Just be aware that Kaiser's "very robust" network is a closed one -- Kaiser doctors and Kaiser hospitals only -- with out-of-network coverage and access to outside specialists extremely limited. The Kaiser patients I know here on the West Coast (3 of 8 states where they operate) rave about the quality of care and preventive medicine. But had I been a Kaiser member when I got sick ten years ago, I would not have had access in time to the specialized oncology and breakthrough treatment that saved my life. Things may have changed since then.
Meaningful roles and a sense of purpose. Nothing matters more. I'm working a couple of hours this morning, less out of need than just the feeling of supporting my family, or rather my wife's. Her mother, whom I adore even though I speak minimal Chinese and she speaks no English, will likely die in our house of cancer in coming months, with both her daughters and her grandson at hand. I find tremendous meaningfulness in having made a place for all of them, in having the wherewithal to cover all of their needs and keep them comfortable. While they're at the oncologist's office this morning with Mama, I'll do a round of Meals on Wheels, delivering beef barley soup (I hate soup days!), sweet potatoes and chocolate chip cookies to elderly or damaged people who have no idea what it's like to have a portfolio, let alone rebalance one. One has been in a wheelchair since she was 5. Widowed at 32 and raised a daughter alone, in the chair, while becoming a software engineer. Lives in pain but never stops smiling. It's an honor to serve her lunch. And a reminder of my own overwhelming good fortune. It's a gift to have the opportunity to give back a bit, to pay forward all that I've been lucky enough to receive in life. I need no more purpose than that.
I refuse to say I'm retired, but given my limited work hours, any outside observer would say I've packed it in. Workwise, anyway. Certainly not lifewise. I sang in competition last weekend (barbershop), act in local theater whenever I can pass an audition, referee adult soccer, deliver for Meals On Wheels, and hit the gym maybe twice a week. Travel has been deferred by a family illness, but we'll get to that when the time comes. Yet with all that, I feel a bit lazy, and more than a bit guilty when I'm just camped in front of the TV watching a game. Wonder if I'll ever get past that.
Wow, Patrick, your father and my grandfather traveled closely parallel tracks at the end of the war. My grandfather was the medical commander of USAHS Marigold, the first hospital ship in the Pacific and the first to reach Japan after the surrender. Family legend and anecdotal accounts have my grandfather and a couple of sailors loading up two jeeps with medical supplies and racing through the streets of Tokyo to those POW camps -- before the Japanese public even knew of the surrender. Fortunately, there were no camp guards remaining. After several weeks of treating and evacuating POWs, the Marigold remained at anchor in Tokyo until November 1945 on my grandfather's orders (supported by the brass) to serve as the only available medical facility for Japanese survivors, mostly children and elderly, in the flattened city.
Have you considered setting yourself up online as a consultant? There will be many, many small business owners out there looking for expertise like yours when it comes time to sell, and if you price your hourly rate at an accessible level, I'll bet you'll be popular. You write beautifully and could set up a blog to promote yourself. I do my consulting in house slippers, but boots would work OK too.
Calculations should be made based on individual circumstances. When I turned 60 I had maybe a year to live, and I crunched the numbers for my wife based on that. My unexpected survival and the ever-improving odds that the cancer won't be back and I could live out a normal lifespan (now 69) have required an ongoing rejiggering of the numbers. Actuarial tables are only guidelines, and loose ones at that.
I took SS about a year before FRA because I had just bought a house, my SS benefit precisely matched my monthly payment (mortgage/insurance/property taxes/utilities), and I expected my work income to fall off a cliff as my business model became obsolete. Had I known the clients would keep coming and I wouldn't need the benefit, I'd have waited until 70. But no regrets. I have slept well with my decision.
I believe people used to get arrested for selling pot in some of those same venues (and many others). I've seen recent estimates for the US legal marijuana industry ranging from $32-$38 billion in 2024. Time marches on.
Seems like a solid business model. Perhaps I should move my clients onto dynamic pricing instead of my hourly. I could charge more for writing a media pitch if I was in a time of "greater demand" -- maybe the dog really, really needed a walk right then.
Comments
Just be aware that Kaiser's "very robust" network is a closed one -- Kaiser doctors and Kaiser hospitals only -- with out-of-network coverage and access to outside specialists extremely limited. The Kaiser patients I know here on the West Coast (3 of 8 states where they operate) rave about the quality of care and preventive medicine. But had I been a Kaiser member when I got sick ten years ago, I would not have had access in time to the specialized oncology and breakthrough treatment that saved my life. Things may have changed since then.
