Ha I used to make breakfast burritos for my kids before school.....they finally told me (after a looking time) "Dad.....we're kind of sick of breakfast burritos" LOL I still love them for all the reasons you mention though. ;) I need to hook up an exhaust manifold cooker warmer for these (when wrapped in tinfoil). So good to have hot food waiting for you when you get someplace. ;)

Don I gotta say when I was watching you piecing that bumper together I had my share of "gee...not sure I like how that looks" or ""boy that's a lot of little pieces and angles" moments...but seeing it all together and after some of the grinding that you've done I think that looks friggin' awesome (A Boston term for "nice job! ha!).  ;) Really well done!   

Hope these guys know what they are doing

Talk about me being a dumb-a** I looked them up to learn about them....sheesh.  ;D ;D

Dawg I have a similar chart that I use with folks. It is powerful showing that unless you invest a LOT more its very hard to "catch up" to someone who started young.

JR you're fortunate to have the pension for sure. More and more those are going away. Good for ya!  :)

I believe it is much more important to be planning for the retirement long before the do I work another year question comes up. Maybe put a few more dollars away each month during the working years so you can retire at age 65 or even a few years before that. You only have so much time to enjoy retirement, why put it off another year or three.

I totally agree Bob. Planning is the best part to this and setting whatever your goal is. But I find that even for folks who have planned it out when they get to that "do it now versus wait a year" these are the questions that come up. But definitely, if you have planned well, then walking away to go to fun stuff should be a no brainer.  :)

Next step would be to institute a policy of say 10 hours of government work a week. Things like picking up trash, cleaning public restrooms, scrubbing graffiti, washing public vehicles like police cars, and the like.

In 1990 Massachusetts elected William Weld as our Governor. While he was Governor he passed Welfare reform requiring people who were on Welfare to work in some fashion. The rules were very lenient- people could donate time at not for profits, the could donate time at day care agencies (for the single mommas with 5 kids) etc. but they had to do SOMETHING to get the benefits. Before the law even went into practice the welfare roles in MA were cut in half. HALF!!! Half the people collecting welfare said "oh screw it, I will go get a job". So it was an absolute success.

So fast forward to 2007.... the nitwits in the state elect Obama friend Deval Patrick. One of the first things he did was get rid of the work requirement for welfare....it was "mean" (GIVE ME AN F'ING BREAK!!! What's MEAN is taking money from citizens and just handing it over to people who sit on their ass and do NOTHING!). So now MA is not only not requiring folks to work, with other local states putting limits on different welfare benefits (food stamps etc.) MA is become a magnet state for these layabouts. We take them all in. In MA if you "lose" your food stamps card (they are not "stamps" any more, it is basically a credit card because stamps made people "feel bad" about themselves and gosh knows we can't have "embarrassment" be an incentive to get off the dole!!!) the state just gives you a new one....but worse yet...they don't negate the balance on the old card you lost. So what happens? We see drug dealers getting arrested that are found with (a typical example) a 9mm, $4,000 in cash and 23 EBT cards. Gee....where did the EBT cards come from? And when the few Republicans in the state want to change things they get voted down by the a-hole Democrats that run this state.

Allright....I need to go punch a tree or something.....sheesh. Infuriating doesn't begin to cover the rage I feel at this BS.  >:(

So in my work I get a lot of questions about when people should retire etc. I have developed a series of things to think about that I thought might be helpful to pass along. I apologize in advance for the length of this post but wanted to throw it all down. If your nt interested feel free to hit back. No worries!  :) The reality is everyone is different, has different needs, goals and resources but hopefully this may help some people who are in the "I'm going to retire in the next few years" mode but aren't sure what questions to ask or how to determine the best way to do it. I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have if it raises them.

So what usually happens is I get a call from someone who is fed up and says "I've had it....for the $75K a year (or whatever the number is) they can go pound sand! I'm retiring." And my typical response is "Before you do anything lets go through the math and see what the impact of retiring today is (versus a year from now....2 years from now etc.).

So in this example the guy is 65 and makes $75K a year. He has $500,000 in a 401(k) but no other pension benefit. The company provides a 50% match on contributions to the 401(k) up to 6% of salary. If he stops work now he gets $1,650 a month in SS benefits. (SS will increase your benefits from 7-9% per year from your FRA (Full Retirement Age) up to Age 70 and will decrease them for every year BEFORE your FRA down to age 62- so there is a lot of leverage in when you start to take SS Benefits). For this I assume the 401(k) earns 6.5% per year.

So in my example if the guy retires at the end of the year he will have gotten:

A salary of $75,000. If he contributes the 6% to the 401(k) to get the maximum match he will have contributed $4,500 and the match will add $2,250 to it. With the 6.5% growth his 401(k) balance will be $539,688 at the end of the year. And he will be eligible for the $1,650 per month in SS benefits. So the work for the 1 year provided a total increase to his household of $114,688 ($75K plus the increase in the 401(k) of $39,688) (This is the "simple" math- yes its a little more complicated because some of the growth in the 401(k) is his contribution, but you get the point). And at that point if he retired and used his 401(k) to provide an annuity plus social security he would have annual income of (approximately) $57,266 ($37,466 from the 401(k) plus the monthly SS benefit of $1,650 a month ($19,800 per year).

