Anybody else here retired?

[Seth53]

Well, the day finally came. May 10th, 2024, marked my last day of official fulltime pharmacy work. I don’t particularly like the word “retirement”, instead, I prefer the phrase “re-directing my energies to other endeavors.”


When I was wet behind the ears on July 6th, 1982, my first day as a newly-minted officially licensed pharmacist, “retirement” was not in my vocabulary. I looked forward with unabashed enthusiasm as to what life might bring.
What did the next 42 years as a front-line caregiver hold for me? A lot! A plethora of memories, experiences, lessons-learned, some failures tempered with more meaningful successes.


Retail was my first calling, enabling me to learn the ropes of many things (82-85). Retail gave way to a more clinical realm as I switched to hospital work. I was blessed to have worked alongside my mother and father in Hampton for three years, allowing me to get to know them as an adult (86-89).


My next calling was to serve my country for 20+ years as a Naval Officer/Pharmacist (89-2010). This life-changing challenge matured me a great deal and allowed me to travel to all fifty states and eleven foreign countries. I gained experience in logistics, clinical work, writing/publishing, fleet medicine, leadership, and honor/courage/commitment. Duty stations included Newport RI, Great Lakes (Chicago (two tours)), Sicily, Wash DC, and Guam. Son Isaac and daughter Rebecca were both born while I was on active duty (Chicago and Sicily, respectively). Senior Navy Pharmacy Officer of the Year (95) and Navy Pharmacy Research Pharmacist of the Year (97) awards were bestowed.


Transitioning back to civilian life, I dabbled a bit here and there, then found great satisfaction in the Long-Term Care pharmacy world, working with nursing homes. (2011-2024). I knew I wanted to come back to the Midwest and Iowa was always on my mind. The Quad Cities area will most likely remain my forever home.


What would 65-year-old Seth tell 23-year-old Seth if I could go back and have a conversation with him? Work hard, plan for the future, worry less and enjoy your relationships and maintain a logical life-work-balance.


I believe 23-year-old Seth listened well as all things mentioned were accomplished. I’ve had more blessings than any one person deserves since graduating from the University of Iowa.


On to the next phase with real estate investment activities, concerts, working out more and of course, more time to post here!

 

[Fryowa]

Congratulations.

My goal is 65, but I won't have a lot of money. Which is ok. I like where I work and it's allowed me to do things like coach high school sports, and I have a ridiculous amount of PTO that allows me to have never missed an event of my son's for the past 11 years.

I should have enough to live ok between my retirement account and SS if it's even there, and that's all I really need. No desire to travel, buy a different house or move, or winter in the south.

I have one and only one retirement goal. Be healthy enough at 65 to get a retirement job mowing/trimming in the spring/summer/fall. There is nothing I'd rather do even right now than get up every morning, gas up a zero turn and trimmer, put headphones on, and go ride around cutting grass. It's outdoors, smells awesome, and no one bothers you. Can stay active and moving that way, and since it begins in April I can do it until October when I'd be starting to get tired of it anyway, and then stop for the winter.

Can't do it now because I don't have the money or opportunity to break out on my own where I live and I don't want to onw/run a business or pay for private insurance. But all I want is to live long enough and be healthy enough to just hop on a mower and ride for the day and be mobile enough to run a trimmer on foot. Even if I croak at 70 I'd be fine as long as I got to do that up until that point.

I should have enough money at retirement to not have to depend on a job like that, so if I got fed up or the boss was a dick I could just walk. No stress, just getting old on my terms as much as possible instead of an employer's terms.

 

[Seth53]

I'm a Dave Ramsey advocate. Some advice I've learned and followed along the way:

Keep an accurate budget and you'll know exactly what you need to live on.

Hire a professional investment counselor. (I have a fantastic Raymond James guy)

Spread and diversify your base....stocks, bonds, CDs real estate, some precious metals, liquid cash.

Dollar cost average your IRA, Roth, and 401(k). Don't try to time or out-guess the market. You'll get burned.
Do it for years. Pay yourself (save) first. Get the max match for your 401K if your employer offers it.

Avoid buying a new vehicle.

There are very few non-gov pensions anymore. Individuals need to do their own work nowadays.

