LEOs: How did you get into law enforcement?

[Rupert]

Being that I am probably the only retired member of the board, I think I will throw in my .01 1/4 cents.

Starting early planning is the only way to go in these modern times.  I started planning the minute I graduated college, and I retired at 40.  When I say I retired, I mean full retirement. 

[yawn]

Planning early is your duty IF you want to be able to retire before your 65th birthday.  My dad once told me, "Invest often, invest alot."

[etcetera]

Sorry for the long post, I just can not possibly disagree anymore with your assessment than I do right now.  It shows a lack of maturity and thought, and caring about your financial future.  You are only allowed so many days of productive work in a given lifetime, and you must make the most of them that you can. 

[clip]

Failing to plan is simply ensuring a working class future.
Ask Randy what good planning can do for a man.
Ten years ago he invested in a Roth IRA with $5,000, he was 27.  My financial advisor says that when Randy turns 77 that one investment will be worth $1,000,000 dollars.  Had he invested that money when he was 19 he would be albe to collect it at 69 years old. 


How old am I now? 

42

First highlighted point:
I dunno about you, but I'd rather not live my life for the purpose of retiring. It's way more important to be able to concentrate on being happy now than it is to be unhappy for 20 years and retire when you're 40. That does not mean that you shouldn't plan for the future.

Second highlighted point:
Lack of maturity and thought? Lack of caring about my financial future? Oh, jog off. What I've said, even before your post, does no such thing as imply I'm some immature kid who wants to live with Mommy and Daddy when I'm 30 and work in a convenience store until I'm 80. That's your own bias there, chief. Also, making the most of life does not mean making the most of your "days of productive work" for everyone.

So, as a retired 42 year old, what do you do with all that free time?

[the nameless one]

First highlighted point:
I dunno about you, but I'd rather not live my life for the purpose of retiring. It's way more important to be able to concentrate on being happy now than it is to be unhappy for 20 years and retire when you're 40. That does not mean that you shouldn't plan for the future.

Retirement should ALWAYS be on your mind during your entire working career. Thats not to say that you can't have fun in the meantime, but you have to live within your means, and that  includes savinga  large per centage of your income for the bad days. Americans as  a whole do not save anywhere near the amount they should. Your 20s are the perfect time to be starting good saving habits that should stick with you your entire working life. Your income will be lower than it will be later down the road, but you generally also have lower expenses.

[dazzleman]

Being that I am probably the only retired member of the board, I think I will throw in my .01 1/4 cents.

Starting early planning is the only way to go in these modern times.  I started planning the minute I graduated college, and I retired at 40.  When I say I retired, I mean full retirement.  I only collect 65% of my last best five years, combined with what I and my departments had payed into my retirement fund.  When I took a new job with a township PD, I was given a pension program and rolled my DPD into the new plan through a Roth IRA contribution.

My new plan then allowed me to "buy back" four years of my military career and leave with 20 on the books, including my DPD service. 

The entire time I worked at DPD and the other department I worked part time for another department in the area a couple times a week.  I paid all of that in, plus ALL of my OT and holiday pay. 

When I retired, I was allowed by my new department to roll 75% of all my accrued sick time, personal time, and "comp" time into my retirement.  Which I hardly ever used, and we accrued them at a rate of 2 days sick and 2.5 day vacation and 2 days personal time, per every month of work. I was there for five years, and only took one week a year of personal time for vacation.

When I turn 45 my percentage jumps to 70%, and when I turn 55 it jumps to 75%.  When I turn 60 it jumps to 85% of my best last five years, at Sgts. pay where it will remain until I die.  My wife receives some type of lump sum payment at the end, which I honeslty do not know what that is right now.

Because I am a vet, I get not only my lifetime insurance through work, I also receive my lifetime veterans benefits.  My wife will continue to receive health benefits for the rest of her life as well.

I also bought stock when I first got married with the money we got at our wedding.  We put $8,000 into Apple at about $22.00 per share.  We just sold it recently at about $190 per share.  We have other stocks and investments, but I just chose to share that one stock as what anyone can do. 

Planning early is your duty IF you want to be able to retire before your 65th birthday.  My dad once told me, "Invest often, invest alot."

The stocks are not for everyone, there is deep inherent risk in them.  Land is good, so is gold.  There will be very little risk in those.  Usually, municiple bonds are secure, and therefore safe.  They do not provide for high yeilds often, but they do give guaranteed yeilds. 

Sorry for the long post, I just can not possibly disagree anymore with your assessment than I do right now.  It shows a lack of maturity and thought, and caring about your financial future.  You are only allowed so many days of productive work in a given lifetime, and you must make the most of them that you can. 

