Would you bare all ( financially ) in a magazine ??

[REWahoo]

you may be able to see it in the 2006 fidelity magazine on their site. i tried uploading it but it says its to large to upload here as i have to do the entire magazine

Nevermind...

 

[mathjak107]

wahoo if you give me your e-mail address ill be glad to e-mail you the copy.

im at mathjak107@aol.com

 

[REWahoo]

wahoo if you give me your e-mail address ill be glad to e-mail you the copy.

im at mathjak107@aol.com

Thanks, but...if you go back and read my posts on this thread, I think you might reconsider sending me the information I've been asking for.

Or maybe not...

 

[brewer12345]

No way. As sgee said, what's in it for me on the plus side? There's lots of potential downside to being publicly known as a wealthy person.

I think I'd rather have them print a pic of my hairy, naked butt.

 

[clifp]

No way. As sgee said, what's in it for me on the plus side? There's lots of potential downside to being publicly known as a wealthy person.

I think I'd rather have them print a pic of my hairy, naked butt.

Cool I have a couple of gay friends looking for a rich sugar dad. Mercifully we've never discussed their preferences on shaved vs hairy butts

There was one small upside to my financial information being published. When a couple of the woman I was dating googled me it didn't hurt my chances.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

But FIL was overly cautious and hid most of his assests to avoid being solicited ... in the end it read like was he was happy to be nearly broke AND unemployed.

Smart cat! Keeps the buzzards away, no?

My brothers and sisters would be shocked at the amount of money DW and I have saved.

So would my brother and sister. They would probably offer me a handout and their old clothes.

 

[SteveR]

I voted No.

I am not ashamed of what we have but sharing it with the rest of the world and then having a bunch of "experts" disect it out of contex and telling me where I screwed up is not my idea of a good time. I know where the soft spots are and will fix them in my own good time.

Our livestyle is not exactly one step up from the Homeless Shelter and I make no excuses for our expenses. We did very well and I would rather spend it (within reason) than die with a ton left on the table for relatives to squabble over.

Money Magazine would enjoy picking my after tax portfolio apart. It was initially my "experiment" in getting into the market so there are some things in there that would get me quite a spanking. I will take care of them in due time. In many ways it is still my playground and will be more so now that I don't have to work 11 hour work days. My IRAs are pretty classical. One is a growth oriented one which will be the afterburner account after age 70.5 while the other one is the stoggy 50:30:20 (equity funds: bond funds: cash(CDs, etc.)) account that has slowly doubled in the 10 ears or so. It will be "activated" at age 60 and should be drawn down to a level that won't give us a huge tax problem when RMDs hit. By then the first IRA should be ripe and ready to pick to keep the same relative level of income coming for the duration.

I am not really afraid of being the target of hucksters or the like; we are just more private about how big the nest egg actually is. As for giving away all this on the board already...not many specifics...just some overall stuff. A guy has to have some secrets. 8)

 

[unclemick]

I voted No.

I am not ashamed of what we have but sharing it with the rest of the world and then having a bunch of "experts" disect it out of contex and telling me where I screwed up is not my idea of a good time.------ As for giving away all this on the board already...not many specifics...just some overall stuff. A guy has to have some secrets. 8)

Missoula?

'The truth! You can't handle the truth!'

'The truth is out there.'

Riiiiiight.

: Latest rumor was an ice dam near Missoula created the 'scat lands' near the end of the last ice age.

 

[Payin-the-Toll]

I voted yes. But I would want to be paid for it--No free lunches.

 

[mathjak107]

paid for it? heck i didnt even get a free subscription. ha ha ha

 

[tryan]

having a bunch of "experts" disect it out of contex and telling me where I screwed up is not my idea of a good time

Yeah, I can hear it now ... "tryan, you need to dump the real estate and diversify into COMMODITIES. Yeah, gold and oil are a little high, buut ..."

COMMODITIES ... I was suprised to see that in Matt's "assessment".

 

[Nords]

A different type of interview.

I'd hesitate to lay out my tax returns & brokerage statements for a voyeuristic exposé, but I volunteered for this:

I don't mean to intrude, but I am a reporter at Fortune magazine doing a story on people who have retired by age 50-ish and I am looking for people to interview. I specifically need people outside of the CA or NY area who retired, not by winning the lottery or inheriting a lot of money, but through careful planning and a strong desire to spend time doing something else. If anyone fits the bill and would like to help let me know a little bit about yourself and what you are up to now. thanks!

