View Full Version : State Pension rant
willbewill
11-09-2018, 09:48
Here's the scenario:
My friend was born September 1953, I was born July 1954. We started school on the same day and travelled through school in same school year until we were 17 and then left on the same day. We started work on the same day and continued work without a break. We retire - he receives his state pension starting on his 65th birthday, I have to wait until I am 65 and 10 months old!
Even worse with my wife, who's birthday is November 1954 - just missed out on collecting hers at age 60 by a few months and so has to wait until she is 66!!
We could have bought this with that money:
https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/BBpPA/s3/ariel-atom-v8-scale-model.jpg
Firebottle
11-09-2018, 10:03
My wife was also made to wait but not quite so long.
It has basically been a huge poke in the eye for a lot of women of a certain age, what should have happened is the balance should have been struck by making the universal age 60, but that was never likely to happen.
Yes this was one of the coalition's remedies for the financial crisis the likes of you and your wife didn't cause. I assume you're not fat cat bankers.
I hope there is still a state pension when I retire.
Ive no issue with women's pension age rising. The equality act kinda made it a necessity really. obviously if your caught in it, its not funny, but with folk living so much longer, the retirement age is going to get higher, or be abandoned.
walpurgis
11-09-2018, 10:15
My wife had to wait an extra couple of years. I retired early at 61. Can't figure out how I had the time for a job, got too much to do as it is.
Get workin' :d
I am on holiday....
I should have a maximum state pension available to me when I retire, plus a small French state pension, plus my private pension. I am just hoping I make it to retirement age now.
Your 8 months wait whilst not great isn't too bad. The female rise should have been stepped in some way, ie a gradual introduction.
Primalsea
11-09-2018, 10:19
I think that if the various governments really had our interests in mind they would have gradually put up the pension age inline with the increase in life expectancy. While it would have been a little but unpopular people would eventually understand that it would be beneficial for the following generations. Also the issue of not enough jobs for younger people due to the extended time the older generation remains in work could have been tackled in bitsized pieces.
Instead they just ignored the issue just so they could not be unpopular knowing full well it would eventually hugely affect future generations, but by that time the politicians of the time would have retired on generous pensions themselves and it would be someone elses problem.
I am on holiday....
I should have a maximum state pension available to me when I retire, plus a small French state pension, plus my private pension. I am just hoping I make it to retirement age now.
lucky you. i get diddly squat... so much for doing the govt's job and looking after my wife 24/7 for over 20 years. not that i begrudged doing it, but still, i saved the country a lot of cash; least they could do is give me a decent pension for it
Heard on the radio the other day that some experts are predicting the state pension scheme could be bankrupt by around 2032
as percentage of older folk increases year on year.
Heard on the radio the other day that some experts are predicting the state pension scheme could be bankrupt by around 2032
as percentage of older folk increases year on year.
I think the term "bankrupt" implies there's an investment sitting there paying out the pensions but of course that's not the case. I suppose what we need are plenty of young people coming here from other countries to work and pay NI & Tax. Oh, that's the last thing the country wants....
I think the term "bankrupt" implies there's an investment sitting there paying out the pensions but of course that's not the case. I suppose what we need are plenty of young people coming here from other countries to work and pay NI & Tax. Oh, that's the last thing the country wants....
indeed, its all the "foreigners" that are currently topping up the pensions at moment.
I am on holiday....
I should have a maximum state pension available to me when I retire, plus a small French state pension,
I wouldn't bank on it ... I worked in Holland for 15 years and paid into their pension scheme thinking that I would get a (proportional) Dutch State pension on top of my UK one.
When I retired it turned out that it doesn't work like that and the Dutch contributions were simply used as credits towards my UK one ... paid at the UK maximum either way (which I would have got even if solely based on my UK contributions) :(
Also if you get 2 pensions you can end up paying income tax on the total. My mother did. Ended up she wasn't that much better off and didn't qualify for other benefits
Not sure I agree with that as it wasn't a huge pension
ianlenco
11-09-2018, 11:15
I think the term "bankrupt" implies there's an investment sitting there paying out the pensions but of course that's not the case. I suppose what we need are plenty of young people coming here from other countries to work and pay NI & Tax. Oh, that's the last thing the country wants....
Trouble is the young folk will be entitled to a pension when they get old - it just amounts to a Ponzi scheme.
True if they remain here but many will return to their homeland and get pensions there. Well that's until we move out of the union the all bets are most definitely off.
Trouble is the young folk will be entitled to a pension when they get old - it just amounts to a Ponzi scheme.
Well the young folk then will just have to pay for it, that's what happens now.
Always surprises me how many people think that their National Insurance payments go into some sort of 'pot' to provide for their pension. The reality is of course that the money is squandered on some nonsense minutes after you pay it in.
I'm paying my mother's old age pension and I guess my nieces and nephews will be paying mine. If I get that far.
Also if you get 2 pensions you can end up paying income tax on the total.
You will pay tax on anything over your allocated allowance either way ... whether you have 1 or 5 pension sources.
I have 3 sources (State + occupational + private) and pay tax at 20% on all income above my allowance.
If I only had State I would effectively pay no tax (below the threshold) ... but I would also be pretty much destitute if my wife lost her job.
walpurgis
11-09-2018, 12:45
Also if you get 2 pensions you can end up paying income tax on the total. My mother did. Ended up she wasn't that much better off and didn't qualify for other benefits
Same here. I worked out what pension credits I'd get. I came to exactly a quid! I'm living on peanuts and the goverment still steal from me. Bastards, I'd shoot the lot of 'em.
Firebottle
11-09-2018, 12:46
Have you got a big arsenal Geoff, I think we could rally a few helpers.
rmcin626
11-09-2018, 13:06
65 and 11 months is when I get my state pension
Same here. I worked out what pension credits I'd get. I came to exactly a quid! I'm living on peanuts and the goverment still steal from me. Bastards, I'd shoot the lot of 'em.
yup, they took maximum poll tax too, or whatever they call it now... coz she was a couple of quid over the threashold, thus making her much worse off than the folk who didnt pay for a pension. cant be right.
walpurgis
11-09-2018, 13:36
Have you got a big arsenal Geoff, I think we could rally a few helpers.