Post: Healthcare Insurance Alternatives to Covered California Marketplace
Link to comment from October 17, 2025
I envy you your detachment, Mark. It would be healthier for me if I were able to duplicate it.
Post: The Edge of Indifference
Link to comment from October 16, 2025
Meaningful roles and a sense of purpose. Nothing matters more. I'm working a couple of hours this morning, less out of need than just the feeling of supporting my family, or rather my wife's. Her mother, whom I adore even though I speak minimal Chinese and she speaks no English, will likely die in our house of cancer in coming months, with both her daughters and her grandson at hand. I find tremendous meaningfulness in having made a place for all of them, in having the wherewithal to cover all of their needs and keep them comfortable. While they're at the oncologist's office this morning with Mama, I'll do a round of Meals on Wheels, delivering beef barley soup (I hate soup days!), sweet potatoes and chocolate chip cookies to elderly or damaged people who have no idea what it's like to have a portfolio, let alone rebalance one. One has been in a wheelchair since she was 5. Widowed at 32 and raised a daughter alone, in the chair, while becoming a software engineer. Lives in pain but never stops smiling. It's an honor to serve her lunch. And a reminder of my own overwhelming good fortune. It's a gift to have the opportunity to give back a bit, to pay forward all that I've been lucky enough to receive in life. I need no more purpose than that.
Post: Is Your Retirement Plan Missing the Most Important Investment?
Link to comment from October 14, 2025
I refuse to say I'm retired, but given my limited work hours, any outside observer would say I've packed it in. Workwise, anyway. Certainly not lifewise. I sang in competition last weekend (barbershop), act in local theater whenever I can pass an audition, referee adult soccer, deliver for Meals On Wheels, and hit the gym maybe twice a week. Travel has been deferred by a family illness, but we'll get to that when the time comes. Yet with all that, I feel a bit lazy, and more than a bit guilty when I'm just camped in front of the TV watching a game. Wonder if I'll ever get past that.
Post: Wade Pfau has put me in a funk. Are you dealing with the stages of retirement?
Link to comment from October 12, 2025
Wow, Patrick, your father and my grandfather traveled closely parallel tracks at the end of the war. My grandfather was the medical commander of USAHS Marigold, the first hospital ship in the Pacific and the first to reach Japan after the surrender. Family legend and anecdotal accounts have my grandfather and a couple of sailors loading up two jeeps with medical supplies and racing through the streets of Tokyo to those POW camps -- before the Japanese public even knew of the surrender. Fortunately, there were no camp guards remaining. After several weeks of treating and evacuating POWs, the Marigold remained at anchor in Tokyo until November 1945 on my grandfather's orders (supported by the brass) to serve as the only available medical facility for Japanese survivors, mostly children and elderly, in the flattened city.
Post: Wade Pfau has put me in a funk. Are you dealing with the stages of retirement?
Link to comment from October 12, 2025
Have you considered setting yourself up online as a consultant? There will be many, many small business owners out there looking for expertise like yours when it comes time to sell, and if you price your hourly rate at an accessible level, I'll bet you'll be popular. You write beautifully and could set up a blog to promote yourself. I do my consulting in house slippers, but boots would work OK too.
Post: Selling our Business – The Aftermath
Link to comment from October 12, 2025
Calculations should be made based on individual circumstances. When I turned 60 I had maybe a year to live, and I crunched the numbers for my wife based on that. My unexpected survival and the ever-improving odds that the cancer won't be back and I could live out a normal lifespan (now 69) have required an ongoing rejiggering of the numbers. Actuarial tables are only guidelines, and loose ones at that.
Post: Why Delaying Your Social Security Benefits May Not Make Sense
Link to comment from October 10, 2025
I took SS about a year before FRA because I had just bought a house, my SS benefit precisely matched my monthly payment (mortgage/insurance/property taxes/utilities), and I expected my work income to fall off a cliff as my business model became obsolete. Had I known the clients would keep coming and I wouldn't need the benefit, I'd have waited until 70. But no regrets. I have slept well with my decision.
Post: Why Delaying Your Social Security Benefits May Not Make Sense
Link to comment from October 10, 2025
I believe people used to get arrested for selling pot in some of those same venues (and many others). I've seen recent estimates for the US legal marijuana industry ranging from $32-$38 billion in 2024. Time marches on.
Post: Hit With Dynamic Pricing! Has this happened to you?
Link to comment from October 10, 2025
Seems like a solid business model. Perhaps I should move my clients onto dynamic pricing instead of my hourly. I could charge more for writing a media pitch if I was in a time of "greater demand" -- maybe the dog really, really needed a walk right then.
Post: Hit With Dynamic Pricing! Has this happened to you?
Link to comment from October 10, 2025