Gentlemen, Ladies;
Retirement, the good, the bad, and THE EVIL MOTHER*@%^*&'S !! Now, since I've got that off my chest, let me continue.
As I had mentioned awhile back my sweetheart of a woman and the love of my life for the past 46 years had decided that I needed a Tractor. So she took out $15,000.00 out of her IRA account as a down and with 0% financing picked up a small $250.00 a month payment for 60 months to pay the balance. Not 1 month later the AS>*<LE part owner and managing princaple of one of the 50 or so offices of a National Insurance Brokerage Co. decided to eliminate her position with the Office. Of course she is the oldest, 64, and highest paid in her position among the 20 or so with that position and has been there the longest time. She, along with 2 other people, took care of a book of business for the top Producer in the Office.
No need to go into it anymore other then to also let you know that the person in the Co. with the least amount of accounts and the highest lost ratio is one of the other two co-workers and the Producers SON. My wife was asking were I had put the 357 Magnum.
We had talked about her retiring when she was 62 but way before she got there she lost 1/2 of her retirement funds in the first stock market bust. "Oh, Mrs Myers no need to pull out of the Stock Market. It ALWAYS goe's up and down. It will recover."
Then we thought maybe 65? Not a chance another hit when the Bankers decided to steal everybody's money. That took another 50% of savings. So then she thought she might have to wait until she hit 70. Thought WRONG !!
So they give her a severance package including 9 weeks pay, vacation pay and Cobra Health Insurance until her 65th. birthday in May 2012 when she is eligable for Social Security. HA!! And she filed for unemplyment for the very first time in her life. She gets a, ready for this, top benifits available because she made such a large salary? $450.00 a week. Her chances of finding employment ? My chance at 68 and have not worked since I was disabled back in 1985 ? Good thing I've forgotten where that 357 Magnum is.
So, what's next ? Probably we have enough to get by for 6 months maybe a year then it's sell what we can, say goodby to the house since we are upside down, who isn't, and start over.
The final kicker? Wifey started feeling bad, who wouldn't, and thankfully she has the Cobra at $700.00 plus a month since the Doctors have found Lesions all over her bones and back of throat. So far they have not found Cancer and byopsy's are benign. Have taken other Byopsy's yesterday and found a large soft tissue mass on Sacrum, large bone bottom of spine. So far she is doing OK given the circumstance's. Wish her well.
NO, neither the Mercury or the Studebaker are up for sale YET.. Who knows maybe we'll win one of those Lotto's ? Said the panhandler on the corner. HA!!
Later, Roger...