So now lets see if he works one more year, still contributes to the 401(k), etc.. Hopefully he will get a 3% raise (I know...may or may not be true). But if he does here is what it looks like at the end of one more year of work:
Salary was $77,250. Now the balance of the 401(k) is $582,172. So for that additional year he received $119,734. most times that is where I will ask the question- "okay, you wont stay for $75K...will you stay for $119.7K? If they gave you an almost $45K raise would you work another year? Because that's what you got...you just gave it to yourself." Now when we look at the "income side" as before he can get annual income of $62,944 per year ($41,560 from the 401(k) plus the new SS Benefit of (approximately) $1,782 per month for an additional $21,384 per year. So now his expected income in retirement has grown by $5,600 per year or 10%.

But hey, maybe this guy is young....he still sort of enjoys the work. He's healthy and keeps working until age 70. by then here's what he would have gotten:
Salary is now $86,945 per year. the 401(k) has now grown to a value of $784,018. His annual income when he does start taking it would be $93,000 per year ($64K from the 401(k) and $29K from SS). This represents an increase in annual income in retirement of $35,900 per year versus what he would have gotten at age 65, or a 62% increase.

Now I realize not everyone is willing to stay on at a job they are unhappy with for 5 more years. But the point is that the leverage created by working another year (or 2 or 3) etc. is dramatic. 401(k) (and IRA's etc.) are like making a snow man....when you start pushing the snowball the snow that is collected is very small....but as time goes on the snowball grows and it keeps picking up more and more snow. By the time you are contemplating retirement, your "snowball" (account balance(s)) are the largest they have ever been (presumably) so anything you can do to NOT start taking that money will have a huge impact year over year. Even working part time for a couple of years can help- just by NOT taking money out of your 401(k)/IRA.

Obviously there may be asset allocation decisions you need to make to reign in your risk profile as you get closer to that retirement and that is appropriate but keep in mind that with life expectancy for men age 65 at about 87, even when you retire you are still a long term investor so should have some money in stocks to ward off the impacts of inflation. Everyone needs to determine what that amount is so I am not saying have it all in stocks by ANY stretch, that would not be smart. But for most people, your cost of living will double while you are retired (with inflation of 3.5% per year). So while the $57K may seem like a decent annual amount at age 65, it will be (effectively) $34K at age 80. And the other problem is that by then there is nothing you can do. While its easy to stay on and work another year (or more) at age 65, by the time you hit 80, odds are you are done working even if you want to go back.

Sorry for the long post. But hopefully this may give some folks some ideas as you get closer to "that day". I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have.   
       

Definitely good to know thanks. I think it's always tough to find that happy medium between great off road performance coupled with on road manners and life. I get that one may only need the off road capability 10% of the time but when you need it you NEED it! And 3K miles seems a bit light for damage.

Ya know what.....I'm steering clear of this MEN-OH-PAUSE discussion entirely.  ::)

Tate it sounds like he is headed in the right direction. Lord knows we all make mistakes, it's what follows those mistakes that separates the good from the bad. And I think a strong family structure in place is the best place to start. I also think eating together as a family with no electronics is a great way to ensure that connection with your kids that gets mixed up when we're all going in different directions.  Good for you and your wife. I wish you the best.

I have been here only about a month and a half and I just want to say thank you. This site has become my "go to" site for many reasons...some of it is the vehicle side but much of it is the other stuff too- spiritual, food, weapons, just all of it. Anyhoo just wanted to say thank you for all being so welcoming and thanks to Don for setting this up and doing so with the "flavor" he has instilled. I am a better man for coming here. Thank you all.

My oldest daughter is 21....her younger sister is 14 (with a 19 yo boy sandwiched between). Girls are hard for sure. But they are also....always....my little girl(s)...I am lucky...the oldest is now a very stree smart NYC woman (as much as i hate/love NYC (great place to visit...don't want to lI've there again))...the younger is just becoming a wise 14 yo but at 5'10' she is also one who has seen her share of nonsense and is quick to taje care of herself (God bless her).....but woe to the SOB who does them harm. I have told one guy that if he misbehaved his parents would be having a memorial service without a body because I know where to hide it so it would never be found. Others I just show them the magnificence of a .45 round....purely academically yunnerstand. ;) I want them to learn sumthin acourse....ha!

Gee.....sorry I'm late but glad you survive that storm and ride home...yikes! For all our "power" mother nature has a way of showing us who's boss doesn't she? I remember camping outside Phoenix with the kids on a cross country trip....watching a beautiful thunder and lightning storm to our west over the city....having dinner...enoying the fireworks....never even saw the hailstorm moving up on us from behind. Next thing I knew it sounded like a freight train coming right into the campsite. I got the wife and kids inside and then set to trying to break down camp. Got it done dodging branches (one good thing about the desert- the debris was not huge) and other crap flying around. I think the other campers furniture was the most deadly stuff I had to avoid. Next AM was like a bomb had gone off. But it was another fun story for the kids.

