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Attending a funeral today
11-26-2018, 07:49 AM
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#1
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 645
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Attending a funeral today
3 years ago, one of my bosses/ friends retired the day before I did. He was 68 years old, a cancer survivor, had loved his job for 40 years. He was one of the good guys. He had expected to stay on as the chairman of the real estate arm, but family politics caused a bitter "divorce". He spent the first 12-18 months fighting for the benefits that he was due, and the last 18 months fighting death (not cancer, though that probably weakened his system). In all, his "retirement" was a few months in-between the battles.
He enjoyed life, and I rarely saw him not in a good mood (though after retirement, he was always less than happy). If it wasn't for his love of his job . . .
My note to all those who are on the fence, time and happiness outweigh money. Over a year spent fighting over money that he won't ever spend, family bridges burned that never will be rebuilt, a long and distinguished career (both as a businessman and a family uniter) that will be remembered by many for the way it ended over money.
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11-26-2018, 08:03 AM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Northern Illinois
Posts: 16,602
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Thanks for putting things in perspective.
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11-26-2018, 08:51 AM
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#3
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,130
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3 days ago I attended the funeral of a first cousin of mine. We grew up together in the same small town, were great friends and spent a lot of time together before I left home at age 18. We did keep in touch and I often visited him and his family on trips home from the USA.
He was a great athlete and had been signed by a big pro soccer club (Derby County) but shattered his ankle at age 16 and that was the end of his sporting career.
He was only 2 months younger than myself but a couple of weeks ago his wife found him dead on the kitchen floor from cardiac arrest. He was age 63 and had only been retired a little over 3 years. He is also the first of my or my wife's 1st cousins to die.
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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11-26-2018, 08:58 AM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
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Sad.
A co-w*rker had just been riffed this spring. Guy had been obese for a long time and had always said he'd lose the weight after his career. He dropped a bunch and was more active. They found him on a trail after he didn't come home. RIP.
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11-26-2018, 10:12 AM
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#5
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 629
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My niece's husband just passed away. He was 62 and she is 38. The really terrible thing is he did not provide for his 11 year old daughter. Spent most of his money, and when he retired two years ago took a retirement plan that had no inheritance benefits for others after he died so he could get a higher payment while retired and have more to spend. Left a house in disasterous shape. In other words, make sure to get your own house in order so that your family is not left stranded when you unexpectedly pass on.
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11-26-2018, 10:35 AM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 10,941
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I didn't go to my first funeral until I was in my mid teens. Then as the years went by, I started going to more and more funerals. Friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc. The numbers seem to have plateaued about the time I hit 60 and now they are becoming far less frequent. The last one I went to was almost two years ago. Not hard to figure out what's happening.
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11-26-2018, 12:48 PM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 7,054
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SQ, in the states the spouse has to sign off on the pension decision. Too bad your niece allowed that.
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11-26-2018, 12:56 PM
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#8
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,358
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So many stories like this, and I have my share of them too.
It's good to be reminded every once in a while that we have no idea how long we'll be here.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
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11-26-2018, 01:31 PM
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
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We have one in the next few days.
Man wonders but God decides
When to kill the Prince of Tides.
—Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides
__________________
“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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11-26-2018, 02:03 PM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Tampa
Posts: 11,299
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No funerals yet in retirement. Money is nice, but nothing without health.
__________________
TGIM
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11-26-2018, 02:41 PM
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#11
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 9,181
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When asked why I retired “so soon”, this is the reason. It didn’t take but a few examples in my family of people who left us too soon and either just before or right after retirement. It’s sad to see and I wanted to give myself better odds at some time to live my life on my terms. This forum also helped with that decision and it is often reiterated - time>money.
__________________
Every day when I open my eyes now it feels like a Saturday - David Gray
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11-26-2018, 08:16 PM
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#12
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 485
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.
My note to all those who are on the fence, time and happiness outweigh money.
That really sums it up nicely.
I am retiring in 4 months. Once in a while I think.....perhaps I should work one more year. Saw 2 classmates pass away in November. Yes, time and happiness do outweigh money.
__________________
Central Ohio and Ft.Myers, Florida
Retired January 2019, age 63
35/65 AA
0.00 WR
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Attending a funeral today
11-26-2018, 08:18 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Laurel, MD
Posts: 8,327
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Attending a funeral today
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
SQ, in the states the spouse has to sign off on the pension decision. Too bad your niece allowed that.
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I have a cousin who married a retiree that had already waived his survivor benefit. I think the pension calculation could have been recalculated to restore the survivor benefit within 2 years of the marriage (qualifying event) but that did not happen and now she is in a real bind.
__________________
...with no reasonable expectation for ER, I'm just here auditing the AP class.Retired 8/1/15.
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11-26-2018, 09:09 PM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Huntsville, AL/Helen, GA
Posts: 6,002
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You only go around once in this world. Grab all the gusto possible as soon as you can because no one knows how long they'll be here.
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11-26-2018, 09:40 PM
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#15
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 149
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My main motivations for wanting to retire by 50 were my dad’s death at 54 and my wife’s father’s death at 51. I’m 55 now and DW is 54, our kids are 16 and 14. We married a bit later in life and I wanted to make sure we could enjoy the kids’ school years as much as possible. It’s so nice to be home when they get home and to see them off to school. In a few more years we’ll be empty nesters and will be able to travel as much as we want to. God willing...
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11-27-2018, 08:36 AM
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#16
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 775
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
SQ, in the states the spouse has to sign off on the pension decision. Too bad your niece allowed that.
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At my late father's company, the default is 50% survivorship.
To change it to anything else, the wife has to agree on paper.
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11-27-2018, 08:46 AM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Fair Lawn
Posts: 2,963
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I've mentioned before so it's not a secret, I have an indolent form of leukemia. I don't need treatment, but I am immuno-compromised. In the 5 1/2 years since I ER'd at age 60, I've been sick several times, twice quite seriously. I can't help but wonder how much worse it might have been, including the possibility that I wouldn't be here to write this, if I was still commuting on those crowded trains going to w*rk.
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11-27-2018, 12:59 PM
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#18
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 7,054
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We lost 3 friends between the ages of 59-67.
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11-27-2018, 01:31 PM
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#19
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 9,525
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^ a couple of dozen died in the past couple of years I have known and some of those I would consider close friends. In the late fifties to late 60's.
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11-27-2018, 02:38 PM
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#20
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Miraflores,Peru
Posts: 1,992
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There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
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