You'll have a decent IPERS I assume? (I thought you mentioned you worked for a school system?)

Retirement money planning isn't a big mystery, it's really just math. Takes planning, faithful execution and above all data.

 

[Seth53]

We own a 60" John Deere zero turn. Takes me about 2 1/4 hours to do the farm. Love every minute of it...weekly.

 

[thedukeofearl]

Well, the day finally came. May 10th, 2024, marked my last day of official fulltime pharmacy work. I don’t particularly like the word “retirement”, instead, I prefer the phrase “re-directing my energies to other endeavors.”


When I was wet behind the ears on July 6th, 1982, my first day as a newly-minted officially licensed pharmacist, “retirement” was not in my vocabulary. I looked forward with unabashed enthusiasm as to what life might bring.
What did the next 42 years as a front-line caregiver hold for me? A lot! A plethora of memories, experiences, lessons-learned, some failures tempered with more meaningful successes.


Retail was my first calling, enabling me to learn the ropes of many things (82-85). Retail gave way to a more clinical realm as I switched to hospital work. I was blessed to have worked alongside my mother and father in Hampton for three years, allowing me to get to know them as an adult (86-89).


My next calling was to serve my country for 20+ years as a Naval Officer/Pharmacist (89-2010). This life-changing challenge matured me a great deal and allowed me to travel to all fifty states and eleven foreign countries. I gained experience in logistics, clinical work, writing/publishing, fleet medicine, leadership, and honor/courage/commitment. Duty stations included Newport RI, Great Lakes (Chicago (two tours)), Sicily, Wash DC, and Guam. Son Isaac and daughter Rebecca were both born while I was on active duty (Chicago and Sicily, respectively). Senior Navy Pharmacy Officer of the Year (95) and Navy Pharmacy Research Pharmacist of the Year (97) awards were bestowed.


Transitioning back to civilian life, I dabbled a bit here and there, then found great satisfaction in the Long-Term Care pharmacy world, working with nursing homes. (2011-2024). I knew I wanted to come back to the Midwest and Iowa was always on my mind. The Quad Cities area will most likely remain my forever home.


What would 65-year-old Seth tell 23-year-old Seth if I could go back and have a conversation with him? Work hard, plan for the future, worry less and enjoy your relationships and maintain a logical life-work-balance.


I believe 23-year-old Seth listened well as all things mentioned were accomplished. I’ve had more blessings than any one person deserves since graduating from the University of Iowa.


On to the next phase with real estate investment activities, concerts, working out more and of course, more time to post here!

Most excellent, now you can relax and Enjoy life

Your time is entirely your own

The stress level concerning mandatory sleep is gone

You can stay up late, and wake up whenever you want

Sleeping in is wonderful

 

[thedukeofearl]

Congratulations.

My goal is 65, but I won't have a lot of money. Which is ok. I like where I work and it's allowed me to do things like coach high school sports, and I have a ridiculous amount of PTO that allows me to have never missed an event of my son's for the past 11 years.

I should have enough to live ok between my retirement account and SS if it's even there, and that's all I really need. No desire to travel, buy a different house or move, or winter in the south.

I have one and only one retirement goal. Be healthy enough at 65 to get a retirement job mowing/trimming in the spring/summer/fall. There is nothing I'd rather do even right now than get up every morning, gas up a zero turn and trimmer, put headphones on, and go ride around cutting grass. It's outdoors, smells awesome, and no one bothers you. Can stay active and moving that way, and since it begins in April I can do it until October when I'd be starting to get tired of it anyway, and then stop for the winter.

Can't do it now because I don't have the money or opportunity to break out on my own where I live and I don't want to onw/run a business or pay for private insurance. But all I want is to live long enough and be healthy enough to just hop on a mower and ride for the day and be mobile enough to run a trimmer on foot. Even if I croak at 70 I'd be fine as long as I got to do that up until that point.

I should have enough money at retirement to not have to depend on a job like that, so if I got fed up or the boss was a dick I could just walk. No stress, just getting old on my terms as much as possible instead of an employer's terms.

That is a very good age to retire

One learns to spend less money and live quite well afterwards

 

[HuckFinn]

Adapt.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Mentally yes. On paper....no.