Usually a reporter gives me "Hmmm… Hawaii… not exactly our target audience… our readers might have trouble identifying with your experiences… thanks for stopping by!!" . However Corey Hajim read the Kaderli's interview (thanks, Billy & Akaisha!) and followed up with nearly an hour on the phone.

She's interviewing five ERs across the U.S. (including, I'm told, at least one other member of this board). The questions were about lifestyle, the ER process, the challenges, the motivations, and what's up with my ponytail. "What are you buying?" barely entered into the discussion. Fortune isn't skimping on the expenses-- they flew two freelance photographers from NYC to Oahu to spend four hours shooting me paddling around Waikiki and kicking the bags in our dojang. They were actually checking the lighting with Polaroids and shooting real film. Considering the travel costs and the number of exposures they ran through it probably worked out to a dollar a shot.

The article (or whatever survives the editing) will probably run in June or July. So far they've treated me right.

One of the unexpected benefits of the interview is the pictures, and when the photographers get some quiet time I'm going to buy a dozen prints of their best shots. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity-- when else can you have a professional document "Whaddya DO all day?!?!" for your photo album? I know that I could pay someone to take a bunch of surfing/martial arts photos but even if I thought it was worth the expense I'd always find something "more important" that I'd rather do with my time...

 

[Eagle43]

I'd hesitate to lay out my tax returns & brokerage statements for a voyeuristic exposé, but I volunteered for this:



Usually a reporter gives me "Hmmm… Hawaii… not exactly our target audience… our readers might have trouble identifying with your experiences… thanks for stopping by!!" . However Corey Hajim read the Kaderli's interview (thanks, Billy & Akaisha!) and followed up with nearly an hour on the phone.

She's interviewing five ERs across the U.S. (including, I'm told, at least one other member of this board). The questions were about lifestyle, the ER process, the challenges, the motivations, and what's up with my ponytail. "What are you buying?" barely entered into the discussion. Fortune isn't skimping on the expenses-- they flew two freelance photographers from NYC to Oahu to spend four hours shooting me paddling around Waikiki and kicking the bags in our dojang. They were actually checking the lighting with Polaroids and shooting real film. Considering the travel costs and the number of exposures they ran through it probably worked out to a dollar a shot.

The article (or whatever survives the editing) will probably run in June or July. So far they've treated me right.

One of the unexpected benefits of the interview is the pictures, and when the photographers get some quiet time I'm going to buy a dozen prints of their best shots. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity-- when else can you have a professional document "Whaddya DO all day?!?!" for your photo album? I know that I could pay someone to take a bunch of surfing/martial arts photos but even if I thought it was worth the expense I'd always find something "more important" that I'd rather do with my time...

You are quickly becoming our media superstar. Now, if only the Navy would put you on recruiting posters... "join the Navy and surf the world."

 

[tangomonster]

We actually did do a "financial makeover" over twenty years ago in our local newspaper---although it wasn't baring all, since they changed our names. It was pretty worthless. They focused on our wanting to be millionaires by the time we retired (we had maybe about $100K then and were making about $50K a year)---all three of the "experts" (CPA, CFA, stockbroker) thought it wouldn't be impossible. They didn't have much advice to give (we were living way below our means and investing wisely). The CPA kept harping on how good it would be to have rental property, even though we emphasized that we didn't have the temperament to be landlords. I was glad we didn't pay for this advice!

 

[kcowan]

When I retired early from Megacorp, the major paper in the city came around a year later to see how we were doing now. I made the front page of the business section complete with 1/4 page picture. What helped my cause was starting a company and doing some interesting projects. Also being very upbeat.

Another fellow retiree had become an organist and choir director. I think that helped make the article get carried on the front page. The executives at Megacorp were very pleased as well. They came off like they were doing us a favour.

(Fortunately for them, I failed to mention the middle manager that jumped off a bridge onto the busiest freeway at rush hour, or the admin manager that jumped off the 8th floor balcony of her apartment. Although I knew both of them, they were not a part of my direct peer group.)

 

[sgeeeee]

Someone should revise this poll and ask both if posters would be willing to expose all to the general public and what they believe their "E" or "I" status is from Meyers-Briggs.

 

[Nords]

Fortune says the article should be published next week and on their website by the 15th.

