Feeling Guility About My Good Forture

As one of those on a whole lot less than you I say good for you and enjoy every bit of it for as long as you can!

It really is too bad you can't sell you Florida house, I think if I was set up like you are I would just take the loss to sell it at any price and move on to the life I really want to live.

you don't say how you earned your money. assuming it's honestly earned, then no need to feel guilt.

it's recently come to light that the mayor of a small city of 32,000 people in California, where the average income was $24k/year, was making $800,000 per year plus a huge retirement pay guarantee, etc. all but one of the city board members was making $100k/year for attending a few city council meetings per year. i do not believe that money is honestly earned. there's also cases of police and firemen who game the system to get lots of overtime their last year, and retire to yearly pensions of $150k/year and more. i don't personally believe that is honestly earned either. (certainly not all police and firemen across the nation are paid like that, so this isn't an indictment of all police or firemen, but there are a few cities where that is the case.)

also, money doesn't buy happiness. (which from what you've written, and how you spend money, i think you realize that.) after about $40k/year in income (for the US, it would be a lower number in other countries), happiness does not increase statistically. (ie, surveys of happiness show that those making $100k/year have the same proportion of people happy/really happy/miserable as people making $40k/year, etc.) many people don't seem to realize this, which makes them far more envious than they should be.

--sgl

I'd be careful trusting any pension.I thought mine was safe until last year now not so.Its just a fact of life now days.

big rockpile

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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



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If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

I've worked for the Government for almost 35 years. I work for a major police department. My pension is from the State of Florida and is rated one of the best in the country, so I don't worry about it going away, that is unless Fla falls off from the rest of the country The benefits are good and were promised to me when I signed on, however they have been whittling away at them for the last couple of years, just like the Federal Government is doing to the Military. I’m in a program called the DROP (deferred retirement option program). It was designed for public workers and teachers. When you enter the program you cease earning retirement credits from the pension plan. You lose any disabilty protection with regards toward your employment. You also forgo any long term workers comp and death benefits. You can't work, you leave. You can work in the DROP for up to 60 months, then you have to leave, no it’s and's or but's. It's a way to get the higher paid old timers to go. This program will possibly go away in the next few years. The pension system is trying to steer new hires into a form of a self investing option that is like a 401K. We have assisted our Mothers for many years now, both our fathers are gone. We take care of all unexpected expenses for them, like major dental work, keeping my mothers vehicle running well (just put on new tires and had the transmission worked on), and anything else than might be a strain on their monthly expenses. MIL and FIL were farmers and didn't make much over the years. MIL doesn't receive much from SS. We have always paid her household expenses when we pay ours, from her insurance, utility’s and home maintenance, just bought her a new fridge before she became ill (used a Ga cash for Clunkers appliance rebate, don't you just love rebates). DW loves to shop at Macy's sales with all of the discount coupons. MIL is one of the best dressed elderly ladies in Southeast GA. No one has to know that that complete Liz Claiborne outfit only cost $17 dollars after all the discounts. We have asked our mothers not to tell the rest of the family what we do. It’s amazing that a couple of DW's sisters think that MIL is taking care of herself on her less than $600 SS check. I hope I'm not coming across as bragging, that is far from my intention. And thank you for your input, It’s just you don't realize the financial restrains that so many are dealing with from everyday face to face interactions. I think that message forums such as this, gives us valuable insight to the "real world" that surrounds us in everyday live. Here on HT you agonize over peoples troubles with them and rejoice in their achievements. (well most of the time
Daniel

Yup government pension benefits can be nice. My father worked for the FAA his entire career, and the pension and health care benefits are quite nice for him. He also worked another 15 years after retirement for a private company, and draws some SSI as well, I thought he would work till he died, but he finally retired for real at 75 and quit working... He's a bit lost without a job now.

That's one of the things I wish they had done for health care reform, just allow folks to purchase into the government employees heath care insurance system.

