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Counting down to retirement - so many choices!


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Like Kirk, we do not own a house, and would not want one while on the road. It really has no utility to us, and we really would not want to go back to a large house. Perhaps a Casita or something like that. Under 1000 sq. ft. for sure. And would have no interest in the places we formerly lived. But that is just us.

 

I also would not want to tow a trailer. Just more "stuff" and more things to go wrong. For exploring offroad nothing really beats a Jeep Wrangler and they are towable 4-down. But everyone's needs are different.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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I agree with Jack about the Jeep for towing and exploring the back country...however I have to say that a Jeep Cherokee will go anywhere a Wrangler will and rides smoother and quieter on the hiway. As well they can be purchased with 4 doors and electric locks and windows.....a touch more civilized....?

 

At least the older Cherokees....dont know about the new ones. We are presently looking to upgrade our 1999 Cherokee sport as linda wants one with the afore mentioned electric door locks and windows.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

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In law, domicile is the status or attribution of being a permanent resident in a particular jurisdiction. A person can remain domiciled in a jurisdiction even after they have left it, if they have maintained sufficient links with that jurisdiction or have not displayed an intention to leave permanently (i.e., if that person has moved to a different state, but has not yet formed an intention to remain there indefinitely).

 

Like we spend a lot of Time in Florida .We are Florida residents. We pay Florida Property tax's. We are residents of Florida but Florida is not our Domicile.

 

We are registered to Vote in Ohio. We pay Ohio State Tax our vehicles are registered in Ohio. We do not intend to stay in Flor ida indefinitely. For Insurance purposes our Home in Ohio is fully furnished. The utilities although on vacation status are active.

 

It becomes more complicated for full timers.

 

More on the importance of Health insurance. The wife was involved in a mishap that involved injuries. We just got the bills today for TWO days of medical care. Emergency room, X rays, medical care, more Xrays' Hospital was Heart of Florida a very good hospital. Total billed.. 6,660.87.That is for TWO DAYS out patient.

We have a employer provided Health Insurance that we were able to carry over into retirement. BC/BS

 

Bill to her is 428.59 of which 350.00 is her 2015 deductible and 78.59 is co-insurance. I do not know for what yet. She is a bit shy of Medicare but IF she was the cost to here would have been zero . Her cost in terms of the portion of the premium she pays is 2160.00 per year. With no insurance or a high deductible policy 6,660.87 would have been a big hit for us . Medical expense will put you off the road or prevent you from going on it. Oh I did not include the cost of medication most of which our Health Insurance pays for.

 

The wife is good she is hurting but she is a tough Irishman.

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

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It becomes more complicated for full timers.

That is more true if you change your domicile once the house is sold. For those who keep everything where it always was except for the physical presence it tends to remain a pretty clear legal question. No matter what your situation happens to be, you can run into legal issues over vehicle registrations, driver's licensing and such in any state where you stay too long, if the officials there catch you. Even when you still own a stick house "back home" there are states which have laws stating that you must mover your registrations and such to their jurisdiction after a particular time period or immediately upon accepting a paid job.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Right Kirk it is usually 180/183 days out of state and domicile can be questioned. However we were advised that showing no intention to leave permanently holds weight as long as you are not avoiding taxes. Using a kids address as your domicile will usually not work if questioned.

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

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I agree with Jack about the Jeep for towing and exploring the back country...however I have to say that a Jeep Cherokee will go anywhere a Wrangler will and rides smoother and quieter on the hiway. As well they can be purchased with 4 doors and electric locks and windows.....a touch more civilized....?

 

At least the older Cherokees....dont know about the new ones. We are presently looking to upgrade our 1999 Cherokee sport as linda wants one with the afore mentioned electric door locks and windows.

 

Jim, I might see if the wife can stand a cherokee. The Cherokee milage is certainly more tolerable than the wrangler (we're used to 31-34mpg with our current vehicles). But she's super picky about what's comfortable for her back. We tried about 10 different vehicle before she decided on the Outback she couldn't stand the seating for a 15 minute test ride in most. . I've had a few friends with jeeps and never been over impressed with the ride. We won't be doing any 4 wheeling... just perhaps a few dirt roads. She did like the CRV but I think Honda has killed that for towing for 2015. Honda isn't listed at all for that matter in my new 2015 Motorhome dinghy towing guide.

 

I'm still thinking a trailer with a mini cooper or something small and my bike. And I'll have a garage and workshop onsite.

Cheers,

 

Don

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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More on the importance of Health insurance. The wife was involved in a mishap that involved injuries. We just got the bills today for TWO days of medical care. Emergency room, X rays, medical care, more Xrays' Hospital was Heart of Florida a very good hospital. Total billed.. 6,660.87.That is for TWO DAYS out patient.

