Originally Posted by Shannow
It's been my observation that particularly baby boomers loved the perks that they lived through but want the modern generations to make their retirement cheaper...
Then you're not a very good observer. My retirement is no "cheaper" than anyone else's. I had no "perks". I never received a company pension. I was never a member of a labor union. And for the last 10 years of my career, I bought and paid for both my wife's, as well as my own health care through payroll deductions. I'm still paying for hers out of pocket.
You're desperately searching for something that doesn't exist with all of your B.S. And the reason you are doing it is because, (again by your own admission), you find it "questionable" that I was able to achieve a self funded retirement at my age. In reality what you are questioning is the fact I was able to accomplish it, along with the obvious fact you can't, and in all likelihood won't. You yourself mentioned that you have approximately 10 or so years to go to, "put something together", as you put it, in regards to some type of retirement. Good luck with that.
Guess what? You're not going to do it. The average person has around 40 to 45 years in a working career. Some a bit more, a few less. If you, or anyone else for that matter, have not achieved most of it by the time you're 50, you are not going to accomplish it in the remaining 10 or 15. The simple fact is your race is already 3/4 finished, and your gauge is reading empty. You're not going to see the finish line. So I hope you enjoy your job, because the plain and honest truth is you are going to be doing it for a long time. Assuming your employer, and your body allow it.
The fact is your best compounded interest earning years are far behind you. And there is no way to make up for it. You can't buy back time, I don't care what you earn. As I've said many times, it's not what you make, but rather what you do with it after you made it. Spending is easy. And once started, it's a tough habit to break. Saving and investing takes discipline. Constant discipline. Until you achieve your goal.
You like to whine about baby boomers. Because you want to believe they got some, "big break" you were not afforded, in regards to being able to secure a retirement. They didn't. Except for the fact the were better educated as not to be separated from their money as easily as the rest are today.
I did not receive anything, nor do I want anything from the, "modern generation". Except to stop whining, and making excuses as to why we are able to retire, while at the same time making additional excuses as to why they can't afford to. Because that's all they are is excuses.