I'll be needing all the volunteers I can get, then we can nail the buggers. :guns:
Stryder5
11-09-2018, 14:04
I'll be needing all the volunteers I can get, then we can nail the buggers. :guns:
Count me in....
I tried to work the system as much as possible, retired early took the maximum amount out of my private pensions without paying tax that I could, spent it on enjoying myself while I could. Left enough with the state pension to monthly pay for my needs.
You never know what's round the corner especially health wise. Sometimes old age sucks, my advise, spend what you have and enjoy life.
Whatever will be, will be, and if it gets to the stage of being put in a home, shoot a politician, your probably better off with the consequences! :finger:
Wakefield Turntables
11-09-2018, 14:13
You could argue the pensions are no longer sexist....Or age discriminatory :lol:
Pigmy Pony
11-09-2018, 14:39
Yes but your headstone could be one of those heavy duty black granite jobs, with gold lettering, and properly bedded so the chavvy scumbags can't kick it over.
Pigmy Pony
11-09-2018, 14:52
That's an interesting philosophy and one which I'm coming round to. I've always been cautious and kept funds in reserve but I was walking through a graveyard recently and got to thinking what my headstone might look like when the time comes. Possibly...
Here lies Andrew
He saved his money
what the hell for?
I'm with you on this Andrew. I have some friends who haven't spent on much all their life, and got their mortgage paid a bit earlier. They are in a decent position financially, but unfortunately they both now have health problems that keep them from doing most of the stuff they could have been doing years ago. One day their kids will have a decent inheritance, and hopefully they'll make use of it while they can.
I on the other hand have pretty much spent as I earned, and have next to bog all money, so although I have reasonably good health, I'm too skint to do all the things I'd like to do, all the things my friends are too knackered to do. Sucks, whichever way you look at it. But I think I'd rather be healthy and skint than well off but in poor health.
Apologies if I'm sounding a bit smug, I know there will be plenty of folk who have health problems AND no money. My heart goes out to them.
Stryder5
11-09-2018, 17:46
I'm with you on this Andrew. I have some friends who haven't spent on much all their life, and got their mortgage paid a bit earlier. They are in a decent position financially, but unfortunately they both now have health problems that keep them from doing most of the stuff they could have been doing years ago. One day their kids will have a decent inheritance, and hopefully they'll make use of it while they can.
I on the other hand have pretty much spent as I earned, and have next to bog all money, so although I have reasonably good health, I'm too skint to do all the things I'd like to do, all the things my friends are too knackered to do. Sucks, whichever way you look at it. But I think I'd rather be healthy and skint than well off but in poor health.
Apologies if I'm sounding a bit smug, I know there will be plenty of folk who have health problems AND no money. My heart goes out to them.
Steve,
Your comments resonate with me, your last paragraph is almost me, I have a small income but health not so much.
I should explain that I, like you spent as I earned, my father in law didn't like me for this ( and probably other things). He believed in saving and didn't like spending. Ironically when he passed he left an inheritance (he tried to leave it all to his son but the executer of his estate wouldn't allow that in his will. He said he would not take the executer roll if my father in law insisted). It was split, not equally though, between his son and daughter.
I can't say we didn't enjoy spending his money. Might seem crass but I'm being honest.
Gary
IME a lot of people don't get the choice of whether to spend or save, their focus is on making what they have last until next pay day. I think I was about 32 before I actually had couple of quid left over at the end of the month. Then I was put on a bonus system where you could get up to £500 a quarter (about a grand in today's money). Since I could just about live on the standard salary I was able to save the bonus up for a couple of years. Then I blew the lot on a flash holiday and went back to square one :D
spendorman
11-09-2018, 18:09
Also if you get 2 pensions you can end up paying income tax on the total. My mother did. Ended up she wasn't that much better off and didn't qualify for other benefits
Not sure I agree with that as it wasn't a huge pension
Just my State pension puts me into a taxable situation, surely that can't be fair.
Just my State pension puts me into a taxable situation, surely that can't be fair.
Something is definitely wrong there.
The maximum State Pension is £125.95 p.w. = £6,549 p.a.
The Tax Allowance for 2017/2018 is £11,850 p.a. which is way above the maximum SP anyone can get :scratch:
If you are paying tax on just a State Pension you really need to query it with the tax office.
Something is definitely wrong there.
The maximum State Pension is £125.95 p.w. = £6,549 p.a.
The Tax Allowance for 2017/2018 is £11,850 p.a. which is way above the maximum SP anyone can get :scratch:
If you are paying tax on just a State Pension you really need to query it with the tax office.
No, the max is around 160 but he should still be within the allowance.
spendorman
11-09-2018, 18:37
Something is definitely wrong there.
The maximum State Pension is £125.95 p.w. = £6,549 p.a.
The Tax Allowance for 2017/2018 is £11,850 p.a. which is way above the maximum SP anyone can get :scratch:
If you are paying tax on just a State Pension you really need to query it with the tax office.
I did not contract out, so my State pensions includes so called second State pension, I get approx. £230 per week, so £11,960 per year.
I was born in 1951, so get nearly all of the second state pension.
willbewill
11-09-2018, 18:37
That's the basic max pension for men born before April 1951 and women before April 1953, for those younger there is the full new State Pension which is £164.35 per week max.
I did not contract out, so my State pensions includes so called second pension, I get approx. £230 per week, so £11,960 per year.
Ah - in that case it's perfectly fair as it's over the tax allowance, although the amount you will be due to pay will be negligible (only taxed for the £110 that's over the threshold)
That's the basic max pension for men born before April 1951 ....for those younger there is the full new State Pension which is £164.35 per week max.
Godamn - born too soon !!!!