I'll be in a good position to retire around 60 if I want to. I can also do contract work as long as I want so may be to 65. My wife likes to stay busy so I'll just go on her insurance. I have a plan.

 

[Fryowa]

I'm a Dave Ramsey advocate. Some advice I've learned and followed along the way:

Keep an accurate budget and you'll know exactly what you need to live on.

Hire a professional investment counselor. (I have a fantastic Raymond James guy)

Spread and diversify your base....stocks, bonds, CDs real estate, some precious metals, liquid cash.

Dollar cost average your IRA, Roth, and 401(k). Don't try to time or out-guess the market. You'll get burned.
Do it for years. Pay yourself (save) first. Get the max match for your 401K if your employer offers it.

Avoid buying a new vehicle.

There are very few non-gov pensions anymore. Individuals need to do their own work nowadays.

You'll have a decent IPERS I assume? (I thought you mentioned you worked for a school system?)

Retirement money planning isn't a big mystery, it's really just math. Takes planning, faithful execution and above all data.

Yeah I'm not in any kind of peril and don't have spending or money management issues. I work in finance actually. I should have around $800K by the time I hit 65 which sounds like not a lot but I have extremely meager means, I live in a very low COL area, and I plan on spending all of it in a ten year period from when I start. Once I hit 75 the chances of me being able to do things that keep me happy are quickly leaning towards nil. $40K is going to give me MUCH more utility at age 65 than it will at age 75, I can tell you that.

When I hit 65 I plan on buying a 2 or 3 year old pickup, a very small fishing boat (like really small...a 16' aluminum tiller steer would be great), and that's it. Both of those will last me till I'm dead. I just don't have the bone in my body that makes people want promotions, more stuff, nicer stuff, etc. I care zero about status or even being remotely close to the Jonses. I have friends my age who make 3-4 times as much as me and all I can see is how stressed they are, how busy they are, how little true quality time they spend with their families and kids, and I just think no way. Yeah, they'll have more stuff and money than me at 65, but I'm not wired to care.

The advisors telling you you need to save enough to 90 or whatever are kind of full of it. I plan on not leaving any money, I want this to be a zero sum game when I'm dead. I will have worked my whole life for what I have, there is no earthly reason for me to leave any of it on the table. My son will be just fine...if I had a few million that'd be one thing, but I don't.

No IPERS...I don't work for the school, I just coach and the tiny bit I make I'd be lucky to have $200 waiting for me.

 

[99topdawg]

You'll have a decent IPERS I assume? (I thought you mentioned you worked for a school system?)

IPERS is a wonderful thing if you work long enough. People talk about teachers getting to retire young and having a great retirement system. Those 2 don't really go together. I can retire at 55 when I hit the rule of 88, but I'll make $1400 per month from IPERS. If I work another 7 years, I'll make $5,000 per month. I plan to hit it somewhere in between. Probably teach until I'm 60. 11 minutes until summer vacation. Done putting up with shit heads for 3 months. Counting it down. Then I'm off to baseball practice. Beautiful day. Good team. Fun kids. Can't wait.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Yeah I'm not in any kind of peril and don't have spending or money management issues. I work in finance actually. I should have around $800K by the time I hit 65 which sounds like not a lot but I have extremely meager means, I live in a very low COL area, and I plan on spending all of it in a ten year period from when I start. Once I hit 75 the chances of me being able to do things that keep me happy are quickly leaning towards nil. $40K is going to give me MUCH more utility at age 65 than it will at age 75, I can tell you that.

When I hit 65 I plan on buying a 2 or 3 year old pickup, a very small fishing boat (like really small...a 16' aluminum tiller steer would be great), and that's it. Both of those will last me till I'm dead. I just don't have the bone in my body that makes people want promotions, more stuff, nicer stuff, etc. I care zero about status or even being remotely close to the Jonses. I have friends my age who make 3-4 times as much as me and all I can see is how stressed they are, how busy they are, how little true quality time they spend with their families and kids, and I just think no way. Yeah, they'll have more stuff and money than me at 65, but I'm not wired to care.

