July 31st is Col's last day in gainful employment and he has hinted that he will no longer be visiting the forum so much as he will have less free time!! :confused:
Thus his and Rich's long term project of educating our cousins across the pond will fall solely on Rich. I’m sure that we will all miss Col’s deep incisive comments and intelligent and knowledgeable debating skills.

I wish him well in his retirement and extend my sympathies to his wife. ;)

Seriously best wishes Col, I expect you to be too merry after noon to be on the Forum.

Brian

now what will i read when i need a laugh?


congrats col! ENJOY

Congratulations on your retirement. I suspect you enjoy needling those of us who inhabit the former colonies to permanently retire from that...:D

Thus his and Rich's long term project of educating our cousins across the pond will fall solely on Rich. Brian

I seem to remember yourself helping out from time to time:eek:

gainful employment ???

Lazy freeloader, (only kidding ):D
lucky so and so, I've another 20 + years to go


Enjoy - but for god sake don't stop, keep doing something - polictics, gardening - hell indoor skydiving - just don't stop .. you stop and you get ill

chase young blonde's around - get thrown out of shops -anything ..
g

Needless to say I will miss you, Col.
I hope that when you do pop in now and again, you will manage to get in a friendly, enthusiastic HELLO to me. I know you won't be able to resist the urge to chime in on political matters, but I hope you remember that some of us appreciate the relationships we formed before all that mess became such a matter of debate here and will choose to call out to us fondly from time to time.

Love you.
Tess

Needless to say I will miss you, Col.
I hope that when you do pop in now and again, you will manage to get in a friendly, enthusiastic HELLO to me. I know you won't be able to resist the urge to chime in on political matters, but I hope you remember that some of us appreciate the relationships we formed before all that mess became such a matter of debate here and will choose to call out to us fondly from time to time.

Love you.
Tess

Here here.

Good luck Col.

August 2nd headline in The Guardian: "Massive Drop in NHS Network Traffic Mystifies Technicians." Congratulations and good luck, Col...

Regards,
Tim

Retirement? Lucky bugger!

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, I was looking forward to at least slightly early retirement, but with all the bills, looks like I re-enlisted in the world of work for at least another 7 years. Must have broken a mirror somewhere.

Best wishes, Col.

Retirement ? For years we thought that you were about the same age as Rich ! ;)

So now you'll have the time to finalize that CD and issue free copies as you promised years ago :rolleyes:

Congrats Col and stay healthy, wealthy and wise :)


http://www.21stcenturyvillage.com/images/directoryimages/michele/caricatures/corporate_caricatures_retirement.jpg


Good luck,
Ron

Thanks all for the best wishes.

Tess, is right, we did form very good relationships prior to the Iraq thing in 2003. Love you Tess x x

I will be popping in though, so you haven't lost me yet (unless I get banned) but as I said, I still need to earn money so I'll be working part time somewhere after a couple of months off, but probobly not where I can stay logged in all day


Enjoy - but for god sake don't stop, keep doing something - polictics, gardening - hell indoor skydiving - just don't stop .. you stop and you get ill

chase young blonde's around

Your last option seems favourite - I'll remember that one;) especially on the Belgium tour with my pool playing orchestral colleagues in October

Cindy - Thanks for the PM, yes, I'll stay in touch x x

I'll be busy this afternoon with the leaving do in the office - no booze though, don't want to lose the bike and car licence.

Tomorrow morning, in the nice sunshine, I'll be having the Martini and lemonade with a twist of lemon:D Then I'll have to start on the to-do list

I'll be back

Col

Good luck, COL. I have always enjoyed your views, even though I disagree with most. You always had a debate going on some where.

