<p>So many people plow money into retirement funds, and put off vacations,home improvements, etc…And IMHO, that is a huge mistake…there is no guarantee that when you finally reach retirement, that A) your money will still be there and B) your health will allow you to live the retirement dream…i love the quote from Shawshank Redemption</p>
<p>“Get busy living or get busy dying”</p>
<p>Enjoy life while you can…i’d rather live life to its fullest from 50-65, then 65-75…</p>
<p>Enjoying life doesn’t have to be expensive.</p>
<p>I do get some enjoyment from my family enjoying life.</p>
<p>Very true, but saving all your money and sacrificing in your 50’s and 60’s is foolish</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I do save a lot of my money.</p>
<p>But not all of it.</p>
<p>And you can see that I do have some indulgences here and there which you can see in other threads.</p>
<p>On REITs - I currently own EQR - high-end apartments.</p>
<p>SPG has done really, really well since 2009 returning over 400%. EQR is only up 200%.</p>
<p>There are lots and lots and lots of stock symbol REITs - you have to study them individually to see what you like and what you think will do well.</p>
<p>^exactly - I know a number of people who have just dropped dead in their 50’s. Life has to be a balance. You can’t sacrifice the present for a future that may never come. I have a much better appreciation of this after seeing so many loved ones die recently.</p>
<p>We also save a decent amount, but 2 full pays at privates, puts a dent in it;)</p>
<p>I would rather eat ramen noodles from 70+ then cut back on fine dining,fine wine and great vacations in our 50’s…that said we are well prepared for retirement</p>
<p>Doct, i think we are on same page…</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I’d personally feel fine if I were sure that my heirs were taken care of.</p>
<p>For those that do want to enjoy life, I hope that you’re doing everything that you can to improve your health so that you can enjoy life. I, and many others on the diet and exercise list, enjoy life to a greater degree with added fitness and lower weight.</p>
<p>Oh yes, if you have $50K and need to lose 65 pounds, and are in the Boston area, I’d spend some of it at one of Mike Boyle’s gyms.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I wonder if those in the armed forces think this way.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I’d rather eat healthy foods all the way through, run 15-30 miles per week, play tennis a few times a week and I’d like to run a marathon someday. I don’t drink alcohol outside of an ounce or two a year - my body doesn’t handle it well.</p>
<p>I’m also in the camp of people who live life to the fullest, but not wasteful,you’ll never know how long you have or how long you can do something that you enjoy.
For the $50K investment, I would buy some mutual fund, it’s not worth the hassle to buy stocks on that amount. I found one that has survived the depression era from Vanguard.</p>
<p>Yeah - I worked with a guy who had millions. He had bought csco, msft, intc etc very early on. He was a health nut, thin guy very physically active. He retired at 67 and died the next year from cancer.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>You can go with ETFs as opposed to mutual funds. They give you far more flexibility with lower fees. I sometimes wonder why mutual funds still exist.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Well, we could all die from nuclear war tomorrow. But we could also live another fifty years or we could live to 2040 - when immortality should become possible.</p>
<p>Again, what do you think of the young men and women that go into the military services or those that take hazardous jobs to provide a service to the rest of us?</p>
<p>I very much admire and appreciate the work of our military personnel. That has absolutely NOTHING to do with how I spend my own money…or not.</p>
<p>If I got $50K tomorrow, I would use it as a down payment for a house for one of my kiddos.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>The relationship is live for today for tomorrow we die. What about those that volunteer to die or potentially die yesterday?</p>
<p>BC, I have a solution if I live that long, ride a bike down a steep hill without a break. :D</p>
<p>Why would you need a break?</p>
<p>In response to your post below, when I run out of money.
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not all investment goals have a matching ETF, although it is a valid point to say that there are probably many mutual funds that are rather pointless to a knowledgeable investor but exist mainly to be sold to less knowledgeable investors.</p>
<p>Not all ETFs are inexpensive either.</p>
<p>A mutual fund investor (whether “regular” mutual fund or ETF) needs to carefully evaluate the fund in context with his/her investment goals.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Those who served in the US Navy and US Air Force in the Iraq theater in 2003-2006 had a lower death rate than overall American men aged 20-34 (the closest approximation of the equivalent civilian population). The US Marine Corps and US Army took the increased risk of death.</p>
<p>[“Mortality</a> of American Troops in Iraq” by Samuel H. Preston and Emily Buzzell](<a href=“http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_working_papers/1/]"Mortality”>http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_working_papers/1/)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not everyone has expensive tastes… some of the tastiest food comes from inexpensive restaurants or food trucks. Also, I would not be surprised if some people spent an order of magnitude more than others on similar vacations.</p>