The advisors telling you you need to save enough to 90 or whatever are kind of full of it. I plan on not leaving any money, I want this to be a zero sum game when I'm dead. I will have worked my whole life for what I have, there is no earthly reason for me to leave any of it on the table. My son will be just fine...if I had a few million that'd be one thing, but I don't.

No IPERS...I don't work for the school, I just coach and the tiny bit I make I'd be lucky to have $200 waiting for me.

Yea, many of these people you mention put all they earn into their houses or stupid cars and often so someone can see them sitting in it for 20 seconds at a stoplight. They are stressed because they are house poor and know if their job goes down the shit hole, they are screwed. Many have no cushion or emergency fund.

I'm with you, I don't put a ton of emphasis what I own. I own practical items/home, cars etc. We have a normal sized ranch home and keep it in nice condition. Not a huge kitchen with special countertops, no freaking hot tub, etc.. Don't care. I just got a different car and got a 2019 with 21,000 miles on it for a decent price.

Dave Ramsey constantly says what makes people middle class for life are leasing or financing cars their entire life. He's right. Notes on cars are now well over $500 for many now and some are upwards of $800 - $1,000 if buying high end or a damn truck. It's outrageous. Then these people bitch about paying for eggs and steaks at the store.

I luckily have an employer who doubles what I put in for retirement each month so my retirement will be fine. My goal is to have 1.2 mil but if the market does fine I should be over that. That is just that one account and not including my SS, three other accounts, my wife's SS and her IPERS. Our net worth is over 1 mil now and we are early 50's. Not bragging, but just pointing out people who make moderate incomes can gain substantial wealth in this country. Now, I have been fortunate with my work matching my retirement, so I admit that, and that I am lucky. That is not very common.

If one can't make it in America and at least live middle class something's wrong with individual. I realize there are some who have serious health issues that can't afford them a middle class life. Mostly, It's personal decisions and not an income issue. There are so many opportunities. People just make stupid azz decisions in life and or managing their money, like paying for car notes for 50 years. Stupid. If people didn't have a car note for 20 years and stuck what they would have paid for a payment or lease into an investment account, they would have upwards of a million in the account in that 20-25 years time.

 

[Seth53]

Yea, many of these people you mention put all they earn into their houses or stupid cars and often so someone can see them sitting in it for 20 seconds at a stoplight. They are stressed because they are house poor and know if their job goes down the shit hole, they are screwed. Many have no cushion or emergency fund.

I'm with you, I don't put a ton of emphasis what I own. I own practical items/home, cars etc. We have a normal sized ranch home and keep it in nice condition. Not a huge kitchen with special countertops, no freaking hot tub, etc.. Don't care. I just got a different car and got a 2019 with 21,000 miles on it for a decent price.

Dave Ramsey constantly says what makes people middle class for life are leasing or financing cars their entire life. He's right. Notes on cars are now well over $500 for many now and some are upwards of $800 - $1,000 if buying high end or a damn truck. It's outrageous. Then these people bitch about paying for eggs and steaks at the store.

I luckily have an employer who doubles what I put in for retirement each month so my retirement will be fine. My goal is to have 1.2 mil but if the market does fine I should be over that. That is just that one account and not including my SS, three other accounts, my wife's SS and her IPERS. Our net worth is over 1 mil now and we are early 50's. Not bragging, but just pointing out people who make moderate incomes can gain substantial wealth in this country. Now, I have been fortunate with my work matching my retirement, so I admit that, and that I am lucky. That is not very common.

If one can't make it in America and at least live middle class something's wrong with individual. I realize there are some who have serious health issues that can't afford them a middle class life. Mostly, It's personal decisions and not an income issue. There are so many opportunities. People just make stupid azz decisions in life and or managing their money, like paying for car notes for 50 years. Stupid. If people didn't have a car note for 20 years and stuck what they would have paid for a payment or lease into an investment account, they would have upwards of a million in the account in that 20-25 years time.

Great post.

Not bragging here either...so at 65, my net worth is about 2.7 mil.
I've never made more than $140K/year and that was my last two years of working.

I did the dollar cost averaging with my traditional IRA, Roth, 401K and employee stock purchase program.
I did this for many years. Paid myself first, budgeted and lived on the rest. Drove decent used vehicles. Had a good work-life-balance.