No beer for your work leaving do - Cmon Col!!! make an effort.:)

Congrats and good luck COl, hope ya dont make yourself a stranger around these parts

Good luck Col not that you really need luck

You have wit, charm and good looks (so you told me) and also that certain way with words that insinuates into the very soul of persons when you really try. :D :D :D

The NHS loss is the worlds gain....when are you joining Tony to solve the worlds problems ;) ;)

Just Enjoy.........whatever it is

L

Hmmmmm... retirement... my most recent retirement was a year and a half ago and lasted about 28 days... well maybe it will last longer for the infamous Essex Bass guitar-Drummer-Biker-Wildman... :eek: just be sure to enjoy every minute of retirement, be it for 28 days months or years... just be sure to come back from time to time and tease those of us who are craving retirement ;) and those of us who cant sit still :o

If the storms of censorship, name-calling and indefatigable belligerence have not prevented you from attending these boards then I fail to see what mitigating circumstances retirement provides. :mad:


...happy retirement Col, make sure to return soon. :p

Missed you this morning (my computer crashed!) but good luck and here's to hopefully happier days ahead, free of the angst of working for the government. :D

Missed you this morning (my computer crashed!) but good luck and here's to hopefully happier days ahead, free of the angst of working for the government. :D
Thats true enough.

Day one today - Got up at 8:30am - had a Martini and lemonade with a twist of lemon at 10:30 this morning, sat in the sun reading the paper. Then had a chat with the neighbours, then had lunch (just a sarnie) then did some supermarket shopping.

Very nice.:)

Lovely and sunny today - around 25c (75F)

Col

Hmmmmm... retirement... my most recent retirement was a year and a half ago and lasted about 28 days... well maybe it will last longer for the infamous Essex Bass guitar-Drummer-Biker-Wildman... :eek: just be sure to enjoy every minute of retirement, be it for 28 days months or years... just be sure to come back from time to time and tease those of us who are craving retirement ;) and those of us who cant sit still :o

As I said earlier, I'm looking to start part-time work in November. Plus, I've been asked already to do some private Access tuition (may not do that)

Col

Congratulations on your retirement. I suspect you enjoy needling those of us who inhabit the former colonies to permanently retire from that...:D

I don't needle people, it's just that you're so picky and argumentative;) and you refuse to listen to reason, as usual, the USA [thinks] it knows best.

Col

I don't needle people, it's just that you're so picky and argumentative;) and you refuse to listen to reason, as usual, the USA [thinks] it knows best.

Col

...and as usual, Col clumps the entire country into one single entity.

...and as usual, another thread talking politics.

I'm remembering why I don't come here any more...we used to get along much better when NO ONE talked politics.

we used to get along much better when NO ONE talked politics.

For those who haven't been here long enough. The 3 banned subjects used to be - politics, religion and sex.

Sadly it all changed in 2003 when the USA decided to cleanse the world of anything other than their own brand of dictatorship.

Col

See Col ain't gone at all

See Col ain't gone at all

I'm sure the 'to-do list' is just around the corner :p

For those who haven't been here long enough. The 3 banned subjects used to be - politics, religion and sex.

Sadly it all changed in 2003 when the USA decided to cleanse the world of anything other than their own brand of dictatorship.

Col

But why do you feel the need to talk politics on an Access forum? You have nothing better to do?

(my ploy to keep Colin in AW is working...)

I'm sure the 'to-do list' is just around the corner :p

There's only one item on the to do list, keep reminding Americans what Bush has inflicted on the world:p :cool:

There's only one item on the to do list, keep reminding Americans what Bush has inflicted on the world:p :cool:

There are plenty of other places to do that, if you feel the need. Too bad the once pleasant atmosphere here has been spoiled and many long time members have already left because of it. :(

There are plenty of other places to do that, if you feel the need. Too bad the once pleasant atmosphere here has been spoiled and many long time members have already left because of it. :(

I can't think of anyone specific, but members have come and gone ever since I first started here, many of whom never even ventured into the cooler.

I can't think of anyone specific, but members have come and gone ever since I first started here, many of whom never even ventured into the cooler.

I know of a few...

But why do you feel the need to talk politics on an Access forum? You have nothing better to do?



It's not an Access forum, it's a watercooler where one can discuss various topics, also, I feel that discussing world politics is extremely important, expecially when the stability of the world is being screwed by the USA's foreign policies. Worldwide, there is no improvement on terrorist activities since 2003, in fact it's a whole lot worse.

