Retirement...What is your magic number? - Page 2

Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream

Is the dog food for you or a pet. I'm not trying to yank your chain. I ask as I remember when I was a teen back in the 70's, that retired people on SS were eating canned dog food made from horse meat that was cheap meat then.

Thought I would add that the standards for making canned dog food is supposed to be as high as the stuff they can and sell for human consumption.

I don't own a dog....Also, I was just joking.

Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream

Is the dog food for you or a pet. I'm not trying to yank your chain. I ask as I remember when I was a teen back in the 70's, that retired people on SS were eating canned dog food made from horse meat that was cheap meat then.

Thought I would add that the standards for making canned dog food is supposed to be as high as the stuff they can and sell for human consumption.

I'm just gonna leave this here:

https://www.google.com/search?client...active&ssui=on

In all seriousness I have absolutely no idea what my ideal retirement age will be. I'm 23 and debt free, don't really have much for assets except for a 12' x 40' portable shop and my g.

I see several people in their 50's and older still working not because they want to, but because they have to. With the way government spending is heading I don't think social security will really be much of an option when I reach the official retirement age. I would like to be in the position where I'm working because I want to, not have to by the age of 30-35. I don't see fully retiring ever, but I could see shifting what brings in money to a few other areas than a full time job.

Originally Posted by 406Refining

I'm just gonna leave this here:

https://www.google.com/search?client...active&ssui=on

In all seriousness I have absolutely no idea what my ideal retirement age will be. I'm 23 and debt free, don't really have much for assets except for a 12' x 40' portable shop and my g.

I see several people in their 50's and older still working not because they want to, but because they have to. With the way government spending is heading I don't think social security will really be much of an option when I reach the official retirement age. I would like to be in the position where I'm working because I want to, not have to by the age of 30-35. I don't see fully retiring ever, but I could see shifting what brings in money to a few other areas than a full time job.

My advice for you, at such a young age is INVEST AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, above almost all else. Max your IRA and 401k if you can.


The idea behind financial independence is, calculate what you spend in a year, multiply by 25, and once you get that money saved and invested, you never have to work again, assuming you keep your spending the same (this also accounts for inflation).

Lets say you make $70k a year, and only spend/can live off of $35k... and invest the extra/unspent $35k/yr. In order to be able to live the rest of your life at the same level of spending $35k/yr, you only need to acquire/invest $875,000..... If you invest $35k/yr, it should compound to what you need in only 14 years.

I spend a bit more than that, around $60k/yr, so my number is $1.5mil. Once I have that saved/invested I can then do whatever I want, no making a dime if that's what I choose, and still live safely off $60k/yr from dividends/interest from my invested $1.5mil, and never run out. If you want to learn more google the 4% rule, or google mr money mustache.

In summary, if you save and invests enough, early enough, and keep your lifestyle mostly the same, you can live your life doing whatever you want, fairly early on. This is only hard for most people because most people dont have discipline and spend all their money as soon as they get it instead of saving and investing it.

Interesting post CD. We're not all cut from the same bolt of cloth and there really is no right or wrong to it. We all are ... who we are.

You're the little kid that never grew up. Kids are all about themselves and live off in their own reality. At some point ... you just stopped growing,maturing, and evolving as a person. Maybe something bad happened way back when that completely halted your emotional growth. ( You may not even remember it. )

Interesting that you used the word " I " thirty six times in that short post. Used the word me,my,or myself ten times.

You are all about yourself .... you see ? Your whole world revolves around you. There's really no room for anyone else in your little world than yourself. That's why your relationships with women aren't working out.

This isn't at all to say that you are a bad person by any means. You are quite innocent in your complete selfishness .... just as the child is.

You seem happy enough .... It's not such a bad old life when you're " just livin' the dream."

You gotta remember though ... that way of life isn't for most people. It wouldn't work for them. That doesn't make em' bad ... just different.

Quote CD:

I have always loved myself and that would cause the problems that you believe you see in me.


Response: Please don't take it as me trying to make you normal. You are exactly the way you are supposed to be. You are living true to your nature. It's neither good nor bad but simply is.


There are different kinds of Love .... you see ?


The kind of love you know is from ancient Greece. I'll quote from wiki:

In Greek mythology, Narcissus (/nɑːrˈsɪsəs/; Ancient Greek: Νάρκισσος Nárkissos) was a hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia who was known for his beauty. According to Tzetzes, he rejected all romantic advances, eventually falling in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. He later died, and in his place sprouted a flower bearing his name.
The character of Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself. This quality, in turn, defines narcissistic personality disorder, a condition marked by grandiosity, excessive need for admiration, and an inability to empathize.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(mythology)

Now on the other hand .... Ayn Rand might say that you are the perfect egotist. The word egotist having no negative connotation associated with it in her philosophy.

Here's another source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randian_hero

~ It's just food for thought that might lead to a broader understanding. It's wintertime, not much going on,and plenty of time for self reflection should one wish to indulge oneself.~