What I also did do, and it's really paid off, was take money out of the stock market in 2016 and started investing in rentals. I used subsequent equity to get loans to expand. I now have 20 units in three states, four cities with four property managers. 77% of the bank loans are paid for. Real Estate does three things what no other monetary vehicle can do: provides a tax write-off, is an appreciating asset and produces an income stream. I needed to broaden my financial base and this was the ticket.

Again, please, no bragging here. Just showing what an average middle-class person can do if you follow some simple rules.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Great post.

Not bragging here either...so at 65, my net worth is about 2.7 mil.
I've never made more than $140K/year and that was my last two years of working.

I did the dollar cost averaging with my traditional IRA, Roth, 401K and employee stock purchase program.
I did this for many years. Paid myself first, budgeted and lived on the rest. Drove decent used vehicles. Had a good work-life-balance.

What I also did do, and it's really paid off, was take money out of the stock market in 2016 and started investing in rentals. I used subsequent equity to get loans to expand. I now have 20 units in three states, four cities with four property managers. 77% of the bank loans are paid for. Real Estate does three things what no other monetary vehicle can do: provides a tax write-off, is an appreciating asset and produces an income stream. I needed to broaden my financial base and this was the ticket.

Again, please, no bragging here. Just showing what an average middle-class person can do if you follow some simple rules.

^^ Well stated and great plan. ^^. Yes, land is about the most sure investment one can do. Good land in a good location has little overhead.

As you point out loans on land and real estate are tolerable/fine because they appreciate. Cars depreciate at an astronomical rate and people pay interest on the depreciation. Lose lose. Lol. Also, just think about those people who trade every 3-5 years paying all the sales tax to the dealerships just to have that shiny new car to look nice to their superficial/vain friends or at that proverbial stoplight.

 

[99topdawg]

Dave Ramsey constantly says what makes people middle class for life are leasing or financing cars their entire life. He's right. Notes on cars are now well over $500 for many now and some are upwards of $800 - $1,000 if buying high end or a damn truck. It's outrageous. Then these people bitch about paying for eggs and steaks at the store.

Dave and I don't agree on much. He's really preaching to those that work paycheck to paycheck or just a little better. For example, if someone buys a car that they can write a check for instead of borrowing $20,000 for 6 years at 6%, they save $3,865 in interest. If that person had taken out the $20,000 loan and invested the $20,000 for 6 years and earned 6%, they would make $8,370. On a loan like this, I may add $200 per month and end up paying about $2000 in interest. Dave says to pay off everything, or nearly everything and then invest. This is good advise for those that don't have a lot extra or that are not fiscally responsible, but for me, I'm anti-Dave.

Having said that, I'm not going to buy a $70,000 truck, etc. I'm also not going to pay off a loan that doesn't require me to pay a lot of interest and I'm not going to use my savings to pay off any loan.

If one can't make it in America and at least live middle class something's wrong with individual. I realize there are some who have serious health issues that can't afford them a middle class life. Mostly, It's personal decisions and not an income issue. There are so many opportunities. People just make stupid azz decisions in life and or managing their money, like paying for car notes for 50 years. Stupid. If people didn't have a car note for 20 years and stuck what they would have paid for a payment or lease into an investment account, they would have upwards of a million in the account in that 20-25 years time.

This is absolutely true. Just because your neighbor has a bunch of toys doesn't mean you have to have them. We have neighbors that seemingly competing with each other to see who can spend the most on toys. I know what they do for a living and my wife and I assume they either won the lottery or had a rich relative die...or they're in debt.

 

[NCHawker]

@Seth53 Great post my man. Just awesome. I hope to post something like that sometime in the next 10 years. I'm 64, but not ready to retire yet. Maybe when I'm 65 and do "the post" like you anyway

 

[HuckFinn]

Retired after 40 years as a public school employee at age 62. Now 78 and pretty healthy. I have been blessed with a great retirement. Taught English at Prairie and Kennedy. Many years coaching football. Associate principal at CR McKinley. Moved to WI in 81. Moved from HS Principal to Asst Supt. to Supt. Last Supt. Was Sheboygan Falls for 12 years. Built retirement home here and plan to be buried in the back yard. Stay busy with Library Board, Lions Club, and Methodist Church. 3 great kids with wonderful spouses, 7 grandkids, all in WI.