We have a employer provided Health Insurance that we were able to carry over into retirement. BC/BS

 

Bill to her is 428.59 of which 350.00 is her 2015 deductible and 78.59 is co-insurance. I do not know for what yet. She is a bit shy of Medicare but IF she was the cost to here would have been zero . Her cost in terms of the portion of the premium she pays is 2160.00 per year. With no insurance or a high deductible policy 6,660.87 would have been a big hit for us . Medical expense will put you off the road or prevent you from going on it. Oh I did not include the cost of medication most of which our Health Insurance pays for.

 

The wife is good she is hurting but she is a tough Irishman.

 

Healthcare is without a doubt the single most expensive recurring expense. We're budgeting $1500/month. We're retiring at 57/58 and paying our own freight till 65... I would say at under $6700 for 2 days you were lucky! A 7 day stay in 2012 cost me (and insurance) $280K+ We're still trying to get accurate estimates of what to expect and also see if ACA will survive.

Cheers,

 

Don

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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. We're retiring at 57/58 and paying our own freight till 65...

That is what our ages were, but we were fortunate that my early retirement included health care coverage provided at a small cost to us from my previous employer.

 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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I'm still thinking a trailer with a mini cooper or something small and my bike. And I'll have a garage and workshop onsite.

No matter what motor home you get, there will be limits on what you can tow and unless you have an aluminum enclosed trailer the car you put inside it will have to be pretty light. My '99 Wrangler with a soft top and half doors weighs in at only 3200 pounds and even an enclosed aluminum trailer would put me well over my towing limits. But it is a siren call, no doubt about it.

 

One guy I knew had a kw of solar on his trailer and a 5,000 watt inverter; he'd park the trailer in the sun and just plug his 30a cord into it. But he had 600hp and a tag.

 

WDR

1993 Foretravel U225 with Pacbrake and 5.9 Cummins with Banks

1999 Jeep Wrangler, 4" lift and 33" tires

Raspberry Pi Coach Computer

Ham Radio

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Jim, I might see if the wife can stand a cherokee.

A Cherokee can be towed 4-down with some versions of the trans...but not the one with Active Drive 1. Be sure what you get if you get a Cherokee.

 

If you are never going offroad then you don't need that. Get something like the Honda. Dirt roads are not "offroad" IMO. My smart handles dirt roads fine :)

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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Healthcare is without a doubt the single most expensive recurring expense. We're budgeting $1500/month. We're retiring at 57/58 and paying our own freight till 65... I would say at under $6700 for 2 days you were lucky! A 7 day stay in 2012 cost me (and insurance) $280K+ We're still trying to get accurate estimates of what to expect and also see if ACA will survive.

The wife is at the hospital for more X ray's required by Work mans comp. Looks like broken ribs. This will be many more thousands of $$ Her BC/BS is paying the bill as it goes along. Work mans comp can figure out who pays who and how later.

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

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The wife is at the hospital for more X ray's required by Work mans comp. Looks like broken ribs. This will be many more thousands of $$ Her BC/BS is paying the bill as it goes along. Work mans comp can figure out who pays who and how later.

Sure makes me wonder how she got broken ribs working at Disney. My leaking memory seems to think restaurant hostess?

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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She is in Food service but this happened on a Disney Cast member bus that stopped suddenly threw her against the metal frame work in front of her and a male cast member into her. Two broken ribs and torn other things. work mans comp has kicked in and is doing a good job.

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

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  • 6 months later...

Hello all,

 

An update on our countdown... Since I started this thread 1 year ago today. I've got 29 working days after today! Will retire Christmas eve and my new job will be getting the house ready for market in late spring and selling as much as I can online and getting ready for some big yard sales when the snow melts. We've been looking over the insurance options and it's enough to make one dizzy. Our plan has changed somewhat since my original post and we're now just selling the Maine property and will only have shared ownership on property in NH & FL. Pretty much thinking FL domicile, now just a question of when we start working towards that. Will activate Escapees FL mail service sometime in Q1 2016 to get that established and tested. We've come close on a couple nice Tiffin DP's and a Newmar, but after weighing the cost of insurance, winter storage etc, have opted to wait until about March and probably drive south with a short list in hand to check, inspect and hopefully find the right Bus. If we do find something too good to pass up in the next 3-4 months we might still purchase and store near where it is bought for a few months and bring it north in the spring... but more likely wait until March and do it in a single trip, especially with the holidays coming on. I'm watching Tiffin RV classifieds, RVT, RVTrader & RVOnline.com. Primarily looking for an 08-09 vintage Tiffin Bus, but looking at a few other makes/models too.

