Don't know if i should be happy of sad...

[Texas splinter]

Here I am, just getting my equipment set up in my new shop that is about three times larger than my old shop and now I am going away for a year.
I have been getting emails from some of the guys I worked with before I retired and they have been after me to come back as a contractor. Well, I finally gave in and signed up for a years contract back up in Seattle.
I wasn't sure I really wanted to do this till they mentioned the pay. Let's just say it is in the 6 figure bracket. I couldn't resist.
I retired in 2002 and thought I had my retirement IRA where it needed to be, but then the market kept dropping, and dropping, and when it quit, I had lost about half the value of my accounts. So, I am going to bring them back up, then put the money somewhere safe, like under the matress or in a jar in the back yard...
I'll keep reading the forum tho, too much good info here to pass up!

[thestinker]

Well...I hate to see a fellow Texan half to put off retirement, but for 6 figs I guess you can cope fr a year or so. Stay in touch tough.

[Ed62]

Look at the bright side of it. When you get back, you should be in better shape to really enjoy life.

Ed

[TheRic]

With those 6 figures, and the bargain alerts here that new shop might be a tad small a year from now!!!

Hope you get that IRA back up, so you can really enjoy life making sawdust!!!

[movnup]

If you get lonely for home work shops and BT3'rs in Seattle there are at least five of us that I know about on the forum that are all within fifteen miles of downtown. Black Walnut and his family are supposed to be coming over the mountains this direction next month so that would be number six.

Barbeque at my place in Bellevue for a mini BT3 convention ???? We can talk about how TheRic SUCKS for getting all those new tools and my tool budget got shot on deductables when my wife backed into my truck two weeks ago. On second thought maybe leave the second part of that conversation alone as I would like to live another day.

It would be fun to get a group of us together if we could work it out .....

[TheRic]

... We can talk about how TheRic SUCKS for getting all those new tools ......

Hey wait a minute, leave me out of this!! Besides it's the wrong thread!! I've been waiting for a bargain for well over a year!! And as of today I haven't bought a thing!

Now as for the Bar-B-Q I wish I was there!!

[jackellis]

I know exactly how you feel about packing up and spending a year away from home. I did it - twice - and you can't get that time back. OTOH, I took a couple of years off with no pay and found out that wasn't so great either.

Life can be a b**ch sometimes. When you have enough money 'cause you're working, it seems like there's never enough time. Then you have enough time but worry about the money running out.

[Texas splinter]

Movnup: Comming from Texas, you got my attention when you mentioned "Barbeque". (Only down here we-uns spells it "Bar-B-Q" or something like that.:~) ) I'll be working at Seattle field and living in Kent. I will contact you after i am setteled and perhaps we can get togather. I would love to talk to some other wood workers, can't seem to find too many here in Abilene. :~(

[Rslaugh]

....

Barbeque at my place in Bellevue for a mini BT3 convention ???? ....

Give us as much warning as you can. I've never been to Seattle and the airfare from Baltimore is only $200!

[onedash]

What were you invested in to loose half your retirement fund?
Over the last few years ours have been doing pretty dang good.
Me and my wife both made money the first quarter although a LOT of earnings got wiped out in Feb. Granted we just started a few years ago and an IRA i started in 98 on the day the markets started to tumble never amounted to much since I pulled out and got back in a couple times and just rolled it over into my TSP so it could finally start to grow. of course I did it a just before the funds all took a nice dip. We have about 65% or so invested internationally right now.
Hopefully in 30 years im at least a millionare in todays dollars.

[movnup]

I read about this bar-b-q stuff from a guy who now lives in a really big white house on the east coast who vacations at his ranch in Crawford, TX. His recipe for brisket was to empty out a used 55 gallon oil drum, fill it with charcoal, and then back a cow up to the end of it for a day. JUST KIDDING !!!!

I've been to Texas a lot, it's a really great state with lip smacking bar-b-q, different style than Kansas City and Nashville though so maybe we can debate dry rub versus wet versus in-direct smoked at a get together. As an FYI, I'm a barbeque groupie so besides Norm from New Yankee Workshop, Steve from Barbeque U is one of my heros.

[os1kne]

I'm sorry that you are being pushed back into the workforce and I wish you the best. At least it sounds like you will be well paid for your efforts.

For everyone else, learn from this - sit down with a financial advisor every few years (or more often if you feel necessary) and evaluate / reallocate your investments. As you near retirement, your investments should be more diversified and less risky than you are probably accustomed to.

[Mrs. Wallnut]

Well when you are up here and all settled in, let us know and we might be able to work coming over for a day. I think it would be fun just be warned we have 11 yr old twins and a 16 month old now so it may get interesting.