Introduce yourself here!

[omni550]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha I was on a board for many years that made microloans to start up businesses.

Martha,

This is a subject of interest to me. Could you please provide a little more information and/or some web links? Also, if I may ask, why are you no longer on the board?

Thanks,

omni

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omni550 Martha, This is a subject of interest to me. Could you please provide a little more information and/or some web links? Also, if I may ask, why are you no longer on the board? Thanks, omni

I was on the Northstar Community Development Fund board for 9 years, and for several years was chair. I left the board because of term limits. This organization was very dependent on block grant money and we had a hard time expanding the funding base. The organization closed last year, primarily because funding sources were drying up. The mission was to provide low cost loans to help start small businesses or to help very small businesses expand. It also did a lot of education programs on running a small business. A number of businesses ended up being quite successful. One business now has 300 employees. Most of the other small businesses that were successful have remained small. We also did a lot in helping out daycare facilities to open, providing both grants (through the McKnight foundation) and very small loans.

[savinglikecrazy]

Hello, all. I am...savinglikecrazy.

I found my way here from the Motley Fool.

Stats:

I'm a long-term freelancer (writing/editing), 40, living in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area, no kids.

I'm an introverted, planning type (probably an INTJ or INTP) with a goal of FI (and possible RE) by the age of 50. I'm extremely goal-oriented and disciplined.

We're currently saving 50-60% of income in a mix of retirement/non-retirement savings. We max out our Keoghs and Roths. Everything else goes into personal investments (currently working on building up two years' basic living expenses in cash and CDs, then will move to longer term investments). Other than the mortgage, we have no debt (that took eight long years to dig out from...which is where I learned about planning and discipline, and how important it is to have goals and take responsibility for your own life and future).

Investment style is pure Coffeehouse Investor (www.coffeehouseinvestor.com), which I love because it's simple, non-emotional and takes almost no time to follow (and it's cheap!).

My partner and I also bought an affordable house 11 years ago in an area no one cared about during a buyer's market period. It's half an hour from mid-town Manhattan, and in a good neighorhood -- as such, it has since soared in value as Manhattan prices have pushed people out to the 'burbs. My plan includes hanging on to it and selling upon retirement (or perhaps selling and moving a little earlier if we are in danger of having to pay cap gains on it).

My goal* is to buy 5-10+ acres of land someplace where the weather is more temperate (considering the Pacific Northwest) and build a house on it (unless we can find the perfect house). Then either continue to freelance (but do less of it), or start another business, or become a full-time layabout.

Hobbies include: saving money* long-distance running, cooking, reading (fiction and non-fiction), Web surfing, playing inane Playstation 2 games, and drinking affordable wine. I am a Netflix addict too.

Thanks for reading all of this!

*A few years ago, I referred to this as my "dream". I've since had an epiphany and realized that if you call something a dream, it's less likely to happen than if you call it a goal and take measurable steps toward reaching it. So, in addition to "savinglikecrazy," I'm also making it a to do to research land, go to the area I'm thinking of moving too, etc.

[bigkahoonda]

Greetings from Charleston, SC. My wife of 40 years and I moved here in 2002. I am 61. We have six grandchildren, three sons have done our time to finally arrive at this destination by choice. I am still working as VP, Marketing for a mid-size mortgage company. If you neeed a mortgage call me at (deleted by moderator).

The president of our firm is my middle son. We are great friends and he is now a great boss. What a joy to work everyday with the fruit of all your hard work.

As a hobby I have an IT friend who helps me build websites. When I officially retire form the mortgage business I simply plan to keep building websites, fishing, golfing, going to the beach for long walks with Rosemary. (She works in Real Estate selling Ocean Front homes on the Isle of Palms. She says she never gets tired of the beautiful scenery just driving to work.

Three of my websites are of particular interest to retirees:

1. http://www.happilyretired.com (Great content)

2. http://www.raisingababy.com* (forwhen the new grandkids arrive)

3. (deleted by moderator)* (where to get a great mortgae quote, auto loan and other financial services. Need help.

Favorite Quote: Anything from the Good Word of God

[Nords]

Bigkahoonda,

We've had a number of posters attempt to use the board to advertise their businesses or their own commercial websites. Your post appears to fall into that category. You're welcome to join the board's discussions and to start your own, but please don't advertise or solicit.

I've edited your post to remove the commercial content. Please contact me here or send me a Private Message if you care to discuss things further.

