But one simple one, since this is often an argument owners use for why they buy a house, is purely financial. There is a great myth that owning a house is a much better economic choice for most folks. And it is simply false, except for short time periods during the past ten years. Here's the fact:

A study by the National Multi-Housing Council, an industry trade association, determined that $100 put into a house in 1985 would have been worth $210 in 2008; in stocks, the same amount would have been $710. Even if your portfolio took a 50 percent hit in the past 18 months, the figure would still be $355 today. Plus, no repairs, maintaining, taxes, etc. etc. And, owners live under another myth - that they own the house - until the mortgage is paid off, they merely rent from the bank and have to pay all the upkeep and costs.

So when you retire - if you are thinking of moving into a smaller place, think of renting. And there are many other reasons to do so, also.

kennharriet · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject:

However... If a couple did not own or have a mortgage on their own home, there would be no such thing as the "honey do list". Retirees would not be able to use the expression that they are busier than when they were employed, because of the "honey-do list". The economy would be in further trouble because no one would be spending money at the hardware store for items for the "honey-do list". Wives would not have any time to themselves because the husband would not be in the garage working on the "honey-do" list. The more I contemplate the subject, what would be the point of retiring if there was not a "honey-do list"?

JamesTXSD · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject:

lloyds · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 6:52 pm Post subject:

I'm with El and Bill on the renting. As I get older I am determined not to divide my time between boating and maintenance. I should have made that decision years ago.

dotnmarty · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:32 pm Post subject:

This discussion is quite relevant for Dotty and me. She no longer can do the gardening she loved for so many years. There is less and less that I can do (or am allowed to do) around the house. On the other hand things like mowing the lawn are probably healthier than riding my bike. (I fell off the bike a couple years ago and now have an artificial elbow.) Anyway, when the time to move comes, we'll probably know. I do hope the apartment comes with a 20 foot slip.
MartyP

El and Bill · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:45 pm Post subject:

There are many sources for information on rent vs. buy, for folks considering changing houses. One interesting read is:

http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=19692887

Conventional wisdom is, in our opinion, often what advertisers push to further their own returns - and always requires a candid study. If one is selling a house today, and the issue is whether to put down a big down payment and buy another or invest your capital in the market - check the figures - except for the housing boom, market returns over time have handily beaten the rise in house prices.

Each couple (or individual) determines their requirements and rent vs. buy is not the same for any two folks - all we suggest is not to accept the standard "buying is better than renting" - do your calculations for your situation and find your own answer.

localboy · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:47 pm Post subject:

ddenver · Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 4:48 pm Post subject: Retirement

Russ,

For those of us still toiling away - working for a living - with retirement in the all to distant future, we will enjoy our vacations in the meantime.

Wish we were close enough to provide limes and ice .... gotta avoid scurvy on those long ocean voyages as well as supplementing the beverages.

Hope you and Toni are enjoying yourselves. It was good seeing you guys on our recent trip to Friday Harbor and points beyond.

Take care,
Dan & Tanya

sportner · Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 11:03 am Post subject:

Thankyou for the kind responses to our new adventure. This has been a wonderful start, beginning with Friday Harbor, then chance meetings with many C-Brats on different islands, and meeting and sharing our love of boating with strangers, now new friends. Ending this trip with a relaxing time with Pat & Patty Anderson and David McKibben in Chuckanut Bay and then lunch and visit with Joe and Ruth in Bellingham.

Now on to new projects and new experiences, on and off the water. We look forward to continuing friendships and making new ones. See you soon.

LeoinSA · Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:48 pm Post subject: Days in Perspective

Stuck in traffic on the commute home I got to thinking (always dangerous) as I crept a hundred feet and then stopped for a minute to creep another couple hundred - ad infinitum.

The following is a VERY broad generalization to be used as food for thought.

So... If we are fortunate and do not encounter accidents, adverse health or other calamities, we have about:

30,000 days on earth.
~6,600 from birth to 18 years old.
23,400 left.
~16,000 in a 44 year working life - take vacations!
~7300 left - more or less 20 years.

Obviously individuals can vary tremendously and live much longer in healthy bliss - and some unfortunately leave this existence way too soon.

That said, millions of people sit in the same sort of traffic snarls everyday - mostly not knowing better, caught up in the notion that to be happy one must have a successful career and all the consumer goods that signify such a lifestyle.

As detailed in this conversation, that's not necessarily so. Some might argue that learning to live frugally is a skill that should be practiced before retirement.

The idea that one does not have to have the latest consumer doo-dads and gizmos for the home - while enjoying some for the boat - can be liberating.

One example is cable/satellite TV. $85 a month was its cost - for years we 'had' to have it. January 2006 we sent the cable box back, saving that $85 plus gaining time to read and enjoy other activities without the incessant chatter of 'the box'. Sure, we rent movies and watch those. Heck we even have movie nights with several couples we know. Gotta get the use out of that BIG screen TV that I bought in 2003.

To those that are yet to retire - learn to live a great life while simplifying and spending less.

To those that have been fortunate enough to retire early, bless you!

To those that are already retired and enjoying their cruising, bless you!

To those - like me - that are anticipating the time we can join those retirees, pray that we make it!

Leo

Planning on retirement in about 1280 days!