Better than I expected tbf

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[–] 49 points 1 year ago (15 children)

Back when i had jobs that had 401k plans, all the calculators said i needed over $1 million to retire at age 70. Meanwhile i was living paycheck to paycheck trying to put something in there. How tf am i supposed to squirrel away 7 figures when i have mever made $40,000 in a year?

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  • [–] 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    And that's just one's savings without kids.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Having kids, and returning to multi-generational homes might be the only way one is retiring these days.

    Good luck on that one.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    My 26 year old son is still living with us, and we are all totally fine with it. We've been an extremely close family all along, and I consider him my best friend, and I'm sure he would say the same thing.

    OTOH, I couldn't wait to get out of my parents house. I could deal with it over summer breaks, but as soon as I moved back in after college, it was clear they still considered me a high schooler, and imposed a 10 pm curfew during the week, and an 11pm curfew on the weekends (so understanding). I didn't say No to that, I just ignored it, like any adult would. Imposing a curfew? Please.

    Then they called me one Sunday morning and woke me up at my girlfriend's place, and demanded I return home and explain myself ("What do you want me to say? I got laid, like an actual grown adult, which I am").

    Got with a buddy, pooled our minimum wages, and got an apartment together. Back then, rent was $300, so it was possible. Even with a friend, I doubt my son could get the money together to get an apartment today. His student loans are going to eat too much of his income for a significant portion of his life. He certainly couldn't do it on minimum wage.

    He's welcome to stay as long as he wants.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    How tf am i supposed to squirrel away 7 figures when i have mever made $40,000 in a year?

    Compound investment is supposed to do a lot of the heavy lifting. At a 7% rate of return, your money doubles every 10 years. So, assuming you set aside $6k of that $40k/year ($500/mo), starting at age 22, you'd have $1M at age 60 and $2.2M at age 70

    https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/save-a-million-calculator/

    But here's the trick... You're looking down the barrel of 40 years of inflation. So, if you're earning $40k in year one (let's say, the year 2000) and you've been on the job for 25 years without getting a raise, inflation has reduced the real value of that income by roughly one half.

    On the flip side, let's assume you're keeping up with inflation (and that $500 you're setting aside is increasing at the same rate). Then the math gets more complicated and I can't help you anymore. But the point is you get to $1M sooner, simply because $1M in 2060 is worth a lot less than $1M in 2000.

    Had a broker explain that - at my current rate of savings - I'd be looking at a $4M retirement account by age 62. But then he dumped some ice water over my head when he noted "That's only going to be worth around $1.1M in modern dollars by then". Suggested I actually up my savings, because $1M only really feels like a lot until you try to live on it for the rest of your life.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I am lucky if i have $300 in my bank account after all my expenses each month, and i live in a cheap town working a 9-5 job. I have no health insurance and have had to cash out multiple 401k's to cover emergency expenses in the past 4 years. Saving for the future is an absolute joke since i can't even afford to live today.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

    That’s why we need to have a conversation about taxing millionaires when everyone yells “tax the rich!”

    A million may be more than what a lot of people have, but it’s probably not even a number people can even retire with considering taxes and inflation. Two to 3 million might be a start, 4 million would be ok today, but when people retire in 10, 20, 30+ years from now? Who knows what that will be worth. And before someone quotes some return on 3-4 million with some high rate and says it’s a lot of money… Isn’t that what you want!? Out of all that you’re paying for health care, maybe a mortgage (because who stays one place long enough to pay it off these days?) or rent that you have to pay? Maybe help you with your kid’s crazy college costs? Sit around the house and wait to die now that you’re retired? People might say they could live on less, but doing things is expensive. House maintenance is expensive. Medical is expensive. It’s all getting more expensive.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (4 children)

    People might say they could live on less, but doing things is expensive.

    Doing things is expensive because people with million dollar a year incomes make it expensive. That's where the million/year comes from.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    Where did I say anyone is making a million a year? What does a million a year have to do with a lifetime of saving, ROI, and compound interest for a normal person? If you’re making a mil a year retirement shouldn’t be a problem. Or are you just saying people should take up knitting in your version of retirement and constantly worry about money or a surprise expenditure?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Or are you just saying people should take up knitting

    Man, don't even get me started on the fast fashion industry. We're killing the planet so that we can turn raw cotton into landfill waste on the backs of East Asian slave labor.

    If we could end that by telling Jeff Bezos and Chip Wilson to take up knitting? Yes, absolutely.

    Save the planet. Shut down Temu and lock Colin Huang in an oubliete until he darns everyone else a decent sweater.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    I have no idea how you got any of that from what I said.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I have no idea why you jumped to it from millionaires needing to be taxed more.

    But if you think knitting as a profession is some kind of joke, why would you defend people from taxation when they were profiteering off the textile work of others?

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  • [–] 31 points 1 year ago

    Yeah, Burning Man ticket prices are fricken huge

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Make sure you put some money aside for the future.

    The money:

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  • [–] 24 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Hey look! We get off the internet and hang out again. And there is pole dancing!

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  • [–] 16 points 1 year ago

    Silver spraypaint doesn't pay for itself.

    WITNESS ME!!!!

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  • [–] 16 points 1 year ago

    On my way to the bank to get a loan for pizza rolls.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    People are still car dependent in that future? Fuck it, I’m out.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago

    Yeah, well those same parents are also partially responsible for making that future come to be.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    The "much effects, less story" version of a "much story, less effects" film.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Put aside some *antibiotics.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Make sure you put some OIL aside for the future.
    "What... you mean like salad oil?"
    And my work here is done, I am OUTTA HERE!
    "Wait! Did you mean like olive or peanut oil or...?"
    (crickets(forever))

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    That's why I don't save money who knows when a war will break out

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    "WITNESS ME!"

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (7 children)
  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago* (5 children)

    Gasoline is only good for about a year before it starts to degrad even with fuel aditivies. You use non-ethanol gas but you're maybe at absolute best getting 3 years out of it before it will begin to gum up your engine, disintegrate your fuel lines, etcetera.

    The Mad Max future is not going to last long

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Invest in Aqua Cola

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    As long as I can be the Guitar Guy. I'll bring my own axe.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I do this!!

    The future is tomorrow right?

    ....Right?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Money? Where we're going, we don't need money.

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