This is what I always enjoyed about Americans. The fact that they are proud of their achievements and not afraid to tell it to the world , and how their fellow Americans are always happy for them... unlike the UK, where we're taught to not boast about our achievements in any way, and to play them down as much as possible lest we are ridiculed by our fellow Brits..... I hate that, I love the American way.. However, I have noticed more recently on predominately American forums and on chat shows , that Americans seem to be crossing over to the British dark side... and not blowing their own mostly well deserved and sometimes undeserved but still proud Horn. Not having a pop at you Gloria, because I understand your sentiment with regard Hals' posts preaching to the already older and converted... but a general observation really..
When it comes to in Hal's case "honking your own horn" nothing wrong with that. A good possibility, many of us seniors didn't have the education to do as he did for either a trade or profession. I look it as someone reading what he has written, then talking to or discussing his approach with someone that has the time & education to set themselves up as he did. By that I mean not spending every cent made on wants. I do think there is a difference between the 2019 job market & the 1983 job market Hal was able to be part of. Global manufacturing competition, computer technology, & even population as factors impacting getting a job like he did.
I think that Cody’s question and thread topic was a valid one, and did address a serious issue. The thread was not about how to plan for a comfortable retirement, which is basically what both Hal and Lon were responding to with their own financial situation. It appears that either one of them would be fine, even if they didn’t have Social Security pensions; but the thread specifically addressed people who have to subsist on only their SS pension, for whatever reason that happened in their life and retirement plans. Not everyone who only has SS to live on got that way from not working, or from wasting all of their money, as was implied by Lon and Hal. In my case (and many other women my age) I was a stay-at-home mom for most of my adult years. My husband worked, and he has a nice retirement income from his job; but when we were divorced after almost 25 years of marriage, I was left with nothing more financially than I could earn in a few years of working, and had no job skills for a well-paid career. I mostly worked on commission, which kept me alive, but didn’t add up to a good savings, and had NO retirement plan. So, even though I DID work all of my life, up until my heart gave out on me, here I am with barely $400 a month to try and live on. I am one of those people that the likes of Lon and Hal look down on, and I know that there are many other older women out there who have a similar situation in life, and struggle to get by on their SS pension.
I feel comforted in having at least four members of this forum who do not wish to fire me. I respect these members as they respect me! Who are they? It's well enough that THEY know who they are! Harry
Thanks for steering the thread back to the original topic, Yvonne. I believe that many seniors are struggling; certainly things were different for the generation of stay at home mothers.
Oh, I don't know. Your national anthem is "Hail Brittania, Brittania rules the waves..." while ours is about one of our forts getting the crap shelled out of it by a British warship. So as not to derail the thread, however, I think the problem with Hal's chest-thumping is that it is addressed here, largely to people who can't change anything about how they have or have not prepared for their future. He's free to do that, in that it's not in violation of anything here, but that's the cause of the resentment, I think. I could have better prepared for my retirement, but I think I'll do okay. I have my own home, which is paid for, plus a hundred acres of land and a camp that I could sell, or simply sell wood off it, if I needed to. I have some other assets that I won't mention here, and I could survive off of my Social Security benefits if I had to, due to some good earning years with Champion Paper, although it would lower my standard of living if that were all I had. I'd rather die in my own home than in a retirement home, anyhow.
I think at this point it would be prudent for all to go back and read posts #1 & #2 again. The answer to the thread question is: They Can't! @Bobby Cole You laid it out pretty well in your post. Major illness, divorce or sudden unexpected death of a spouse all bring about a reduced standard of living for those involved. Lon and Hal answered Cody's question and the questions of others about how they got to the financial position they in. I Did Not read anything that indicated they were gloating or "looked down on" those who were not as successful. Back to post #2, It all boils down to choices "we make" along the way. That's what life is all about. Now, why is every one getting their knickers in knot?
In answer to the initial OP my answer is THEY CAN'T AFFORD A RETIREMENT HOME nor can they afford trips to Europe, cruises, expensive hobbies, and a whole array of things that require income and assets in addition to Social Security.
@Ken Anderson ..just a point. Rule Britannia is not our National anthem....it's just a little ditty that was written when we were the super power of the world!! Ours is a complete dirge where the peasants are begging God to take care of the monarch... God Save the Queen ... I believe it's the only national anthem in the world that is sung about and to.. a God and a Monarch and not dedicated to the country itself!!
I'm an American. I don't bother actually learning anything about any other countries, but that doesn't keep me from having an opinion. Surely, you can understand that constantly throwing this in the faces of people who can't do anything about it now can be an irritant. Again, feel free to do that, as I don't consider it to be overly annoying.
Holly Saunders said: ↑ I'm an American. I don't bother actually learning anything about any other countries, but that doesn't keep me from having an opinion. OK fair enough you've just confirmed what most people believe about Americans..but that may be the case for you, but certainly isn't the same for all Americans thank God! and where did I say you weren't entitled to an opinion?... I corrected you on a point of fact about my country simple as that nothing more.. . If I'd named your anthem wrongly I'm sure I'd been told about it PDQ. by you and other Americans here ..so I dunno whose rattled your cage.. ken, but I'm not taking the blame for it..
HEY BOB..... I entered the job market in 1962, after my Army discharge, NOT in 1983 as you mentioned. I served 36 years and retired in 1998. Hal
From post #1. Quote: "Funny, my 1/2 brother told me, who is getting a nice Pension from the state of PA after 30 some years of work: "No matter what, you stay on the job." Well, I totally disagree! A person's dislike of their job, or who they are working for/with, can definitely show up in their home life. I also disagree with that line of thinking about staying on a job no matter what. Thankfully I married a woman that wasn't afraid to move in order to improve our standard of living. Because of that I didn't have to stay working for the U S Postal system as a mind numbing schemes clerk. ************************************************* So, do you get a Pension and a good SS monthly or do you just have to live off of SS and Savings?" To answer that will take explaining. Understand that neither my wife nor I have more than a high school education. We moved and I worked at a variety of jobs until I managed to land a job I enjoyed that had pay, benefits & potential for advancement. I bid a 1st. line supervisor position advancing thru several positions from union member blue collar employee floor sweeper & parts runner to department manager with 240 employees. My pay was for enjoying life but also setting aside a decent amount in investments. A bonus was when I retired we were able to wait a year to sell our 5 bedroom home on 8 acres of land for 4 times what we paid for it. We had paid it off so all the proceeds were non taxable due to the one time no federal or state tax on the gain. Meanwhile our kids were in high school so my wife applied for and got a job that had advancement opportunities. She bid the highest paying and got a blue collar job [plant mechanic] which is normally associated with only men doing it. Her pay was invested. As I was setting up for early retirement at age 54 she quit her job. At 55 her pension began. At 59 1/2 she was eligible to start collecting her 401 k. Rather than collect her 401k she split it between self directed & traditional IRA's. At 55 my pension kicked in & like my wife at 59 1/2 I split my 401k into self directed & traditional IRA's. Short version All direct deposit, we have 2 Soc. Sec. Checks, 2 pension checks, 2 each MRD checks coming in each month. 8 sources altogether. Life has been good to us. Getting positioned to live comfortably in our senior years I attribute to my wife and her vision of what to do.