Posted on 05/08/2025 6:07:19 AM PDT by Cronos
I never invested in stocks. I've been putting my money in CDs, 4-5%. It just keeps growing without even trying. It's just amazing that I have so much because I didn't plan for it. I have about $750,000 in cash, and my home is worth $600,000.
I'm from El Salvador and moved in 1946. My first long-term job was working in a bowling alley in 1958. I didn't go to college. For 17 years, I worked in the bowling industry.
..My next job of 27 years was as a scale technician, which I trained myself to do because I knew mechanics and I was analytical. I had walked into the office and said that I wanted to take a job. They called me and said to come on down to work for two weeks. And they kept me.
...I've been bowling my whole life, and I bowl three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm slim, and I played soccer and taught it for 27 years. I have a national license from the United States Soccer Federation. I'm healthy because I don't smoke or drink
...I still teach chess and started playing in 1952
...They always say that you need all this money to retire. I didn't plan for retirement. I was frugal, and so was my wife
...I didn't even know I had an IRA at the company. I didn't know I had a 401(k), but as soon as I did, I put 15% into it. They gave me a small IRA when I retired, and I left it in the bank. In 2008, when stocks were going down, I lost $15,000. I took my money, walked over to another bank that was just opening up, and they gave me 5% for putting my money in there.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I started with $13,000 and invested in one stock at a time. I have owned 6 stocks. I was able to retire 12 years later with 7 figures. Congress and Biden have caused the stocks to go way down since they spent an extra $2 trillion causing the massive inflation and price increases.
Yep. It’s actually two things hand in hand:
1. No Debt.
2. VERY low property taxes.
3. No income tax.
I actually had no idea how much difference it could make in my sanity. And one reason is that suddenly everything is just so simple. I feel a bit like I’m living in the 1800’s. I keep what I make, and I spend it on what I need, right now. And put almost half of it in savings. And yet I have everything I need.
That is just weird. It’s also amazingly peaceful and low stress.
I buy Hunter Biden paintings...priceless!
I envy you! Hubby and I have a 28 acre hunting property - it has a well, septic, and a small cabin. All off grid. Just a few hours from here, so still near our kids.
We currently live on some small acreage north of Altanta, but we are at least debt free. I would really love to retire to our hunting property with my goats/chicken/garden. Raise a cow or two. Plus a crazy amount of turkey and deer there. But hubby doesn’t so I guess we are stuck here. With taxes that cost more than our mortgage ever did 🙄
The difference between he and I, is he always has to be surrounded by people, while I love solitude with animals and nature 😁. We will get it all figured out.
We built a 30x60 shop building, with a 16 foot slice of it turned into a mancave/rehearsal space. It’s where I am now. The great thing about this building is that as a retiree, I’m not constantly underfoot around my wife. It’s almost like I still “go to work every day” except I’m here and every now and then she comes out with an amazing sandwich!
We do have all the amenities and what really makes it nice, and I mean this very seriously, is the internet and online ordering. We have more at our disposal to purchase than we did back when we lived in the city before the internet. We get a delivery almost every day. Some of them are not fans of our 1/4 mile long gravel driveway, though...
BTW, it was easy for us to move to the stick because although we have lots of grandkids (and a great grandson on the way), they are scattered from Kentucky, to Chicago, the Dakotas and Seattle. So travelling is pretty much required no matter what.
Sounds like a great setup! Our land is really not accessible for deliveries (requires 4wd to get there) so I can kinda see it’s not the ideal retirement spot lol
I know two vets who did exactly that.
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