-- Nords

I retired (?) at 54, thanks to TYCO(Taking Your Company Over), and made the decision to move from a very large city to an area that, although close to large cities, is basically Rural but offfers the total range of Recreational Opportunities, from hiking to Fishing to Skiing to Golf, etc, or I can just watch the Birds.

Days are spent in long walks with my Dog, in Winter there is always the necessary snow removal before I take off Snow Shoeing or whatever.

We bought a small lot. built a Bungalow, the only downside is that We have been discovered and building has exploded, and quiet roads are now getting busy.

Winter is long, but 2 weeks of shopping in Florida is about as much a we can take, so we endure the snow, but Spring and Baseball is never far away.

[Zipper]

Welcome aboard Howard.

You'll soon find that this site is light years ahead of the the old (and soon extinct) TWB. This place has zero tolerance for trolls so our old nemesis AJ has never surfaced.

I can thank Norbert for steering me here a couple of years ago.

We finally got a killing frost in London this week. It does seem to be coming later every year.

Best wishes to Mrs. Howard. Is she still a nurse at the Hospital?

Thanks for the welcome Zipper, yes, she is still working but will cut back in the New Year(she says) and permanently call it quits at the end of '06.

The way the Hospital is structured there are times when she works over 15 hours straight and being almost 60, she no longer has the energy.

The problem is that there are no young Nurses, they have now made a 4 year degree Manadatory which shuts out most Foreign Trained, a major source before, plus todays young Females are opting for other opportunities.

We have bought a new dog , a Yorkie, and as much fun as he is, it is like having a kid move back home.

[lloyds]

Hello, Lloyd here. I am brand new to this site. I have spent 40 years in engineering/construction and have thought about retirement from day 1. But after ending a 36 year marriage I find myself starting over. I am 59. I will retire at 65, no matter what. I have social security, and will get a small pension from the state agency I work for, and some return from whatever I can put away in the next six years. Where I will retire also holds a lot of interest for me. I know I have to go somewhere tax friendly. I re-married four months ago to a great lady that is a teacher, but chooses to work part time as a substitute, and coaches youth programs in the summer. So she will help as well. Right now we are leaning toward purchasing a slightly larger boat at retirement and spending a few years trailering it around the country with a pickup and camper, living most of the time on the boat. The "great circle" cruise on the east coast sounds very interesting. I am looking forward to spending some more time on this site, getting to know some of you, and picking out whatever nuggets come my way.

[Martha]

Welcome to the board, Howard and Lloyd. Lloyd, when looking for tax friendly states you might not know that some states that have income taxes nevertheless don't tax social security and pension income. One place to look at tax burdens by state is http://www.retirementliving.com/RLtaxes.html.

[AltaRed]

Welcome Howard. I, like Zipper, have been here for awhile. You will enjoy this Forum.

[lloyds]

Martha, thanks for the link, it was very informative.

[bharden]

Hi All,

My name is Brian....been lurking here for about 2 years which got the creative juices flowing. Did a semi-retirement last May along with my wife and we both are enjoying our 3 day work week now. Its not retirement but its the best we can do for now and its not that bad. Still have insurance, still saving some and lifestyle has not digressed at all. No real debt and 100 Ac. farm to work and play on. The farm defines us as its an escape from any pressures and what we base our future on. Our assets are not sufficent for a full retirement at this point but at 53, we may have a few good years left in us. All of you guys are a wealth of knowledge and I want to thank everyone for sharing your experience and history which made me realize I could do this. Brian

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farmboy All of you guys are a wealth of knowledge and I want to thank everyone for sharing your experience and history which made me realize I could do this.* Brian

Welcome back, Brian. Thanks & glad to hear it, but in two years of lurking you must have read it all!

[catrore]

I have been retired for about 14 months. I am a victim of Hurricane Katrina and lost everything I had including a house and two cars! Formerly of Slidell, Louisiana and now transplanted in Ohio. My wife and I are trying to recover from the traumatic experiences of the hurricane. I am new to this bulletin board business, but hope to gain some insight from others about how to survive in retirement.Our lives were changed forever in a matter of hours and now we are trying to figure things out. I am wondering just how to "start over" after starting over in retirement? Any insight would be helpful.

catrore

[Billy]

Dear catrore,

Let me first say I'm sorry for all that you lost! What an emotional and unexpected ordeal to go through.

You did not mention if you have savings at all, if you are receiving a pension or income, and you do not mention your age, if you have children to support in any way, or if you expect to receive anything from your insurance or FEMA.... or if you are living hand to mouth, have outstanding loans and so on...*

I would suggest for you to first, clear your head, get things down on paper.