 

For those who have looked through the insurance options for 2016 (especially FL), it seems to me that almost everything outside FL is "out of network". You'd think blue cross would be more available around the country but the plans we've looked at seem to not list any providers outside FL unless I'm doing something wrong. Wife is a case manager for an insurance company and she is semi panicked by the lack of portability. In her working with patients all over the country, has NOT been impressed with FL hospitals and doctors overall. If a major incident occurred and we weren't in FL it appears we'd pay 50% of everything on the plans we're looking at. The BC 1535 plan has $0 deductible and $3000 OOP individual max and $6000 OOP max family, but not clear if the out of network would stop hemorrhaging at $3000/$6000 or keep going if it were out of network. Guess we need to call BCBS. We had a conf call with Kyle this week, but didn't get a lot out of it since we are looking almost a year ahead and not ready to sign anything. Wife plans to work into early June then we may do Cobra or private policy for remainder of 2016, then start a new FL plan in 2017. I had budgeted $1500/month for health insurance, prescriptions & copays, but thinking I may need to bump that up a bit. If we were doing 2016, with our given budget for FT, the BC 1535 comes out at <$800/month for us, but still have the mentioned concerns about state to state portability and out of network penalties.

 

I'm probably going to sell my motorcycle and not worry about dragging that around with us. Due to back issue, wife can't ride more than very short distances and I don't want to be leaving her behind for the day as I take off for rides. So that simplifies that! We plan to keep my 37mpg FWD car and pull it on a Kar Kaddy SS. I'm sure at least 1-2 people will feel the need to tell me that's an awful choice, but we've met and talked to others using them and it's the cheapest way for us to proceed without taking a beating on a trade and then spending even more on setting something else up to tow that has to be started all over again when you trade vehicles. So that's the plan for the toad. No bikelift or enclosed trailer needed as mentioned in 1st post.

We'll get on the road with no debt or any kind of loans which is key since we're both still in our 50's. We are signed up for Escapee boot camp next July at the rally and for the rally, but looking like that might be out the window now as daughter seems to have fixated on bootcamp weekend to get married. Go figure... they had been looking at September. Argh....

 

Right now the biggest concern (besides insurance) is getting rid of stuff. This is probably a 3-5 year fulltime plan, so there will be some stuff stored (wife insists). Not sure if we'll try to buy a used enclosed metal trailer and store on a friend's property or find a reasonable priced storage facility. Can't convince the wife to completely let go and have given up trying. So some furniture, some of my tools and woodshop equipment and a few other things will be stored.

That's the latest from here. Still hoping to be FT on the road by next fall. Thought about posting this in class of 2016 area, but thought the insurance discussions may get more traction here as an update to my original post for those who might not look in the class of 2016 area.

Cheers,

 

Don

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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Thanks for the latest news report! Nothing wrong with your plans as I see them, even though we did so some things differently than you. One thing about the towing situation is that there is nothing to prevent you changing at some point in the future and while it may be somewhat simpler to tow 4down, lots of folks use dollies and continue to do so and it does have the advantage of being able to easily change vehicles to be towed. Health care has always been a challenge for most and with things changing as they are, it is very difficult to pin down your best bet, partly because that could very likely change before your year is up.

 

I know about the wedding issue as our first 4 years on the road, family members did that sort of damage to our Escapade plans too. We had a wedding, a funeral, and two grandchild births to prevent us getting there. But don't give up and should things work out we would love to see you in Essex Junction!

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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We are signed up for Escapee boot camp next July at the rally and for the rally, but looking like that might be out the window now as daughter seems to have fixated on bootcamp weekend to get married. Go figure... they had been looking at September. Argh....

 

I swear sometime kids pick special event dates just to test your commitment to them against your other life pleasures. Maybe, if you assure her you love her enough to give up bootcamp but your new life would be safer if you attended it, she will change her date? I'm sure she wants you safe.

 

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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For those who have looked through the insurance options for 2016 (especially FL), it seems to me that almost everything outside FL is "out of network". You'd think blue cross would be more available around the country but the plans we've looked at seem to not list any providers outside FL unless I'm doing something wrong.

 

This is not true at all unless you are looking only at BlueCare (HMO) plans. BlueSelect and BlueOptions (PPO/EPO plans) have an extensive network of physicians who accept BCBS all over the country. We have a Florida domicile but got all our preventive care this past year in North Carolina (where we used to live and own property and were spending time with family), and everything was covered through our ACA plan. We are 54 and 61 and have a low income since we are "retired" but not drawing on any retirement savings yet, so we have a very low ACA premium.

 

What you are probably doing is only looking at in-Florida providers when you go to the Florida Blue site. There is also a link to view providers in other states. We were able to confirm that all our old doctors were covered. You should be able to find a provider directory on the site; if you can't find it, post back here and I will find it for you. :-)

 

Also, read this excellent article on the 2016 ACA for RVers by Wheeling It: http://wheelingit.us/2015/11/04/health-insurance-time-less-ppos-harder-choices-for-pre-medicare-fulltimers/. Nina explains it all in a lot of detail here.

 

I hope this helps -- there is a lot of confusion about this!

Still RV dreamin' -- no rig yet

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