Whats your plan for retirement?

[Ponyracer1]

Well I've just made quite a decision. I'm at 19 yrs, planning on retireing at HYT (24/26/30 yrs depending on rank).

I'm in the process of buying a NICE cummins powered 40' blue bird schoolbus. The plan is to convert it into a NICE studio apartment over the 5 yrs I have left as well as pick up a cheap house to keep it at. Buy a couple "adventure" bikes (BMW 1200/suzuki Vstrom) for the wife and I, and start travelling and living life after retirement.

My youngest son will be out of the house before I retire so it will just be me and the wife. I have very little debt and very few aspirations to join the corporate world and stress myself into an ulcer after I retire. I find the idea of snowbirding around the country very appealing. I'll be purchasing a house in Phoenix or Las Vegas in the next year or so as a "home base".

So retire with approx $3000 per month income, free (ish) healthcare, only debt would be a small mortgage of approx $500 per month. The rest of the bills (insurance/utilities etc) would total less than $500 per month.

So long story short, living at home or snowbirding on $2000 per month to cover fuel/food/incidentals.

Thoughts? Figure with my skillset I can always go back to work if needed. Am I crazy to want to travel and fish instead of work?

 

[SVTORANGE]

I think it is awesome you can do it go enjoy the world as you have worked hard to get to the point of retirement.:beer:

My friend is retired from the Service and takes off for 9 months to a year and travels the world and goes back to work here and there.

He loves that lifestyle and would not change it for the world I envy him for being able to do it.

 

[SVTsupremecy]

My plan is to wake up every morning and drink coffee and watch/play the stock market until the mailman brings my pension check twice a month...then maybe take a nap or drink a scotch and watch my kid(s)...that's the plan atleast. Might try to pickup golf or something.

I like your traveling plan too

 

[NELCO]

my plan is to wake up every morning and drink coffee and watch/play the stock market until the mailman brings my pension check twice a month...then maybe take a nap or drink a scotch and watch my kid(s)...that's the plan atleast. Might try to pickup golf or something.

I like your traveling plan too

awesome .......................................

 

[jbs$]

As one who actually tried retirement once, I can tell you from personal experience, it sucks. Now, that does not mean that you have to keep on doing the same thing that you may be burned out on. It the having nothing to do of value part that got quickly to me. In my case I just re-invented a new direction with new challenges and am having a grand time a doing something different.

 

[R.D.P.]

My plan is to live life now. I believe many people have been duped into thinking life before retirement is something you suffer through until you finally get to that magic day and you suddenly turn into this super fit 65yr old in a 35yr olds body that's ready to finally take on the world and do whatever amazing activity the financial institutions are showing in their commercials this year. Screw that. None of use are guaranteed tomorrow, live your life now. If, god willing, I am still around when I make it to retirement at 65ish, I'll probably just take it easy because I'll be worn out from the last 30yrs of living.

 

[fulanititoo8198]

My plan is to live life now. I believe many people have been duped into thinking life before retirement is something you suffer through until you finally get to that magic day and you suddenly turn into this super fit 65yr old in a 35yr olds body that's ready to finally take on the world and do whatever amazing activity the financial institutions are showing in their commercials this year. Screw that. None of use are guaranteed tomorrow, live your life now. If, god willing, I am still around when I make it to retirement at 65ish, I'll probably just take it easy because I'll be worn out from the last 30yrs of living.

:beer: Hit on the nail that's my style as well.

 

[IGO 202]

There should be a balance in life. If you don't put some funds back for retirement, it'll be here before you know it and you may have a drastic change in lifestyle.
Save every nickel and dime, never do anything or enjoy life and something major happens in your health......that's bad too.

My wife and I had a long term plan to travel with our kids while they were growing up but not go overboard on material things. We built a nice, smaller house & paid it off in 15 years. Our two son's worked part time jobs after school and on Saturdays beginning at 14 & 15 years old to enjoy motorcycles and nice cars, of course we helped but they have been financially independent and know the value of the dollar.
By the time they married and moved out we had been to all fifty states, many numerous times. We love Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
By them being responsible, mature young adults really helped us financially.

I retired on my 50th birthday over nine years ago and have had the time of my life. We still travel and thanks to a smart wife and some decent investments, our lifestyle hasn't changed.

Our youngest son was a factory Team Green racer for Kawasaki and we got to meet a lot of folks within the company. They offered the wife and I part time work with Consumer Events so we travel all over the country for about one week a month, been "working" now for 8 years with them and having a ball. Life is good!

Balance is the word.

Dan

By the way: That's me in my avatar on a 208mph pass in Maine on my streetbike last year. My boys and I still race cars and motorcycles at dragstrips and Land Speed events. My hope is to die a very old man in a very bad crash.

 

[R.D.P.]

By the way: That's me in my avatar on a 208mph pass in Maine on my streetbike last year. My boys and I still race cars and motorcycles at dragstrips and Land Speed events. My hope is to die a very old man in a very bad crash.

I'm not going to lie, that's straight bad ass that your 60 or close to it and did a 208mph pass on a bike. Going 200+ in a street car is definitely on my bucket list. Of course that's becoming less and less of a big deal these days.

 

[spray'n mach 1]

if I can actually retire, our plan is to get a motor home and tour the country and end up on a beach somewhere.

 

[Krn737]

I'm about to hit 10 years in the NAVY this december. I just finished my Associates degree last year and am continuing to use my Tuition Assistance to work on my Bachelor degree in Homeland Security. I'm putting in Officer packages so that way I can get the most amount possible when I retire after 20 or so years. WIth my TS clearance, bachelor degree and job experience I'm hoping to land a federal or state job working maybe 4 days a week. My wife is just now finishing her BSN so she'll be a nurse for many years to come. I honestly don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't go to work at least for a few hours each day. I love working out and am so used to getting up early that I can't even sleep in on days off or weekends. All I have to say is that Obama had better not try to change the retirement for the military and if they do I had better get grandfathered in! Thanks everyone for your service.

 

[saleensc281]

I hit 18 years in March. My wife will finish her Masters Degree in Teaching and will start her career the beginning of next year. Once I retire, plan on pursuing something I actually enjoy doing, military sucks. I have a few options open. I will spend a lot of time working on my car....biking, screaming at the neighborhood brats to stay off my lawn and being the neighborhood grump. Not big on the traveling thing really, although the wife likes to travel, so we will see how that goes. The boys will be on the way out the door too.

 

[Mach1USMC]

I'm going to keep detailing full time - I might do contracting with a GCSS-MC company if times get tough. But that's unlikely...... And just enjoy life with my GF. All my kids are up and out of the house except for one that's a Jr in highschool.

 

[NEp8ntballer]

punch ASAP from the AF, maybe go reserves and get a civvy job with a 401k option along with pumping money into my IRA.

 

[94blacksnake]

I talked to my wife about getting an FFL and maybe opening up a tiny gun store and just maybe doing some gunsmithing in my spare time. House is paid for and 3 vehicles paid for, just everyday expenses and 3 kids.