Well you earned all you got i say enjoy I chose to do my own thing an wouldn't change much . My son on the other hand chose a career when he was 10 years old and has worked toward it . His gardner does a good job on his yard now days too

A pension, even a guaranteed gold plated one, is still just a piece of paper, full of promises. Hopefully promises will be kept, Florida will still be around, and the govt. won't fall.

Good luck, and enjoy your good fortune!

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

The money in the bank under FDIC insurance is no more than that, a paper promise. But it's a pretty good one.

Even converting all your money to gold and burying it in your back yard is only so secure, and if money goes away you can't sell it only barter it if that.

You gotta go on faith at some level.

Daniel, I'm glad to know that you and your family perceive yourselves as being financially secure. On the other hand, I lean toward the opinions stated here by both Texican and Txrider about the true financial state of the country and globe. All is interwoven and all is effected by surprises. My suggestion to you would be to plan for possible surprises, such as would be discussed here at HT in the survival forum. In this day and age it may be folly to depend entirely on a monetary nestegg/funds to keep lifestyles comfortable. Plan for the unexpected and if that doesn't happen then you're ahead that much with regard to helping those around you with immediate crises situations concerning basic needs of food/water/shelter.

And maybe it's already been mentioned and I've overlooked it, but your lifestyle has already been effected by a "surprise". The gulf oil spill has effected property resales all along the coast and inland. I'm certain you're already aware of this though.

I wish you the best as you and your family go forward and hope that all of us manage to avoid the negative effects of any "surprises" that we meet.

Funny thing, people around here still refer to "those good gov. bennies" but the fact is that most of those benefits are long gone, now when you work for the government you get pretty much the same benefits as private industry, but paid less, and promoted less. I tell all my public sector friends to go private, if they can...

I guess it is all the old guys that get the good deals!

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http://www.lindsayfarmonsilvercreek.blogspot.com/

But I DO know, and I have been there, and IT DOES NOT MATTER! My riches are my family, it has always been that way.

DH and I did have to leave Iowa because there was not enough work and if we had stayed we would have lost our home, but, what of it as long as DH was with me? Our finances are a serious squeeze sometimes but what do I care when the kids are with us? I can squeeze a nickle until it screams because practice make perfect. So? I have what is important to me.

I do gripe sometimes. It does stress me because I am in the hot seat and I CANNOT complain to DH as it would put a burden on him. It HELPS people to blow off steam: that does NOT mean that they would do it differently.

We are broke but happy. A house is made of pieces of wood and money is just arithmatic in the bank records. No more than that. I was HAPPY to trade that arithmatic in the bank records for 2 babies. I was happy to mostly stay home and raise them. I have what I value most. Babies (now teenagers).

That was what I went after instead of money. And, I got kids but not so much money.

Yes, there would be anguish in having to ask for help to feed those babies, but, help is usualy out there if you can find it. That would scare me to death. But, an asthma attack in my youngest was also terrifying and so was seeing my oldest with a half-eaten bottle of antihystamines. Sometimes we barely managed a roof over our heads, but the kids illnesses were more terrifying.

Life is simply not for the faint of heart. ANY life. A great many of those anguished people you see face to face would not trade their children in for financial comfort. People go after what they value in life, after all.

I don't trust gold. I can't eat it. Can't sleep under it. Can't wear it. It doesn't grow. Can't do anything with it but bury it or wear it.

With cash, or gold, though... right now, while the world is still spinning on a regular basis, one can buy several years worth of food. One can build a home, pay off debts, Buy clothes, stockpile everything you're going to need, to live... no matter what. As long as you're alive, you're going to need food, water, clothes, and shelter. Cover these, and if the FDIC, Pensions, gold, all become worthless, you'll be better off than 99% of humans.

I trust lead, steel, real goods more than I do Paper. I trust gold more than paper. I trust in my homestead more than anything else in the world.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming