# prepping for retirement



## Prepp(g)er (Feb 18, 2014)

how is your prepping plan in accordance with your plans for retirement?

do you see your preps playing a role with what you want to set aside for when you don't work anymore. or did anyone of you have benefits yet from your preps that help you now with being comfortably retired.

one example: i'm stocking up on precious metals now, so when i'm older i have something on hand to sell on a regular basis to help me finance my day to day living. it adds up over the years...

or did you build a stock/hoard of items you can now rely on like long-term foods, ammo etc. that you don't have to buy anymore and thus save some cash of your retirement savings.

write down your plans and actions you have taken or want to take in that regard, so that not only i might get some new ideas, but maybe we can also help others on this forum to think about new stuff in that area.

Prepp(g)er


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

My preps for retirement are a long way off. By that point I plan to have almost complete self sufficiency, with solar, wind and hydro electric for power. I plan to have my own fruit and vegetable crops growing properly on my land, and I plan to have chickens and ducks (for the eggs, and for the meat). But I have another 40 years to go to get it all in place.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

I prepped for retirement, I paid my SS tax. Now I'm living with it. Do I have everything I want hell no, but I have a roof over my head that is 100% paid for, food to eat and enough to live on. I do have some preps on hand and am getting more as possible. The kids are raised and doing their thing. I help when I can and it's appropriate. All things considered it's not all that bad, aside from the government trying to screw up my life, but that's one of the reasons I prep!


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## Prepp(g)er (Feb 18, 2014)

That's what i mean. prepping does not only need to be for when shtf. i hope it never really comes to an event like that. the best thing would be that nothing happens and you were one the safe side. and on top of that use your preps for your benefit when you retire.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Me and Mrs. have been retired for just over a year now. The way I look at it, just getting out of Illinois was a big addition to my preps. Newer house, little smaller, less upkeep, put a nice chunk into the bank and every year I will nearly $5k in real estate taxes. I don't have to contend with the anti-gun nuts and I think I can handle the climate. The wife's arthritis is doing much better but kind of miss my friends. The biggest concern I have is water storage.


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## Rigged for Quiet (Mar 3, 2013)

I made some major decisions in my late 20's/early 30's that if things hold together will launch me into a semi retirement second career type situation in another 4 years if I so choose. I may extend it out a few years, but I've been eyeballing retirement for most of my adult life.

I think it comes from seeing what it's like to be old and have nothing but Social Security when I was a kid.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

I have been a prepper for years, used to be called survivalist back when I started.
Wife and I both lost our jobs 2 years ago, within 6 months of each other.
We were debt free, no mortgage.
Weren't planning to retire then, but we are ok.
Get your plans in motion folks, it's gonna get worse


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## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

Huge hope for retirement. I'm hoping that tech still advances the way it has been going. Solar/wind/alternative power supplies will continue to evolve and become cheaper and more abundant. I hope they can become far more efficient with much less cost. That way my retirement funds will not be wasted away on random luxuries..and the neccessities will be much more effiecient.

Way nerding out...but I hope that someone someday invents a food replicator from Star Trek. A single power source and boom...food/water/needed items for life.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

My home is paid off but owe on some credit cards & a vehicle I just purchased a year ago. Food stores have come in handy in the past when unexpected bills like vehicle breakdown had happened. I've been living off my military retorement but in a few months will starting getting social security. That will be a 60% increase in retirement so can work on getting the credit cards & then vehicle paid off.


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## SAR-1L (Mar 13, 2013)

With rising cost of everything I can't imagine ever being able to retire. Social Security won't likely be around in 30-40 years, and what would I do if I am retired anyways? I imagine I would be doing what I am doing now... working, saving, and getting the few things I need while looking to travel to places worth traveling to. With my job when things are tight money wise it already feels like retirement.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

To plans for different out comes that in the end work together.
Plan for retirement as though the world will go on few bumps in the road but it will work out.
Prep to expect Natural disasters and or short term Political unrest will cause short to longer term disruption in life as we know it .
As I have said before There is not reason your preps need to take a lot from your life. Much of what you do to prepare provide useful items no madder what.
Food is food,Our Bug in location is our home now and if SHTF so it does not really madder . We will retire here or Bug in here either way.
Our weapons are either tools for SHTF of one heck of a nice investment that will be passed on .
The joking called bed room for my Bikes is really a shelter . But until STHF it will server as a great place to keep the bikes.
I will not judge how others prep to much only the end will show us who is 100% right or wrong. The rest of us will fall in between some where.
No reason retirement plans and preping can not merge.


