Thursday, February 03, 2005

Questions to ponder...

Go ahead.
Figure it out. What is your net worth? Here's a handy on-line calculator.
Pay particular attention to that last section. What do you still owe on your home, car, credit cards, loans or other liabilities?.

Now, how long do you expect to live after you reach age 65?
Life expectancy is not the same as you get older as it is when you are born. A baby can expect (if babies expect anything more than their next feeding) to live over seventy more years. But somebody over fifty can expect to be dead within the next two or three decades.
Here's another handy chart. Check it out.

There isn't a chart or calculator for the next part. It has to do with lifestyle and choices.
Just think about this...

Pretend you are sixty-five years old. (If you are past that, then enjoy the fantasy.)
How much longer do you expect to work and at what income?
How is your your health holding out?
Even with Medicare (federal assistance), Medicare (state assistance), retirement income, Social Security income, other income -- those are all, in effect, "current" cash flows -- do you ever anticipate having to tap into your net worth?
If so, under what circumstances and for how long?
If not, then why not?
Are you typical of your peer group or one of the exceptions?
How many of your peers have any interest in questions such as these?
Turn on the TV and find a show with a crowd of people on the street. How many of those people do you think have thought about these questions?
How many know what is meant by the term "net worth"?
How many even care?

Finally, do any of these questions relate to the president's State of the Union address last night?



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