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Today, December 14, is our 57th wedding anniversary. Like back then, the weather is terrible, it’s snowing. In 1968 it was raining and that night there was a blizzard and we were stranded at Kennedy airport for almost 24 hours before getting out for our shortened honeymoon for which I had taken advance leave from the army.
Looking through some old papers I found the receipt for our tickets to Freeport. One ticket cost $143 round trip. For all but the first day, it rained in Freeport the entire week. Quite a stormy start to a long and happy marriage.
I don’t recall my army pay back then, but ChatGTP says it was $190 per month. Connie was a claim processor at an insurance company. She had just gotten a raise to $10,000 which was a big deal back then. Actually not a bad deal for the 2025 equivalent either. But we didn’t feel well off and I sent Connie what I could from my army pay to help with the bills.
My largest expense was putting coins in a phone booth to call her twice a week. I remember one call for $8.00. Those coins were much heavier than my iPhone is today. What I wouldn’t have given for an iPhone in 1968.
I do recall having a goal of earning $135 a week when I returned to my old job as a clerk in the employee benefits department. We agreed that if I made that amount we could buy some furniture for her small apartment where we would live. We made our goal because my employer gave me a raise equal to the accumulated raises I missed while in the army. The good old days.
We couldn’t afford a new TV though so we had a twelve inch black and white although not a big deal as the room was so small you couldn’t get too far away from the screen.
It took fifty-seven years married and fifty years working to go from truly living paycheck to paycheck to two homes, four smart TVs and “how do we help our children and grandchildren financially.”
Success through patience, lots of good fortune and (mostly) not doing dumb things with money. I’d do it all over again.
Happy Anniversary Connie!
Dick and Connie, happy belated anniversary. We have been out of town, so I didn’t see this until today. Happy for you both and we hope to make 57 years also. Chris
Happy Anniversary! Wishing you many more years of love and happiness!
Mazel tov on your anniversary.
Time to start planning for the 60th party?
Happy anniversary Mr. Quinn. 57 years is a wonderful journey.
Happy anniversary! Keep those articles and rants coming!
Happy anniversary, Dick & Connie! Congratulations on your long and happy marriage. You’re an inspiration. Hope you two are having a wonderful day despite the awful weather. 🥂
There once was a fellow named R D Quinn,
Who planned for his gold years to begin,
One hundred percent!
Was the income he meant,
not a spreadsheet to begin.
A budget? he’d laugh with a grin,
Just common sense and discipline
For fifty-seven years long,
His sweetheart’s been along,
Through markets both thick and thin.
He loves his fixed income so steady,
No Excel sheets keeping him ready,
Just Quinn and his bride,
Standing side by side.
Happy Anniversary R D Quinn
A clever Irishman, who knew? Nice job 👍👍👍
Congrats Dick!- they say bad weather on your wedding day is good luck for your future life together! Seems like that saying has proved true in your case!
Yes it has, thanks.
Patience (allowing compounding to work), lots of good fortune (nearly all of us who have been successful have benefited from this) and not doing dumb things with money (as Charlie Munger said: Don’t do anything stupid”). Summed it all up nicely, Dick. Happy 57th!
Happy anniversary, Dick, 57 years is truly a great achievement, one that even outshines your financial success. Please pass on my good wishes to Connie; she is indeed a special lady to have put up with you for all those years😉
Gee, that’s what she says too..and she doesn’t even read HD …thankfully 🤫
According to a CPI Inflation Calculator I found, $10,000 in 1968 is equivalent to $91,000 in 2025. If that is true, you two were already above average in income…
This made me think back to 1969 and my first full-time job out of college as a secretary earning $400 a month, $4800 a year. I was oblivious to the value of my employer-provided free parking in downtown Atlanta and health insurance. I had a college loan of $500 to pay off. My dad found a solid used Plymouth Valiant and loaned me the money to buy it. I found a 2-bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood for $100 a month. Those were the days.
All this got me thinking so I did more digging. Incredibly in 1968 insurance companies paid on average $6,700 a year for a senior clerk. At that point Connie had ten years experience so perhaps I was not actually off with the $10,000 which seems amazing given the household income. As today, we often don’t realize how well off we are.
I came up with something similar, but even back then we couldn’t afford a house or a new car. The median household income in 1968 was $7,700. Our recollection must be off. I’ve got some numbers wrong because I know they were not paying insurance clerks more than the household income. 😟