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The big mistake investors make once they hit that first $1 million
Marketwatch ^ | 02/01/2018 | Mitch Tuchman

Posted on 02/01/2018 7:31:07 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Rich people — really rich people — have an inside joke about spending in retirement: They call it “skiing.”

Not skiing as in snow skiing, but “spending our kids’ inheritance.” They use it in reference to splurges, such as pricey wines, cruises through Europe, second homes, or whatever strikes their fancy.

They don’t feel bad about spending, because there’s little chance that they’ll spend so much that their own retirement is put at risk. It is truly their kids’ money, so why not?

Here’s the crazy thing. A recent Washington Post story details how ordinary savers, folks who are comfortable, perhaps, but not rich, are starting to think the same way.

Read: People are bragging about becoming 401(k) millionaires and posting their balances on social media

This comes on the heels of the recent stock market boom SPX, -0.13% A lot of folks have crossed a threshold they once thought impossible — $1 million in their retirement plan while still working.

Fidelity Investments reports that the number of their clients with $1 million 401(k) accounts rose to 133,000 in the third quarter, up from 89,000 at the same time last year.

Overall, total retirement assets have hit $27.2 trillion, up from $11.6 trillion in 2000, according to industry data. That’s retirement plans, pension funds, everything.

Merely well-off

The surge in investment value has financial advisers answering calls day and night from clients who want to cash out some of that stock wealth to spend now — to buy vacation homes, take once-in-a-lifetime trips and so on.

Sounds a bit like skiing, doesn’t it?

Here’s the thing about acting wealthy when you’re merely well-off. It ends in tears, just about every time.

(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: 401k; investing; retirement
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To: SeekAndFind
Here’s the thing about acting wealthy when you’re merely well-off. It ends in tears, just about every time.

Who wrote this crap?

41 posted on 02/01/2018 9:07:06 AM PST by Osage Orange (Watch your six.)
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To: ladyjane
You would be amazed by the number of kids who believe their parents’ assets really belong to them. They don’t want their parents to spend money.

OTOH, I don't plan on telling my soon to be 15 YO son that we're getting a dependent benefit from SS until he graduates from HS. LOL...had I known about it, I would've retired when I hit 62 over 18 months ago.

Aw heck, it's going to his college fund anyway.

42 posted on 02/01/2018 9:07:12 AM PST by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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To: proxy_user
Yep - we're retired and our income allows us to take several nice vacations a year if we wish w/o decreasing out bottom line as far as liquid cash available. Our IRAs went up enough this year to allow us to take 4-6 vacations a year for the next 4 years w/o decreasing our net worth.

We tend not to 'splurge" a lot but have no problems spending some of our grand-kids' inheritance (our kids are grown and self sufficient so we opted to will most of whatever is left to the grand-kids).

If we were to save like we were still working for retirement and leave our IRAs alone (except for minimum mandatory withdrawals once we reach that age) we would be leaving a lot more than what we have now - I have no intention of doing that....;-}

43 posted on 02/01/2018 9:17:07 AM PST by trebb (I stopped picking on the mentally ill hypocrites who pose as conservatives...;-})
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To: generally

“Can you live on $40K per year? If so, you’re fine, so long as you aren’t spending more than that.”

It is expected that you will slowly draw down that 1 million over time. In fact if it is in a 401K you need to withdraw 10%/year after you reach age 71 IIRC. You can spend or save what you withdraw. If you are getting a 4% return ($40 K) and spend 40 K of your 401 K withdrawl you have the $80K you need. Yes your return will be somewhat lower each year but if you are spending $40K of your savings per year it will last for 25 years even if you are getting 0% return (1,000,000/40,000 = 25).


44 posted on 02/01/2018 9:19:36 AM PST by Brooklyn Attitude (The first step in ending the war on white people is to recognize it exists.)
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To: Paul R.

A nursing home will run you $7k+ per month in typical cases.


That is why everyone should sign up for nursing home/long term care insurance while they’re (at the latest) in their 40”s.

Medicare DOES NOT pay for nursing home care or having a private caregiver come to your house. Medicare pays for hospital bills, doctor bills and prescriptions—but no long term care (custodial care, feeding, bathing etc.)

If you sign up in your 40’s and don’t already have chronic medical conditions, your premiums will be low and will stay relatively low. The longer you wait to apply, the more likely it is that you will start experiencing chronic diseases (assc. with aging) which will drive your premiums sky high. The insurance companies look for things like debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, Parkinson’s etc.

Mr. Roo Roo and I pay about $100 apiece in premiums, benefit is about $7500 per month, up to a $500k max. Prudential is the insurer. We’ve been paying premiums for over 20 years.


45 posted on 02/01/2018 9:33:48 AM PST by RooRoobird20 ("Democrats haven't been this angry since Republicans freed the slaves."y)
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To: ladyjane

“I know someone, a friend of a friend, who was diagnosed with cancer. Her children are trying to take over ownership of her house. They’re afraid she’ll end up in a nursing home and they won’t get *their* money.”

Sounds similar to a poor woman in my wife’s 3 decade plus bridge group. This woman is older and needs to live in a place with care or redo her home and have live in care. Her health and mobility cratered last year.