Just because the USA caught a cold on 11/9/2001, then the whole world has to suffer because of it. Thats why people in Iraq want the USA out and a Saddam figure returned who can bring stability once again to that area.

Col

It's not an Access forum, it's a watercooler where one can discuss various topics,

That's true, the Watercooler is for non-Access topics. Too bad the atmosphere has been so poisoned by a few just because they don't agree with American politics. It used to be a pleasant place to come visit.

also, I feel that discussing world politics is extremely important, expecially when the stability of the world is being screwed by the USA's foreign policies.

Perhaps it is, but I still don't feel that this is the best place for that. Go join a politics forum somewhere and you can debate to your heart's content and bash Americans all you want.

Worldwide, there is no improvement on terrorist activities since 2003, in fact it's a whole lot worse.

I don't have any figures on that, do you have anything to back that argument up? Terrorism has been going on forever, and probably will go on forever, no matter what anyone or any government does.

Just because the USA caught a cold on 11/9/2001, then the whole world has to suffer because of it.

Yes, it's unfortunate that's the way it is. I wish Sept. 11th had never happened too.

Thats why people in Iraq want the USA out and a Saddam figure returned who can bring stability once again to that area.

I'm sure that's debatable as well. No doubt they need peace and stability over there, but another Saddam is the last thing they need. I think many over there are still happy he's gone, although the current situation is clearly unacceptable too. :(

Anyway, I'm done talking about it. Respond all you like, it's all been said before (again and again and again ad nauseum :eek: )Like I said before, I still love ya and wish you the best in your retirement. I hope that the happier Col can also make an appearance from time to time. :D

I know of a few...

Aside from one, who's leaving had nothing to do with me, left because they moved jobs and lost their unfettered access to the forum:p

Too bad the atmosphere has been so poisoned by a few

A few is normally regarded as more than two, who else did you have in mind other than those two who are usually blamed for everything:confused:

No doubt they need peace and stability over there, but another Saddam is the last thing they need.
Thats an American opinion, not necessarily the opinion of many Iraqi's. It's what the USA does best, try to tell the world what it wants instead of listening to what the world actually wants.

Col

I feel sad that my little farewell thread has been hi jacked but I geuss that's life, and since it has here's my 2 penny's worth.

As I understand it Muslims' view of God is different to Christians' they see Him as a strong master and they His servants, I feel that they want the same from their countries' leaders as well.

On a similar note ordinary Russians are quoted as prefferring life under Stalin than the wishy washy democracies that followed the fall of communism, those still alive that is, ordinary folk like to know where they stand so that they can get on with life's struggles.

Brian

I feel sad that my little farewell thread has been hi jacked but I geuss that's life, and since it has here's my 2 penny's worth.

As I understand it Muslims' view of God is different to Christians' they see Him as a strong master and they His servants, I feel that they want the same from their countries' leaders as well.

On a similar note ordinary Russians are quoted as prefferring life under Stalin than the wishy washy democracies that followed the fall of communism, those still alive that is, ordinary folk like to know where they stand so that they can get on with life's struggles.

Brian

It's not like the old days ....



in the end its probably how you have been brought up - if we take some of the Muslim countires - these countires are pretty much 3rd world and the young are educated with little access to alternative religions and views

this does lead to a dictorial (?) upbring where you belive what youa re told ,
and a good way of managing a country , however this does lead to resentment as only a few can be in power, and the few then have to resort to violence to maintain their power base(I generalise here)
a good way to get people on your side is to have an enermy - the Yanks/ or the Western world etc.. and promise them rich's whent hey are in heaven, now this doesn't work so well in countries that have a mixture of cultures as long as those countires are accepting of alternative cultures (there are always going to be a few exceptions , as i am sure that some of the UK terrorism are either damaged goods - nut cases not fireing on all 4 cylinders, or are"brained washed into it0 these people do seem to be men aged in there early/late 20's?)

anyway i ramble on (again)

NHS retirement, Day 3 and still going on ok. Cleared out the garage today, amazing what junk one collects over the years.:rolleyes:

