AK Retiree Club

Life ain't easy.....

I'm 55 and have stage 4 cancer. 2 years ago the doc gave me 2 1/2-3 years to live.... I'm beating the odds, but at some point....

I started a company 28 years ago that I still go to every day, even chemo days. This year I'm thinking I'll either pull back to partial days or work out some retirement all together. My succession plan is already in place at the company and the wife and kids are taken care of. My problem is, I've been going to work for 30 years and enjoy most of it. Quitting, or pulling back feels like giving in, something I've not done with cancer. Not, pulling back or retiring feels like I'll miss out on that part of my life. I've been saving and planning for retirement all my life. I'd like to experience it at least. But the thought of not going to work feels like I've given in to the cancer and it forced me to retire, which is not true, yet. As a matter of fact, I spent last week snowmobiling and skiing in Colorado. I guess I'll just continue to work and play as long as it seems feasible. Then at some point, I'll hang it up. We'll see.....
 
elcoholic said:
You’re not alone on both counts. 3 joint replacements and lumbar fusion. Tinnitus in the left ear. This is my fight song. I know it’s a cover, but with respect to the Stones, they were just pups when they did it. Now Gatemouth on the other hand has the mileage and makes it real.
Click to expand...

Another +1 on Tinnitus and I'm considering a new knee. Had shoulder surgery and and bicep reattachment on both shoulders. Visited ENT and audiologist yesterday as I consider hearing aids. Going to have squamous cell surgery on back in a couple of weeks. Who has time for hobbies with all these damn Dr. appointments? :)

No worries! My overall health and attitude is great. I'm still hitting the gym hard 4 times a week and enjoy every day :D

FONSguy said:
Gatemouth did a GREAT record with Roy Clark back in the mid 1970's! (Fav cut is "4 O'Clock in the morning")
Click to expand...

Yep, I am a huge fan of "Gatemouth" Brown. I have 8-10 of his albums and CDs including several versions of "Ventilator Blues" and the LP with Roy Clark.
Gatemouth and Roy.JPG
 
KingBubba said:
Always interesting here at my house. Yesterday, I took a nap while my wife was out. Shortly after I awoke, she came roaring into the bedroom and said that she wanted a divorce. She said I didn't understand women. Boy, she is right on that one. :idea: :no: :crazy: She has been to the hospital recently for mentally related symptoms. I said OK. She continued to hang around the bedroom as if I was going to react, which I didn't.

Sleep was spare last night and included aural hallucinations. I kept hearing spooky music that apparently was not there. Another swell day at KingBubba's house. :dunno:
Click to expand...

Whoa !! KingBubba !! Chemical imbalance, with your wife, maybe???
Ain`t it, sometimes Hell, getting old !!
I hope your situation improves Sir.
 
dontmindme said:
Life ain't easy.....

I'm 55 and have stage 4 cancer. 2 years ago the doc gave me 2 1/2-3 years to live.... I'm beating the odds, but at some point....

I started a company 28 years ago that I still go to every day, even chemo days. This year I'm thinking I'll either pull back to partial days or work out some retirement all together. My succession plan is already in place at the company and the wife and kids are taken care of. My problem is, I've been going to work for 30 years and enjoy most of it. Quitting, or pulling back feels like giving in, something I've not done with cancer. Not, pulling back or retiring feels like I'll miss out on that part of my life. I've been saving and planning for retirement all my life. I'd like to experience it at least. But the thought of not going to work feels like I've given in to the cancer and it forced me to retire, which is not true, yet. As a matter of fact, I spent last week snowmobiling and skiing in Colorado. I guess I'll just continue to work and play as long as it seems feasible. Then at some point, I'll hang it up. We'll see.....
Click to expand...

Hang in there Brother.. You`re not a quitter, run as you see fit..
 
dontmindme said:
Life ain't easy.....

I'm 55 and have stage 4 cancer. 2 years ago the doc gave me 2 1/2-3 years to live.... I'm beating the odds, but at some point....

