What Retirees Would Have Done Differently

[Nords]

If I'd gone back in time to my 1987 self to explain that by 2002 I'd be retired in Hawaii and living with two hot chicks, I never would've believed me.

Me! Me! (waving my hand while remembering "Welcome Back, Kotter").

I should try to find a DVD of that series. A few months ago I tried explaining "Horshack" to my daughter. I decided to start with something she'd be more likely to recognize, so that involved Vinnie Barbarino. That didn't translate very well across the decades, so then I tried to explain Kotter. But that meant I had to explain Groucho Marx, and I just gave up.

 

[scrabbler1]

Two things I would have done differently had I known what was going to happen later:

(1) I would have remained in my rental apartment for one more year (1989) because the real estate market dropped a lot from 1989-1990. I would have saved up more money and been able to afford a bigger apartment for the same money. My monthly maintenance would have been higher so I would have needed more to live on, which brings me to.....

(2) I would have diversified a smaller percent of my ESOP in the early years. This was back when we had the corporate scandals so I was afraid to have too much money in one company, my own, even though it and the ESOP were doing well. The diversified ESOP grew but at a much lower rate than the ESOP itself. I might have been able to retire earlier in 2008 and with more money.

 

[W2R]

If I'd gone back in time to my 1987 self to explain that by 2002 I'd be retired in Hawaii and living with two hot chicks, I never would've believed me.

I should try to find a DVD of that series. A few months ago I tried explaining "Horshack" to my daughter. I decided to start with something she'd be more likely to recognize, so that involved Vinnie Barbarino. That didn't translate very well across the decades, so then I tried to explain Kotter. But that meant I had to explain Groucho Marx, and I just gave up.

I think you had to live back then to understand it! Kotter probably just seems weird to kids today. That show was great for the time, though the class wasn't too disciplined.

I loved the "Me!! Me!!!" (while waving hand wildly in the air) routine. I could relate to his enthusiasm.

 

[Stevewc]

I think you had to live back then to understand it! Kotter probably just seems weird to kids today. That show was great for the time, though the class wasn't too disciplined.

I loved the "Me!! Me!!!" (while waving hand wildly in the air) routine. I could relate to his enthusiasm.

I didn't realise until many years later that the theme song was by John Sebastian. Can you say "Lovin Spoonful".
I thought that was a neat little fact.
Steve

 

[Midpack]

Me too. I wish I could have planned for retirement without thinking about it. I am very goal oriented and have been obsessive about retirement planning. I'm afraid I've been missing out on the present by my obsessive planning for the future.

-helen
3 years & 4 months to go...

Something we all have to guard against. There are all kinds of motivations here, what's right for one may not be right for another, none better or worse than another.

 

[Gone4Good]

A financially successful retirement = "I wish I had spent less time worrying about money"

A financially unsuccessful retirement = "I wish I had spent more time worrying about money"

 

[Alan]

A financially successful retirement = "I wish I had spent less time worrying about money"

A financially unsuccessful retirement = "I wish I had spent more time worrying about money"

that just about sums it up

 

[jimnjana]

1) Worry less about trying to beat the market
2) Buy less, rent more. While we didn't buy a home every time we had a work related move, we would have been better off renting most of the time.