Pigmy Pony
11-09-2018, 18:57
I'd assumed from Alex's post that his state pension is in addition to some other income(s).
So my understanding is that if total income exceeds personal allowance of £11,850 pa by say, £1,000, that excess will be taxed at a rate of 20%, which would mean a tax bill of £200 pa.
If Alex is being taxed on his pension and that is his only income, perhaps HMRC don't have up to date information of his circumstances. If that is the case start rubbing your hands together Alex, a windfall will be heading your way! May not be enough for those fabulous Titan amps, but you never know :D
spendorman
11-09-2018, 20:22
Ah - in that case it's perfectly fair as it's over the tax allowance, although the amount you will be due to pay will be negligible (only taxed for the £110 that's over the threshold)
Yes, but I have a small company pension too, and all of that becomes taxable! Can't win, only two things in life that are certain, death and taxes!
I wouldn't bank on it ... I worked in Holland for 15 years and paid into their pension scheme thinking that I would get a (proportional) Dutch State pension on top of my UK one.
When I retired it turned out that it doesn't work like that and the Dutch contributions were simply used as credits towards my UK one ... paid at the UK maximum either way (which I would have got even if solely based on my UK contributions) :(
I don’t think that is going to happen after Brexit. I still have about 20 years to go before I retire. :(
Pigmy Pony
12-09-2018, 06:55
I don’t think that is going to happen after Brexit. I still have about 20 years to go before I retire. :(
Hmm, I think it could be more than 20 years for you - I'm sure the retirement age will have been moved back some more by then. :( Still, life expectancy is increasing all the time, so you should still get some pension before you peg it.
Future shortfalls in pensions will be all the fault of the government and the nutri-bullet botherers - they should have kept their gobs shut regarding smoking, excess alcohol, cholesterol, trans fats, sugar, sugar substitutes, red meat, sunbathing and NCap rated cars.
spendorman
12-09-2018, 07:21
Not much is said about the second state pension that "ended" in April 2016, but If one had earned contributions to that up to that date, you will still get benefit from this. It's called a protected payment. In my case, I became of pensionable age in May 2016, so get close to all my "second state pension" in the form of a "protected payment" every pension payment day, I chose weekly, not the more usual bi-weely or monthly payment dates.
spendorman
12-09-2018, 07:23
Another thought, Mum got her sate pension for over 40 years, great one might think, when she passed away, guess what, they took a load of it back in inheritance tax. One way of looking at it, it was a loan!
Future shortfalls in pensions will be all the fault of the government and the nutri-bullet botherers - they should have kept their gobs shut regarding smoking, excess alcohol, cholesterol, trans fats, sugar, sugar substitutes, red meat, sunbathing and NCap rated cars.
yes but then they wouldn't get the satisfaction of telling people how to live their lives and that's very important to them.
You'd think they would make booze and fags as cheap as possible, and legalize hard drugs. If everyone dies by the time they are 70 then no pensions crisis, no NHS crisis, it's a win-win.
So instead they do the opposite so we can all sit around in nursing homes until we're 90 with absolutely no memory of who we are, being looked after by half the population of the Phillipines, whilst our offspring work 60 hour weeks to pay for it.
ianlenco
12-09-2018, 12:16
.................So instead they do the opposite so we can all sit around in nursing homes until we're 90 with absolutely no memory of who we are, being looked after by half the population of the Phillipines, whilst our offspring work 60 hour weeks to pay for it.
Indeed. I've often thought that when we reach pensionable age (I already have) we should be given the option of a considerable lump sum or life extending NHS treatment if needed. I know which one I'd opt for - jam today and little likelihood of being in that nursing home at 90. Do the sums right and the government would save money!
The whole thing is just a nonsense, like those pension adverts where you see them touring the world or painting with oils in Tuscany or something equally improbable. Unless you are in a very lucky 0.0001% you're going to be too tired or too ill to do much other than sit in the warm with a cup of tea and watch the telly.
Was talking about this with some friends recently, one was banging on about pensions and how much he would get when he retires in 15 years. This is a bloke who is very overweight, so unfit he can't walk a mile without being knackered, and who has drunk (at least) a bottle of scotch a day for the past 25 years.
The whole thing is just a nonsense, like those pension adverts where you see them touring the world or painting with oils in Tuscany or something equally improbable. Unless you are in a very lucky 0.0001% you're going to be too tired or too ill to do much other than sit in the warm with a cup of tea and watch the telly.
Was talking about this with some friends recently, one was banging on about pensions and how much he would get when he retires in 15 years. This is a bloke who is very overweight, so unfit he can't walk a mile without being knackered, and who has drunk (at least) a bottle of scotch a day for the past 25 years.
if he's married, then she will enjoy it... maybe get herself a toyboy.:)
Pigmy Pony
12-09-2018, 13:38
Indeed. I've often thought that when we reach pensionable age (I already have) we should be given the option of a considerable lump sum or life extending NHS treatment if needed. I know which one I'd opt for - jam today and little likelihood of being in that nursing home at 90. Do the sums right and the government would save money!
Yes I too would choose the big cash sum. Then I would go out to India (or somewhere else cheap) to get my body fixed up, then over to Thailand with the left-over money for a shitload of lady fun (no Marco, not ladyboy fun) or maybe the Phillipines. When the money runs out I'll return to Old Blighty to be looked after by...yes some more Fillipinos (Hey you look familiar, does your sister work in a strip club back home?)
I agree, you have a point. Looking at things a bit more globally, who'll be looking after the old folks in the Phillipines? That's the one issue that's never considered when people talk about the NHS. We import lots of staff from Spain etc. who have been trained at Spain's expense, then leave the Spanish with no nurses. Might be good for us - not so good for Spain (or whichever country it is).
I think in the Philippines they still have this thing where the family look after the older members directly. Obviously as they get more westernized they'll start putting them in care homes like we do. Which presumably will be manned by people recruited from whatever country is further down the food chain from the Philippines.