Got notification today from the Criminal Records check (for the part time job I hope to get with Essex Ambulance) - all clear, so my little misdemeanour when I was 17 has been deleted!:eek:

And the nice Halifax told me how much I owe them if I want to clear my mortgage when I get my NHS pension lump sum:(

Off to Homebase now to get some brackets to put up the garage shelves with

Col

Don't do all the jobs in too much of a hurry, don't forget that the "to do list" is a rolling list, plus you could be setting standards difficult to maintain. :eek:

Brian :D :D

Don't do all the jobs in too much of a hurry, don't forget that the "to do list" is a rolling list, plus you could be setting standards difficult to maintain. :eek:

Brian :D :D

Yes the precedent being set is cause for concern...:eek:

Well, I don't come in here as much as I used to, but it's due to work, not Rich and Col. Col, I'm going to drink to your retirement tonight. Thanks for all the kind words when they were needed, and thanks for making us think globally from time to time. :)

Well, I don't come in here as much as I used to, but it's due to work, not Rich and Col. Col, I'm going to drink to your retirement tonight. Thanks for all the kind words when they were needed, and thanks for making us think globally from time to time. :)

Kind words?? me???? ah yes, I remember:)

See, I can be kind when I try. In case you missed it, I'm only retiring from the NHS, sadly I still need to earn a few pennies for the odd chinky, so I'll be doing some part time work from November after the summer.

Bri - I've been meaning to do the garage for years, I could hardly get the bikes in there. I know what you're saying about the precedent though, I'll watch that:) I've got the brackets now, so I'll put the shelves up over the weekend (slowly of course with copious cups of tea for thinking purposes)

I'm popping up to Bristol next wednesday, my bro-in-law has bought one of my basses and I'll drop it in to him.

Col

Thats an American opinion, not necessarily the opinion of many Iraqi's. It's what the USA does best, try to tell the world what it wants instead of listening to what the world actually wants.

Col

I seem to remember reading about an opinion poll that was given to the Iraqi people or something. Many of them were still happy Saddam was gone, although they obviously weren't happy with the current situation either. I'll see if I can find it again, although it's doubtful since I don't remember where I read it and I've rebuilt my machine this week so all of my history is gone.

At any rate, it wasn't just an "American opinion", as you so often like to say. I'm done talking about it anyway. I'm not the one who hijacked your retirement thread but I feel bad that I've contributed. Oh no, I'm an enabler. :eek:

On to happier things, like your to-do list. Glad to know you're jumping in with both feet there. :D

On to happier things, like your to-do list. Glad to know you're jumping in with both feet there. :D

If you saw my list. . . . . . . .:eek: I'm exhausted just thinking about it

Now where's that Martini.. . . . . . . .

Col

Now where's that Martini.. . . . . . . .

Col

I never had you down as a Martini man, thought it would be cold beers.

Brian

If you saw my list. . . . . . . .:eek: I'm exhausted just thinking about it

I seem to have that problem too. :(

Now where's that Martini.. . . . . . . .

Col

Now you're talking. :D And don't worry, you should have plenty of time now to work on your to do list. ;)

I never had you down as a Martini man, thought it would be cold beers.

Brian
Martini Rosso and lemonade and a twist - lovely on a hot day

(I prefer a beer though:))

Col

Martini Rosso and lemonade and a twist - lovely on a hot day

(I prefer a beer though:))

Col

Yes, but do you drink yours cold or warm? (Beer, that is.)

Yes, but do you drink yours cold or warm? (Beer, that is.)

Non chilled of course:rolleyes: and always have real beer, not the gnats piss Budweiser or Hoffmeister stuff.

I hate freezing cold drinks, always let them come to room temperature - even coke or fanta.

Never have ice in a drink, it's an excuse for the bar to give less portions because the glass is always full of ice.

Col

and always have real beer, not the gnats piss Budweiser or Hoffmeister stuff.

