TexasFreedom
A True Doomsday Prepper
Wow. A gov't job that offers a pension. That's like getting an IOW from a homeless guy. Good luck collecting on that some day! If you're collecting a pension today, get every penny you can... I predict that it will be going down and down until it's meaningless.
Here's an example. A few years ago I heard from a Russian student who had a 'full scholarship'. It was a joke. What once would have paid for a tuition & living, it now literally would pay for one meal. Whether it is 'real' inflation (vs the govt's 'fake' inflation number), or it's lack of funds or 'returns', I think any true pension is going the way of the dodo bird.
But I will do full disclosure: I am anti-pensions. I think there is no reason for a company to take a lifetime risk on you. They can't predict what health care will cost. Or how long you will live (what if everyone starts living 200 years?). Or what 'fund returns' will be. I think an employer should offer a good salary for a good day's work. When the employee leaves, the relationship ends and neither owes the other. Responsibility falls on the individual (both employees and employers) to save for their own retirement. But that's my opinion.
Here's an example. A few years ago I heard from a Russian student who had a 'full scholarship'. It was a joke. What once would have paid for a tuition & living, it now literally would pay for one meal. Whether it is 'real' inflation (vs the govt's 'fake' inflation number), or it's lack of funds or 'returns', I think any true pension is going the way of the dodo bird.
But I will do full disclosure: I am anti-pensions. I think there is no reason for a company to take a lifetime risk on you. They can't predict what health care will cost. Or how long you will live (what if everyone starts living 200 years?). Or what 'fund returns' will be. I think an employer should offer a good salary for a good day's work. When the employee leaves, the relationship ends and neither owes the other. Responsibility falls on the individual (both employees and employers) to save for their own retirement. But that's my opinion.
There's a few places that moving less than 100 miles will do so. That's bicycle stuff, folks. Move in fall and spring and avoid both heat and cold. Get a couple of 20 acre, $120 a year "mining claims'. Rent one of those bumper-mounted mini-backhoes, dig a hole back into a hillside, back an old van into the hole, cover it with a cammo net, debris and dirt. You'll have a lockable, low cost shelter that keeps out rain, wind, sun, rodents, snakes, mosquitoes, and flies. Unfortunately, ants, spiders and roaches CAN sometimes find a way in, especially the ants. The roof will rust thru in just a couple of years if you dont spray it with Rustoleum (once a year) and arrange for a plastic cover and proper drainage of moisture.
