What is your HHI and how much do you save?

[Anonymous]

Amen, as they say, seize the day! "e plurubus unum"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:530k HHI

Not saving much outside of retirement and 529s

Retirement is around 100k into 401ks + 120k deferred comp.

We spend a lot maintaining our house and enjoying our life. My parents will pass a large brokerage account to me when they die and I find it sad they didn’t enjoy the money when they were young. I’m not interested in skipping vacations and wearing bad clothes so my kids can inherit my money.

Totally agree. I’m the poster above with 500k cash comp. My parents pinched pennies their whole lives. They inherited a lot from my grandparents, adding to their brokerage accounts, but never leading them to spend more. Now in retirement they still don’t spend and act like replacing a 50 year old chair would lead them to financial ruin. Now they’re aging quickly and rapidly losing the opportunity to use their money.

It’s pathological.

My goal is to bring some balance between now and later, because later may never come.

This. it is pathological. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about how I parents with a 4 million net worth can’t afford to install a new fence. Or my dad stealing my newspaper every day because he doesn’t want to spend money subscribing to the WSJ.

What’s sad is I’ll inherit all of the money. I save properly for retirement and college is already funded. I’ll be purchasing an apartment in NY, Porsche panorama, large boat and putting $250k into an account for each child as a down payment fund. I have no interest in dying with an enormous brokerage account. I want to enjoy ski trips, a safari with my family, new boobs etc.

I know this might be strange, but hear me out: some people actually don't feel the compulsion to change the boobs that God gave them, so saving is a default option for excess money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:530k HHI

Not saving much outside of retirement and 529s

Retirement is around 100k into 401ks + 120k deferred comp.

We spend a lot maintaining our house and enjoying our life. My parents will pass a large brokerage account to me when they die and I find it sad they didn’t enjoy the money when they were young. I’m not interested in skipping vacations and wearing bad clothes so my kids can inherit my money.

Totally agree. I’m the poster above with 500k cash comp. My parents pinched pennies their whole lives. They inherited a lot from my grandparents, adding to their brokerage accounts, but never leading them to spend more. Now in retirement they still don’t spend and act like replacing a 50 year old chair would lead them to financial ruin. Now they’re aging quickly and rapidly losing the opportunity to use their money.

It’s pathological.

My goal is to bring some balance between now and later, because later may never come.

This. it is pathological. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about how I parents with a 4 million net worth can’t afford to install a new fence. Or my dad stealing my newspaper every day because he doesn’t want to spend money subscribing to the WSJ.

What’s sad is I’ll inherit all of the money. I save properly for retirement and college is already funded. I’ll be purchasing an apartment in NY, Porsche panorama, large boat and putting $250k into an account for each child as a down payment fund. I have no interest in dying with an enormous brokerage account. I want to enjoy ski trips, a safari with my family, new boobs etc.

I know this might be strange, but hear me out: some people actually don't feel the compulsion to change the boobs that God gave them, so saving is a default option for excess money.

Your parents saving 4 million for retirement is not outrageous pathological hoarding of assets. 4 million generates an annual income of 140-160k--which is plenty to live on in retirement, but not a wild spending spree. The thing that is hard is that in order to not be in danger of outliving your assets, you do have to manage them. If your investments do really well and you don't get a major illness or need a long-term medical stay, you might end up passing a lot on to your heirs. But if you retire into a more down market time, inflation is higher etc. one spouse going needing long-term care can deplete a lot of it. It sometimes becomes pathological, but if your parents are spending over 100k a year on their 4 million, they are probably just being appropriately prudent.

[Anonymous]

300k income…

5M net worth excluding college savings 4M Retirement 800k house and 200k checking. 529 plan is 500k for two kids. I am 50 husband is 55.

I really want to retire in 5 years. My husband and I work in Telecom and our jobs are grueling.

Hoping we will have 6M in 5 years which would be 240k annual income. We figure SS once it kicks in will pay our health insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:530k HHI

Not saving much outside of retirement and 529s

Retirement is around 100k into 401ks + 120k deferred comp.

We spend a lot maintaining our house and enjoying our life. My parents will pass a large brokerage account to me when they die and I find it sad they didn’t enjoy the money when they were young. I’m not interested in skipping vacations and wearing bad clothes so my kids can inherit my money.

