2nd trip to the dealer in 1 week

Is that the San Jose Bass Pro? I live close by!

 

Shoot, by the time I retire, they'll probably have robots doing 99% of the work there.

 

Retirement for me will probably be when they stuff me in a box in a 6ft hole. I can't really see retirement ever happening.

 

plus you would get free admission to the park as an employee...

 

An officer never truly retires, but I agree..a friend of mine's dad got out around the same time and feels that way.

 

I'd do that...but odds are given my idiotic government here in canada wants to change the retirement age from 65 to 70. Right now early retirement from the electrical union is 62. for some reason in the 36 years before I can retire I have a feeling that will change. Before you know it it's going to be early retirement is 70, and only an idiotic shit that sits in an office all day would think you could work such a physically demanding job at 70.

I'm trying to start saving now but with the way the economy is right now its hard for anyone in their 20s that didnt land some amazing job to get ahead.

 

is the carpenters union pension any good? I was talking to some drywallers and plumbers the other day, they all said their pensions are shit. IBEW supposedly has one of the best. I certainly hope so, we haven't had a decent raise in 10 years now because every 3 years after the contractor meetings all our raise gets thrown into pension.

 

Joe23...the point is ANYTHING you can start saving is going to help you when you are finally able to retire. I did 28 years in the military and had a wife and two kids. Special treats were a Big Mac (or equivalent) and a movie and these didn't happen every month When I enlisted the pay was $75 a month and I saved $5 of that...as my salary increased so did my savings. To a civilian working on the outside my savings probably looked like chicken feed but it mounted up over the years. I retired, got another job as a contractor ($10.50 an hour in 1990), but that and my military pension allowed me to buy a house in a very nice subdivision (paid off in 13 years), send my son to college with no loans and to buy some of the toys I didn't have when I was younger. I now have a nest egg to leave to my kids when I kick the bucket...hopefully not anytime soon.

You can do...just takes willpower and a wife who counts pennies.

 

I didn't save crap... My logic was I'd rather enjoy living while i was young... I didn't know I'd be retired so young. I always thought there would be time to save later...

If memories partying, hooking up with women, and fighting was equivalent to money I'd be a millionaire.

My squad had a tradition... F#!* or fight Fridays... Looking back now, it was pretty ignorant, but back then we had some good times.

Save. Save some more. And when you think you have enough you're half way there... Kind of like what my father use to say about collecting firewood... Get enough to last all night, then double that. You'll still run out by morning.

 

the oil field

Worked for me from 1972 to 95, but I worked in the oil field camps, restructuring/building dams, refactoring mine shafts, pipeline, building high rises, and a lot of shut downs as a scaffologist. Lots of hours in a short time. Then I went back to University, got a couple of degrees and started another career in teaching. I threw a couple of other summers into the Carpenters Union after that to make up for the lost wages, but now I'm done mucking through mud, butchering wood, and slinging concrete for a living. I worked in the ICI sector = framing and form work.

I have a Canadian UBC&J pension coming; every local/district is different according to the contract.

My finishing hammer weighs 10 pounds. Hit it once... its fucking finished.

 

That was me in my 20s, though I just spent money at bars with whomever was around then. Was one thing at that age single and living at home, not gonna fly at 42 married and owning a house.

 

You live the life, I envy you. I too went for breakfast the other day and debated going to Target afterwards but it was like 6 miles away. It was killing me.

 

11 more months for me and I won't be working on the railroad all the day and nights long! Can't wait to tell them to kiss my #** Railroading is not an easy life but if you can put up with the insanity you can walk out after 30 years service if your over 60 with a damn good pension. Chooo Chooo!

 

Yep. Almaden Expy at 85

 

ya I'm 353 in toronto.
all the guys I've talked to said overtime is key. I know some that are retiring with a 6 figure pension.
For now I just do lots of overtime when its offered. But otherwise no work is available out west right now. Like I said our economy is in the shits. Hell 353 has 400 members out of work right now. I try and save as much as I can on my own outside pension. More so trying to save for a house and a new taco since my car only has a few more years left in it. But times are definitely getting tougher, I definitely look forward to retiring though

 

Local 27 Carpenters - ICI Sector
Local 183 Labourers - Residential High Rise / Overpasses

I did piece work framing in the slow times and put a self inflicted 5% away in a private pension.

I have to get up at 5:00 am tomorrow (gonna be 30* Celsius at noon) to replace some existing decking and dig the holes for the piers to extend my deck (before July 18th). That's when my wife's sister and family shows up. She already stripped the decking off of the cat walks around the A-Frame that we live in. I've been with her for 35 years and she kicks my ass once a week.She wants to show off. It never ends.

Once this is done, she'll find something else that needs (read: Wants) to be done. Gotta love her.

 

When I want to feel 20 again.



Giddy-up!

 

And my toy to play with...

 

That about sums it up for us up in CA. For me, I'm getting close, so as I tell the wife, between our pension plans (which are pretty good where we work) and my house here in Vancouver, that's my retirement fund. Sell our homestead and get the hell out of dodge while the market is hot, and life will be good. Kids on the other hand will suffer trying to live in this city, but we all were there in a place in our life and need to suffer at some point but it gets easier as we grow a little older. 70 is crazy office or not. I'm an office fool and can't imagine sitting behind a desk at 69. Who would listen to this old fool anyway???

 

Company and Union pensions are scary. Only government pensions supported by tax dollars are a little safer.

Ironworkers union wants to cut pension benefits to save fund