Pigmy Pony
12-09-2018, 14:13
Further down the food chain from the Philippines? That may be us. I find the global economy to be really confusing.
My partner is African and there they wouldn't dream of putting their aged parents into a home; in fact they don't have any care homes. No, it is all very much centred around the family: the grandparents look after the children, whilst the parents are working, and when the grandparents get too old to do that someone is found within the family circle to look after them. Similarly, if any child is orphaned, they will be adopted by another family member.
All so different from what we do here in the West: work long hours so we can send the children to play-school, to allow us to work the longs hour in order to pay to send the children to play-school, ...... And then when we're too knackered and infirm to do anything the children will put us into a home - "out of sight, out of mind", whilst complaining it all costs too much and is eating away at their inheritance.
Crazy!
All stems to house prices
Pigmy Pony
12-09-2018, 15:54
My partner is African and there they wouldn't dream of putting their aged parents into a home; in fact they don't have any care homes. No, it is all very much centred around the family: the grandparents look after the children, whilst the parents are working, and when the grandparents get too old to do that someone is found within the family circle to look after them. Similarly, if any child is orphaned, they will be adopted by another family member.
All so different from what we do here in the West: work long hours so we can send the children to play-school, to allow us to work the longs hour in order to pay to send the children to play-school, ...... And then when we're too knackered and infirm to do anything the children will put us into a home - "out of sight, out of mind", whilst complaining it all costs too much and is eating away at their inheritance.
Crazy!
The first paragraph - that seems to be how it is in many parts of the world, where older generations are respected and valued. Also material wealth isn't a priority, although that won't be the reason, rather it's just part of their culture, and they don't even think about it.
We call ourselves civilised, how do we get something so important so wrong?
All stems to house prices
Yes agreed (and rent too).
However as children are now living longer with their parents in the parental home, as they can no longer afford the deposit on a home of their own, maybe the 'nuclear family' is returning.
They can always rent somewhere, you don't have to buy a house to be able to move out of your parent's gaff.
So why are more and more young working adults still living with their parents?
Pigmy Pony
12-09-2018, 16:27
Because they need to save enough money to put down a deposit on a house, but aren't prepared to sacrifice the nice car, foreign holidays, nights out and designer clothes.
So living with mum and dad makes financial sense, and they don't even need to learn how to work the washing machine. Probably guilt trip their parents into letting them stay rent-free too.
Pieoftheday
12-09-2018, 16:33
and who has drunk (at least) a bottle of scotch a day for the past 25 years.[/QUOTE]
Just one bottle? Light weight:)
Those are my thoughts, but it doesn't answer the question Martin posed: why don't they rent a place of their own?
Those are my thoughts, but it doesn't answer the question Martin posed: why don't they rent a place of their own?
private rents are silly high now, and council houses that are available to young are all in druggy areas, that no-one would take....up here anyway
walpurgis
12-09-2018, 16:58
private rents are silly high now, and council houses that are available to young are all in druggy areas, that no-one would take....up here anyway
Same more or less everywhere.
Rents are about the same now as they were 30 years ago if you take inflation into account - okay maybe not in Central London.
I rented a house with 4 mates, think it was £80 deposit and £80 rent each in advance and that's it, your'e in.
Fact is they have it too easy at home, know a fair few in their thirties who have worked since they left school; as Steve says they don't save for a deposit because they have a flash Audi on lease, 3 foreign holidays a year and a new £800 telephone every 12 months. I had no car no holidays, rented a box room about 6' by 8' and worked two jobs for almost a year to save my deposit.
And if you told young folk that now they wouldn't believe you.
Looks like I did it all back to front: bought my house (or rather took out a mortgage), before taking foreign holidays and running a car.
I'm really sick of seeing people bemoaning the fate of the youngsters today, they have it way easier than my generation in pretty much every respect. And we had it way easier than our parents did. So houses are expensive - well when I bought my house 20 years ago I couldn't afford it. Had no money for furniture, just had a tv on a packing crate and sat and slept on the floor. And it was a little, cheap house in a crap area.
Now they want a 4 bed detached, ideally new build, with an ice-making fridge, and they aren't prepared to compromise. Well tough. Go on living with your mam and dad until you're 50 you sad bastards.
Pigmy Pony
12-09-2018, 19:50
When me and wife no.1 bought our house, the solicitors got a right cob on with us because we failed to tell them we had no money to pay them. Paid their bill at £10 per week. We had a set menu for the week (Monday Omelette, Tuesday corned beef hash etc. Never a takeaway. Sofas cost £40, fridge was a bucket of cold water, no carpets, no bed, mattress kept in polythene on bare floorboards. Cooked on a camping stove. Like this for first few months, and everything we got improved our lives no end and were really appreciated.
As Macca has said, kids these days want (and get) everything from day one. They start out with a stupidly expensive wedding preceded by stag/hen do's in foreign countries. Honeymoon somewhere really distant and exotic. Move into one of these soulless boxes that need nothing done to them (just as well as neither of them know which end of a screwdriver is the handle).
Then it's back down to earth with a bang when they realise neither of them know how the top-of-the-range dishwasher works, and discover the laundry doesn't iron itself. Time to throw in the towel and go back home to mummy.
Of course there are exceptions, but I won't dwell on that as I prefer to have a good old moan :D
Sums up quite a lot of them
Yep spot on but it isn't all of them, I know a few twenty-somethings who have their heads screwed on. But from what they say they are the tiny minority amongst their friends and acquaintances.
I mean for example, I know a part time shop assistant, 24 years old, wants a 4 bed house in a posh area. Wants her mam and dad to give her £40K towards it. Is not happy that they won't.
I would never have gone to my old man for a penny after leaving home. Would have slept rough before that (and it came close on occasion). I mean the shame of it. But nowadays they don't think that way. They don't realise that the whole point is you have to get there yourself, on your own mettle. Otherwise it's worthless.
