Poll:What's your number?

[audreyh1]

Dr. Wolff at NYU estimated, using data from the Federal Reserve, the net worth of top 1% is over 9 millions dollars. According to the response to the survey here, over 6 millions dollars in net worth does not even put one in the top 5% (at this time 6.1% of people taking the survey have assets over 6 million dollars).

Now remember, those are people's target/goal numbers for when they will leave the workforce, or people's target or actual when they did leave the workforce in the past. This is not a poll of people's current assets.

What's your number? In other words, how much retirement savings do (or did) you really need in order to leave the w*rkforce for good?

 

[bondi688]

Now remember, those are people's target/goal numbers for when they will leave the workforce, or people's target or actual when they did leave the workforce in the past. This is not a poll of people's current assets.

Oh, I got confused, I thought this is a poll of current net worth. I should have read the comment of SumDay, the OP, more carefully. But how did that one person figure he/she will only need <250,000 for ER? He/she will win the thread "pleased with food budget" hands down.

 

[audreyh1]

Oh, I got confused, I thought this is a poll of current net worth. How did that one person figured he/she will only need <250,000 for ER? He/she will win the thread "pleased with food budget" hands down.

Well, based on some of the comments, you are not the only one. And the specific question was kind of buried in the OP. I already had an idea what the polster was after from a prior discussion, and I still had to read carefully to catch the exact question.

 

[bondi688]

Well, based some of on the comments, you are not the only one. And the specific question was kind of buried in the OP. I already had an idea what the polster was after from a prior discussion, and I still had to read carefully to catch the exact question.

And just think, I started that thread "Do you have a net worth goal and did you achieve it before ER ?"

 

[traineeinvestor]

Oh, I got confused, I thought this is a poll of current net worth. I should have read the comment of SumDay, the OP, more carefully. But how did that one person figure he/she will only need <250,000 for ER? He/she will win the thread "pleased with food budget" hands down.

Possibly a decent pension (the value of which wasn't included)?

 

[audreyh1]

And just think, I started that thread "Do you have a net worth goal and did you achieve it before ER ?"

Oh, right!

 

[Major Tom]

I don't own any real estate, and didn't include future SS, so just used the current value of my liquid assets. Dead easy.

 

[bondi688]

Possibly a decent pension (the value of which wasn't included)?

You are probably right. That respondent is the retired city manager of Bell in California.

 

[Gumby]

I pick 7, because I've always liked the number. Angular, but not angry; toward the top of the scale, but not flaunting it. And, as I understand it, if you get triple 7s on the slot machine, you win. Yeah -- Lucky Seven -- that's my number.

 

[traineeinvestor]

I just realize you are located in HK, where they do not tax capital gain (and dividends?). There is a flat income tax. And there is no estate tax. Lucky dog! ! Carnac the magnificent says: May the cost of your apartment or rent there eat you alive.

No tax on capital gains, dividends or interest. No estate duty.

Taxes on employment income, property income and business income are quite low. It's a progressive system that effectively peaks out at either 15% or 16.5%.

Stamp duty on property transactions are quite high. Stamp duty on securities transactions are minimal.

And the best part ... filling in my tax returns takes hardly any time at all because the laws and regulations are so simple. The hardest part is usually remembering where I kept the recepits for charitable donations.

The downside - living in apartments which are both small and extremely expensive and breathing badly polluted air.

 

[bondi688]

traineeinvestor.

When my sister was assigned to working in Hong Kong for MegaCorp some 15 years ago, she stayed in this building on Stubbs Road because she had living expense allowance. That building was not bad at all and had a great view of the city!!

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I voted before reading the posts. I used the approach below.

+1

 

[UserRequested]

No tax on capital gains, dividends or interest. No estate duty.

The downside - living in apartments which are both small and extremely expensive and breathing badly polluted air.

Was in HK for 3 weeks last November. Loved the food and shopping. Macau is great. Cant believe how cheap the shows are compared to what we pay here in Oz. And then there's Shenzen across the border for great shopping and food as well.
Other than accommodation, everything else is very reasonable.
Will you RE in HK or move to somewhere where you can have more space.

Me and my DW would not mind spending a few weeks in HK every year after we RE

 

[traineeinvestor]

traineeinvestor.

When my sister was assigned to working in Hong Kong for MegaCorp some 15 years ago, she stayed in this building on Stubbs Road because she had living expense allowance. That building was not bad at all and had a great view of the city!!

There are plenty of good place to live - the problem is that they cost a lot these days - especially if you need 3 or 4 bedrooms for a family. Currently one of the ten most expensive cities in the world:
Top 10 world's most expensive real estate markets - China.org.cn

 

[traineeinvestor]

Was in HK for 3 weeks last November. Loved the food and shopping. Macau is great. Cant believe how cheap the shows are compared to what we pay here in Oz. And then there's Shenzen across the border for great shopping and food as well.
Other than accommodation, everything else is very reasonable.
Will you RE in HK or move to somewhere where you can have more space.

Me and my DW would not mind spending a few weeks in HK every year after we RE

I was in Australia over Christmas and was shocked at how expensive a lot of things were. As an example: a can of coke is about double what we pay here (although slightly larger size: 375 ml v 333 ml).

We'll be retireing here in HK. Our children were born here and we have most of our social circle here so it makes sense for us to stay. That said, I can see us spending a few months a year in NZ/Au once the children a little bit older.

 

[bo_knows]

They never were - there's no way to make this valid with only one question. This is a back of the envelope type thing.

Again, if someone wants to come up with the questions, I'm happy to create something that will give us more relevant results and then y'all can analyze away.

A more complex survey would get very complex, and I think you would end up with just a bunch of data points that represent individuals. Plus, there are a few jokers among us I just don't see what could be learned.

Overall, people have some combination of portfolio/pensions/SS/income, some COLA'd, some not. And then people have different comfort levels with their WR and their AA. Different people are at different ages and may have different ideas on their longevity. Some may have spouses much younger or older than they are with different survivor benefits. Some may have dependents. Some are planning on spending decreasing with age, others fear their expenses will increase with age. Some may want to leave an estate to individuals or charity. And probably dozens of other things I didn't think of.

How do you capture that in a survey? What would you do with all those numbers?

-ERD50

I think you could probably get away with just a few questions. It really boils down to just a few things:

- Net Worth of Fixed assets
- Annual Cash Flow assets (rentals, SS, Pensions)
- Whether any of those cash flow assets are COLA'd (do you consider rentals COLA'd, as they follow inflation?)
- How much annual expenditures do you expect to get out of that combo?
- Age

You'll end up with answers like: "$1M in 60/40 portfolio, $12k/yr in rental income, $10k Pension, $10k SS, I expect $80k/yr in spending - 65yr old." or "$250k in 70/30 portfolio, $50k pension COLA'd, expect $60k/yr in spending. 55yr old."

I understand how each answer could seem like individual data points. But, whenever I look at peoples situation, that's how I see it (fixed vs. cash flow). *shrug*

 

[SumDay]

What would you do with all those numbers?

That's a great question. Makes my non-mathematical brain swim just thinking about it.

 

[HFWR]

My net worth is only about $60k higher than my investments, so I would fall into the same poll category with either answer.

But the real answer is when 4% of my investments plus SS plus a small pension will comfortably pay all my bills and then some...

No plans for a reverse mortgage; may decide at some point that I no longer want to deal with the joys of home ownership, and move to [-]the old folks home[/-] a condo or something.