Retirement VS working

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I’m not moving anywhere. The cold weather really only impacts us once or twice where it’s too cold to go for walks. Otherwise the weather is very conducive to outdoor activities . Wisconsin real estate taxes are high but income taxes are low. The people of Wisconsin are great and we have great fish fries on Fridays.

I largely agree with you. However, two possible differences of opinion coming:

-I don't mind how cold it gets here. I do mind how LONG it gets cold! :)
-I don't think Wisconsin income taxes are low. I would actually pay less in state income taxes if I lived in California than here. (Their top marginal rates are very high, but their taxation is quite progressive.) Obviously, it depends on your income, but I think WI state income tax is about the 15th highest.
 
I largely agree with you. However, two possible differences of opinion coming:

-I don't mind how cold it gets here. I do mind how LONG it gets cold! :)
-I don't think Wisconsin income taxes are low. I would actually pay less in state income taxes if I lived in California than here. (Their top marginal rates are very high, but their taxation is quite progressive.) Obviously, it depends on your income, but I think WI state income tax is about the 15th highest.
what do you expect from the land of 10,000 post holes 😁
Dawg,,, lol
 
ok guys, I'm coming up on 59 and a half. Kids are out of the house, the house and all debts are paid off. When the market crashed in March last year, we emptied out the winery fund and sunk it into the market. I'm ready to just retire and do the winery, which will make us more money than me working full time at a job that i don't want to do anymore. The Yadkin Valley, NC or western MD is looking good. Should i pull the trigger in May (when i am 59 and a half and can access the 401Ks, SEPs and IRAs without penalty)? Or sell the house, downsize and get more property and relocate the winery there?
 
I largely agree with you. However, two possible differences of opinion coming:

-I don't mind how cold it gets here. I do mind how LONG it gets cold! :)
-I don't think Wisconsin income taxes are low. I would actually pay less in state income taxes if I lived in California than here. (Their top marginal rates are very high, but their taxation is quite progressive.) Obviously, it depends on your income, but I think WI state income tax is about the 15th highest.
I agree six months of cold weather stinks
 
I’m not moving anywhere. The cold weather really only impacts us once or twice where it’s too cold to go for walks. Otherwise the weather is very conducive to outdoor activities . Wisconsin real estate taxes are high but income taxes are low. The people of Wisconsin are great and we have great fish fries on Fridays.
My wife grew up on a farm in Door County - she still reminisces about the fish fries.

Utah is great - we get cold in the winter and hot in the summer, "best" of both worlds. Yesterday I even got to shovel 10" of snow!
 
My wife grew up on a farm in Door County - she still reminisces about the fish fries.

Utah is great - we get cold in the winter and hot in the summer, "best" of both worlds. Yesterday I even got to shovel 10" of snow!

If she is from Door County, she may even fondly remember fish boils in addition to fish fries!
 
ok guys, I'm coming up on 59 and a half. Kids are out of the house, the house and all debts are paid off. When the market crashed in March last year, we emptied out the winery fund and sunk it into the market. I'm ready to just retire and do the winery, which will make us more money than me working full time at a job that i don't want to do anymore. The Yadkin Valley, NC or western MD is looking good. Should i pull the trigger in May (when i am 59 and a half and can access the 401Ks, SEPs and IRAs without penalty)? Or sell the house, downsize and get more property and relocate the winery there?
As a person that retired three years ago, I highly recommend pulling the plug and following your dreams as soon as your finances allow.
 
Great thread here!

I retired from my professional career at age 57 (I will be 79 in May), moved to the Columbus, Ohio area and worked in a few "after retirement" jobs to make some additional cash and until SS would kick in for me. Tried the "great elephant graveyard of all professions," Real Estate, for about 5 years and then really hung up my spurs. I have had mixed emotions about retiring at 57 and, on balance, I would count it a mistake. I had a nice job in Corporate Purchasing and could have worked there a few more years, assuming I did not get "tagged" by the essentially annual "right-sizings" that occurred. But, hey, a card laid is a card played.

I had worked at something every year since I was 11 when I had a paper route. I enjoyed the independence it gave me in doing and buying whatever I wanted without having to "grovel" before my parents. (I am overstating here, but you get the idea.) I always had some type of job at least part of the year (golf caddy, nursery worker, delivering beer, delivering groceries, construction, etc.) and I enjoyed working. My bride was the same and began working when she was 14 in a pharmacy at the soda fountain. She eventually became a pharmacist and worked at that profession until she was almost 70, because she loved that profession so much.