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## spokes (Feb 22, 2014)

Being prepared for retirement is like being prepared to get pregnant.If a person was ever truly ready, nobody would ever retire, (or get pregnant).

It costs an average of 241,000 dollars to raise a child to adulthood in today's economy. See anybody saving that amount of money before they have a kid? Same with retirement. You can save in the form of an IRA or whatever but you unless you are independently wealthy, it is never enough. You just learn to cut back and as the old saying goes: Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without.


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## PalmettoTree (Jun 8, 2013)

I saw that my business was not going to put my children through college or prep us for retirement. So with less than $100,000 of net worth we closed our businesses and got jobs in 1991.

As soon as we were eligible we invested in 401k plans to get the company match. Every time we got a raise or promotion we increased our 401k contribution by half of the wage increase. I had 2 employers. I rolled over my first 401k in 2001. By the time I retired 3 Jan. 2009 we were each pumping 25% of our gross into 401k programs and I was managing my rolled over account. My wife retired 31 Dec. 20012. 

All our money is now in self directed IRAs which I manage. 

Our social security is our spending money. None of it is obligated to any living expenses. All our bills are connected to one checking account. I put part of our dividend income into that account to cover everything including state and federal tax obligations. Now we can move between our two homes without worrying about bill payment. I do not need to worry about losing too much if that account is hacked because it is not attached to any other account, not even the same bank.

The plan is to live off dividends then have our two children get dividends when they retire to supplement their retirement accounts. Then all our money will be split between our 5 grandchildren.

Our investments include silver coins, two homes, and the rest in dividend paying stocks.

One home has a fresh water creek. The other at the beach. Each house has more guns and ammo than I will ever need.


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## Prepp(g)er (Feb 18, 2014)

sounds like your plan worked out. i'm impressed and hope to be where you are when i'm at that age. you set a great example!


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## Casie (Feb 26, 2014)

Lots of good posts here.

Economic collapse. That right there is my boogeyman. I don't sit up nights worrying about hurricanes or nuclear accidents or solar flares, but man oh man do I worry about the sorry state of US debt and dollars.

I do think they will be able to keep printing and propping the system up for a long long time. I believe/hope/pray that my parent's retirement is safe and they can really enjoy these years. I watched them work so damn hard for what they have. Just like you guys I'm sure!

But for anyone in their 30's now, it seems idiotic to have faith in our 401ks, savings accounts, and the SS credits we are accumulating.

I was actually relieved to read about Obama's MyRA scam. It means maybe they aren't quite ready to seize all the savings and 401ks yet. They still need time to get this MyRA crap working. So maybe that buys us 5 or 10 years. Any jerk can open an IRA and buy T-bills. I don't know why they would, but they could. It's just the first step in setting up a Government run retirement program, that they can use when they steal... I'm sorry... _save_ your retirement.

The really sick part is the MyRA scam is literally targeting young and low income people. Selling them T-bills that won't keep up with inflation and making promises as if a person could ever retire on a account that was making 2 dollars a year. Talk about sick.

Imagine a government deciding what health care you receive and ALSO doling out your retirement. You think I'm going to be allowed life saving surgery at age 70 when they are just starting to have to pay me what they owe? Those monsters can't wait to give me a pain pill and pocket the retirement cash.

So what am I doing right now to prep for retirement? I don't fuking know! lol! Someone tell me when it will blow. Tell me what gold and silver will do. Tell me if we'll have deflation before inflation. Tell me if property taxes are going to hit the sky. Tell me what country becomes the new reserve currency. Tell me if the stock market rebounds. If I knew anything for certain, I'd nail my retirement plan down so tight, I might even be a rich old lady one day.

But I don't know poop. And that' why I'm building a chicken coop. (I heard rhymes are totally in right now.)

I could rant about this all day, so I should probably stop now! Thanks for the good thread.

PS. Seriously I'm going to need some real answers to those questions. Anyone? Anyone? no? ok.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

My pension fund is in my will, the money in it, if I die and there is plenty left, it goes to my Mrs and daughters (by that time the 2nd one will be born). Also it isn't in a government held trust either, but a private pension pot.