Col

I can agree with you there. Give me my Guinness! :)

And the nice Halifax told me how much I owe them if I want to clear my mortgage when I get my NHS pension lump sum:(


Col

What are the pros and cons of paying off your mortgage rather than keeping a bulk of that lump sum on hand and liquid?
If you didn't pay off the mortgage, how many years would it take you to pay it off at your normal pace?

Just curious. Seems to be quite a monumental decision to do this and I wonder what the thought process is.

What are the pros and cons of paying off your mortgage rather than keeping a bulk of that lump sum on hand and liquid?


No debt hanging around your neck is a great feeling;)
although I gather the current trend is to remortgage, have a good time on the money and leave the kids with the debt

What are the pros and cons of paying off your mortgage rather than keeping a bulk of that lump sum on hand and liquid?
If you didn't pay off the mortgage, how many years would it take you to pay it off at your normal pace?

Just curious. Seems to be quite a monumental decision to do this and I wonder what the thought process is.

Thought process is simple honey.

If I don't pay it off, I can't keep up the repayments.:)

and pay everything else too - gas, electric, council tax, insurances, water, petrol, phones, cable TV, TV licence, food, fags etc etc

Now I'm depressed, I'd better get a job - thanks Tess babe:rolleyes:

Col

morgage payments verus interest

THe question here is if I don't pay th emorgage off, will income formt he interst on a lump sum be enough to pay the morgage

ie
100,000 morgage @ 5.75% = 5750/12 = 480 monthly payment
you need your interest on a 100,000 to exceed this by a faxtor of x

The above is interest only and as you wil want to pay this off at the end of a period (say 25 years) this works out at 333.
(I have not compounded this or any of the other stuff required

as in the first year , you would of paid 4000 off making your debit 96,000 and the interest on this would reduce making ou monthly payments 460 a sreduction of 20,

most repayment morgages have a lower repayment amount to begin withna nd as the debit reduced the interest , amount should reduce, but this is then offset against the amount of the morgage payment




once you get to a set age/time if you can pay it off - it makes more sense to, as you can then cut down on live insurance -between 15-30 per month

to be without a morgage - will be heaven,

however, Col - seek indepentant advise on this, the above is genrealisation , and you circumstances may be different,
you could down size, bail out and live in Spain/Turkey, the Baltic states . etc...
any enjoy your retirment .

g

As opne who has cleared their mortgage and actually still working there are a number of issues to consider as gary points out

consider also

Tax to be paid in investment income

If you invest to pay the mortgage you do get some disposable income released but no capital to do a few things you have always meant to do

Having no mortgage is a good feeling... I know

L

Non chilled of course:rolleyes: and always have real beer, not the gnats piss Budweiser or Hoffmeister stuff.

I hate freezing cold drinks, always let them come to room temperature - even coke or fanta.

Never have ice in a drink, it's an excuse for the bar to give less portions because the glass is always full of ice.

Col

I agree with you about the beer for the most part. Sometimes a Budweiser is good (ice cold) but other times I prefer imports or other American beers with more flavor, like Sam Adams.

I have to drink them cold though. They just taste better that way. :D

Having no mortgage is a good feeling... I know

I wouldn't know. :(

Thought process is simple honey.

If I don't pay it off, I can't keep up the repayments.:)

and pay everything else too - gas, electric, council tax, insurances, water, petrol, phones, cable TV, TV licence, food, fags etc etc

Now I'm depressed, I'd better get a job - thanks Tess babe:rolleyes:

Col

If you do pay off the mortgage, you don't have enough left to live on? Do you guys have something similar to our Social Security over there, government payments to retired folks of a certain age?

If you do pay off the mortgage, you don't have enough left to live on? Do you guys have something similar to our Social Security over there, government payments to retired folks of a certain age?

Cindy, the NHS pension is comprised of a lump sum and a monthly "salary". Depending on how long you have contributed to the pension fund and what your final salary was, that determines how much money you get.

I have 23 years contributions - enough to almost pay off the mortgage with the lump sum and the monthly "salary" will be enough to foot the rest of the bills. My wife also has a monthly income from various sources, which coincidentally is very similar to my monthly "salary".