Lastly, I would like to point out that virtually every company that I worked for in my professional career either failed or was significantly reduced after I left its employ. (Westinghouse, Digital Equipment Corporation, NCR, Kodak) Not drawing any conclusions, just sayin'...
@Rocky As a Columbus-born girl who has lived in Cincy, Texas, and now in Maryland I can say that "a card laid is a card played" is both good advice and a very Ohio saying used in playing euchre. Nice to hear it here. :)
 
If she is from Door County, she may even fondly remember fish boils in addition to fish fries!
She said "Fish fries are for Perch, fish boils are for Whitefish. Fish boils pale in comparison, literally and figuratively...." The discussion did continue and now I know more about it than I need to know.

Her brother just retired, he is near Stevens Point, he is packing up and moving to......


Door County : )
 
ok guys, I'm coming up on 59 and a half. Kids are out of the house, the house and all debts are paid off. When the market crashed in March last year, we emptied out the winery fund and sunk it into the market. I'm ready to just retire and do the winery, which will make us more money than me working full time at a job that i don't want to do anymore. The Yadkin Valley, NC or western MD is looking good. Should i pull the trigger in May (when i am 59 and a half and can access the 401Ks, SEPs and IRAs without penalty)? Or sell the house, downsize and get more property and relocate the winery there?

-- Wait to retire until you can access your money without penalty. If at all possible, do not touch your Social Security money until age 70 unless you are pretty sure you will die sooner than that. You gain 8% for every year of eligibility that you defer past your SS retirement age. Likewise, budget so that you do not take SS early. You can lose a chunk that way.

-- Prepare your finances to mitigate downside risk. 60% stocks/40% fixed income is an oft-recommended ratio to buffer market turns in retirement. Presently, many retirees are overextended in stocks. Be sure to rebalance each year to maintain your ratio.

-- Check if a ~ 4% withdrawal rate will fund your retirement budget needs derived from investments..

-- If you move, be sure you budget for the impact withdrawing the expenses of your move will have on your future investment earnings. If it were me, I would stay put, since you are free and clear on that property so it would be less risky in a retirement scenario. Could you stay put yet market your wines at events being held in areas where you really like to be?

-- If you decide to move after you retire, experts recommend that you try to rent a place for a month or so and live in the location to which you wish to move. Many retirees have moved only to find they gave up a paid-off property in a place that was acceptable to live in a place that's not as nice as they thought it would be. I have a number of neighbors who moved to Florida, hated it, and then moved to Tennessee, for example. That can be hard on finances.

-- If you move away from family, take into account the effect that severing those close connections might have as you age. When scouting new locations, look for places that will support the future you - close and good healthcare, a network of support, etc.

-- One of the hardest parts of early retirement is the chunk it will cost you to fund health insurance until you are Medicare eligible. (That is what keeps me going to work, the $12,500 a year it would cost my wife and I to do that in Tennessee.) Many use an Affordable Care Act enrollment to bridge the gap. If you plan to use ACA, note that if you move to North Carolina, that state has not expanded Medicaid (and neither has Tennessee). So, your insurance expense may be higher in North Carolina than Maryland, which has traditionally expanded Medicaid. Where you move matters to your insurance costs, and health insurance will be your #1 non-housing expense in your gap years.
 
I ramped down to 48 hours a month at 65 and retired completely last October. I have so many hobbies and items on my to do list that I wonder how I ever got things done when I worked. Plus we now have 3 grandchildren under 3 that we love to spend time with.

Between my house with 5 acres that include a small vineyard, apple orchard and garden, our summer home on the St. Lawrence River, helping to remodel my children’s houses and traveling we are always on the go.

I‘m trying to hone my grape growing and wine making skills so I’m spending more time enjoying the forum discussions!
 
I ramped down to 48 hours a month at 65 and retired completely last October. I have so many hobbies and items on my to do list that I wonder how I ever got things done when I worked. Plus we now have 3 grandchildren under 3 that we love to spend time with.

Between my house with 5 acres that include a small vineyard, apple orchard and garden, our summer home on the St. Lawrence River, helping to remodel my children’s houses and traveling we are always on the go.