When me and wife no.1 bought our house, the solicitors got a right cob on with us because we failed to tell them we had no money to pay them. Paid their bill at £10 per week. We had a set menu for the week (Monday Omelette, Tuesday corned beef hash etc. Never a takeaway. Sofas cost £40, fridge was a bucket of cold water, no carpets, no bed, mattress kept in polythene on bare floorboards. Cooked on a camping stove. Like this for first few months, and everything we got improved our lives no end and were really appreciated.
As Macca has said, kids these days want (and get) everything from day one. They start out with a stupidly expensive wedding preceded by stag/hen do's in foreign countries. Honeymoon somewhere really distant and exotic. Move into one of these soulless boxes that need nothing done to them (just as well as neither of them know which end of a screwdriver is the handle).
Then it's back down to earth with a bang when they realise neither of them know how the top-of-the-range dishwasher works, and discover the laundry doesn't iron itself. Time to throw in the towel and go back home to mummy.
Of course there are exceptions, but I won't dwell on that as I prefer to have a good old moan :D
When we moved into our first house all we had was a new bed, a cooker, two stools and my audio system. We sat on the floor to listen to music, and sat on the stools to eat at the 'breakfast bar' in the kitchen. It was a while before we bought a small work-top fridge. Laundry was done at the local launderette; and when it closed a couple of years later we were obliged to buy a washing machine. And since I don't like being a slave to paying for things by instalment, paid for everything in one go.
The automatic washing machine is mankind's greatest invention.
walpurgis
12-09-2018, 22:48
The automatic washing machine is mankind's greatest invention.
Nah. Divorce, that's the one. :D
Yeah the modern washing machine takes some beating. Wash day used to be just that
Now thats 2 pretty heady subjects in one thread state pensions and washing machines !
Now thats 2 pretty heady subjects in one thread state pensions and washing machines !
Let's go for 3... single blokes with their own house. Before if you weren't married you didn't have your own house but now they all want a fully functioning one by time their 21
Trouble with washing machines is you need the expensive female appliance to operate them (only kidding dear!)
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I've *never* used a washing machine (or iron) in my life.... That's what wives and mothers are for!;)
As for state pensions, I have no real thoughts on the matter. I'll come back to you in 14 years, when I get mine (which will simply be 'pocket money' anyway).
Marco.
The whole thing is just a nonsense, like those pension adverts where you see them touring the world or painting with oils in Tuscany or something equally improbable. Unless you are in a very lucky 0.0001% you're going to be too tired or too ill to do much other than sit in the warm with a cup of tea and watch the telly.
Lol... Then I plan to be in that 0.0001%!:D
Unless my heath deteriorates drastically, which at the moment is very good, because I look after myself (as does Del), when I reach pensionable age in the next 14 years (as by 2026 the pensionable age will be 67), I plan on doing rather more than sitting in front of the telly with a warm cup of tea!!;)
Jeez, my dad's 85 (but looks 15 years younger) and still works hard in his garden, does DIY, regularly drives up to Scotland (and back) himself to see family, flies to Italy himself and all sorts. Therefore, God willing, I see no reason why I shouldn't emulate him. We're meeting up later and going to a nice country pub for lunch.
Indeed, when Del takes early retirement in (maximum) 3 years time, we plan on going on lots of nice holidays and doing things we've always wanted to do together, but never had time. Life's for living, mate, not vegetating in a chair until you pop your clogs!
Much will hinge, however, on whether my dad's still around then, and if we have to look after him or not, as he won't be going into a home.
Marco.
My partner is African and there they wouldn't dream of putting their aged parents into a home; in fact they don't have any care homes. No, it is all very much centred around the family...
Yup, that's the Italian culture too - and exactly as it should be! [From someone who lives "in the West"];)
TBH, it's the same for many Europeans (certainly those I know), where in general families are much closer than they are here, so I don't really buy the "here in the West" thing. The problem you refer to, about 'dumping' aged parents into homes, from what I've seen, is largely a British thing. That's not to say it doesn't happen elsewhere in the West, but IME, it's not as commonplace.
All so different from what we do here in the West: work long hours so we can send the children to play-school, to allow us to work the longs hour in order to pay to send the children to play-school, ...... And then when we're too knackered and infirm to do anything the children will put us into a home - "out of sight, out of mind", whilst complaining it all costs too much and is eating away at their inheritance.
Crazy!
Absolutely. It's utter bollocks, in so many ways (indeed I could go on here until the cows come home, as I have many thoughts on this subject), but folks in the UK, especially, really badly need to re-evaluate life, and what its purpose is, particularly their 'work/life balances', and overall values/expectations, as so many are up shit creek without a paddle!!
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
13-09-2018, 08:12
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I've *never* used a washing machine (or iron) in my life.... That's what wives and mothers are for!;)
As for state pensions, I have no real thoughts on the matter. I'll come back to you in 14 years, when I get mine (which will simply be 'pocket money' anyway).
Marco.
Ooh Marco, for someone who would never describe your spouse as 'the missus' or 'her indoors' (as you stated recently), you like living dangerously! This is probably the traditional way of life for some Italian families (if my daughter's fiancé is to be believed) but Del is of German origin is she not? Only kidding mate, although if Mrs. P got sight of yours and Mark's posts on this thread she would probably rub chilli peppers in my underkeks (guilt by association) :eek:
She does all the washing and ironing, but only because I do it wrong.;)
Pigmy Pony
13-09-2018, 08:16
Yup, that's the Italian culture too - and exactly as it should be! [From someone who lives "in the West"];)
TBH, it's the same for many Europeans (certainly those I know), where in general families are much closer than they are here, so I don't really buy the "here in the West" thing. The problem you refer to, about putting aged parents into homes, from what I've seen, is largely a British thing. That's not to say it doesn't happen elsewhere in the West, but IME, it's not as commonplace.
Absolutely. It's utter bollocks, in so many ways (indeed I could go on here until the cows come home, as I have many thoughts on this subject), but folks in the UK, especially, really badly need to re-evaluate life, and what its purpose is, particularly their 'work/life balances', and overall values/expectations, as so many are up shit creek without a paddle!!