Her family hustled her off to a cheap board and care place to die.

They had hustled her into a dying place, where her daily entertainment was being pushed in her wheelchair to the hallway to a dirty window to see what was happening outside.

Two women in the bridge group went to get some local elder help for their friend after seeing what had happened to their friend.

They helped her to get a reverse mortgage and revamp her home so she can live in one level without stairs via the line of credit. She has a generous line of credit from the reverse mortgage and no monthly mortgage payments. She has to live in the home and pay the property taxes and insurance. Those costs are taken care of basically from the rent from her new renter.

She is happy in her new revised home with her new downstairs bedroom. She has a daytime help person, who helps her and does the final touches re the home delivered meals for two.

She rents out her former upstairs master bedroom to a single working woman.

The single woman serves the evening meal for two, cleans ups and they both go to their own bedrooms.

The renter cleans the home as part of her rental agreement. The single woman fixes breakfast for the older woman and leaves for work when the day care person comes in.

Her children are outraged at what happened. If they keep it up, their names will be removed from the settlement of the home and the ladies investments before she dies.

She is happier, enjoys her new old home and hosts her bridge group every two months.


46 posted on 02/01/2018 10:09:53 AM PST by Grampa Dave (When is it OUR TURN to keep our own money and live our own dreams!!!!?)
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To: RooRoobird20

You and Mr. RooRoo sound like financially sensible people.

All the best to you for a long, happy, financially secure retirement! Enjoy your travels!


47 posted on 02/01/2018 10:28:19 AM PST by generally ( Don't be stupid. We have politicians for that.)
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To: SeekAndFind

CD interest rates.

Today you might make $10,000 if you put one million into CD’s at the current rate of around 1% (in a year).

If we had the rate of return we had in the mid 80’s you could make $100,000 off that same million.

Now that I’m older and have the mortgage paid off, and don’t borrow money, I’d like to see the rates go back up some.


48 posted on 02/01/2018 10:35:07 AM PST by CodeJockey (Trump... The exorcist of Cultural Marxism)
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To: SeekAndFind

I am not that far from that $1 million and figure with social security and if I get some 5% or more from my million dollars without touching the principle then I can retire and not worry about money unless I marry and divorce a few times or take up gambling and hookers.


49 posted on 02/01/2018 11:45:57 AM PST by minnesota_bound
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To: goodnesswins
If you’re that well off, you can afford to give your Social Security checks to the kids. And set the example that they should do the same for your grandchildren, if possible.
Or, you could help your kids learn to invest by helping them fund a 401K or fund IRA’s...that’s what we are doing.
The two things, of course, are not mutually exclusive at all. You are saying that the kids need help funding a retirement apart from Social Security; I was merely pointing out the scale of the intergenerational Ponzi Scheme which an affluent, caring parent should consider trying to compensate for.
The article talks about “spending the kids’ inheritance;” anyone who can help their kids overcome the Social Security headwind they face should consider that part of responsible stewardship.

50 posted on 02/01/2018 11:54:39 AM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion (Presses can be 'associated,' or presses can be independent. Demand independent presses.)
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion

I wasn’t disagreeing with you...


51 posted on 02/01/2018 12:03:16 PM PST by goodnesswins (There were 1.41 MILLION NON Profit orgs in 2013 with $1.73 TRILLION in REVENUE)
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To: proxy_user

Poor people plan for Saturday night, wealthy people plan for generations.

As a parent, I find it satisfying to provide a bit for my offspring when I’m gone.

To others, you can’t take it with you so spend it now.

To each his own.


52 posted on 02/01/2018 12:26:35 PM PST by AllAmericanGirl44
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To: proxy_user

One million is NOTHING!!!!

I’m looking to buy a new home. One million buys you a “starter house” in Los Angeles.

Save 2 to 3 million now depending on where you live and how old you are.


53 posted on 02/01/2018 12:30:13 PM PST by BunnySlippers (I love Bull Markets!)
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To: alexander_busek
Of course, you can't live in stocks and bonds. But then neither do they ever require a new water heater, resurfacing of the driveways, or suffer hurricane damage.

One of the other problems I see with owning extra houses is the people who talk about how they paid only $150K and sold for $400K always say they made $300K. If they paid cash for the house and forget the property taxes then they can legitimately claim that. If they took out a mortgage they never seem to realize how much interest they paid over 15 or 30 years.

54 posted on 02/01/2018 1:37:10 PM PST by OldMissileer (Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, PK. Winners of the Cold War)
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To: Sgt_Schultze
I’ve encouraged my parents to spend without regard for us, their adult children. They earned their money. They sacrificed their comfort for us in our childhood. I don’t expect them to sacrifice their comfort in retirement.

My parents always said they were spending their kids inheritance. Of their four children my sister and I were the two that always told them that if there was more than a dollar left when they passed then they didn't have enough fun or good times. It was their money and we had no right to lay claim on their retirement funds. My biggest concern was I wanted them to fully enjoy their retirement. My oldest brother didn't see it that way and was a total jerk when our last parent passed away.

55 posted on 02/01/2018 1:46:23 PM PST by OldMissileer (Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, PK. Winners of the Cold War)
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