I recently was reading an article that said in short; For every dollar that you spend today, you are wasting $10,000 of properly planned and grown dollars in 10 years.  That means, if you buy a leather jacket that you really do not need for $300 bucks, you have just thrown a possible $300,000 out the window in ten years.

Failing to plan is simply ensuring a working class future.
Ask Randy what good planning can do for a man.
Ten years ago he invested in a Roth IRA with $5,000, he was 27.  My financial advisor says that when Randy turns 77 that one investment will be worth $1,000,000 dollars.  Had he invested that money when he was 19 he would be albe to collect it at 69 years old. 


How old am I now? 

42

Tony, you make some good points overall.

But the concept of retiring at 40 is not a feasible one for most people, no matter how well they plan.  Nor is it necessarily desirable.

Work/life balance is very important.  While it's bad to not plan for the future, it's also bad to make yourself miserable in the present in order to provide for a future that may not be there.  It's important to balance the two.  If you're healthy and happy with what you're doing, and you have a good balance in your life, there's not such a need or desire to retire so young.

One thing I should point out -- the pensions that you're talking about are extraordinarily generous, and far beyond what is available to the average person.  Other than a small pension from my previous job (it will only amount to about $800 per month), I don't have a pension at all; I have to fully provide for my own retirement.

[dazzleman]

Retirement should ALWAYS be on your mind during your entire working career. Thats not to say that you can't have fun in the meantime, but you have to live within your means, and that  includes savinga  large per centage of your income for the bad days. Americans as  a whole do not save anywhere near the amount they should. Your 20s are the perfect time to be starting good saving habits that should stick with you your entire working life. Your income will be lower than it will be later down the road, but you generally also have lower expenses.

Very true.  It's never too early to start saving.  Time is something you can't get back.  It's not good to wait until your 40s or 50s to start saving for retirement.

[hounddog]

First highlighted point:
I dunno about you, but I'd rather not live my life for the purpose of retiring. It's way more important to be able to concentrate on being happy now than it is to be unhappy for 20 years and retire when you're 40. That does not mean that you shouldn't plan for the future.

Second highlighted point:
Lack of maturity and thought? Lack of caring about my financial future? Oh, jog off. What I've said, even before your post, does no such thing as imply I'm some immature kid who wants to live with Mommy and Daddy when I'm 30 and work in a convenience store until I'm 80. That's your own bias there, chief. Also, making the most of life does not mean making the most of your "days of productive work" for everyone.

So, as a retired 42 year old, what do you do with all that free time?

Fine, I wish you the best of luck with your financial future.  My guess is that 'R' will be able to retire and enjoy almost all of his 40s through late life without the need to wake up at 5:30 in the morning and head off to work at 63 years old, but I doubt with that attitude you will be able to do the same.  Planning for the future, and working for the future are two entirely different things. 

Jog Off?  Is that a shot at my health condition?  What I am doing at 42 is struggling through severe health issues. 

I am going to almost every single one of my kids activities, moving to a home on the most sought after lake in Michigan, not having to wonder if we will be able to pay bills, buying cars whenever we feel like it, living well, not worrying about money, and generally trying to enjoy my life even though there are other issues.  Why?  Because I did not merely plan, I acted and made the most out of my working days. 

Something 'R' sounds like he has a handle on.

Had I not started caring for my financial future when I was 22-24, my family would now be in dire straits financially with only my wife working to support us.  THAT is why you plan, and act, for the future and older age when you are young.

However, you assume I hated my life, my job, and everything about being financially responsible while I was young.

 

[hounddog]

Tony, you make some good points overall.

But the concept of retiring at 40 is not a feasible one for most people, no matter how well they plan.  Nor is it necessarily desirable.

Work/life balance is very important.  While it's bad to not plan for the future, it's also bad to make yourself miserable in the present in order to provide for a future that may not be there.  It's important to balance the two.  If you're healthy and happy with what you're doing, and you have a good balance in your life, there's not such a need or desire to retire so young.

One thing I should point out -- the pensions that you're talking about are extraordinarily generous, and far beyond what is available to the average person.  Other than a small pension from my previous job (it will only amount to about $800 per month), I don't have a pension at all; I have to fully provide for my own retirement.

That was the basis of my post; I planned, I acted, I won.  I looked for the best financial options for my family, and when I found them I took absolute advantage of them.  It required I work long long hours, on many many shifts.  But, I was able to make it work for our future.  I am no one special when it comes to this, all I did was work toward an end while staying focused.  I am no smarter than the average guy, I just worked harder. 

