I actually lost a friend during the Loma Prieta earthquake in the Bay Area in 1989. The double decker freeway he was driving on collapsed, killing him instantly. You just never know…
At 71, I just renewed my CDL license but only for 2 years. Have to pass a medical exam every renewal. I still enjoy driving a school bus on field trips for my son’s robotics teams. He’s a high school engineering teacher and his students are a lot of fun to be around on these trips! So I’m taking it 2 years at a time.😏
At ages 71 and 67, we have yet to spend any of our retirement accounts. We do plan on increasing our travel, both here and abroad since we recently lost our beloved border/ heeler of 14 years. Even with increased travel, I don’t see spending our retirement money until RMD’s kick in. Even then, we may just use the RMD as our guide, pay the taxes and reinvest. We don’t have or desire a lavish lifestyle and we definitely want to keep our powder dry in case we need additional care as we age. We don’t have LTC insurance and don’t want to burden our kids either. So any suggested spending percentage just seems irrelevant.
in my view, the only reason tariffs would be justified is when it can be shown that products are being dumped, i.e. when they are being imported for less than the cost to produce, in order to unfairly gain market share. Or for certain strategic industries where national security is involved. Blanket tariffs on entire countries is ridiculous.
2 incomes we’re definitely a necessity for us. I was a blue collar guy (Teamster) living in a very expensive area, Northern California. My wife was a medical assistant. We had 3 boys in quick succession, all 15 months apart. We made it work due to the fact that I started work very early and was home usually by 3pm. My wife worked MWF. So even though we both worked full time jobs, we didn’t need that much day care. We managed to save a significant amount, put 3 kids through college, 2 with advanced degrees, the other an RN. With a union pension and 2 SS incomes, at 71 and 67, we have yet to touch our retirement accounts. Life is good!
We lost our dog 3 weeks ago. He was 14, and went from being a frisbee catching dynamo to an arthritic senior who could barely walk in 2 years. When it got to the point when he could no longer stand, we knew it was time. Hardest decision of my life. I remember reading an article awhile back that said losing a beloved pet can in some ways be more emotional than losing some of the people in our lives. He was our constant companion for 14 years and there is a huge void in our lives.
When we retired, we were living in Colorado. We sold or gave away everything, bought a motor home and hit the road for 5 years. Fast forward to 2020 we came off the road due to Covid, built a house in Georgia to be near our oldest son and our grandkids. Georgia wouldn’t be our first choice, but we now have 2 of our 3 boys living here along with the grandkids. We have made a great group of friends thru pickleball, cost of living is very manageable, so all in all we’re happy with it. We just lost our pup of 14 years, so more travel is on the horizon, both domestic and international. Still not used to the summer heat and humidity!
Comments
Sometimes too much information isn’t a good thing. If you hadn’t been able to track your precious records, all of that angst could have been avoided!
Post: A Record Journey
Link to comment from August 20, 2025
Pension and SS more than covers our lifestyle, at least for now.
Post: Is 4.7% the New 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate
Link to comment from August 20, 2025
Pretty sure he’ll change his mind the closer he gets to 75. At 71, I have no intention of dying at 75!🤣
Post: Playing the Long Game
Link to comment from August 18, 2025
I actually lost a friend during the Loma Prieta earthquake in the Bay Area in 1989. The double decker freeway he was driving on collapsed, killing him instantly. You just never know…
Post: How Long Will We Live?
Link to comment from August 18, 2025
At 71, I just renewed my CDL license but only for 2 years. Have to pass a medical exam every renewal. I still enjoy driving a school bus on field trips for my son’s robotics teams. He’s a high school engineering teacher and his students are a lot of fun to be around on these trips! So I’m taking it 2 years at a time.😏
Post: How Long Will We Live?
Link to comment from August 18, 2025
At ages 71 and 67, we have yet to spend any of our retirement accounts. We do plan on increasing our travel, both here and abroad since we recently lost our beloved border/ heeler of 14 years. Even with increased travel, I don’t see spending our retirement money until RMD’s kick in. Even then, we may just use the RMD as our guide, pay the taxes and reinvest. We don’t have or desire a lavish lifestyle and we definitely want to keep our powder dry in case we need additional care as we age. We don’t have LTC insurance and don’t want to burden our kids either. So any suggested spending percentage just seems irrelevant.
Post: Is 4.7% the New 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate
Link to comment from August 18, 2025
in my view, the only reason tariffs would be justified is when it can be shown that products are being dumped, i.e. when they are being imported for less than the cost to produce, in order to unfairly gain market share. Or for certain strategic industries where national security is involved. Blanket tariffs on entire countries is ridiculous.
Post: Tariffs and PPP (People Purchasing Power)
Link to comment from August 13, 2025
2 incomes we’re definitely a necessity for us. I was a blue collar guy (Teamster) living in a very expensive area, Northern California. My wife was a medical assistant. We had 3 boys in quick succession, all 15 months apart. We made it work due to the fact that I started work very early and was home usually by 3pm. My wife worked MWF. So even though we both worked full time jobs, we didn’t need that much day care. We managed to save a significant amount, put 3 kids through college, 2 with advanced degrees, the other an RN. With a union pension and 2 SS incomes, at 71 and 67, we have yet to touch our retirement accounts. Life is good!
Post: In retirement a pension is a advantage. Are two family incomes during working years an advantage as well?
Link to comment from August 6, 2025
We lost our dog 3 weeks ago. He was 14, and went from being a frisbee catching dynamo to an arthritic senior who could barely walk in 2 years. When it got to the point when he could no longer stand, we knew it was time. Hardest decision of my life. I remember reading an article awhile back that said losing a beloved pet can in some ways be more emotional than losing some of the people in our lives. He was our constant companion for 14 years and there is a huge void in our lives.
Post: I Cry More Easily Now. I Didn’t Use To
Link to comment from August 2, 2025
When we retired, we were living in Colorado. We sold or gave away everything, bought a motor home and hit the road for 5 years. Fast forward to 2020 we came off the road due to Covid, built a house in Georgia to be near our oldest son and our grandkids. Georgia wouldn’t be our first choice, but we now have 2 of our 3 boys living here along with the grandkids. We have made a great group of friends thru pickleball, cost of living is very manageable, so all in all we’re happy with it. We just lost our pup of 14 years, so more travel is on the horizon, both domestic and international. Still not used to the summer heat and humidity!
Post: Let’s revisit the pros and cons of relocating upon retirement
Link to comment from July 28, 2025