Listing any positives in any way would be helpful. -- sources of income are good, but if you don't have any of those, surely you have talents, interests and abilities. List those. List friends you have, and people you know. Know your strengths and abilities, and think about how they can translate from 'what you used to do' to where you are now.

Next, check out your public libraries, Multi-generational community centers, bookstores, college student centers, Intergenerational program venues, Municipal community meeting spaces, etc., and see what is going on in your area in which you can contribute in any positive fashion.* This will fortify your sense of self worth, and may lead to other opportunities. When people see you as willing to contribute, they will value you.

Is there any way you can tell your story in an engaging manner to anyone in order to help others? Sometimes bookstores have speakers, or retirement organizations, or local TV or radio.* Since you say you have nothing left, then there is nothing left to lose. Take a chance. Do something you never would have done before.


Go online and check places where you can trade part time work for rent - like RV parks, Campgrounds, or house sitting places all over the world. Take care of their pets, farm animals or plants. This will cut your infrastructure costs considerably and bring you into contact with the new.

Basically, get out of your fear, and into action.* Continuously build up your "Can Do/Positive List" and move forward.

Something has shaken you out of the 'old' and now it's up to you to make the most of it. Please do, and feel confident. You can do it!

The best of luck. Let us know how you are getting along.

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement
www.RetireEarlyLifestyle.com

[JPatrick]

Hey Catrove, welcome to the board.* I wish the circumstances were different and I'm sure you do too.
There's a great deal of knowledge here (including a fellow survivor in Unclemick) so just about anything you toss out will likely be met by ideas or solutions.*
I think for us to help you, you've got to figure out what your priorities are, whether it's food, red tape, employment, or anything else. Let us know what the specific issue/s are, what you would like to do about it, what your ideas are to fix it.* If you are out of ideas or need more someone here can likely help.
Let us hear from you with some specifics.

[tiredofwork]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catrore I have been retired for about 14 months. I am a victim of Hurricane Katrina and lost everything I had including a house and two cars! Formerly of Slidell, Louisiana and now transplanted in Ohio. My wife and I are trying to recover from the traumatic experiences of the hurricane. I am new to this bulletin board business, but hope to gain some insight from others about how to survive in retirement.Our lives were changed forever in a matter of hours and now we are trying to figure things out. I am wondering just how to "start over" after starting over in retirement? Any insight would be helpful. catrore

I've been in FL since 1988. Have been through Andrew, Irene, Frances, Jeanne, and this year Wilma. Have been fortunate not to have had significant loss, but each new hurricane season is a source of stress. Many retire to FL, I'm considering retiring out of FL -- perhaps to TN.

Hope between FEMA and insurance you didn't take too much of a hit on your finances.

[Retire Soon]

I've been lurking for about a year and must say that I've learned a lot from your board.* Your recommended books and FireCalc have also been extremely helpful.

I'll be retiring in June at the age of 55 and will be receiving by a pension with a COLA.* My wife will retire at the same time, and we'll both have health insurance coverage paid for by my school district until we're 65.

For the past six months, I've been keeping itemized records of what we're spending on the advice given in "Your Money or Your Life."* We've changed our portfolio allocation with help from "The Four Pillars of Investing."* Several of your other recommended books have been very helpful.

Based on calculations from both FireCalc and Financial Engines we will have a 95% success of being able to live on $58,000 a year.* We purchased a home in Oregon a year and a half ago and have it rented out.* We were able to pay cash for this home by refinancing our California home at my wife's credit union.* When we sell our house in June, our property manager will give our tenants a 30 day notice that we need our house.

By having our Oregon home paid for and no car payments,* a pension with a COLA and keeping a 4% withdawal rate on our taxable and tax deferred savings, we're confident* we'll be able to make it financially.

I'll have to admit that I'm a little apprehensive about the future. I could actually double my teachers' pension by working another 5 years. Moving from San Diego to Bend, Oregon will be a major climactic change. A large mortgage on our California home precludes us from going the rental route.* The negative cash flow would mean we would not have enough to live on.

I really appreciate* the insight from Early Retirement Forum.* You provide a valuable service to people who dream of FIRE. By the way,* I'll let you know when the day finally comes when I walk into our personnel office and sign their irrevocable resignation agreement.

Retire Soon
* *

[Nords]

Welcome to the board, RS. Sounds like you have a great plan and plenty of room to make it work.

If I couldn't live here then I'd live in San Diego. However I doubt you'll miss the "June Gloom". But Oregon must have its share of nice days, too, although they all probably come with humidity.