tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post9167022654211533589..comments2023-06-15T09:13:45.467-04:00Comments on Liberty's Torch: Fears Of An Old ManFrancis W. Porrettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862584203772592282noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-53343880411239838652015-02-03T17:30:22.885-05:002015-02-03T17:30:22.885-05:00Andrea, you're a gal after my own heart. Live ...Andrea, you're a gal after my own heart. Live long and prosper! And thanks for the generous mention of my drivel.<br /><br />(I wish I could stay up late enough to catch your show live, but as I get up a 4:00 AM, it's a mountain too high to climb.)<br /><br />All my best,<br />Fran PorrettoFrancis W. Porrettohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05862584203772592282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-54427079623181949162015-02-02T17:42:37.869-05:002015-02-02T17:42:37.869-05:00First, let me thank you for becoming a "follo...First, let me thank you for becoming a "follower" of my radio program. I often use your posts as material, giving you proper attribution, of course, and urging my listeners to head your way.<br /><br />Second, I just celebrated a milestone birthday on the very day you wrote this. And I am struck almost speechless that the concerns you have as you age are mine as well. I have had a number of conversations with others about how to protect my retirement nest egg, currently earning an income for me thanks to Merrill Lynch. I draw from SS as well, but we have no guarantee that will be there in the days to come.<br /><br />I've thought about pulling my investments out and buying gold or property, but one doesn't get a guaranteed monthly check to cover living expenses that way.<br /><br />I've thought of hiding stacks of bills under the mattress, the carpet, inside my freezer or scooped out books on my library shelves, but again, if it's not earning dividends, it will soon be dissipated, leaving my mattress far less lumpy, and me without a sou.<br /><br />So I think twice about what I buy, cinch my household budget belt wherever I can, and hope the $$$ lasts as long as I do.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your rumination, Francis. Somehow it's weirdly comforting to know I' not the only one in this leaking boat.<br /><br />Andrea<br />The Radio PatriotRadio Patriothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08318682681279734118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-76530662180045474852015-01-31T23:13:47.578-05:002015-01-31T23:13:47.578-05:00By my observation, for the most part the only peop...By my observation, for the most part the only people who get to retire are government employees. Since my only government job ever was four years in the Marines and having spent the ensuing years in small manufacturing companies and ultimately my own company manufacturing products of my own design, it's unlikely I'll ever be able to retire. At 61 I still work 60-70 hour weeks, much of it standing on failing knees. There is indeed "income inequality" in this country but not what the usual purveyors of that phrase mean. In our new feudal system the nobles of government employment get to retire on the backs (taxes) of the serfs of private industry. As our sputtering economy implies, I think this is not "sustainable". <br /><br />Income derived from voluntary sales to satisfied customers is very different from income taken at the point of an IRS gun.Ownerushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04573850463919590210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-68670517095352400612015-01-31T16:53:21.211-05:002015-01-31T16:53:21.211-05:00Anon, we're pretty close to that day already. ...Anon, we're pretty close to that day already. The scum that Occupy the White House, Congress, and the innumerable three-letter agencies talk about how much they like England's NIH. I understand that one of NIH's rules is that, if you are over fifty, you will be denied dialysis. <br /><br />And infants over there get palliative care if they have serious health issues post-partum. I think I've read that there is an actual protocol for terminating those infants we would fight - usually successfully - to keep alive.<br /><br />Fran,<br /><br />I think I understand you dilemma, to a certain extent.I pulled both of our 401k's after the Greek debacle, where they were "nationalized" by their government. Didn't want to take a chance that it would happen here, plus growth was pretty poor, with the interest rates in effect. And I've never entrusted my money to "growth" stocks or other risky adventures. <br /><br />And I don't think private pension funds will be safe. Think of what the banks currently do in informing the Feds of $10k deposits, frequent deposits under that amount, etc. etc. The private groups will roll over and play dead if/when the Feds decide they are willing to grab those funds.<br /><br />I retired at 58. Between our 401k's, a big chunk of equity in our home, and some small pensions from two places I had worked, my wife and I had plenty to make ends meet.<br /><br />I had a pretty good respite from bad law and bureaucracy, quitting at the VA in 2008 and continuing to the present, including traveling around the country and some time spent on a sailboat (used) around the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. We were able to enjoy ourselves, eat out occasionally, and travel, even with a monthly income that many folks would consider inadequate (under $2500/month), but with cash available for things that proved necessary along the way.<br /><br />What capital I have now is purchasing tangible goods that will hold their value even in the face of the heavy inflation that is occurring, with some plans for what to do when it all comes tumbling down, as it might. <br /><br /> I'm glad I pulled the plug early, especially having come home yesterday from the first of two major back surgeries. Hopefully, by the end of the year I will have regained enough function that I can resume my normal activities such as hiking, metal working, and such.<br /><br />All you can do is all you can do. The bottom line for me is that I am grateful for what I have and don't sweat what I don't. A good wife, good food, an incredibly scenic location complete with peace and quiet, a decent little private library (not _quite_ as large as yours :-) and lots of wildlife to observe (elk, mule deer, hawks and eagles). I no longer even feel much urge to roam.<br /><br />Reg Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099612693763932005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-10051542215982225362015-01-31T10:42:31.104-05:002015-01-31T10:42:31.104-05:00I hear you brother. I have been saying I will wor...I hear you brother. I have been saying I will work until I die for several years now. I do not see retirement in sight.<br /><br />The last paragraph about the young and strong brought an old movie immediately to mind.<br /><br />"Logan's Run"<br /><br />Then popped into my mind the Zeke Emanuel, "health care reform" and death panels. <br /><br />Will we see a day when "palliative" care is all a person over 65-70 gets regardless of health issue?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com