Add on the earnings I'll get from a part time job plus all the stuff to sell on eBay and we should be ok. :)

There are various job seekers benefits you can get, I'm not yet familiar with the requirements and whether they are means tested. But, I don't want a 'job' as such, thats why I plan to do work that is flexible to ones own needs or wishes.

The other option we will consider next year is to take in foreign students, which is very lucrative. We used to do this back in the 1990's for about 5 years, you take 2 students for 2 weeks throughout the summer. You get through about 16 or 20 students. They are usually French / Spanish or German teenagers. It's good fun.

The point of all this, is that obviously we have worked it [the money] all out very carefully - we'll be fine, in fact, I should have more disposable income when it all shakes down than when I was working full time. (unless I got the Excel spreadsheet wrong)

Col

Would you be looking for contract work (Access based)
as there may be something in the pipeline - that might be of interst, It something I could probably do/ but I can hack things and get them to do what I want - but not on a professional level....( it would be a new project - set up for a company).

g

Pension

Colins has 23 years
noramlly pensions work on 66/75 basis of final salary
if you work 40-44years you get either 66 % of final salary or 75%
I think its 66% for the NHS so you pro rata 23 /40 or 44and you get 57.5% of 66% of your final salary of 1/3

(this is just an example and i am using Colin as the ginnea pig-
Colin circumstances may be different - he may of mad AV additioanl Voluntary contributions - which could raise the base percentage,
Also if Colin is over 65 he will be entitled to a State pension of X (not 100% sure ont his - but i thinks its about £100 +some loose change
plus some other benefits

....plus some other benefits

Shaken not stirred I presume ? ;)

To get any benefits, including Job seekers, one has to be either

a) Broke - no savings and only enough income to live on bread and water.

b) An immigrant - they seem to be able to get alsorts

c) Have loads a kids

d) be registered disabled, my wife qualifies here.

Even the extra personal tax allowance for over 65s soon disappears with a decent pension as they reduce it by £1 for every £2 one gets over something like £20K.

Brian

Some of the guys on this forum - went down how much is required to retire at set ages
I am 39
state retirement age 66-67 (bastards moved the goal post)
anyway
not being part of a final salary my pension pot needs to be between 250,000 and 400,000
given that annunities (?typo) are around 5-6 % on 250k thats 12,500 PA
about £1000 per month + state pansion (If anything is left) on 400k thats £1,600 per month + state benefit
this has been on the assumption of 5% return - you can get better deals out there but assume the worst .

now costs come in to play
Pox tax (or whatever ) in my area £1,200 PA - eats into your pension very quickly.living costs probably eat into at leat half of whats left - so pocket money would be around 200-300 per month on this basis


So currently someone 38-42 probably needs at least 250 k and to be free of morgage at retirement
those 42 -50 probably need 200 -300 k those over 50 ( I am afraid you are in deep stum..unless you ahve a decent pension, you will be reliant upon the state - and you will probably need to downsize , possible event emigrate to Spain/Turkey/Baltic states as the cost of living there is relatively cheap(but rising) failing that you will prpbably have to get a part time job at B&Q or soemthng to increase you income (Sorry , but its the truth there are a lot of grey people out there having to work to make ends meet)
those lucky enough to be under 38 need to give this some serious thought

a guide to how much you should be putting into your pension
is 50% of your age when you start , so if you start at 20 then 10 of your salary should be towards your pension 22 then 11% etc - this is a general guid eand not to be taken as gospel.. also th4ere are other alternative to pensions - (slight more risky -such as buying houses or wine etc) but these are not for the foolhardy and need some serious thoughts . etc

I wouldn't know. :(

But you have the advantage of still being young whilst I am er um older shall we say
:D

L

Col's last day seems to have a) Gone on for longer than he was employeD (kidding really) and b) become a pensions advice bureau. No bad thing at all

Interested in Brian's comment re allowances.

I am planning retirement for Dec 2008 and it looks as if I will fail to qualify for any sort of allowance on all counts.

Damn.

Col's last day seems to have a) Gone on for longer than he was employeD (kidding really) and b) become a pensions advice bureau. No bad thing at all

Interested in Brian's comment re allowances.