My hobbies are simple. One month in Ontario wilderness fishing. A month in Florida to escape the winter In WI. Pheasant hunting in SD. Travel to a variety of National Parks. Lots of time with kids and grandkids. Of course, season football and men’s’ basketball in Iowa City. Annual road trip mileage is 35,000 miles.

Very happy as a single. SS and Wisconsin State Retirement around $90,000 annually. Medicare and supplement very comfortable coverage. Substantial investments provide worry free future. Periodic gifts to kids and grandkids are good for all of us.

I returned to my fascination with reading fiction as a retiree. Our librarian informed me about a year ago that I had read 1,200 library books So far, and counting. I have read many novels by Iowa Writers Workshop members. Also a big fan of American and English poets.

I am one very happy guy.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Dave and I don't agree on much. He's really preaching to those that work paycheck to paycheck or just a little better. For example, if someone buys a car that they can write a check for instead of borrowing $20,000 for 6 years at 6%, they save $3,865 in interest. If that person had taken out the $20,000 loan and invested the $20,000 for 6 years and earned 6%, they would make $8,370. On a loan like this, I may add $200 per month and end up paying about $2000 in interest. Dave says to pay off everything, or nearly everything and then invest. This is good advise for those that don't have a lot extra or that are not fiscally responsible, but for me, I'm anti-Dave.

Having said that, I'm not going to buy a $70,000 truck, etc. I'm also not going to pay off a loan that doesn't require me to pay a lot of interest and I'm not going to use my savings to pay off any loan.

This is absolutely true. Just because your neighbor has a bunch of toys doesn't mean you have to have them. We have neighbors that seemingly competing with each other to see who can spend the most on toys. I know what they do for a living and my wife and I assume they either won the lottery or had a rich relative die...or they're in debt.

Yea, I agree on Dave and take him with a grain of salt. It's easy to recommend the drastic things he does when one has money. It sounds easy and sounds sensible when have a lot of money. I get that. With your scenario above, you're looking at having an extra $12,000 and not include what one would be losing in depreciation at the same time. You're really looking at $8000 - $9000 in losing the value of the car if buying brand new. I did a purchase price of $32,000 which is the very low end and losing 30% of a vehicles value. So, you are really looking at having a loss of around $20,000 (Interest - $ loss if investing - Depreciation of car if new).

Dave's principles are spot on though, it's just that it is admittedly very hard for most to follow.

I'm not buying a $70,000 vehicle either.

Also, I suspect your neighbors are also taking many and extravagant trips as well. There are a lot of people who make high incomes who are middle class as far as net worth. You want to know who's prob well above the 1 mil in net worth threshold. It's that 57 yr old guy who pulls up at the stoplight in a 6 yr old Honda Accord that looks nice buy has some minor normal paint scratches or fading. His car is clean and still decent and he wears decent looking clothes but not designer jeans or shirts. That's the individual banking $$$$$.

I live in a very affluent area in Iowa with superficial and vain young professionals (All high end new cars and huge houses) all around me in addition to the superficial and vain older women who run around like they are entitled. I'm always working in the garage and outside on the weekend and don't care to change clothes when running errands to stores. I chuckle because people would absolutely chit if they knew what my and my wife's net worth is with my 5 year old car and tattered weekend clothes. Our net worth It isn't over the top by any means, but it is prob top 10-15% for our age.

 

[eyekwah]

I retired before I wanted to because I was diagnosed with a cancer that only males can get. I had 35 years in the retirement system and if you die before you get a retirement check your descendants get a lump sum payment. I was nearly 62 at the time and working in the information technology field. The pace of change in the IT world was flipping to the Internet platform. I qualified for maximum pension amount for my pay grade and moved on. My wife and I had a home that was paid for and some money put away in case we would need long term care. We could and still can live comfortably on our pensions and social security. I will say it has become more important to watch expenditures.

