Hmmm.. seems the point of the post, that my buddy has painted himself into a corner, that both spouses
should "know about the money", and that a plan where both social security checks is what makes retirement
"work", is a plan that will sooner or later fail, has morphed.
That he has a 100k mortgage after they downsized when he retired is something he just recently shared. Tells
me a lot though.
What is "so bad" is that what he loved to do most was hunt and fish on the Chesapeake Bay with a group
of guys, where the "club" owned their own fishing boat and leased land for goose and duck hunting. It is all he
talked about, finally having more time to spend doing, when he retired. He had/has his own retriever, and all
the shotguns a guy could ever need.
He can't afford to belong anymore.
The money, not his wife was the more important to him. Heck, we had a deal for a while, where I would give him as
many New York runs as possible, so he could stop and see his girlfriend.
Maybe that is where his money went? I have never known him to drink.
As for the lifestyle of most here, that is a choice, heck a way of life, for those not afflicted with consumerism.
I've told my family many times that we are almost un-American in terms of consumption. My girls can rarely
pass up a good thrift store. It is like a game of who can get the nicest clothes at the best bargain price.
Being forced to change your lifestyle, and give up what you want after working your whole life, is a whole different story imho. |