I am planning retirement for Dec 2008 and it looks as if I will fail to qualify for any sort of allowance on all counts.

Damn.

If you really want to mess the system up , go and claim your benefits - when they ask you to fill in a form - say you cannot read or write...bedlam
they have to fill the forms in for you and they have to ensure that you get all the benefits you are entitled to - if you fill it in , they will not volenteer any other information accross that may give you more benefit ..
so sometimes its beniefical to be stupid

sounds a good idea

But must admit that I do not tell anybody anything about my personal circumstances unless it is essential. prefer to know what the limits are and then if I am above limits I say nothing.

L

Col's last day seems to have a) Gone on for longer than he was employeD (kidding really) and b) become a pensions advice bureau. No bad thing at all

Interested in Brian's comment re allowances.

I am planning retirement for Dec 2008 and it looks as if I will fail to qualify for any sort of allowance on all counts.

Damn.

Being of a similar vintage (but slightly older) than Len, I too have to start planning for retirement. Unfortunately my dear wife has so much for me do then that I will have to stay on at work in order not to kill myself through overwork. I suppose I could always start an Access bureau if I need some spare cash. (Pause for sympathy).

Still growing old isn't so bad if you consider the alternative(death)

Guys you are a bit late in your retirement plans

Ideally you should start to finalise your retirement 3 years b4 you go .

cutting down on hours worked etc instead of 5 days do 4 , then down to 3 then mornings only (Not always possible I know)
then plan what you are going to do .. so many just stop working and keel over .. - plan ahead, get involved with something - whether it be swinging or badger spotting anything to keep you mobile - and enjoy life ..

g

Guys you are a bit late in your retirement plans

Ideally you should start to finalise your retirement 3 years b4 you go .

cutting down on hours worked etc instead of 5 days do 4 , then down to 3 then mornings only (Not always possible I know)
then plan what you are going to do .. so many just stop working and keel over .. - plan ahead, get involved with something - whether it be swinging or badger spotting anything to keep you mobile - and enjoy life ..

g
No Panic Gary. I have already cut down to 4 days a week. Mainly though so I can keep on top of the admin side for my wife's business. Luckily I have a great Access system to help me with that.

Guys you are a bit late in your retirement plans

Ideally you should start to finalise your retirement 3 years b4 you go .


g

I started the planning 35 years ago.

Last year I started to bring the plans together

Unfortunately it costs a company nearly the same to employ a part timer as it does a full timer

Think us "senior" Access guys could start an Advice bureau where we all work say 3 days a week just to keep us away from the "to do" lists

L

The point of all this, is that obviously we have worked it [the money] all out very carefully - we'll be fine, in fact, I should have more disposable income when it all shakes down than when I was working full time. (unless I got the Excel spreadsheet wrong)

Col

Well, that's good news anyway. :) Most places here in the States don't even have pensions any longer, it's up to you to save your own money in a 401K plan, although most companies will match your donations to the 401K plan up to a certain percentage. Then you have to rely on your savings and Social Security when you retire.

Since I'm working for the government I do have a pension, provided I work here long enough to get it. :rolleyes:

But you have the advantage of still being young whilst I am er um older shall we say
:D

L

It would still be nice. :D We're planning on moving to a different school district (and a bigger house) within the next year though, so we won't have our mortgage paid off anytime soon. :(

401 plan
sounds simliar to UK company pensions

a good company will put into your pension plan 10% of yur salary as long as you put in5% or more percent (Goverent has capped the actual total amount percentage wise you can put in according to age), under 35 then 17.5% is the max over this but under 50 then its 20% over 50 as much as you want (the ages might be slightly out,but you get the gist of it)

State pensions will start at 65to 68 years old - they are midway through changing the state retirment age , women used to retire at 60, men at 65 - couple of year ago women were increased to 63 , then the full 65, (otherwse sex discrimination) and now depending on your age you have to work extra years

THe Goveremnt here is trying to move people from the state pension/benefits to private(company pensions) or personal pensions
slowly

it used to be that over 50% were relaint on the state for pension/benfiets, that has changed to just under 50%, there will always be some who need the goverment to step in.