I like living in Iowa, but always wanted to winter in a warm place. It was nice to get away for 3 to 4 months in south Texas. We had a park model home and met many mid westerners doing the same. Exotic travel to foreign places was never on any bucket list. After 10 years of snow birding COVID came along. We were in our early 70's and the wife began to have memory issues and it was a good time to consider future plans. So we moved on and sold our single family home and went into a senior condo for health and safety issues. It was a good thing when I had to recover from heart bypass surgery. Fortunately I had no morbidity problems and still can exercise vigorously, I try to walk three miles a day. We have done some cruise ship trips in the winter and two weeks away is all my wife can handle now.

I feel very blessed with where I am at. We have 3 married children and one single. They all are college grads and in one case a PHD. All are doing well financially in their careers and can provide the 7 grandchildren with all the support they need to get through higher ed. I just wish they would practice their faith more often.

My small town youth world is so drastically different than today's world. While the changes have been enormous because of technology I often feel western civilization has declined in many ways. The standards for behavior are drastically different than the behavioral expectations I grew up under. The words sensibility, mannerly, and civility come to mind. I see a lot less of it today.

 

[HuckFinn]

I retired before I wanted to because I was diagnosed with a cancer that only males can get. I had 35 years in the retirement system and if you die before you get a retirement check your descendants get a lump sum payment. I was nearly 62 at the time and working in the information technology field. The pace of change in the IT world was flipping to the Internet platform. I qualified for maximum pension amount for my pay grade and moved on. My wife and I had a home that was paid for and some money put away in case we would need long term care. We could and still can live comfortably on our pensions and social security. I will say it has become more important to watch expenditures.

I like living in Iowa, but always wanted to winter in a warm place. It was nice to get away for 3 to 4 months in south Texas. We had a park model home and met many mid westerners doing the same. Exotic travel to foreign places was never on any bucket list. After 10 years of snow birding COVID came along. We were in our early 70's and the wife began to have memory issues and it was a good time to consider future plans. So we moved on and sold our single family home and went into a senior condo for health and safety issues. It was a good thing when I had to recover from heart bypass surgery. Fortunately I had no morbidity problems and still can exercise vigorously, I try to walk three miles a day. We have done some cruise ship trips in the winter and two weeks away is all my wife can handle now.

I feel very blessed with where I am at. We have 3 married children and one single. They all are college grads and in one case a PHD. All are doing well financially in their careers and can provide the 7 grandchildren with all the support they need to get through higher ed. I just wish they would practice their faith more often.

My small town youth world is so drastically different than today's world. While the changes have been enormous because of technology I often feel western civilization has declined in many ways. The standards for behavior are drastically different than the behavioral expectations I grew up under. The words sensibility, mannerly, and civility come to mind. I see a lot less of it today.

Good, interesting stuff. Thanks!

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I retired before I wanted to because I was diagnosed with a cancer that only males can get. I had 35 years in the retirement system and if you die before you get a retirement check your descendants get a lump sum payment. I was nearly 62 at the time and working in the information technology field. The pace of change in the IT world was flipping to the Internet platform. I qualified for maximum pension amount for my pay grade and moved on. My wife and I had a home that was paid for and some money put away in case we would need long term care. We could and still can live comfortably on our pensions and social security. I will say it has become more important to watch expenditures.

I like living in Iowa, but always wanted to winter in a warm place. It was nice to get away for 3 to 4 months in south Texas. We had a park model home and met many mid westerners doing the same. Exotic travel to foreign places was never on any bucket list. After 10 years of snow birding COVID came along. We were in our early 70's and the wife began to have memory issues and it was a good time to consider future plans. So we moved on and sold our single family home and went into a senior condo for health and safety issues. It was a good thing when I had to recover from heart bypass surgery. Fortunately I had no morbidity problems and still can exercise vigorously, I try to walk three miles a day. We have done some cruise ship trips in the winter and two weeks away is all my wife can handle now.

I feel very blessed with where I am at. We have 3 married children and one single. They all are college grads and in one case a PHD. All are doing well financially in their careers and can provide the 7 grandchildren with all the support they need to get through higher ed. I just wish they would practice their faith more often.

My small town youth world is so drastically different than today's world. While the changes have been enormous because of technology I often feel western civilization has declined in many ways. The standards for behavior are drastically different than the behavioral expectations I grew up under. The words sensibility, mannerly, and civility come to mind. I see a lot less of it today.

Great post! I definitely agree with your last paragraph. Well said.