Totally agree. I’m the poster above with 500k cash comp. My parents pinched pennies their whole lives. They inherited a lot from my grandparents, adding to their brokerage accounts, but never leading them to spend more. Now in retirement they still don’t spend and act like replacing a 50 year old chair would lead them to financial ruin. Now they’re aging quickly and rapidly losing the opportunity to use their money.

It’s pathological.

My goal is to bring some balance between now and later, because later may never come.

This. it is pathological. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about how I parents with a 4 million net worth can’t afford to install a new fence. Or my dad stealing my newspaper every day because he doesn’t want to spend money subscribing to the WSJ.

What’s sad is I’ll inherit all of the money. I save properly for retirement and college is already funded. I’ll be purchasing an apartment in NY, Porsche panorama, large boat and putting $250k into an account for each child as a down payment fund. I have no interest in dying with an enormous brokerage account. I want to enjoy ski trips, a safari with my family, new boobs etc.

I know this might be strange, but hear me out: some people actually don't feel the compulsion to change the boobs that God gave them, so saving is a default option for excess money.

Your parents saving 4 million for retirement is not outrageous pathological hoarding of assets. 4 million generates an annual income of 140-160k--which is plenty to live on in retirement, but not a wild spending spree. The thing that is hard is that in order to not be in danger of outliving your assets, you do have to manage them. If your investments do really well and you don't get a major illness or need a long-term medical stay, you might end up passing a lot on to your heirs. But if you retire into a more down market time, inflation is higher etc. one spouse going needing long-term care can deplete a lot of it. It sometimes becomes pathological, but if your parents are spending over 100k a year on their 4 million, they are probably just being appropriately prudent.

They don’t spend principle. The money distributed from retirement accounts gets put in CDs. They have a paid off house and live off of 50-60k a year in social security and pensions. Sorry but I think it’s weird to be trying to hoard money and increase net worth in retirement.

[Anonymous]

300k HHI; save 50k in 401k/hsa + 30k match + 50k in brokerage/529 + 20k in home principal payments.

ran some number, we're probably saving more than we need, but we like where we are in life so no need to go too crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:300k HHI; save 50k in 401k/hsa + 30k match + 50k in brokerage/529 + 20k in home principal payments.

ran some number, we're probably saving more than we need, but we like where we are in life so no need to go too crazy.

Wow we have similar income and I think we are aggressive savers with the 80k in retirement but don’t have the 50K brokerage plus 20k home (ours is paid off) savings. How do you do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Amen, as they say, seize the day! "e plurubus unum"

E pluribus unum translates to “out of many, one”

Carpe diem translates to seize the day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, it's also important to keep things in perspective.

One of my colleagues found out about a terminal stage IV cancer diagnosis in her late 50s. Someone who had lived conservatively and done everything by the book, to a tee, seemed relatively healthy for age, and thought she just had GERD till imaging said otherwise.

When she told us, one of her first comments after relaying the facts of the matter were, with voice trembling with tears:

"All those of years of saving so much in my 401k... for what??"

Thank you for posting this. People don’t understand how to have balance in life. People are either spendthrifts or deny themselves every little thing that makes life worth living. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer two years after retiring - after he spent decades looking forward to retirement. What’s the point in our lives? Frugality just so we can travel during retirement? How about traveling with DCs and building memories? We’ve traveled so much in our lives (together, as a family), I certainly don’t see the need to catch up when I’m 65.

I get two weeks' vacation a year. I have the money but not enough time to travel before I retire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:530k HHI

Not saving much outside of retirement and 529s

Retirement is around 100k into 401ks + 120k deferred comp.

We spend a lot maintaining our house and enjoying our life. My parents will pass a large brokerage account to me when they die and I find it sad they didn’t enjoy the money when they were young. I’m not interested in skipping vacations and wearing bad clothes so my kids can inherit my money.

Totally agree. I’m the poster above with 500k cash comp. My parents pinched pennies their whole lives. They inherited a lot from my grandparents, adding to their brokerage accounts, but never leading them to spend more. Now in retirement they still don’t spend and act like replacing a 50 year old chair would lead them to financial ruin. Now they’re aging quickly and rapidly losing the opportunity to use their money.

It’s pathological.

My goal is to bring some balance between now and later, because later may never come.