I'm one of five people interviewed but they actually sent a transcript back for my approval. Here's the "before", and we'll have to see how this text survives their editing process:
"Age: 46
Retirement age: 41
Career: Officer, U.S. Navy
Narrative:
- After 20 years of active service in the military you can retire with a pension worth about half your final basic pay. I've read that more than 85% of officers who retire start a second career. I went through all the assessments and they said I should be a nuclear engineer or mid-level manager, which was pretty much what I was doing. I was griping about it to my dad and he asked, "Didn't you save anything over the last 20 years?" I had never thought of that before. So in June of 2002, after my 20 years was up, I retired.
- My wife and I have always tracked our expenses and lived below our means. We were able to figure out what our expenses would be and had a portfolio large enough to sustain us through the remainder of our lives. Part of that was in a Thrift Savings Plan, which is like a 401K for government and military employees. I also receive $36,000 a year from my pension, which covers our mortgage, groceries and most other expenses. My wife, who is in the Navy Reserves, can earn as much as $15,000 but usually it is much less. Health care and inflation are solved by the military. The pension comes with a cost of living adjustment and you get cheap health insurance: $460 a year covers the family.
- What are you going to do all day? I call it being responsible for your own entertainment. Now I have the chance to do all of the things I have always wanted to do. There is surfing, for example. I check the surf every morning. If the day is going to be good for surf, it doesn't matter what home improvement projects I might have had on my To Do list, I adjust my day to allow for a few hours for surfing. I gotta have my priorities! Boredom has never been a problem. My daughter, who is 14, has turned into a surf monster so on her days off or the weekend, we're both down there.
- I have been growing my hair since the day I retired. The joke is that I have saved hundreds of dollars by not having haircuts. For 40 years (first at home, then in the military) people told me how long my hair had to be. This is the first time in my life that I was ever in charge of my own hair length. It sounds silly but it is my version of a teenage rebellion and a mid-life crisis all at once."

 

[kcowan]

The time surfing with your daughter is worth every penny you gave up, Nords. What a great story of ER! When she grows out of that stage, you will look back on it fondly.

It's funny but when I finished a CEO contract in 2002, I had a choice of "signing up" for another 5-7 years for another startup. That seemed a long time plus it is a grunt. So I said to DW, let's give ER a shot and see how it works out. I can always go back. So far, coming up to 5 years Aug 7th and just fine thank you!

 

[Nords]

What a great story of ER! When she grows out of that stage, you will look back on it fondly.

I don't think I'll ever grow out of that stage. At least I can still keep up with her, although that margin is shrinking every time we go out.

And if she doesn't want to surf with me anymore, there'll always be someone else to teach...

 

[mathjak107]

I'd hesitate to lay out my tax returns & brokerage statements for a voyeuristic exposé, but I volunteered for this:



Usually a reporter gives me "Hmmm… Hawaii… not exactly our target audience… our readers might have trouble identifying with your experiences… thanks for stopping by!!" . However Corey Hajim read the Kaderli's interview (thanks, Billy & Akaisha!) and followed up with nearly an hour on the phone.

She's interviewing five ERs across the U.S. (including, I'm told, at least one other member of this board). The questions were about lifestyle, the ER process, the challenges, the motivations, and what's up with my ponytail. "What are you buying?" barely entered into the discussion. Fortune isn't skimping on the expenses-- they flew two freelance photographers from NYC to Oahu to spend four hours shooting me paddling around Waikiki and kicking the bags in our dojang. They were actually checking the lighting with Polaroids and shooting real film. Considering the travel costs and the number of exposures they ran through it probably worked out to a dollar a shot.

The article (or whatever survives the editing) will probably run in June or July. So far they've treated me right.

One of the unexpected benefits of the interview is the pictures, and when the photographers get some quiet time I'm going to buy a dozen prints of their best shots. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity-- when else can you have a professional document "Whaddya DO all day?!?!" for your photo album? I know that I could pay someone to take a bunch of surfing/martial arts photos but even if I thought it was worth the expense I'd always find something "more important" that I'd rather do with my time...

the photoshoots are the best part, we loved the attention and being the center of it all . for both money mag and fidelity mag the photoshoots took hours with hundreds of pictures taken. all for that one pic

 

[Fireup2020]

Wow Mathjak - I actually read that article when it came out. You're almost as famous as Nords!

 

[Nords]

Fortune's five ER profiles

(Thanks to Calgary Girl for spotting it first)

 

[mathjak107]

nice article..