Marco.
I had a paddle but I couldn't keep up the repayments, so it was repossessed. :(
If you can't or won't do washing/ironing then you are not doing your job Marco. [emoji3]
Ironing is very therapeutic - plus I can't bear to see someone apply superheated steam to the crotch of my underpants.
Pigmy Pony
13-09-2018, 08:27
When we moved into our first house all we had was a new bed, a cooker, two stools and my audio system. We sat on the floor to listen to music, and sat on the stools to eat at the 'breakfast bar' in the kitchen. It was a while before we bought a small work-top fridge. Laundry was done at the local launderette; and when it closed a couple of years later we were obliged to buy a washing machine. And since I don't like being a slave to paying for things by instalment, paid for everything in one go.
Ah yes, I'd forgotten about the laundry arrangements which were similar to yours - laundrettes for first twelve months or so (not so bad, I just took a book with me). Then our first washing machine, an ancient Hoover 'Keymatic' which iirc came with a couple of coloured plastic slabs which you slotted in for the desired wash programme. Actually worked well.
Pigmy Pony
13-09-2018, 08:40
Ironing is very therapeutic - plus I can't bear to see someone apply superheated steam to the crotch of my underpants.
When I used to work permanent 2-10pm shifts, I had two mornings each week where I didn't slope off to the archery club. One was for the big shop (cheaper when I did it), and the other for ironing, which like Mark I found quite relaxing.
Didn't much like ironing her stuff though, some of her garments had tricky features on them, and the shoulder pads were a nightmare - this was the eighties after all.
Ah yes, I'd forgotten about the laundry arrangements which were similar to yours - laundrettes for first twelve months or so (not so bad, I just took a book with me). Then our first washing machine, an ancient Hoover 'Keymatic' which iirc came with a couple of coloured plastic slabs which you slotted in for the desired wash programme. Actually worked well.
I used to do my laundry in the bath by hand. didnt have a machine when i started out, and there was all this hot water there so when i finished the clothes and some soap went in and washed with a washboard.
worked very well and was cheap.
Ooh Marco, for someone who would never describe your spouse as 'the missus' or 'her indoors' (as you stated recently), you like living dangerously! This is probably the traditional way of life for some Italian families (if my daughter's fiancé is to be believed) but Del is of German origin is she not? Only kidding mate, although if Mrs. P got sight of yours and Mark's posts on this thread she would probably rub chilli peppers in my underkeks (guilt by association) :eek:
She does all the washing and ironing, but only because I do it wrong.;)
Haha... Love it!:D
Honestly though, the lack of washing machine or iron usage, by moi, is by mutual consent! It's always been the same. I do everything else around the house, apart from the cooking. Del will do the ironing, usually whilst watching the programmes she likes on TV, whilst I'll be out cutting the grass or washing her car:)
I can assure you that I'm in no way chauvinistic. It's an arrangement that's worked well for nearly 27 years!:cool:
Marco.
If you can't or won't do washing/ironing then you are not doing your job Marco. [emoji3]
See my above reply to Steve:)
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
13-09-2018, 09:23
Haha... Love it!:D
Honestly though, the lack of washing machine or iron usage, by moi, is by mutual consent! It's always been the same. I do everything else around the house, apart from the cooking. Del will do the ironing, usually whilst watching the programmes she likes on TV, whilst I'll be out cutting the grass or washing her car:)
I can assure you that I'm in no way chauvinistic. It's an arrangement that's worked well for nearly 27 years!:cool:
Marco.
Never for a minute thought you were. :)
There is no one correct way when it comes to allocation of domestic chores - the key is to have a system that both parties are happy with and all kinds of circumstances can influence this.
Mrs. P 'stays at home' while I go out to earn the pennies. It sounds a bit chauvinistic, but actually she can't hold down a permanent job due to her disabilities, which don't hinder her capacity for 'housework. I do other stuff around the house. It's an arrangement we are both happy with. For my part I like coming home to Anita, a warm clean house with meals ready and this more than makes up for the smaller income we have.
Yup, like you say, it's whatever works for the couples concerned. Yours sounds like a good arrangement. Essentially, it's all about team work!:)
With us, it's largely the other way round. I'm semi-retired, and only occasionally dabble in some picture-framing, from home, which is the business I've run since the mid 90s. These days, I just cherry-pick the jobs I like doing, and which are worthwhile, such as the corporate contracts I've retained for years with large companies, and the odd job for private individuals I know who ask.
Del loves her job (an English and maths lecturer at a local college), as she loves teaching and making a real difference to people's lives - and she's dammed good at it, too. She could give it up, but she's the type who would get bored pretty quickly without some kind of 'challenge', and she can't sit still, so always needs to be busy.
It's hard work being a teacher these days, as teenage kids are so demanding, but when you're good at your job, the majority of the kids love you, and your superiors think you're brilliant (as you get results), it takes a bit of the stress away. Plus, she works 10 mins from home, in a pretty quiet town, so there's virtually no 'commute'.
I'm a little different, and can quite easily chill out, and do hee-haw, although when something needs done, it gets done!
I was as 'driven' as Del is now when I was building up my business, which thankfully was successful enough to put me in a position where I can talk shite all day to you daftees, of course in between cleaning the house, washing up, doing the garden and such like, generally making the place nice for when she gets in...
Hey, maybe one day I'll get jiggy with an iron!:D
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
13-09-2018, 10:43
And I bet she appreciates the 'special' outfits you put on for when she comes home :D
When we moved into our first house all we had was a new bed, a cooker, two stools and my audio system. We sat on the floor to listen to music, and sat on the stools to eat at the 'breakfast bar' in the kitchen. It was a while before we bought a small work-top fridge. Laundry was done at the local launderette; and when it closed a couple of years later we were obliged to buy a washing machine. And since I don't like being a slave to paying for things by instalment, paid for everything in one go.
I guess things were a little different in your day.