This. it is pathological. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about how I parents with a 4 million net worth can’t afford to install a new fence. Or my dad stealing my newspaper every day because he doesn’t want to spend money subscribing to the WSJ.

What’s sad is I’ll inherit all of the money. I save properly for retirement and college is already funded. I’ll be purchasing an apartment in NY, Porsche panorama, large boat and putting $250k into an account for each child as a down payment fund. I have no interest in dying with an enormous brokerage account. I want to enjoy ski trips, a safari with my family, new boobs etc.

I know this might be strange, but hear me out: some people actually don't feel the compulsion to change the boobs that God gave them, so saving is a default option for excess money.

What about donations? I just donated 22% of my bonus to three different charities. Why is it only save or spend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, it's also important to keep things in perspective.

One of my colleagues found out about a terminal stage IV cancer diagnosis in her late 50s. Someone who had lived conservatively and done everything by the book, to a tee, seemed relatively healthy for age, and thought she just had GERD till imaging said otherwise.

When she told us, one of her first comments after relaying the facts of the matter were, with voice trembling with tears:

"All those of years of saving so much in my 401k... for what??"

Thank you for posting this. People don’t understand how to have balance in life. People are either spendthrifts or deny themselves every little thing that makes life worth living. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer two years after retiring - after he spent decades looking forward to retirement. What’s the point in our lives? Frugality just so we can travel during retirement? How about traveling with DCs and building memories? We’ve traveled so much in our lives (together, as a family), I certainly don’t see the need to catch up when I’m 65.

I get two weeks' vacation a year. I have the money but not enough time to travel before I retire.

That’s sad - I am being sincere. I would never accept a job that only offers 2 weeks vacation. You need to negotiate this, that’s no way to live. I sometimes envy the people on DCUM that have 6 weeks (do they even live in the US or are they posting from EU, lol). But try to get 4 weeks so you can unwind with your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amen, as they say, seize the day! "e plurubus unum"

E pluribus unum translates to “out of many, one”

Carpe diem translates to seize the day

Didn't realize I was in french class! lol! I was making a comment on finances

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, it's also important to keep things in perspective.

One of my colleagues found out about a terminal stage IV cancer diagnosis in her late 50s. Someone who had lived conservatively and done everything by the book, to a tee, seemed relatively healthy for age, and thought she just had GERD till imaging said otherwise.

When she told us, one of her first comments after relaying the facts of the matter were, with voice trembling with tears:

"All those of years of saving so much in my 401k... for what??"

Thank you for posting this. People don’t understand how to have balance in life. People are either spendthrifts or deny themselves every little thing that makes life worth living. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer two years after retiring - after he spent decades looking forward to retirement. What’s the point in our lives? Frugality just so we can travel during retirement? How about traveling with DCs and building memories? We’ve traveled so much in our lives (together, as a family), I certainly don’t see the need to catch up when I’m 65.

I feel like this is generational. In my parents' generation, yeah it was about saving EVERY dime, toiling away, never having any fun because RETIREMENT. And then as you say retirement and how it goes for you is a roll of the dice. I'm not saying EVERY person currently in their 70s-80s is like this, but a far greater % of people lived that way then versus now. Amongst my current 30-40 yr old crowd, yeah people are saving big and yet every spring or winter break they're going places with kids and building memories. They aren't saving all then for age 65 or 70 when it gets harder to do those things, your kids may or may not want or be available to vacation with you etc. I feel like those in my gen, sure they'll travel in retirement, but it won't be in the OMG first time I've done a fun thing ever, type of travel. It'll just be a continuation of travel they've prioritized their whole adult lives, longer trips they couldn't necessarily do while working etc.

Your analysis doesn’t apply in my family. My parents have/had pensions, and we took several vacations each year. 3 weeks beach (Croatia, Italy), one week Venice (Easter) and 1 week skiing (Feb break). My parents didn’t save, I suppose due to secure pensions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amen, as they say, seize the day! "e plurubus unum"

E pluribus unum translates to “out of many, one”

Carpe diem translates to seize the day

Didn't realize I was in french class! lol! I was making a comment on finances

Hilarious! (You do know it’s Latin, right?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amen, as they say, seize the day! "e plurubus unum"

E pluribus unum translates to “out of many, one”

Carpe diem translates to seize the day

This is hilarious...