Barbaraok

“Never again” our thoughts EXACTLY.

When we moved from Ohio to Michigan is 1983, we had experience with being long distance landlords (height of recession, couldn't sell the house). It ended up being very costly for us when the renter lost her job and it took us MONTHS to evict her and then had to correct the damage done to the house. We sworn never again to get into that position - but I do know that some people have had success with that type of arrangement. We set aside funds for whatever comes later like Kirk did - - we just keep moving later down the road.

The trick is to recognize the "that is similar to a Class A or Class B ...." means that if your state is okay with having Class C licenses good for 50,000# RVs, then Texas recognizes that they are "similar" and you can drive your RV in Texas during your visits there. And other states have different interpretations of when to require enhanced licensing - for example it is length in California, not weight.

You do need a Class B license in Texas for a motorhome over 26,000#. I know, I have one. IT IS NOT A CDL LICENSE. Texas licenses for private drivers are Class A, Class B, Class C and Class M. CDLs are another subject and only people who drive commercial vehicles need those. And as long as you are licensed correctly in your home state, other states accept that license. It is beyond me how so many people can screw up something that is relatively straight forward if one has the ability to read.

Being "the rock in the river" also saves on fuel costs. We laugh every day when running around the Phoenix area - we are always passed by people who evidently feel that they MUST be use to the next red light. This area is FLAT - you can see the red lights miles ahead, but they have to pass us to roar up and slam on their brakes.

FYI - welders are in demand in the PNW. There is a building boom in the greater Seattle area (meaning from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, BC) and they are hiring. Also, many biotech firms are locate in areas on the east side of Seattle, like Auburn, Kent, Bellevue, etc. Still higher priced rentals in those areas, but not everyone has to go downtown Seattle to work in the area. Again, your degree comes first - - that is your first priority. I realize you think that you have it all in hand, but there are so many things that can rear their heads (like your major professor getting a new job and moving) that you need to get your research done and most of the dissertation finished before you start focusing on what type of living arrangement in some far off place you will need.

Considering there are truck combos 65' or longer climbing all of those passes, I'm not sure what you are so worried about. We pull over to the right going over passes if there is run, otherwise, our tax money is as good as anyone else. And the Grapevine is not that big of a deal. We routinely climb it 1-2 times a year. BTW - a 40 ft RV is almost always a diesel and they climb very nicely.

Wait, you have a husband? Would he also be moving? What is his field. You need to slow down and get that degree and then see where the jobs are.

We're chemists, and I really don't know what they will be looking for at Western in the next few years. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't look at the school in detail - as with a lot of other schools that you might want to look at all over the country. If yo want to stay in academia, you will have to go to where the jobs are - - which is what we did for 40 years. Yes, you might be a long way away from your parents - but that is the way things go when you pursue education. There are also a lot of biotech firms in the greater Seattle area as well as in the Tri-Cities areas (Richland/Pasco/Kenewick) on the east side of the Cascades. Yes, the DMV will accept the RV park addresses where you have annual stays. Barb

If your parents are in Vancouver, BC then I would suggest you would want to look at Bellingham (assuming you want to stay on the US side of the border). What field of study are you pursuing. There is a terrific university in Bellingham (obviously terrific because Dave and I went there!) if you are looking for academic job. Lots of other things in the area and things are much, much cheaper than in the Seattle area. And there are a lot of RV parks on the north side of of Bellingham - that's where we spend 6-8 weeks each summer. Barb

Look at getting an annual site at Tall chief in Fall City. Lake Pleasant in Bothell and Lakeside in Everett have annual sites, but also have a waiting list. As to land, you will be will be way out from the city. Finish your degree than see where you are. A lot can change in a few years, including where the jobs are going to be.

When we bought our coach (diesel pusher) I put 10% of the purchase price into. MAINTENANCE/REPAIR fundand and add to it every month. I also set aside 1/12th of any annual bills into another fund. Thus, when bills come due, we have the cash to pay for it. Not everyone can do that, but if you can you will be ahead in the long way. Remember that maintenance will also include replacing batteries and tires on your rig. We always try to do that when in Oregon to save a little on sales tax. One of the best things you can do is read the blogs of people who post on the different RV forums. There is a wealth of information out there and you will be amazed at all the different ways to fulltime and all of the places people go!

