Mad cat and retirement

 Sunday my dad came for a turkey dinner.  I also made pumpkin muffins, because he loves them!  This really has been an expensive week.  I paid for the dress for CSYO  it was $55.  I also had to take my dog to the vet and it was $105.  I can't understand how a dog that weighs 4.2pounds can cost so much.  I also had to go with my daughter to send off for her passport as she will be traveling extensively in Europe next summer.  Apparently a passport has to be good for six months before you can be allowed to use it to come into the United States.  Yeah, we all joked that we should wait a couple of months and she wouldn't be allowed back in the country.  She did not think we were cute or funny.  A passport costs $150. My youngest daughter will be going on a trip with the marching band soon and that cost us another $40.  This has been the most expensive week so far.



 Today was another beautiful fall day.  I love this time of year.  Mums are my favorite flower and I love the fall colors.  In another week those trees will be stunning.  Today I went to a retirement seminar.  I found out what it takes to retire.  First, you should write down what you want in retirement.  If you don't have a plan in mind then you won't know where you are going or how to get there.

Second, how much will you need in retirement?  They suggested that you need 80% of your income in todays dollars.  Then, we talked about inflation.  For example, to buy a car today can cost around 30K.  In thirty years it will cost about 55K.  Crazy right.
Lastly,  you have to figure out how much you will receive from social security and subtract that amount from the amount you need and that is the income gap.  That is how much money you have to come up with on your own.  You can find your social security info. at SSA.gov.
It's important to be familiar with the best way to take your social security benefit, because if you make a mistake it can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.   I recommend when that time comes, you talk with your advisor.  Also, if you think an annuity is right for you, the number one thing it needs to have is liquidity.  Can you make it liquid?  Something to keep in mind as you get older.  My financial advisor stopped me as I was leaving and told me, he was going to make me work til I was 70.  I said "Hell no, my everything hurts."

My little dog has two ear infections.  She got some medicine and one shot.  I am happy to report that we survived the visit to the vet.  Although I am not sure about the man that came in with the big old tom cat.  We heard that big old cat hissing and screaming in there and the man screaming, "no, no, no and Oh God and oh my God and then $%&* and people went running. I looked at the other woman waiting and she said, "do we need to call 911?"  Yikes.  One lady came out and said, "he is going to be hurting tomorrow!"  That cat was terrified.