Posting the article was hardly a case of my intending to throw gas on a fire or stir a pot. It was actually sent to me by DW and we both had a good laugh at the idea that based on the article, we would qualify as “rich” both in terms of our household income (we’re both still working) and in retirement savings. This feeling on both our parts stems largely from the fact that early on in our married lives we struggled mightily to pay mountains of medical bills (even after our health insurances paid). Both of our sons had significant medical issues as children – our youngest born prematurely and having to spend time in a NICU. The acuity of their conditions necessitated DW having to leave her job as a teacher (I was the higher earner) to stay home and care for the kids for 8 years. The only way out from under the piles of medical bills was for me to work 2nd jobs and DW to run a small pre-school at home. I guess you could say that the whole experience taught us how to LBYM and we continue that practice today!! Even after managing to pay off our medical debts, I kept working my 2nd job as a sports official for high schools and the NCAA to help us catch-up on retirement savings. After returning to teaching, DW would pick up gigs teaching summer school and doing A.P. testing for her district.You can stop right at age. Anything looking at household averages w/o regard to age won't tell us much at all about sho is or is not 'rich'.
Not just 'the farm thing', any small business with assets to keep the business going. And how about someone with a (or more) special-needs child or grandchild? Some kind souls have adopted several special-needs children. Leaving millions could really help provide a lifetime of needed support. And before you start talking about special trusts or anything - those will be used by clever lawyers and rich clients to provide for the 'special-needs' of their heirs (poor darling gets depressed w/o Dom Perignon with dinner!).
I just don't see that as a major issue. It's like saying that very few people would contribute to the Red Cross when there is a disaster, because they personally never experienced a typhoon, hurricane, or tsunami. Or that a well-fed person just doesn't understand that it is bad to be starving, or that someone who is cancer-free can't understand that having cancer can be a very bad thing. The problems with our reps go far beyond that, but I'll stop there.
I wonder if the OP will drop by and share anything - or did he just throw some gas on a fire to watch people run?
-ERD50
So in summary – DW & I have always considered ourselves more “fortunate” than rich when it comes to our finances. Early retirement – if you can call it that – will be at age 59-1/2 for me. Now, if we are talking about what makes us feel “rich”, it is having each other to lean on and a wealth of life experiences (some of them difficult) to draw from along with two adult sons we are incredibly proud of (both healthy & happy) as well as two very handsome grandsons.