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## PalmettoTree (Jun 8, 2013)

Most of the fears about the dollar are based on a false understanding of money. There are two currencies I trust the US dollar and the British pound sterling. No currency should be considered a place to hold wealth. The biggest misunderstanding about money is when one sees a part of the definition that says "a store of value." This only means one it's physical structure will boy determinate over time like a fish. It also means a dime will always be one tenth of a dollar. These are functional requirements.

Often currencies have become more valuable as commodities than money. A pre-1964 US coin is worth more as a commodity than its value as money. Yet any dime still carries the currency purchasing power of one tenth of a dollar.

Currencies are for buying things. The relative value of any currency varies in relation to things constantly. Wealth is stored in two things. One is in things that generate more wealth when producing something_exchanged for money_then purchasing something to store wealth. The other is items of finite quantity with a generally increasing demand like land, silver, gold, etc.

Prepping is all about purchasing things for survival. It is a big mistake to confuse wealth accumulation with tools of survival. Tools of survival are only of value during a very narrow set of circumstances. Not prepping for those circumstances is foolish. Betting those circumstances will occur, remain for an extended period, such that ones wealth is based on such an event is a foolish bet.


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## Prepp(g)er (Feb 18, 2014)

Great posts so far, good job y'all. maybe some of the others want to chip in as well? the goal is, as stated above, to get as many (different) ideas in here as possible. so we can learn sth. new and get ideas on how to improve our prepping and at the same time learn on how that will improve our comfort/security when we're retired.

so don't be shy!


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## PalmettoTree (Jun 8, 2013)

There is one thing that might be more important for younger people as times change. Buying and selling a home is getting more expensive. Some may not be able to have two homes. Therefore as vocations or other reasons force you to relocate. You should consider a home that fits you in your advancing years.

For example we recently purchased a cottage at the beach. It is not in a flood zone. Except for guest rooms we do not need to climb a single step. Stores for food, drugs, hardware, library, etc. as well as the beach are golf cart accessible. 

All that may not be practical for you but I hope you get my point.


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## jro1 (Mar 3, 2014)

I'm certain I won't see retirement in my life time.....my pension anyway! I'm sure the Gov will spend that on another war, Bail out or welfare for people who choose not to work!
At this point I'm relying on the second coming for retirement!


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

We are close to retirement. We are debt free at this point but may need to get the wife a new car. My prepping includes retirement. Barring an economic collapse we will be in decent shape, thanks largely to my better half. Even if we do see a collapse, we should still be ok. I plan on having a part time business for extra income.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Im retiring early (3 years). We are going to have a 5th wheel, no bills and an official BOL on 150 acres and plenty of time to enjoy it.


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## Andygold1 (Feb 28, 2014)

i started stocking up on gold bullion, i dont have a a significant amount, just under an ounce 22 grams. im buying 2-3g a month. the main reason is to use it as a hedge against economic downturns. 24k 999.9 gold,its the type of gold that countries use to pay of their debts. im new to this community so my question is, what else can i get my hands on to help protect myself against economy, if its other metals or any other objects and supplies.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Andygold1 said:


> i started stocking up on gold bullion, i dont have a a significant amount, just under an ounce 22 grams. im buying 2-3g a month. the main reason is to use it as a hedge against economic downturns. 24k 999.9 gold,its the type of gold that countries use to pay of their debts. im new to this community so my question is, what else can i get my hands on to help protect myself against economy, if its other metals or any other objects and supplies.


There are many here that will tell you only brass and lead. These same people will tell you others will take your PM's. If others are going to take your PM's they will also be after everything else you have, food, guns, ammo, etc.

Me, I don't do gold but I do buy silver. Just a little at a time but it adds up after a while. I personally buy from APMEX | Silver, Silver Bar, Silver Bars, Silver Bullion, Gold and More - APMEX.com | APMEX.com They are close to me and have outstanding customer service and a quick turn around time.


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## pharmer14 (Oct 27, 2012)

I'm a long way off from retirement as I'm just getting ready to start my career in the coming 5 months or so. 

But the single biggest retirement investment I plan on making is paying of my student loans much quicker (hoping for 5 years tops) than the 15-30 years many people do so. Taking the long road, interest makes loans nearly twice as expensive depending on your interest rate.

After that, I plan on trying to keep my lifestyle small and bank the rest in a combination of preps, precious metals, retirement funds, etc. If I go military, the pension and TRICARE will help out down the road... if they still exist by the time I retire...


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