Stan Gosnell wrote:

I hope I can still be flying then. I don't even hope to be able to
retire before then. Social Security won't be enough, and my 401(k),
which is only a few years old, keeps going down in value, not up.
People who want to put their money into a private account rather than
Social Security need to really think about the possibility. Several
counties around here did just that with their employees, and those
retirees are in a real bind, with little or no retirement income.
They're just screwed.


Yes, being able to afford to fly later in life is the other component in
addition to health. My 401K has been rising since about 2002. You must
have some poor funds in your account. Mine took a big hit in the
2000-2002 time when telecomm collapsed, but it has since recovered to
more than its pre-bubble value. It won't hit what it peaked at during
the bubble prior to my retirement! :-(

I'm guessing maybe you opened your 401K at the market peak and then
sustained the downturn loses, but even so, you should be seeing
increases in value over the last year or so. If not, you need to
rethink your investment choices.

It would be a real shame to be healthy and have a medical at 75 and not
be able to afford to use it.


Matt