luthier john
Confused about dryer sheets
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2007
- Messages
- 1
Just turned 60 and retired at 53 and am having a great time. It took several years to realize that the habits and values internalized during years of corporate work do not need to run my life any longer. Intellectually easy to realize, emotionally harder. To fulfill a life-long interest in woodworking, I prepared by building a workshop where I now make fine furniture and, more recently, guitars. Mostly this is for family and friends, though occasionally I take on commissions which I get through word of mouth. Profitability is of no concern; I do it for the joy of it.
I spent years studying and developing spreadsheet-based financial prediction models which, so far, have worked extremely well. One thing the models convinced me of was to pay off my mortgage rather than invest that money. The reason is that having the mortgage paid reduces the uncertainty in the range of possible future investment outcomes, even though it reduces potential possible gains.
My investments use a 60-40 diversified stock-bond asset split. The 4% withdrawel rate is modified to take into account soon-to-materialize social security benefits. I calculated this by treating social security as a annuity and giving it a cash value.
As mentioned above, the biggest problems have not been financial. They have been how to make life meaningful. To find answers has meant a lot of experimentation, thought, and work. I call this "rewiring". It has helped a lot to talk to other retirees, join interesting groups, and do a lot of intropection about what makes life rewarding.
Luthier John
I spent years studying and developing spreadsheet-based financial prediction models which, so far, have worked extremely well. One thing the models convinced me of was to pay off my mortgage rather than invest that money. The reason is that having the mortgage paid reduces the uncertainty in the range of possible future investment outcomes, even though it reduces potential possible gains.
My investments use a 60-40 diversified stock-bond asset split. The 4% withdrawel rate is modified to take into account soon-to-materialize social security benefits. I calculated this by treating social security as a annuity and giving it a cash value.
As mentioned above, the biggest problems have not been financial. They have been how to make life meaningful. To find answers has meant a lot of experimentation, thought, and work. I call this "rewiring". It has helped a lot to talk to other retirees, join interesting groups, and do a lot of intropection about what makes life rewarding.
Luthier John