[hounddog]

Hounddog, you made out well on Apple!

The one good advice my then financial advisor gave me.  His other advice?  GM and Ford.  Fortunately, I did not take that advice!

[Rupert]

Retirement should ALWAYS be on your mind during your entire working career. Thats not to say that you can't have fun in the meantime, but you have to live within your means, and that  includes savinga  large per centage of your income for the bad days. Americans as  a whole do not save anywhere near the amount they should. Your 20s are the perfect time to be starting good saving habits that should stick with you your entire working life. Your income will be lower than it will be later down the road, but you generally also have lower expenses.

"Always" is a big word to use, but, yeah, we agree.

[Rupert]

Fine, I wish you the best of luck with your financial future.  My guess is that 'R' will be able to retire and enjoy almost all of his 40s through late life without the need to wake up at 5:30 in the morning and head off to work at 63 years old, but I doubt with that attitude you will be able to do the same.  Planning for the future, and working for the future are two entirely different things. 

Jog Off?  Is that a shot at my health condition?  What I am doing at 42 is struggling through severe health issues. 

I am going to almost every single one of my kids activities, moving to a home on the most sought after lake in Michigan, not having to wonder if we will be able to pay bills, buying cars whenever we feel like it, living well, not worrying about money, and generally trying to enjoy my life even though there are other issues.  Why?  Because I did not merely plan, I acted and made the most out of my working days. 

Something 'R' sounds like he has a handle on.

Had I not started caring for my financial future when I was 22-24, my family would now be in dire straits financially with only my wife working to support us.  THAT is why you plan, and act, for the future and older age when you are young.

However, you assume I hated my life, my job, and everything about being financially responsible while I was young.

 

"Jog off" is a pseudo-British term, that, as far as I can tell, is a nicer version of "fuck off".

The key is to pick a career path that makes you happy in and of itself, so that it's not the world's worst thing to get up at whatever time you need to and go to work. After all, I'll need to be doing something when I'm 63, and any children I have along the way will be more or less grown up.

[hounddog]

"Jog off" is a pseudo-British term, that, as far as I can tell, is a nicer version of "fuck off".

The key is to pick a career path that makes you happy in and of itself, so that it's not the world's worst thing to get up at whatever time you need to and go to work. After all, I'll need to be doing something when I'm 63, and any children I have along the way will be more or less grown up.

Actually, I thought you meant to write Jag Off so I was being a smartass.

At 63, I will, hopefully, still be around mowing grass, playing with grand kids, watching Spartan Football win National Championship after National Championship, fishing, boating in the sunset, drinking mucho cervesa, and still kissing Katharine in the morning.  In short, I will still be retired with HOBBIES.  Not work.

But I can not argue the happy part, except for one thing; it is called WORK.  NOT Fun.  The sole purpose of going to work is to make the most money for the present and future that you possibly can in the alloted time period you have to be viable in the workforce.  In some cases, like mine, that is only about 20 years.  I retired, and just a few short months later got sick.  Others have far less time, others far more.  But you damn well better be prepared financially for you future. 

Psilos,
Sorry if I came off that I was calling you immature, ignorant, childish, or anything like that.  I was, but I should not have been.   You are a pretty mature poster, and I am sorry for that comment. 

Just do not think that discouraging a young guy from preparing for his future financially is good business. 

But the personal stuff I said was uncalled for.

[J86]

Dude, pay someone else to mow the grass and go boat more!!

[hounddog]

Dude, pay someone else to mow the grass and go boat more!!

Mowing the grass is great therapy.  I get to get a little excercize, drink a beer on my zero-turn, and not have anyone asking me, "Did you take the garbage out?" "Did you get the mail?" "Did you schedule the dog for her shots?" "Did you call the realtor?"  "Did you remember to make you next doctor appointment?"  and all that other crap.  Its just me, the mower, my beers, and my earmuffs.









































And I am too cheap to pay someone when I have a cool zero-turn that I do NOT want them touching.

[J86]

Mowing the grass is great therapy.  I get to get a little excercize, drink a beer on my zero-turn, and not have anyone asking me, "Did you take the garbage out?" "Did you get the mail?" "Did you schedule the dog for her shots?" "Did you call the realtor?"  "Did you remember to make you next doctor appointment?"  and all that other crap.  Its just me, the mower, my beers, and my earmuffs.

"Did you mow the lawn yet?"

That's one of those household chores I never particularly enjoyed...I didn't mind it in the fall when things were cooler, but summer was brutal.