Love the Ramcharger! Always liked them. I hope your wife is doing well....that's a scary thing. I am sorry.

Oh man that sounds good. I love trout....I go fishing in Maine every year and there is nothing like little stream caught wild brookies...a little corn meal....fried in a pan....put three or four between two slices of bread and eat them bones and all....mmmm. if I'd had asparagus with em? Died and gone to heaven! Ha! We had fiddle heads which were good but can be a little more bitter than asparagus. The idea of wild asparagus is great!

Quote from: Wilbur on August 06, 2015, 12:13:22 PM

Quote from: Flyin6 on August 06, 2015, 07:16:20 AM

Jack??

Oh! You've met him!  ;)

I was an Armee A-V-8-or
Of course I know him and all his cousins, especially Mr. Bailey!

One of my wife's aunts makes her own Mr. Baileys....wow that's good.  ;)

I prefer the Gentleman best....hoping maybe it will rub off on me from the inside out.  ;D
 

Jack??

Oh! You've met him!  ;)

I agree with Don....they CHOSE to kink them by sending them in a box that was too small. I would call them (if you can) and call your cc company and say you were sold defective goods. No way would I accept that.

Can't wait to see the progression!

Why am I suddenly reminded of the Spruce Goose? With all the additional weight added on here should we look at adding another turbine?  :o

HAHAHA!!!

I was thinking the same until I saw the list of Dons where he listed the weights of the bumpers etc. Heavy? Sure, but not OMGSHTF heavy from what I saw.

Given when you said, I would go with a combination like this from Coleman:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Camp-Cooking-Dining/Camp-Blind-Stoves%7C/pc/104795280/c/581015880/sc/104246280/Coleman174-Signature-Series-InstaStart8482-Propane-GrillStove/1969880.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fcamp-blind-stoves%2F_%2FN-1116227%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104246280

You can grille a burger on it but also has a burner to put a frying pan on. I have a similar one to this that is "all grille" no burner. It is okay. Its only one heat tube under the grille so for trying to cook a lot on it is not so easy but I have used it everywhere for years in all weather (camping in the summer and on our neighborhood pond in the winter) and it takes a real beating and keeps working. I think this would work well for what you described. I see Camp Chef sells one also but one of the reviews says its pretty flimsy. I dunno what they were comparing it to but the Coleman one I have has held up for years as I say.

I am a Coleman dual fuel fan as well although if you are looking to just keep this stored in your kit in a vehicle and only occasionally use it a propane version may make more sense. I have heard good things about the Camp Chef models and IIRC they have higher BTU's of the burners than a lot of the other brands propane versions. But I wasn't sure if you were looking for something that uses 1 lb propane bottles or a full size 20 lb tank?

Ditto nmeyer's comment....what kinds of meals, how often, where will you be keeping it etc. May be able to provide some additional ideas.

I believe the Clinton's are just pure evil from a Constitutional perspective. They will say, and do anything to further their own ends. So much of what I want to say could be a separate thread....but here goes....

I HATE that these two people (and add Obama and his wife to this list) are two people I would NOT welcome into my home. How awful is that? The former President and 1st Lady I would meet at the end of my driveway and say "no...you are not welcome here." If George HW Bush or George W showed up or their wives Barbara and Laura, I would go out of my way to make them welcome as I could. I vacation near the Bush compound in Maine and remember taking my daughter when she was first born, and my son when he was first born to the pull off that overlooks their compound at about 530 or 600 AM (trying to give my wife a little extra shut eye) and telling them both that this is where the REAL President lives. Of course I knew I was in someone's cross hairs and I raised my early AM coffee and spoke so they could read my lips (assuming they could)" God bless you for protecting our President. Keep him safe."

As for the stories about Hillary nothing would surprise me. The National Enquire is saying that the whole email BS is due to the fact that she has emailed her lovers from that server and there are some very high profile women that she has been involved with. And I have two things to say about that- one is that while the NE will run the crazy man with three heads stories and other nonsensical BS, when it comes to marital infidelities they are probably the best in the busineSS (John Edwards anyone?). So they may be onto something with that approach. But while I don't give a *bleep* who she's slept with, that same server may have exposed this country to hackers that could steal state secrets AND is just a fundamental subversion of what we as the "owners" (ie the TAXPAYERS) deserve. I say throw her in jail for using it, and throw Obama in jail for allowing it. Treason used to be punishable by death. I wish that were still the case.

I'll stop here......for now. Ha! But I reserve the right to come back and add to my p***ed off rant when the time permits!

I am praying for your wife and you. My best to you all.

I like this.....each state has a citizen petition process for laws correct? Maybe that's the way to fight the PC nonsense.....get videos of what Sharia law actually requires....get citizen petitions to get a law change on the ballots....hmmm....gotta think on this a bit.... thanks for posting this list! But I am in agreement with those who've cited the obvious that it is the heinous nations who are at the forefront of this.

Oh snap that is awesome! Thanks for sharing! :)