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Retirement!!!

I don't know how I missed this thread but CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU HUGH!

And to Kevin, congratulations to you also! Like you I retired from law enforcement. I retired in July of 2011 at age 50 (51 shortly after) with what my city determined was 30.7 years of service (all of it with them) But I counted 30 years and 3 days. I was lucky enough to still be under the defined benefits pension. Staying any longer would not have made my pension any bigger and would've only taken days away from my retirement.

Retire as soon as you can without losing any benefits!

Thanks Chris, and congrats to you too!

Hey - I had a colorful instructor from Georgia in Advanced Accident Investigation when I took courses at Northwestern University (IL) many moons ago - a Thadeus Acock.

Ring any bells?!

First beer on me at Sedalia. :thumb
 
Thanks Chris, and congrats to you too!

Hey - I had a colorful instructor from Georgia in Advanced Accident Investigation when I took courses at Northwestern University (IL) many moons ago - a Thadeus Acock.

Ring any bells?!

First beer on me at Sedalia. :thumb

That name is not one of the bells that rings in my head, sorry.
 
Yet another factor that played into my decisions to retire is that as the amount of your retirement pension rises it means you are working for a smaller amount of your salary. When I retired from the Army I was working for 34% of my base pay since I got 66% in retirement. I thought it wiser to take the 66% and then work for someone else who would be paying me for 100% of my efforts. I stayed with them until I was working for 50% of my salary.

I have a friend who did all of the calculations and discovered he was working for around $3.00 per hour. He retired. He had worked for the company for nearly 40 years and they were preparing to eliminate the traditional pension. He would have gotten what he had earned but working longer would not have increased it.
 
You guys had best keep it down with all this talk of pensions ....... for as my young colleague informed me when our mechanic retired with 38-yrs of service at age 57....

"This country can't afford that crap. Retirement at 57 with a fixed income for life is wrong and is bankrupting this nation!"

So, just beware, some folks are really offended by anyone with a traditional pension or a desire to not work until death.
 
You guys had best keep it down with all this talk of pensions ....... for as my young colleague informed me when our mechanic retired with 38-yrs of service at age 57....

"This country can't afford that crap. Retirement at 57 with a fixed income for life is wrong and is bankrupting this nation!"

So, just beware, some folks are really offended by anyone with a traditional pension or a desire to not work until death.

Jealously will get him nowhere.
 
Not all of us who are retired or in the process of retiring have comfortable pensions. Some of us saved as much as we could, educated our kids, saved some more, and then will have to rely upon our IRA's and other savings.
 
You guys had best keep it down with all this talk of pensions ....... for as my young colleague informed me when our mechanic retired with 38-yrs of service at age 57....

"This country can't afford that crap. Retirement at 57 with a fixed income for life is wrong and is bankrupting this nation!"

So, just beware, some folks are really offended by anyone with a traditional pension or a desire to not work until death.

Suggest to him if it wasn't for those retiring he might not have the opportunity for getting a job. Country can't afford unemployment either. Maybe the young worker needs to give a little thanks for those 'older folks' that had a hand in the development of worker rights and benefits that he gets the chance to enjoy. :stick - Bob
 
Not all of us who are retired or in the process of retiring have comfortable pensions. Some of us saved as much as we could, educated our kids, saved some more, and then will have to rely upon our IRA's and other savings.

BINGO!!! I voluntarily contributed to a state managed annuity fund that I have to wait until I'm 55 to begin collecting. I voluntarily contributed to a deferred compensation plan (457) that I have to wait until I'm 59 to draw out of. Those were in addition to money my employer took out of of my check to fund my pension.

We have a daughter who has never worked (for any meaningful time), got married young and had 2 children. She does not have the quaters for SS and probably never will. Her husband has always worked and is over 30. He's worked mostly at a small private business that is now him and the owner. There is no pension or 401K plan. He doesn't contribute to any IRA but instead insists social security will be their pension. That's the real problem there. But they sure do buy a car every few months, have a nice HDTV with DVR package, laptops, iPads and never money to take the kids to the doctor without health insurance. We just shake our heads because even though I'm a step Dad we didn't raiser her that way. I know her biological father isn't like that either.

I'll get off my soapbox now.
 
