As many of our readers know, when we finally started to correct our financial mistakes, we decided our ultimate life goals were to travel and save for retirement. That decision or that clarity came about nine years ago. We are happy to say that they are still our goals. Apparently, our long, introspective discussions worked.
A recent University of Michigan study suggests that the percentage of U.S. families who own stocks dropped from 30 percent in 2001 to 18 percent in 2011. Preliminary 2013 studies suggest the percent ownership is now 16. Further research suggests that participants who drop out of the market typically do so because of financial distress, frequently increased in recessions.
A recent Bankrate.com study widely reported on Monday, August 18, 2014 said 36 percent of Americans have $0 saved for retirement and 36 percent of working Americans have $1,000 or less saved for retirement. Amazingly, 14 percent of people age 65 and older have less than $1,000 set aside for retirement, and a “well duh” moment occurs when we learn that percentage increases with the decrease in age.
Among many financial problems, America is in the midst of a retirement crisis not seen since the fall of modern day Greece, which we suppose wasn’t all that long ago. Studies show that half of all Americans today retire with $25,000 or less in their retirement accounts. While that’s scary enough, it’s not as scary as the retirement of generations to follow Baby Boomers whom many financial advisors advise to not plan on Social Security for supplemental income in their on golden pond years.
We moved into our condo seven years ago. We were very excited, as this was our first home purchase; it was a blank canvass; it was below our budget and met our architectural aesthetic. Another reason why we were so excited was because we bought into a condominium. Neither of us particularly loves yard work, painting and fixing things. David’s handy, but I’m not. I led a cushy life when it comes to home repairs and maintenance and it’s not fair for David to do it all. So, naively, this is one of the reasons we bought into a condominium with a homeowner’s association (HOA) and a property management company. We thought that among all of them they would handle most home maintenance issues.