Reddit thread - ‘Organization Finally Suggesting to Plan for Retirement’

by LongHairGal 85 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Nathan Natas

  Liam opined, "Get real man, only 0.1 Percent of American Retirees have managed that"

  I expected this kind of reply. I have two comments:

  1. Whether you believe you CAN or you believe you CAN'T, you're right. These are called self-limiting beliefs.

  2. You told us, "I have a degree in Business and majored in finance." and yet your wealth is a result of an inheritance. GOOD FOR YOU, but I don't think I'd listen to any financial or business advice you might offer.

  Hoser commented, "You don’t need 5 million to retire. At least not in Canada" Hoser, please give me a figure for what you think you DO need to retire in Canada. Canadian citizens need to have this information.

  Of course ANYONE who lives long enough can reach "retirement age," but that isn't retirement. People who are completely dependent on a government or charitable institution for their daily bread are not independent. (I do not consider Social Security or pensions as charity. In both cases, they are thngs YOU paid for.

  As a group, Jehovah's Witnesses are poor. They've been taught to under-achieve and to give what little they have to the Watchtower. They have been played for fools.
  
• 

  Dagney

  In reading through this thread I had to think back to my teenage years. All the teens in my congo quit high school to pioneer and get married. I wanted to quit also, but my mom begged me to stay and get my diploma, which I did. I started working in an office the day after my last day of school and never stopped. I am finally retiring after 1/1, but will work through a transition phase to assist.

  I am so thankful my mom never pushed pioneering on me. I needed to work to support us both which I did until her death at 98 1/2. My parents both wanted me to learn a trade, of course it was office work, accounting. I think they lived through the depression and understood hard times, and the importance of a good work ethic. I worked my way up in business and hold a degreed position without a degree. I have never not worked a day since the day after graduation. My SS is a decent amount due to 50+ years of consistent work, and boy am I thankful. I started saving late, but I'll be okay.

  I'm thinking about my old friends back in the religion. Some managed to buy houses in the 90's, which was smart. Many were self employed with a wife pioneering, BUT at least at this point, they have their housing. So so so so many self employed...I hope they saved.

  Everybody should learn the lesson a religion has no business in a person's personal money matters. They like to think they do, and boy did they in the old days. So much bad advice...screwed sooooo many people I know and boy are they mad. I don't blame them. But in the end, we are responsible for our own lives.
• 

  LongHairGal

  DAGNEY:

  Good for you and congratulations on your retirement.

  Your mom gets a thumbs up for not pushing pioneering. Witnesses who thought intelligently like this were few and far between. I am also in total agreement that no religion (or anybody else for that matter) has any business in anybody’s personal money matters. As far as some JWs who bought houses years ago: good for them. Meddlesome people in the congregations stuck their noses where it didn’t belong with their worthless opinions.

  Isn’t this all so ridiculous and unnecessary?? I do believe the people there are an envious lot. I’m so Glad I worked and retired. And I’m sorry about people who listened to these meddlesome ignoramuses or were too afraid of the condemnation I got - OR wanted to be accepted and be invited to special gatherings.👎

  What a price they paid!.. So, I ask: what good would being popular years ago in a silly religion do for somebody today if they hardly worked??? .. Is that past popularity paying the bills? Nope. So, for me it was worth every nickel to be rejected by the congregation and all the nobodies there - many of whom have passed away and not even around to help anybody they misled!

  …Then in the end the religion ends up pulling the rug out from under all these people by changing its teachings. How sad for anybody who listened.👎
• 

  Dagney

  Hi LHG, (we're still here!)

  Thank you. It was an anxious decision to make, but tomorrow is promised to no one. The WBTS through direction to the congregations has created a very judgmental group of folks, especially through the last 4 decades. They had a lot to say about a lot of things that was none of their business. I was always judged for my low hours, but then always commended on my diligence of taking care of my mom...and hell...she could pioneer so STFU.

  I always commend you on making the choices best for you and not paying attention to the man behind the curtain. So glad we are out of it!
• 

  ElderBerry

  I’m reading this thread and can see both sides.

  if you are now old and following JW direction means you worked menial jobs to knock on doors then you may be really struggling now if you have no savings at all. I don’t think they ever gave direction to save money in the past like they are starting to give now.

  on the other hand I read a brilliant book called Die with zero.

  it basically says-

  If you spend hours and hours of your life acquiring money and then die without spending all of that money, then you've needlessly wasted too many precious hours of your life. There is just no way to get those hours back. If you die with $1 million left, that's $1 million of experiences you didn't have. And if you die with $50,000 left, well, that's $50,000 of experiences you didn't have. No way is that optimal. The question we all must answer is how to make the most of our finite time on earth.

  BILL PERKINS
• 

  ElderBerry

  I was also moved by a film I watched called perfect days. It’s about a Japanese toilet cleaner who leads a very simple life as JWs are directed to.

  he is happy even though he lives in cheap horrible accommodation just like most JWs have to. He works a cleaning job similar to most JWs.

  you can be happy in such circumstances especially if JWs have genuine hope that this is not the real life and constantly telling others about the perceived Bible hope of Gods Kingdom going to make the world a better place very soon
• 

  Rivergang

  Elder Berry

  What you are describing is just a continuation of the old theme “Promise them a Pie in the Sky, so they will be content for now to have crap”.

  The problem with that idea is a thing called the internet, which makes it harder and harder to keep up that “Pie in the Sky” charade. (Particularly when it becomes obvious to all who make even a cursory search that the JWs have been waving around almost forever that same carrot on a stick).
• 

  hoser

  Elder Berry

  Even better than dying with nothing is dying with $100,000 unsecured debt.

  Your relatives won’t fight after your estate and none of them will be burdened with being your executor.

  Make out your last check to the undertaker and plan for it to bounce
• 

  Nathan Natas

  Liam offered his opinion, "Imagine how they feel when someone spurts out nonsense like; “YOU Need to save at least 5 MILLION DOLLARS FOR RETIREMENT."

  Yes, such idiotic nonsense indeed! How much better it is to heed the advice of Liam, the Businessman/Financial Genius, who would advise,

  "You can't do this! Don't even try."

  
  
• 

  hoser

  If the bar is set too high many will give up.

  I think the trick to saving is tricking yourself into thinking you don’t have the money for spending.

  Set up your bank account so that a small amount is taken every month or every week and directly deposited into a tax deferred account(rrsp) in Canada . $50 per month is what I’ve done. I didn’t miss the $50 but now after 20 years I’ve got over $20,000 in that account and I didn’t even pay attention to rates of returns. I could have done better if I would have watched the investment closer.

  Another financial hack is that when you reach a milestone like paying off a car loan or get a raise at work. Keep making the car payment into a different account or the amount your paycheck is larger. At least for a while. Then forget you have that money.

  It takes self control and discipline but I’d rather live a slightly lower standard of living while I’m able to work than be destitute and unable to work.