<< Back to all Blogs
Login or Create your own free blog
Layout:
Home > The Big Picture

The Big Picture

October 1st, 2017 at 01:34 pm

After two somewhat major bills this late summer (ER visit & car repair) I had been feeling like I was mostly treading water financially. Not super stressed as without a mortgage/rent bill I could afford the expenses. Still, it was really aggravating.

So yesterday I decide to check on my financial balances. I added up everything (IRA, Retirement, Brokerage, DRIPs, Savings, all the rest) and found I passed another benchmark. For today at least the total is up over $800k. At the beginning of the year I was a good chunk under $700k so this is great, much better than I would have expected.

I dunno, I've been working out twice on work days, I have good health (for now anyway), a great GF who sent her last child off to college (YAY), in a month we're taking a two week vacation to FL/Disney, and my finances are looking better than ever. I think this shows I need to step back from time to time and take a look at the big picture, at least "big" as in my life, and see how well I am doing. Now if I can survive 5½ more years at this job I'll be golden. Sigh...

Posted in Finance | 11 Comments »

11 Responses to “The Big Picture”

  1. LivingAlmostLarge Says:
    October 1st, 2017 at 04:20 pm 1506874803
    1506874803

    Good luck. Why do you have to work another 5.5 years?

  2. snafu Says:
    October 1st, 2017 at 04:22 pm 1506874952
    1506874952

    I've no idea of details regarding, total annual vacation days, total personal leave/sick days, time off in lieu of overtime or flexibility requirements but wonder if you would enjoy mini vacations in spite of the set-up requirements. DH and I were usually able to add two days around a statutory holiday to pretty much give us a week off. [Canada has at least one stat holiday each month and except for Christmas and New Years, arranged to fall on a Monday]

  3. Single Guy Says:
    October 1st, 2017 at 04:45 pm 1506876307
    1506876307

    LAL: 5.5 years is when I can leave and get a pension payment from day 1. Otherwise I need to wait until I turn 65 to get payments. And this pension plan also gives out a pre-SS supplement if I stay that long (it will be an approx. 50% boost for six years). I could leave earlier but I would leave a boat load of money on the table if I do. I'll do it if it makes sense, but that'll be really hard to leave behind.

    Snafu: We (SG-GF & I) have been concentrating on our separate lives this summer, but with her kid off to college we plan on doing more long weekends together and preparing to live together (15+ months and counting). We'll do one this coming weekend, and then a mini celebration of two weeks in FL at the end of the month.

  4. ceejay74 Says:
    October 1st, 2017 at 05:58 pm 1506880682
    1506880682

    I'm the same way; tend to get caught up in the details. That's why I do a net worth calculation once a month. When I start to feel like I'm struggling, I have to realize that's self-imposed standards, and that big picture, things are progressing nicely.

  5. rob62521 Says:
    October 1st, 2017 at 11:22 pm 1506900172
    1506900172

    Well done! You are right, sometimes you need to step back and look at the big picture. Aren't you glad you did?

  6. Amber Says:
    October 2nd, 2017 at 01:52 am 1506909134
    1506909134

    This is awesome! Motivation for me to get on track.

  7. LivingAlmostLarge Says:
    October 3rd, 2017 at 12:16 am 1506989795
    1506989795

    SF what's the calculations of the pension and the boost payment? Are you taking a pension or lump sum? Does it include health insurance? Are you grandfathered in or does it depend on when you retire?

  8. Single Guy Says:
    October 5th, 2017 at 11:58 pm 1507247938
    1507247938

    LAL: Here is what I know at the moment. The pension is approx. 2% X number of years worked X last salary. OK, not exact, but close enough to be within a few dollars. And this is a HCOL, so while not amazing for this area, its very good pay for most parts of the country. The supplement is very different for different people. For me it will be for 6.5 years, and in the vicinity of my SS payment though I have never heard a complete explanation on how they determine it. I will have plenty in my 457 plan, and the only lump sum option will return the money contributed with 5% interest, so that's a no-go (I'd probably cut my money by at least 50%!). I'm going pension all the way (and everyone else does too).

    If I want health insurance its only through the employer, and you pay 100% of the premiums. Better than nothing, but not by much, so will probably skip that. And I am definitely grandfathered in to any pension changes, so the above is what I will be getting if I gut it out to full retirement. Its a very solid benefit.

  9. PatientSaver Says:
    October 6th, 2017 at 10:54 pm 1507330447
    1507330447

    Sounds like the pension is worth sticking it out for. Do you do the kind of work where you can work remotely?

  10. crazyliblady Says:
    October 16th, 2017 at 08:56 pm 1508187396
    1508187396

    While all those expenses are nerve racking, you are a very disciplined saver. I consider you an example to measure up to.

  11. Single Guy Says:
    October 19th, 2017 at 01:26 pm 1508419618
    1508419618

    Patient Saver: Yes I do work at a job I can work remotely (doing it today). But this is one of those places that you can do it "with management permission". That means they don't like you to do it, so it is very limited. I doubt this will change, but who knows.

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]