Since you have about 10 years before retiring (correct?) you will have a better feeling about 2 years out. The biggest question will be health care and how you will cover your spouse and any dependents that haven't left the nest by then. Other parts of your budget will be similar to what you do now. While it is commendable to make charity part of your budget, I would suggest that you make sure you have at least 6 months worth of donations always in reserve so that you can cover any needed repairs - AND THERE WILL BE REPAIRS. It isn't a question of "if" but of "when" repairs will be needed. We always give at the end of the year knowing that if something needed to be covered at the first part of the next year, we can use our RMD withdrawals to cover it.

Loads of people stay in stressful jobs for all sorts of reasons. And I would venture we all know people who talked of working just one more year to make just a little more for retirement and then dropped dead never getting to enjoy what they had worked for. I guess I’m confused by why people criticize those who take early retirement for whatever reason.

Did I say anything about being inactive? We may have slowed. Down a little after 12 yrs, but inactive is not something I associate with any RVer. After decades in high Ed administration, the stress reduction was palatable. Just being able to sleep all night with no interruptions was WONDERFUL!

We also took retirement at 62 and did it all wrong. Guess many believe it would have been. Better for Dave to keep working so he would have been dead by 70. Fortunately we listened to our inner. Voices and, having each survived a life threatening illness, made sure we had time to enjoy our retirement. Turns out, retiring early helps your body to last longer. 😃

We have been with Vanguard for over 30 years, you made a good choice. Don't worry about the thread, it will 'close' itself over time.

I agree with Kirk . From the number of times over the past few years we've seen people come and ask this question regarding Schwab, I'd just get the transfer of funds going and be done with them. And what state are you in - if it is one with a state income tax, that simple letter could end up cost you a lot of money.

I would run, not walk, my money away from Schwab. We use Vanguard and have never had a problem, including opening joint accounts as we began taking RMDs each year.

How do you know what I have researched? Again, I was in academia for 40 yrs. you think we didn’t do EXTENSIVE research when getting ready to retire? Really? As you noted, the 4% rule is based upon~a 2% return on VERY CONSERVATIVE investment s. It has lead a lot of people into trouble when interest rates fell to unprecedented levels after the crash. Are you suggesting that you’ve only gotten 2% or less returns on your investments. Also rate of inflation has been very low the past few years. Or are you advocating it for others but not yourself? My biggest problem with your original statements that a $1.5M principal was required for retirees - which is always put forward by investment companies trying to get new investors. If the average age on these forums was in their 30s & 40s then that might be a starting point. But I would venture that a lot of us are (1) all ready retired, (2) are not trying to maintain lifestyle similar to when they were working, and (3) have experiences as retirees that are worth exploring.

Because of a lot of different medications that Dave takes, he has to be careful with interactions. When his gastric reflux began interfering with his daily life, he tried different OTC remedies but he can't take omeprazole because it interferes with his Plavix. However, there is a new (non-generic) drug called Dexalant that doesn't interfere with other medications and Dave was given a trial set of pills. They seemed to help, but when we went to get the prescription filled, our Insurance denied coverage ($600/month) until the physicians wrote to justify the need to have that specific drug. Agreed that there is no way to have a written budget that can take into account what prescriptions you might need 6 months or a year from now! We are lucky in that our Part D plan (paid for by our former employer) is very good and for most prescriptions it is $20 for 90 days worth of medication. What is really galling is the pharmaceutical companies engaging in price gouging on generic meds, for example the cost increases for insulin!

We've been retired 12 years and with the exception of the year of the 'crash' we have made much more than the 4% on our different investments. The key is to have a diversified portfolio and hopefully not have a huge amount in the traditional 'safe' investments for retirees.

Yes, the math can get really complicated. DiffyQ is what is needed but since the variables are so difficult to pin down, it is almost as bad as trying to determine orbital probability for any atom beyond hydrogen.

Jim, are you suggesting that as a woman I would not understand the 4% rule, or that my education is in some way lacking?

You are assuming that (1) the rest of us don’t have investments that are currently growing, (2) that everyone will live 30 years past retirement, and. (3) we are all 20years away from retirement. Plus, you are assuming a LESS than a 4% growth every year the money. Are you currently retired? If not, what are you basing your amount needed in retirement? And how old are the people you are pitching your scenario to? You might be amazed to find out that people can live on less than you think.