Suggest to him if it wasn't for those retiring he might not have the opportunity for getting a job. Country can't afford unemployment either. Maybe the young worker needs to give a little thanks for those 'older folks' that had a hand in the development of worker rights and benefits that he gets the chance to enjoy. :stick - Bob

Bob,

I'm not arguing, or disagree with what you said. However, the younger folks have been told a different version of history and they are certain they will find employment until they die.

Doing what, I have no clue. With each change of my bifocal prescription, I have to learn a new way of reading the computer screen and think of a different career.
 
BINGO!!! I voluntarily contributed to a state managed annuity fund that I have to wait until I'm 55 to begin collecting. I voluntarily contributed to a deferred compensation plan (457) that I have to wait until I'm 59 to draw out of. Those were in addition to money my employer took out of of my check to fund my pension.

I also had to wait until I was 55 to start collecting on my pension and I had a 401K I couldn't access without penalty until 59 1/2. I suspect your 457 is similar. However, I found when I retired at 55, I could withdraw from my 401K without penalty. I set up my 401K to send me a supplement each month to add to my measley pension. The money from my 401K was treated as regular income since it had not been taxed before but it was at a lower retired poor person rate.
 
I don't know how I missed this thread but CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU HUGH!

And to Kevin, congratulations to you also! Like you I retired from law enforcement. I retired in July of 2011 at age 50 (51 shortly after) with what my city determined was 30.7 years of service (all of it with them) But I counted 30 years and 3 days. I was lucky enough to still be under the defined benefits pension. Staying any longer would not have made my pension any bigger and would've only taken days away from my retirement.

Retire as soon as you can without losing any benefits!
In nearby Lexington,KY they stay longer & double dip to the tune of big $$$. Pretty much the higher ups, but via taking disability they are able to really cash in. Thats one of the hot news items out of that paper lately. Seeing people that started at the bottom, work their way up to a fire officer or police higher up & reaping 6 figures+. Nice huh?
 
Sorry , I do not understand your last comment

"& no rally's here as to white"

What does that mean ?

I also should clarify what i said about unfair comparisons of systems/cultures;
many years ago I was asked to make a presentation to our board of directors about my areas of responsibility and earnings.

I gave my presentation and the only question asked was;

How much in " real money " ( read US $$)does all that mean ?

I was appalled , here we were a supposedly international company with a 2.6 billion dollar a year turn over, and the people leading and providing guidance were so small they could not comprehend that the money earned in a foreign operation was just that. Earned from the sweat of our employees in their native currency. Had no bearing on US corporation profitability.
I quickly did the conversions and then stated it would be the only time i would bother with it. It was there responsibility to know if they felt it was necessary.
The board never asked me that question again.

Besides the money mostly had to remain in the countries we were working in as the fees charged by those governments to take the money out and convert it to dollars was prohibitive.
We then actually became an international company by using currencies earned there to buy and trade for goods and services provided by the countries in which
we were operating.

Again , that's why i feel there is no fair comparison of labor /management in the USA vs other countries.
FWIW, I bought a car some years back from a guy in Chicago to build & resell. In asking what he did for a living(we met at his office to do the paperwork) he was a Deutschemark trader. He showed me the computers set up for graph tracking the ups & downs of them vs. US dollars. As I recall, he said he helped corporations like VW,e.g., decide which currency was the best to use in either direction to maximize the profits. Bottom line, he bought & sold currency using other peoples money to make each other money. Maybe "your people" needed that guy?
Got to take in a Jets/Bears game too.
 
You guys had best keep it down with all this talk of pensions ....... for as my young colleague informed me when our mechanic retired with 38-yrs of service at age 57....

"This country can't afford that crap. Retirement at 57 with a fixed income for life is wrong and is bankrupting this nation!"

So, just beware, some folks are really offended by anyone with a traditional pension or a desire to not work until death.
What I left behind to end up with the pension I have is arguably stupid if you compare the money I would have made by NOT leaving industry and going into education.
I was a caddy from the 5th grade(lied about my age) through some college yrs & can attest to the fact that very damn few educators(well maybe coaches @ big schools & Univ pres's) are members of country clubs! Now, fact is, I'm as happy as can be that I made the switch to a career that provided the opportunity to sleep with my wife, enjoy decent hours & spend quality time raising our children. Like the ads say, priceless! And, now I get a small pension.
When I see politicos talking about state workers are the ones bankrupting our nation, it is the ultimate in deception. I had some continuing comments & just backspaced them out to avoid a doghouse on a great thread. Was something specific r.e., politicians wasting our money. If Obama would just kick in a few more SS COL's, that will help.
 