There was also a debate about goverment pensions on the radio today(I missed it) , but a vast amount of tax goes to pensions of civl servants and there has been a discussion on whether goverment employees shouldhave"Stakeholder pensions" - a type of indivivdaul pension that is transferable ,rather than rely on the civil servant (goverment funded pension)

did hear it , but the arguement is, it would reduce tax's in the long run- not 100% sure how, but i got the feeling that you put into the pot and paymetns come out of the pot , when the pots gone , then you had it .the goverment will not bail you out - and saving wuld be made as civil servants pensions are pretty good its moving the burden of pensions from the goverment on to a pension company,(This i do agree with, Goverments will nbe tempted to use this money for todays project and worry about tomorrows pension tomorrow - which is kinda whats happening inthe UK- both labour and conservative are guilty on this , Cons slighty less to blame as its been there idioliology(?) that if you can remove the burden from the goverment ,and pass it to the individual, then do so. and it allows lower tax's , etc....
whether this is a good idea or not is what politicis is all about and new labour are kinda following this old conserative value and rebranding there idea ..

Cindy, show around on your morgages - its different Stateside I know but saving a few bucks and if your morgage company will allow over payments can reduce your morgage by a couple of years..

Seek local advise on this - state side is a bit wacky for us brits when it comes to morgages -different terms /phrases - and different views

see if any of the morgage brokers do a muslim morgage (I forget the name of what they are called properly ) but this might be a alternative option..
the muslim morgages are done on an ethical basis - as muslims see the lending of money and interest on this loan as being"iffy" and against some of there views the morgages that they arrange seem to get round this ..
mihgt be interesting to see if it save a few dollars..
g

Congratulations! I'm not entirely sure how Rich will cope on his own with teaching our neighbours about how things should be done, politically. But, I am sure that you must be able to find time to drop in to give him some advice.;) If not, I am about to become a student again (in Geordie-land), so will endeavour to participate more often here.

I'm still here - much to the annoyance of many posters. Good luck in geordie land. They talk funny up there.

Now where's that Martini?

Col

Now where's that Martini?

Col

At 11:28 pm? I'd have thought it was time for a good Malt nightcap. :)

Brian

At 11:28 pm? I'd have thought it was time for a good Malt nightcap. :)

Brian

And they are carrying out research to look for a drug to cure insomnia:confused:;)

At 11:28 pm? I'd have thought it was time for a good Malt nightcap. :)

Brian

Not malt - vodka and lime thanks - get through a fair bit of that:eek:

Col

If you are putting lime in it does it matter which vodka, within reson? My son in law likes Smirnoff Black neat, but doesn't seem to be able to get it anymore, we used to get it at Manchester Duty Free for him but its no longer there.

Brian

If you are putting lime in it does it matter which vodka, within reson? My son in law likes Smirnoff Black neat, but doesn't seem to be able to get it anymore, we used to get it at Manchester Duty Free for him but its no longer there.

Brian

I buy the cheap stuff. It's akin to ethanol:eek:

Meths is good too

Col

So Col's "Last Day" thread now runs to 76 posts (now 77 before somebody points that out)

At this rate he will have more "Farewell Performances" than Frank Sinatra.

Just goes to show you cannot keep a dedicated man down.

...have more "Farewell Performances" ....


Haven't heard any recorded performance from Col yet :o:rolleyes:

Think that recorded performances are very diffiocult to get your hands on.

Some say they are scarce
Some say they are scary

L

I'm a bit late, but better late than never.

Good luck Col.....:D

Hi Sel
thought you had left us. How's your job going, you must be well settled in now and be a COBOL and JCL wizard, can't remember what else you were having to learn :eek:, How are the girl(s) see cant even remember the important things of life was it 1 or2, I'm getting old.:(

Brian

I'm a bit late, but better late than never.

Good luck Col.....:D

Thanks Sel - and thanks for the interesting chats we had, I enjoyed our exchanges. . . . . . .

Col