• Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Think about it.

      Even twenty years ago, $1 million meant you could buy a great place for yourself and a business that would let you live large.

      In 1960, $1 million meant a Beverly Hills mansion, a dozen cars, and a place by the beach.

      Kind of a giant leap from that to ‘living stingy.’

      • ShittyRedditWasBetter@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I mean we’re splitting hairs at the point. It’s still a perfectly good middle class income, especially if you own your house already.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          If you think the difference between a Beverly Hills mansion and a three bedroom in the Valley, is ‘splitting hairs,’ then I won’t try to change your mind.

    • KaiReeve@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This isn’t how retirement works.

      If you try to retire on $1M you’re going to end up in a medicaid facility. Interest rates are high right now, so $1M in the bank may get you as much as $5,000/mo if you’re lucky. This is $60,000/yr and can be supplemented with social security to allow a person to live well enough at today’s cost of living.

      However, inflation is a constant and is ideally restricted to 2-3% per year. This means that every year you live after you retire, your spending power is reduced by at least 2%. So even if interest rates stay high (they won’t) then by the time you hit 85 your $60,000/yr will feel more like $24,000. This will still be supplemented by social security, but you will also find that your needs are increasing by this age and you will likely need to start using your savings to pay a lovely nurse or two to help with, well, everything. In-home care and even nursing facilities are quite costly and will eat away at your savings, so if you only have $1M you better start dying soon after needing them.

      This all assumes best-case-scenario. It doesn’t account for runaway inflation rates, pandemics, recessions, catastrophic events (it’s not uncommon for the elderly to accidentally set things on fire), or other possibilities that can take a bite out of your retirement savings.

      When your money runs out you won’t be kicked out on the streets, thankfully. But a medicaid facility in the US can be nearly as dangerous for the elderly.

      • ShittyRedditWasBetter@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Absolutely not. It’s enough to provide you with a$4000 a month of retirement income. It’s a very middle class income to live comfortably.