Just over a year before Del and I were married, in 1991 (I'd been living with my parents up until 1989), we bought our first house, a 'quarter-villa' in Glasgow (such as shown here: https://www.thehouseshop.com/property-for-sale/gamrie-gardens-glasgow-lanarkshire-nitshill-g53-7ph/2528448), which is basically 4x one-bedroom flats built into the one property, and it was already fully furnished, not exactly to our tastes, and came with 'luxuries' such as an automatic washing machine, but good enough to last us until we could afford to 'do up' the place ourselves.
We had great times there, as it was in a nice quiet, secluded spot on the south side of the city, near where we both worked. Anyway, as my parents mostly always had an automatic washing machine (although I have memories of a 'twin-tub' being used by my mum in the 70s), I've always been used to having one. Still couldn't tell you how to use it, though!:D
Marco.
Honestly though, the lack of washing machine or iron usage, by moi, is by mutual consent! It's always been the same. I do everything else around the house, apart from the cooking. Del will do the ironing, usually whilst watching the programmes she likes on TV, whilst I'll be out cutting the grass or washing her car:)
We've compromised; neither of us do any ironing. It was mostly my 'work shirts' that needed doing, and they're all sat in the wardrobe now and only dusted off for weddings, christenings and funerals. Someone upthread referred to ironing underwear. I'm hoping that was a joke, though I do know someone who irons sheets. FFS.
Caroline mostly does the washing, as she likes to prioritise what gets washed and when, but I know how to programme the machine if necessary. Like others, we were reliant on the laundrette for the first few years, and I never found it too much of a hassle as long as I had a book to read. The tricky bit was tumble-drying things so they were neither soaking wet or too dry to iron.
Nice to see you checking in again, Joe. Where have you been hiding?:)
Marco.
AJSki2fly
16-09-2018, 10:52
Here's the scenario:
My friend was born September 1953, I was born July 1954. We started school on the same day and travelled through school in same school year until we were 17 and then left on the same day. We started work on the same day and continued work without a break. We retire - he receives his state pension starting on his 65th birthday, I have to wait until I am 65 and 10 months old!
Even worse with my wife, who's birthday is November 1954 - just missed out on collecting hers at age 60 by a few months and so has to wait until she is 66!!
I think if you spoke with my Sue she would have something to say on this, she was born in 1961 and has to wait until she is 68 and is most annoyed about the change. She appreciates the change to 65 for her as when she started work we were told pay in and get a pension at 60 for women and 65 for men and understands the need to address equality, however she is quite annoyed at being hit with another 3 years.
For me its a question of mismanagement of the state pension pot by successive governments of various colours, I am pretty sure that if the truth was know it has been raided from at various times to shore up an ailing economy and poor political desicions with complete disregard for what it meant for future generations. Add to that the scandalous behaviour of some pension/insurance companies in the early 00's who raided the pension funds they were supposed to be trustees of to shore up their own businesses, this destroyed millions of private individuals pension values in the future, mine lost 2/3 of its value and has left us with difficult decisions as we approach retirement like many other. Its all bad new if you ask me, with a load of serious spin put on it from governments and and various pension/insurance companies many of whom are now queueing up to offer equity release products and yet again strip wealth from people.
Nice to see you checking in again, Joe. Where have you been hiding?:)
Marco.
Partly in the University library, partly, more recently, up a stepladder decorating, where I'll have to go back to in a few minutes.
ianlenco
16-09-2018, 11:31
I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as a state pension pot, it relies on the payment of those working now to pay for those retired. The post war baby boom hasn't helped this balance nor has the increase in life expectancy. Same goes for most pensions in the public sector ( I think local authorities are the exception) pensions rely on current contributions of those working. Think back to all those public sector employees who were offered generous early retirement settlements basically to get rid of folk on the top end of the scales and replace them with cheaper, younger workers - how short-sighted was that!
AJSki2fly
16-09-2018, 15:59
I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as a state pension pot, it relies on the payment of those working now to pay for those retired. The post war baby boom hasn't helped this balance nor has the increase in life expectancy. Same goes for most pensions in the public sector ( I think local authorities are the exception) pensions rely on current contributions of those working. Think back to all those public sector employees who were offered generous early retirement settlements basically to get rid of folk on the top end of the scales and replace them with cheaper, younger workers - how short-sighted was that!
Your probably correct Ian about the state pension pot in recent years, sadly. However I think its a bit different with pensions purchased with Insurance/Pension companies, whether by individuals or companies, effectively the individual pays to buy into a managed pot of funds split across areas of investment to spread risk and gain return on the sums invested, so for example government stock, rights, gilts shares and bonds etc. the trustees of each fund are then supposed to make decisions that based on actuarial advise to gain the best return for the funds as a whole. That is in my simple mind how it works, in some cases individuals can choose how they spoilt their bit of the pot.
Unfortunately we live in a topsy turvy world with respect to getting rid of old and replacing with cheaper younger models, not necessarily better.
Regards
Adrian
Minstrel SE
19-09-2018, 07:47
governments that have been bumbling through for decades, a country nine times its total worth in debt and a giant ponzi scheme ...what could possibly go wrong? :( The biggy is coming folks and the state pension age will only rise
The formula is basically this if you can put it in algebraic terms for me
You die before collecting state pension = happy government.
Keep smoking and drinking folks because the government dont give a shit and havent a clue what they are doing other than milking us for all we are worth.
I totally agree that life is for living but the way its going many people cant even aford the rent now and watching the telly with one bar of the old leccy fire on will become a luxury:(
walpurgis
19-09-2018, 07:55
Unfortunately, they seem to have the wrong end of the stick and have forgotten that they work for us. Instead of governing on our behalfs, they assume that it's us that need governing.
spendorman
19-09-2018, 08:40
Unfortunately, they seem to have the wrong end of the stick and have forgotten that they work for us. Instead of governing on our behalfs, they assume that it's us that need governing.
Here here, also local Councils have forgotten the same thing.