[J86]

"And I am too cheap to pay someone when I have a cool zero-turn that I do NOT want them touching."

The real reason!

Is taht one of those mowers that spins in its own radius?  Rider I assume?

Part of the reason I hated mowing the lawn is we've got an oldschool push mower...we only have a 1/2 acre so its tough to justify a full blown tractor...

[hounddog]

Dude, pay someone else to mow the grass and go boat more!!

You know, I just realized something.  In Michigan, where I live, my driver license is under medical revocation until review.  BUT, I can legally drive my boat on the open water. 

AND DRINK A BEER WHILE I DRIVE IT. 

WTF?

[Minpin]

Mowing the grass is great therapy.  I get to get a little excercize, drink a beer on my zero-turn, and not have anyone asking me, "Did you take the garbage out?" "Did you get the mail?" "Did you schedule the dog for her shots?" "Did you call the realtor?"  "Did you remember to make you next doctor appointment?"  and all that other crap.  Its just me, the mower, my beers, and my earmuffs.









































And I am too cheap to pay someone when I have a cool zero-turn that I do NOT want them touching.

Our guys just show up once a week and mow it. They are in and out with an hour or so. Around here everyone gets their grass cut by mexicans and when I say everyone I really do mean everyone.

[J86]

You know, I just realized something.  In Michigan, where I live, my driver license is under medical revocation until review.  BUT, I can legally drive my boat on the open water. 

AND DRINK A BEER WHILE I DRIVE IT. 

WTF?

If your state is like mine (and most), you are still subject to .08....although odds of taht happening are slim.

The water is not the roadway...

[Minpin]

You know, I just realized something.  In Michigan, where I live, my driver license is under medical revocation until review.  BUT, I can legally drive my boat on the open water. 

AND DRINK A BEER WHILE I DRIVE IT. 

WTF?

You can get a DUI on a boat just as easily as in a car.

[hounddog]

"And I am too cheap to pay someone when I have a cool zero-turn that I do NOT want them touching."

The real reason!

Is taht one of those mowers that spins in its own radius?  Rider I assume?

Part of the reason I hated mowing the lawn is we've got an oldschool push mower...we only have a 1/2 acre so its tough to justify a full blown tractor...

Yes, that one.  I have always wanted one, and was able to FINALLY talk Kat into one after my last stroke.  I just got it a couple weeks ago. That thing is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!!!!! Better than going to Cedar Pointe!  I always have a good time when I am on it!  Driving it after a few beers makes it even better fun.  I have been mowing twice a week since I got it!

OK, 1/2 an acre is enough to invest in a nice push mower.  I  REALLY like my LawnBoy.  The handle pushes in when you start walking and it speeds up and slows down with you, cutting your mowing time and workout in half. 

[J86]

Yes, that one.  I have always wanted one, and was able to FINALLY talk Kat into one after my last stroke.  I just got it a couple weeks ago. That thing is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!!!!! Better than going to Cedar Pointe!  I always have a good time when I am on it!  Driving it after a few beers makes it even better fun.  I have been mowing twice a week since I got it!

OK, 1/2 an acre is enough to invest in a nice push mower.  I  REALLY like my LawnBoy.  The handle pushes in when you start walking and it speeds up and slows down with you, cutting your mowing time and workout in half. 

Gotta love toys!

Since I took off for school, Mom assumed mowing duties, and she actually doesn't hand them back over when I make it back home.  I think she likes the exercise, and it lets the dog hang around outside.

[hounddog]

You can get a DUI on a boat just as easily as in a car.

True, BUT, here we can have open beer and be drinking while operating.  And for ME to get to .08 is about six beers in a little over an hour.  I know, we have measured it out using a departmentally issued preliminary breath test machine (PBT) at the lake! 

Just do not ask how it got to the lake 200+ miles away from Detroit!

[hounddog]

Gotta love toys!

Since I took off for school, Mom assumed mowing duties, and she actually doesn't hand them back over when I make it back home.  I think she likes the exercise, and it lets the dog hang around outside.

I have to assume you are a young guy?  I hated it as well when I was young, it was a chore.  Now, its an escape and a chance to do the two most important things in a mans life; Drink and play with his Toys.

[J86]

I have to assume you are a young guy?  I hated it as well when I was young, it was a chore.  Now, its an escape and a chance to do the two most important things in a mans life; Drink and play with his Toys.

Yup, third year in college.

Must say, Drink and Play with Toys are already pretty high priorities on the list!

[hounddog]

Yup, third year in college.

Must say, Drink and Play with Toys are already pretty high priorities on the list!

