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Advice from a senior senior
Old 03-14-2017, 01:08 PM   #1
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Advice from a senior senior

I stopped for new tires today. While waiting for the tires, an older gentleman came in, bought some tires, and sat down next to me and started a conversation. Somewhat surreal - it was like someone was trying to send me a message.

He was 95, an avid bicyclist, and talked about his life and travels. From our talk, I got the following advice:

Get a good education
Travel when you're younger
Move to an area with nice weather and services close by when you retire.
Downsize when you retire
Get plenty of exercise
Drink plenty of water

That was plenty much it. It was great having a talk with someone a generation older and capable of giving much needed advice.

Anyone still getting advice from the older generation?
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:13 PM   #2
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Yeah, I got advice from a 70 year old last week. She told me I was "too young to retire".
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:13 PM   #3
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Quite a few years ago, I had an older guy tell me-

"A young guy like you could have a lot of fun on a water bed like that!"

Maybe I should have listened more seriously.
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:15 PM   #4
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Yeah, I got advice from a 70 year old last week. She told me I was "too young to retire".
funny - same thing just happened to me too....
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:21 PM   #5
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Anyone still getting advice from the older generation?
Yep, every time I read a thread here.

I look at the contrary examples between dad and (now departed) FIL. Dad worked hard all his life, continuing into his early/mid 60s. He bought a new to him boat when I was 12, replacing the unsuitable Searay that had as its sole plus a tiny cabin. I once asked him why he kept the Searay for so long and he said that sometimes the only way he could get away for a couple hours was to anchor in a quiet cove and head into the cabin. He has to this day a legacy of severe stress-related health problems.

FIL was laid off in his 50s from a corporate job. He did not have quite enough assets/pension to make it work, so he did some consulting, taught some adjunct college classes, and in general lived a good life. If the Parkinson's hadn't taken him down I would peg him to make it into his 90s.
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:23 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Ronstar View Post
I stopped for new tires today. While waiting for the tires, an older gentleman came in, bought some tires, and sat down next to me and started a conversation. Somewhat surreal - it was like someone was trying to send me a message.

He was 95, an avid bicyclist, and talked about his life and travels. From our talk, I got the following advice:

Get a good education
Travel when you're younger
Move to an area with nice weather and services close by when you retire.
Downsize when you retire
Get plenty of exercise
Drink plenty of water

That was plenty much it. It was great having a talk with someone a generation older and capable of giving much needed advice.

Anyone still getting advice from the older generation?
I had an encounter in December 2015 with a woman who was meeting her grown granddaughter for lunch as I was waiting for my toddler granddaughters. We chatted about ourselves for about twenty minutes and she told me to cherish my life and my husband as things could change in an instant--no practical advice but emotional. She was about as old as my mother would have been had she not passed away 43 years ago to the day that we had this conversation. I wish I had asked for her phone number.
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:24 PM   #7
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I've mentioned a few times about the older guy I met one night. We were waiting for our table at the restaurant bar and struck up a conversation.

He said: "How old are you? 60?...you need to realize that even if you live to be 90, you only have 15 or 18 good summers left. Twenty at the max. Enjoy them wisely"
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:40 PM   #8
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In-laws (85, 88) for finances, how to plan, and the need to loosen the purse strings and take advantage of your relative youth at early retirement!

My mom (only 76) for how one can enjoy life with friends and family, even with little in the way of assets. (And, of course, her mother, who was thriving in her 90s with little in way of income/assets, but a host of descendants who enjoyed their time with her.)
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Old 03-14-2017, 02:01 PM   #9
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Anyone still getting advice from the older generation?
Absolutely, and I value it greatly.

It probably sounds corny, but honestly I still get advice from my mom. Granted, she passed away 10 years ago, at age 98. But I think of her often and I know just what she would have told me, in various situations that I encounter in life.
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Old 03-14-2017, 02:10 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Ronstar View Post
I got the following advice:

Get a good education
Travel when you're younger
Move to an area with nice weather and services close by when you retire.
Downsize when you retire
Get plenty of exercise
Drink plenty of water
That's it in a nutshell.
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Old 03-14-2017, 05:23 PM   #11
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I have a friend who is 76. I guess the best advice from him was to drink more water.
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Old 03-14-2017, 05:34 PM   #12
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I have a friend who is 76. I guess the best advice from him was to drink more water.
I keep a 64 oz container of water right by my easy chair, and refill it at least once each day. It's easy for me to get enough water in when it's right beside me like this.
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Old 03-14-2017, 05:38 PM   #13
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My step mom turns 90 next month. She regularly advises the following:

- Keep moving - if you stop, you'll stop.
- Exercise the brain every day. (She does sudoku's every morning)
- Just have fun!!!!
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Old 03-14-2017, 05:53 PM   #14
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That's it in a nutshell.
And I always thought it was Faster horses, younger women, and more money!
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Old 03-14-2017, 05:57 PM   #15
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It is for my grandfather of course, younger women, gambling, alcohol, all within reason of course. He lived until 89 without any modern medicine. He was also a very laid back person, never worked in his life, no stress that he had to deal with.
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Old 03-14-2017, 05:57 PM   #16
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Yeah, I got advice from a 70 year old last week. She told me I was "too young to retire".
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funny - same thing just happened to me too....
My officemate is almost 70, and he thinks I'm nuts to want to retire at 60.
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Old 03-14-2017, 05:58 PM   #17
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I've mentioned a few times about the older guy I met one night. We were waiting for our table at the restaurant bar and struck up a conversation.

He said: "How old are you? 60?...you need to realize that even if you live to be 90, you only have 15 or 18 good summers left. Twenty at the max. Enjoy them wisely"
this point has been drilling itself into my consciousness lately. I punch 30 years into the calculators, but in reality, "good years" might be, if I'm lucky, more like 15....

gotta remember that.
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Old 03-14-2017, 06:44 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Ronstar View Post
I got the following advice:

Get a good education
Travel when you're younger
Move to an area with nice weather and services close by when you retire.
Downsize when you retire
Get plenty of exercise
Drink plenty of water
And then realize that at 60:

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even if you live to be 90, you only have 15 or 18 good summers left. Twenty at the max. Enjoy them wisely.
Together, what a great piece of advice. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 03-14-2017, 08:08 PM   #19
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Anyone still getting advice from the older generation?
Pretty much everyday. My Dad will be 90 in a few months and still amazes me with his wit and intellectual abilities. There are few days that go by that I don't learn something useful from him.

He told me something last week that I think would help a lot of people:

Do you know the fastest way to becoming wealthy?

One house, one spouse, and one car.

He also holds a happy hour on Sundays (for years, now) and I have always been the youngest one there. Over the years, I have gotten some great advice from some very amazing people.
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Old 03-14-2017, 08:17 PM   #20
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What's this drink plenty of water stuff? If that's the best advice I have to give at the end of my life I'll be on anti-depressants. My advice will be:

Don't waste time regretting things. If it sounds fun and possibly survivable, give it a shot. Only drink good booze. And retire as soon as you financially are able to.
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