I started a company 28 years ago that I still go to every day, even chemo days. This year I'm thinking I'll either pull back to partial days or work out some retirement all together. My succession plan is already in place at the company and the wife and kids are taken care of. My problem is, I've been going to work for 30 years and enjoy most of it. Quitting, or pulling back feels like giving in, something I've not done with cancer. Not, pulling back or retiring feels like I'll miss out on that part of my life. I've been saving and planning for retirement all my life. I'd like to experience it at least. But the thought of not going to work feels like I've given in to the cancer and it forced me to retire, which is not true, yet. As a matter of fact, I spent last week snowmobiling and skiing in Colorado. I guess I'll just continue to work and play as long as it seems feasible. Then at some point, I'll hang it up. We'll see.....
Click to expand...

What Bill Ferris said

:thumbsup:
 
c.coyle said:
Actually, it looks like the average annual return on the S&P 500, adjusted for inflation, from 1/1/1994 to 12/31/2018, was 6.65%, or 8.68% if you had reinvested dividends, which retirement savers usually do. That's even with the great recession dragging the returns down.

https://dqydj.com/sp-500-return-calculator/
Click to expand...
Those are decent returns if you can keep the faith, ride the roller coaster and survive the crashes without losing your lunch and sleep for a decade.
Again my hat's off to those that could.
I still think the last ten years of gains should have a big bold asterisk attached noting the unprecedented "extraordinary measures" taken to prop up markets whenever they started to falter.
 
From 2009 to the recent drop in December, my account and the Index 500 did very well indeed. I will never have to punish myself over the investments in Vanguard.
 
dontmindme said:
Life ain't easy.....

I'm 55 and have stage 4 cancer. 2 years ago the doc gave me 2 1/2-3 years to live.... I'm beating the odds, but at some point....

I started a company 28 years ago that I still go to every day, even chemo days. This year I'm thinking I'll either pull back to partial days or work out some retirement all together. My succession plan is already in place at the company and the wife and kids are taken care of. My problem is, I've been going to work for 30 years and enjoy most of it. Quitting, or pulling back feels like giving in, something I've not done with cancer. Not, pulling back or retiring feels like I'll miss out on that part of my life. I've been saving and planning for retirement all my life. I'd like to experience it at least. But the thought of not going to work feels like I've given in to the cancer and it forced me to retire, which is not true, yet. As a matter of fact, I spent last week snowmobiling and skiing in Colorado. I guess I'll just continue to work and play as long as it seems feasible. Then at some point, I'll hang it up. We'll see.....
Click to expand...
Be well, enjoy your life. And may it be long and healthy.
 
My IRA has been in American Funds since 1991 and has done extremely well. My 401k plan as well. I love mutual funds for long term growth. The dividend and capital gains reinvestment means they buy more shares with it which also helps a lot.
 
tubed said:
Those are decent returns if you can keep the faith, ride the roller coaster and survive the crashes without losing your lunch and sleep for a decade. . . .
Click to expand...

It's all about personal risk tolerance. Everybody is different.
 
c.coyle said:
It's all about personal risk tolerance. Everybody is different.
Click to expand...
RISK is on the table
tenor.gif
 
tubed said:
Those are decent returns if you can keep the faith, ride the roller coaster and survive the crashes without losing your lunch and sleep for a decade.
Again my hat's off to those that could.
I still think the last ten years of gains should have a big bold asterisk attached noting the unprecedented "extraordinary measures" taken to prop up markets whenever they started to falter.
Click to expand...

I agree, except that I don't see the average stock market return over the past 25 years as particularly "decent".
By comparison, I bought 3 pieces of property in the early/mid 90's, and even when adjusted for inflation [which actually wasn't very high during that period], I've done far better than the indexed stock market average when I've sold them...and that doesn't include rent collected during the past twenty years.
And, as far as I'm concerned, those investments were always much safer than the stock market.

The major problem with the "buy stocks and hold" scenario is that it precludes such options as selling stock high and using post-tax monies to pay-off debts/mortgages [often worth far more than people realize], or using the money to start a business, or simply putting the money into another non-stock related investment.

In short, there are definitely other ways to play the game and win.
Word-up from a dumb-ass Texas high school graduate.
 
My dear old mom left us kids her stock portfolio when she passed. I don't mess with stocks much, but my just-out-of-college son talked me into buying stock in a company he had his eye on. I had a modest amount of PG&E stock that was just sitting there, so I offed it at about $42/share and bought the other. Had I kept the PG&E, it's worth about $6.60 today and going down. The company I invested that money in got bought out by some huge Japanese banking operation, and I was paid about 150% of what it cost me.

Lots of sad PG&E investors around this neck of the woods.
 
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