Hello from Phoenix

[bssc]

My wife and I live in Phoenix are 46 (3 days apart) and work for different Dow component companies.

We plan on paying our mortgage off in 08 and retire in 10, depending on the stock market both for our portfolios and stock options. We have land in Colorado that we plan to build on once we sell our house here.

I am here looking for tips and information on how to maximize our IRAs, taxes and so on.

I have lurked for a bit and found lots of useful information.

 

[Nords]

Welcome to the board, Phoenix.

Sounds like a good plan, except for that Colorado winter part...

 

[kat]

Sounds like a good plan, except for that Colorado winter part...

Not if you'd rather ski than surf!

Welcome to you, bssc!

kate

 

[Howard]

Coloradan Bumper Sticker..

Californians go Home, and take a Texan with you.

Neat state, but you gotta like the outdoors, Boulder is unique, Aspen is too expensive.

 

[bssc]

Thanks

My wife lived in Colorado for 12 years. We hike and mountain bike. Our land is outside Westcliffe in the "Banana Belt", it is supposed to be 15 degrees warmer than Denver.

I grew up around the ocean so I have had my fill.

 

[Nords]

I grew up around the ocean so I have had my fill.

Not if you'd rather ski than surf!

Perhaps someday I'll have to try snowboarding. We're looking for a convenient excuse to visit Grandpa near Grand Junction.

 

[brewer12345]

Thanks

My wife lived in Colorado for 12 years.  We hike and mountain bike.  Our land is outside Westcliffe in the "Banana Belt", it is supposed to be 15 degrees warmer than Denver.

That's a beautiful area. My wife grew up in Denver and I spent the summer there in 1994. We visit at least once a year, and last year we spent a week's vacation in CO and NM. The area around the Great Sand Dunes is fabulous. I have to admit that I sometimes think about picking up stakes and moving to CO or NM. How much/what kind of land do you have out there?

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

Coloradan Bumper Sticker..

Californians go Home, and take a Texan with you.

Neat state, but you gotta like the outdoors, Boulder is unique, Aspen is too expensive.

Heh...where's JG on this one...

 

[astromeria]

I spent a few weeks with a friend of my then-boyfriend in Alamosa CO summer of 72. I remember spending a lot of time in a bathing-suit optional hot springs in/near Crestone. Saw my first golden eagle on a telephone pole by the highway, ate my first Mexican food, experienced my first (and last!) hangover, and my first--and last--skinny dipping! Ah, those were the days.

A few years ago I took my second cross-country trip and stopped in Cortez CO (after getting appropriately freaked out by driving by Shiprock NM), visited Mesa Verde, saw some kivas behind our B&B, experienced some Navajo culture and a Cortez town parade, and drove across southern Colorado until heading down into Taos. Very nice part of the universe--I'm looking to do more travel in that area in the nearish future.

 

[poyet]

I've enjoyed Phoenix, liked the trip to flagstaff observatory, enjoyed Grand Canyon though a couple of nice americans told me not to drink my favorite glass of red french wine in front of the scenery as the national park rules prevent it (and I thank them for that), nice trip anyway even without the glass of wine. I also especially enjoyed my visit to a military base / museum in the surrouding of Phoenix where a retired guy was working on a WWII plane (P51 ?) on a Sunday morning when I passed by, told him my stuff, coming from France, only chance to have a look at what they were doing, etc. The guy was great, opened the gate and said "come on, I'm going to show you..". Was fantastic to see these retired chaps working on these great machines and putting them back to work !

 

[bssc]

I also especially enjoyed my visit to a military base / museum in the surrouding of Phoenix where a retired guy was working on a WWII plane (P51 ?) on a Sunday morning when I passed by, told him my stuff, coming from France, only chance to have a look at what they were doing, etc. The guy was great, opened the gate and said "come on, I'm going to show you..". Was fantastic to see these retired chaps working on these great machines and putting them back to work !

You were probably visiting the Commemorative Air Force at Falcon Field is Mesa.  The ironic thing is that while many people are retiring here, we plan to leave. Glad that you enjoyed Arizona.