You are well on your way to enlightenment, Grasshopper.

[hounddog]

Our guys just show up once a week and mow it. They are in and out with an hour or so. Around here everyone gets their grass cut by mexicans and when I say everyone I really do mean everyone.

Oh, Good Lord, do NOT let my wife know it only takes an hour to mow the grass.  Right now, it "takes" me about three hours to mow an acre and a half.

[bing_oh]

Give me a break. I'm not some douchey kid who'll be living at home when I'm 30. I'm all for getting married and buying a house at any age from 20 to whenever. But, assuming wifey/hubby has similar goals to you, those things don't impede youth. In fact, a real job that pays well doesn't impede youth. Looking toward and planning for the future are all good ideas. I intend to invest $5-10,000 in an IRA before I'm 30, and I intend to have some idea of what I want to do before I graduate graduate school (26 or 27).

I get concerned when people start looking for a career and having kids before they're 25. Of course, exceptions abound and to each their own.

Boy, I sure hope you have some idea of a career path by the time you graduate from Graduate School. I'd think you might want to consider that a little earlier, even. Most people prefer to choose majors in college that have some bearing on the career field they want to enter...

[hounddog]

Boy, I sure hope you have some idea of a career path by the time you graduate from Graduate School. I'd think you might want to consider that a little earlier, even. Most people prefer to choose majors in college that have some bearing on the career field they want to enter...

OHHHHHHHHH

And the croud goes wild as the champion levels his oppenent with a right cross, knocking him to the ground!

THIS...ONE...IS...OVER!

[Rupert]

Actually, I thought you meant to write Jag Off so I was being a smartass.

At 63, I will, hopefully, still be around mowing grass, playing with grand kids, watching Spartan Football win National Championship after National Championship, fishing, boating in the sunset, drinking mucho cervesa, and still kissing Katharine in the morning.  In short, I will still be retired with HOBBIES.  Not work.

But I can not argue the happy part, except for one thing; it is called WORK.  NOT Fun.  The sole purpose of going to work is to make the most money for the present and future that you possibly can in the alloted time period you have to be viable in the workforce.  In some cases, like mine, that is only about 20 years.  I retired, and just a few short months later got sick.  Others have far less time, others far more.  But you damn well better be prepared financially for you future. 

Psilos,
Sorry if I came off that I was calling you immature, ignorant, childish, or anything like that.  I was, but I should not have been.   You are a pretty mature poster, and I am sorry for that comment. 

Just do not think that discouraging a young guy from preparing for his future financially is good business. 

But the personal stuff I said was uncalled for.

One should at least experience some kind of fulfillment in one's career, even if it's not fun per se.

[Rupert]

Boy, I sure hope you have some idea of a career path by the time you graduate from Graduate School. I'd think you might want to consider that a little earlier, even. Most people prefer to choose majors in college that have some bearing on the career field they want to enter...

Ha! You'd be surprised to know how many people I know who don't know what they want to do with their degree, if anything. A lot of people don't have any idea what they want to do with their life, and they choose majors in stuff like sociology, English, psychology, etc.

I've got a vague idea of what I want to do now (geology), but I'm not about to predict the future and say that nothing else will catch my fancy, or that I won't decide I don't like rocks any longer, or etc.

[bing_oh]

Ha! You'd be surprised to know how many people I know who don't know what they want to do with their degree, if anything. A lot of people don't have any idea what they want to do with their life, and they choose majors in stuff like sociology, English, psychology, etc.

I've got a vague idea of what I want to do now (geology), but I'm not about to predict the future and say that nothing else will catch my fancy, or that I won't decide I don't like rocks any longer, or etc.

You're right. And, thank you for proving my point for me. Those 8th year Sophomores who are majoring in Beer Pong with a minor in Venerial Disease are the same ones who are still "finding themselves" while living in their parents' basements at age 35. The problem is, they're becoming more the rule than the exception in the younger generations today. Even my generation, the Gen X'ers, have that rep...and, for many of them, it's deserved. I actually think it's a contributing factor in the lack of qualified LE candidates today...we're raising generations of people who don't care about anything but "finding themselves," and that makes it tough to find people who want to get into a career where you have to sacrifice personal thing for the greater good of society.

There's a time when you have to become an adult. Becoming an adult doesn't mean that you can't have fun, it just means that your entire life doesn't revolve around the next buzz or the next lay (I'm 31 and, while I like a good buzz or a good lay as much as the next guy, it's not my entire life). In other words, becoming an adult means that you have to occasionally think about the future, even as you're living in the now.