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What about a pension? I just realised I'm approaching 30 and largely rudderless. I'm not afraid of hardwork but my medium term plans with regard to education and employment seem to have fallen away. I don't own a house, nor a car, nor a "career". This isn't just meant as a moany thread, I'm curious as to how much others have planned out their futures.
I'm in sort of the same situation as you, AG. I have some vague ideas about the future with regard to work, and a few more solid ones for my personal life. But for the most part I'm kind of stumbling around blindly. :P
We have some ideas of a plan. Nothing rock hard, but we think we can get the kids through college and retire on time. That is good enough for us. We are both generally frugal and savers. Vacations are tough on me as it isd basically the opposite of frugal. Both our jobs have 401k investment plans. We contrib near max and way beyond average. We mostly own our house. We have some other investments.
I have a career though it is hardly what I wanted to do, it pays well and they seem happy with me.
One thing, owning a car is not an investment. They only lose money unless already a classic and bought at a low in the market and planning to garage/barn/ store and barely use.
My only plan is not to die with a completely healthy body.
Right now it's work full time and go back to school for a technical degree and become bilingual.
I was already back at school, but my injury forced me to drop my classes, otherwise I'd probably have finished up another course or two over the summer and be planning to finish up my frosh/sophomore years (thank you transfer credits!) so I'd only be a year and a half from finishing while going part time.
I'd really like to have full time job though specifically to start a retirement plan. Even if it's only $5 or $10 a week, if I go full time I know i"ll have the expendable income and have to learn to live without the random stupid shit I sometimes buy.
I'd like to get my master's degree in something technical because I feel like things are probably going to keep sliding downhill and I'd like not to be buried under the avalanche. I also plan on basically working forever as I truly do not think that social security will exist in my country by my retirement age.
Having lost everything I owned and all, I don't have any savings to speak of at the moment other than my 401k. But I also have zero debt. No student loans, no credit card bills, nada. So long as I can keep the lights on and put food in my belly I'm pretty much good to go. As pitiful as that sounds for a twenty-nine year old, it's more secure and free than a lot of my peers and so I do consider myself lucky in some ways.
My goal right now is to better secure my career. This has two aspects to it. The first is to either help the publishing house I work for grow and work my way up the ladder or else slide off into a more financially lucrative house; the second is to get more of my own books published so I have greater residual income. As that situation stabilizes, I'll next move on to the goal of getting the house plus acreage that I want. When that is secure--likely in five years or so--it'll be time to start thinking about kids. With the field I've chosen, I'm largely content to work pretty much until I'm incapable of working. I'm not tied to one place with this career, after all. So as far as "retirement" goes that's mostly going to be buying a house and the 401k.
The main uncertainty right now is that publishing is going through some huge upheavals. Sometimes that scares me, but I've diversified and backed some horses that I think have a good chance of being winners. So I'm confident I'll reach my various goals. It's just a matter of how long it'll take me.
Pitiful? You're my hero. Despite your tragedy you're debt free? The average American is nursing $7000 in credit-card debt with no savings, but at under 30 you've got an active 401K.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
Awesome.
Life plan?
Raise a happy healthy kid, keep writing about cars, challenge myself intellectually.
That last part sounds pompous. I mean, learn stuff, read stuff, talk about stuff.
I never thought of this as a plan, but it is one. I like it.
I never really had one, I think. I've worked in the same career my whole life (literally since pre-college). I don't love it, but I don't hate it. It's ok, I'm good at it. It pays the bills (well, until recently).
I guess getting married and having kids kinda gave me a plan when I wasn't looking, though. Right now, my husband and I want to be able to have enough money to retire reasonably well, send the kids to college, have a place to live. We've talked many times about moving to a bigger house, but we're glad now that we never did. So, current life plan for me: stay in this house, try to work enough at home for some spare change and boredom relief, and be there for the kids.
Life plan: Mooch off of Zuul, who has it together waaaaaaaaay better than I do.
Right now I really need a damn job. But pretending that will happen, I'll have a job so I can afford to live and pay off the debt I have. When that's done I'd like to open up let's say three different savings-style accounts. One for a house downpayment, one for a kid's college fund, and one for retirement. Keep chugging through school, hopefully on my own money/money from other places I don't have to pay back. Eventually earn a masters in biology and settle into a field I'll love (like marine bio or fishery management or something!) and earn just enough that I don't feel like a chode for having spent all that time and money on school.
And then there will be a house and acreage and kids and tiny cattle and such. :3:
My plan is to muddle along as best I can, teaching some, singing some, and hopefully saving enough money that we can have some kind of retirement. Although singers and voice teachers never really retire, so who knows.
The Cluricaun Life Plan:
Fuck bitches, get money.
Ha ha, got a revised plan for after the nuptials?Quote:
Originally posted by Cluricaun
Why would he revise it?
Fuck one bitch, get presents?Quote:
Originally posted by Sarahfeena
I like it...no need to stray too far from the original goals. ;)Quote:
Originally posted by CluricaunFuck one bitch, get presents?Quote:
Originally posted by Sarahfeena
In my ongoing quest to be less of a lump of neuroses, my current life plan is as follows:
Chill the fuck out.
Makes sense to me. If I have to only have sex with one woman for the forseeable future, everyone has to buy me expensive kitchen gadgets and stuff. Then, if I have sex with another woman besides her, she get's to keep all the stuff we get. It's like a game that way.Quote:
Originally posted by Sarahfeena
This is the best description of marriage ever. I want somebody to cross-stitch that on a pillow for me.Quote:
Originally posted by Cluricaun