I had some continuing comments & just backspaced them out to avoid a doghouse on a great thread.

While we might not agree on some things, not sending this thread to the doghouse is a good thing.

However, I am hoping that someone responds with a miracle suggestion that allows me to read the monitor, in comfort.
 
This has been a great thread...I guess Hugh is out golfing in San Antonio today!:thumb


No Doghouse talk as long as everyone remembers to play nice...and leave the nasty poly-ticks out of the conversation. It's nice to hear different perspectives on this.


That said, I will not apologize for receiving a retirement check each month. I was a city employee and did the time. I too get pretty ruffled when folks start slamming folks in goverment jobs without understanding where that money comes from.I am sure there is abuse, seen some, however, the average Joe & Jill are not the culprits.

I worked and contributed to an employees retirement system for city employees.
I recall I started with a mandatory 6% out of every paycheck, and had no option to opt out.
You could also invest more of your pay to a deferred comp plan, but I had three kids to raise and never participated. The State regulated plan made a lot of money until the early 90's with somewhat sane investments. They had a 25 years of service or a combo with military buyback...then they opened the door to 23 with no penalty...I jumped on that.

I now reap the benefits of lending the fund my money for 23 years and them making more dollars with it still. At retirement I looked at what I had put in to the system...no guilt for receiving some of it back now. And that I am in my mid 50's , retiring a year after my 50th B-day I ma so glad I didn't try to beat the system and stay.

I didn't get any "free" money and didn't walk away with my base rate of pay either. I do receive a percentage of my pay monthly until I exit this place. Heck, sometimes they make money with that system with guys that stay too long, have no outside interests and die within a year of finally leaving..sad, but saw it happen a few times. Helped me with my decision.

I see nothing wrong with that type of system, sorry some are self employed ( as I am now) or work where there is not any plan. I have to pay for my health insurance, thru the city's plan at a higher rate then when I was an employee, but at least I have that option until some major budget cut to save dollars at retirees expense. Hasn't happened in the life of that plan, but one never knows. It comes up for a vote every year.

There were some double dippers...retired then came back to "temporary" jobs at a max of 29 hours a week. It worked for the folks that retired with a low base pay , but was abused by some senior $$ guys as well ..the " consultant" gig sometimes blew my mind. I passed on the offer as I retired to get away from the day to day grind and wanted to be my own boss for a change...haven't looked back. Now I only have to say " yes dear" on occasion and all is good.
 
While we might not agree on some things, not sending this thread to the doghouse is a good thing.

However, I am hoping that someone responds with a miracle suggestion that allows me to read the monitor, in comfort.

Hold down your CONTROL key and hit the + key.
Repeat as needed.

Voni
sMiling
 
This has been a great thread...I guess Hugh is out golfing in San Antonio today!:thumb


.

I was, indeed!! Also had a nice ride up to Luckenbach on Sunday, as the weather here is fantastic. My last three days of work this week, then Friday is the big day. I'm just going in to say my farewells. Worked a long time for this. Hope I get to enjoy the "fruits" for a long time as well....feel like I earned every penny of them. I am now trying to become a USGA Rules Official for amateur events around South Texas. That and playing golf, along with riding the Wing ( and other travel) will certainly keep me busy. Also, have plans next week to check out sailboat charters in Corpus Christi, just in case I get bored. Like that's going to happen!?!

Again, thanks for all the comments, especially the apolitical ones!
 
Hold down your CONTROL key and hit the + key.
Repeat as needed.

Voni
sMiling

Voni,

Thanks for the input.

It's a forest vs the trees issue. In the old days, we had large drawings (paper or mylar) and lay-out rooms where large drawings and patterns were assembled and provided a perspective on the extent of a design. Today, we try to do similar efforts, but in a world bounded by multiple wide screen monitors. So, when the lenses in the eye loose their flexibility, that ablity to focus over a broad range of depth is lost. In this smaller world, you can zoom in to the detail of a particular tree, but you can easily find that you're working on the wrong tree when you backaway and see the forest.

There's a metaphor in there somewhere.
 
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