I‘m trying to hone my grape growing and wine making skills so I’m spending more time enjoying the forum discussions!
Amazing how busy we can be when retired
 
All this about retiring. Don't worry about it, life is too short, a lot of people never make it that far. As it says in the Bible 'make provision for tomorrow and live for today'. Every day is different, enjoy them while you can. Sometimes when you've retired you wish you were back at work. Crazy, but that's life. :)
 
VERY WELL SAID
-- Wait to retire until you can access your money without penalty. If at all possible, do not touch your Social Security money until age 70 unless you are pretty sure you will die sooner than that. You gain 8% for every year of eligibility that you defer past your SS retirement age. Likewise, budget so that you do not take SS early. You can lose a chunk that way.

-- Prepare your finances to mitigate downside risk. 60% stocks/40% fixed income is an oft-recommended ratio to buffer market turns in retirement. Presently, many retirees are overextended in stocks. Be sure to rebalance each year to maintain your ratio.

-- Check if a ~ 4% withdrawal rate will fund your retirement budget needs derived from investments..

-- If you move, be sure you budget for the impact withdrawing the expenses of your move will have on your future investment earnings. If it were me, I would stay put, since you are free and clear on that property so it would be less risky in a retirement scenario. Could you stay put yet market your wines at events being held in areas where you really like to be?

-- If you decide to move after you retire, experts recommend that you try to rent a place for a month or so and live in the location to which you wish to move. Many retirees have moved only to find they gave up a paid-off property in a place that was acceptable to live in a place that's not as nice as they thought it would be. I have a number of neighbors who moved to Florida, hated it, and then moved to Tennessee, for example. That can be hard on finances.

-- If you move away from family, take into account the effect that severing those close connections might have as you age. When scouting new locations, look for places that will support the future you - close and good healthcare, a network of support, etc.

-- One of the hardest parts of early retirement is the chunk it will cost you to fund health insurance until you are Medicare eligible. (That is what keeps me going to work, the $12,500 a year it would cost my wife and I to do that in Tennessee.) Many use an Affordable Care Act enrollment to bridge the gap. If you plan to use ACA, note that if you move to North Carolina, that state has not expanded Medicaid (and neither has Tennessee). So, your insurance expense may be higher in North Carolina than Maryland, which has traditionally expanded Medicaid. Where you move matters to your insurance costs, and health insurance will be your #1 non-housing expense in your gap years.
Don't worry about it, life is too short, . . As it says in the Bible 'make provision for tomorrow and live for today'. . . . enjoy them while you can. Sometimes when you've retired you wish you were back at work.
AGAIN WELL SAID, to winemanden I would add ,,,, if it is worth doing it is worth doing today! . . . . being part of the acid reflux generation I’m having ice cream with breakfast. :i
 
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I am curious as to what people are paying as far as State taxes % wise? We live in NM and have a State income tax (no personal property tax). Between the State income tax and property tax the combined total is ~5% of our gross income.

How do others compare? I am curious if you don't pay any State income tax are your property taxes making up for a State income tax? This is what seems to be happening in TX. They boast all day and night about no State income tax but their property taxes have skyrocketed over the last 10 years or so.

My conclusion is the State government gets their $$$ one way or another.
 
VERY WELL SAID


AGAIN WELL SAID, to winemanden I would add ,,,, if it is worth doing it is worth doing today! . . . . being part of the acid reflux generation I’m having ice cream with breakfast. :i

My post is the result of 20+ years of reading personal finance magazines and 30+ years investing. IMO, far too many Americans are living for today, never stopping to think that they could easily live 25 or 30 years after they retire, and WTH are they gonna live on?

I'm working now because of the high price of gap health insurance, the fact that I pick up another pension plus subsidized health insurance coverage in addition to Medicare if I last another 18 months, and the fact that my salary covers current expenses plus adding to investments, so my investments can grow (which is good to know on market days like today has been so far).

Thankfully, I started investing in 1990 so I am not working because I cannot do without the paycheck. For the past 10 years, it has been really great to know my boss can fire me tomorrow and I'm fine for life. Achieving that feeling of financial independence was why I started investing in the first place.

It's good to enjoy the acorns today as they fall from the tree. But be sure to save and invest a few for winter. It'll come.
 

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