Pension schemes made much more sense 50 years ago. People started work at 16 and worked until they were 60 or 65. They received a pension for 5 - 10 years and then popped their clogs. It was a sustainable system.
Now people don't start work until they're in their 20's - everybody has to have a degree - and they live till they're 100. The numbers just don't add up anymore.
Added to which the cost of keeping them alive to 100 and looking after them is crippling. And very few have any quality of life at that age.
We need life clocks like in Logan's Run. Once you get to 80 you're off to carousel.
Added to which the cost of keeping them alive to 100 and looking after them is crippling. And very few have any quality of life at that age.
We need life clocks like in Logan's Run. Once you get to 80 you're off to carousel.
average age is around 80 anyway. ;) not sure anyone will vote for that, but if it comes in, the faking of birth certificates and online hacking will become a great business to be in.:lol:
not sure there is a workable solution that will suit western and 1st world ideals. to get a pension of about 30k a young person starting out needs to save about 500 a month for working life. for most, thats not possible, especially because house prices are so high, and most of the property and cash is held by the current old, and the very wealthy.
obviously the best solution will be for the young to look after their parents, both care wise and financially.....yeah, right:rolleyes:
the solution is make drink, drugs, tobacco loads cheaper stop whining on about obesity and lack of exercise and let people lead short, unhealthy but fun-packed lives.
They told everyone to stop eating fat because of heart disease, and the idiots who listened are now all on pills for depression because their serotonin levels are so low, and now they've decided it wasn't bad for you after all.
Solution: Make it illegal for the government to interfere in people's lives or tax or ban things because some self-important nonce of a doctor decides it's 'bad'; save a shedload of money on idiotic departments and campaigns and reduce average life expectancy back down to three score and ten like the Bible says it's supposed to be.
With a retirement age of 67 most people will only get a pension for 3 years. Problem solved.
walpurgis
19-09-2018, 13:11
Added to which the cost of keeping them alive to 100 and looking after them is crippling.
It's not really expensive. What does cost mega amounts is the gross profiteering from any private 'services' involved.
at a guess the state probably pays out 60 billion in state pensions from about 100 billion that comes in(very rough figure lol), so its only leaving 40 billion for health care and all the other things like maternity , bereavement etc.
we need to increase ni payments or reduce the length we pay them, or amount given.....or steal from peter....
the solution is make drink, drugs, tobacco loads cheaper stop whining on about obesity and lack of exercise and let people lead short, unhealthy but fun-packed lives.
They told everyone to stop eating fat because of heart disease, and the idiots who listened are now all on pills for depression because their serotonin levels are so low, and now they've decided it wasn't bad for you after all.
Solution: Make it illegal for the government to interfere in people's lives or tax or ban things because some self-important nonce of a doctor decides it's 'bad'; save a shedload of money on idiotic departments and campaigns and reduce average life expectancy back down to three score and ten like the Bible says it's supposed to be.
With a retirement age of 67 most people will only get a pension for 3 years. Problem solved.
there was a plan to refuse healthcare and benefits to folk who drank excessively or smoked. big brother if you like but it was an idea.;)
Pigmy Pony
19-09-2018, 13:47
Time to revisit those controversial ideas put forward by Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom and Judge John Pickles and many others and rejected out of hand by successive governments who really wouldn't care if they didn't fear it would lose them the vote.
Making the sale and use of all drugs legal - the government can take on the cultivation/manufacture of drugs and sell them at licensed outlets like they do with alcohol. There is an enormous mark up with this, which is all money for the treasury. Drug-related crime rates will drop through the floor, meaning an end to the cripplingly expensive 'war on drugs' and the burden on the courts and the prison service will be greatly reduced.
There will be casualties, but the way I see it every death as a result of drug abuse is a pension saved. Sounds a bit harsh and heartless, but we are heading for some desperate times, and the current way of doing things isn't working.
Time to revisit those controversial ideas put forward by Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom and Judge John Pickles and many others and rejected out of hand by successive governments who really wouldn't care if they didn't fear it would lose them the vote.
Making the sale and use of all drugs legal - the government can take on the cultivation/manufacture of drugs and sell them at licensed outlets like they do with alcohol. There is an enormous mark up with this, which is all money for the treasury. Drug-related crime rates will drop through the floor, meaning an end to the cripplingly expensive 'war on drugs' and the burden on the courts and the prison service will be greatly reduced.
There will be casualties, but the way I see it every death as a result of drug abuse is a pension saved. Sounds a bit harsh and heartless, but we are heading for some desperate times, and the current way of doing things isn't working.
ive been advocating it for years.. it works
there was a plan to refuse healthcare and benefits to folk who drank excessively or smoked. big brother if you like but it was an idea.;)
We're trying to reduce the length of time people live, not increase it so how would that work? heavy smokers pay more in duty and tax than it costs to treat them in any case, and there's not much can be done for most of them.
Andrew's right, people are so thick that they think if there was just enough money we could all live forever.
I'm also fed up with the assumption that the only problem with any service or system is that it doesn't have enough money being chucked at it.
That seems to be taken for granted now when the fact is that you could chuck billions more in and nothing would improve because the real problem is incompetence, laziness and stupidity.
Pigmy Pony
19-09-2018, 17:49
I think most of us are aware that we are governed and told how to live by a lazy, selfish, wasteful, corrupt bunch of bastards who don't deserve to live to retirement age.
It's an all-party problem, so it's never going to go away, but we skirt around it, trying to find other solutions to our financial woes because we are powerless to do anything about the real cause, short of a revolution.
Exactly, and a revolution is a right pain in the arse, worse than having to clear out the spare room because someone is coming to stay.
Plus once it's over you just end up with another bunch of dicks telling you what's what with another bunch of holier-than -thou types egging them on.
I've been saying for years all us normal, non-fanatical people should get together, buy a Caribbean island and then all sneak off there one night and set up a new country without all the nonsense. No killing, no robbing, no punching below the waist. That's all the laws you need.
By the time the rest of them realise what's happened we'll be sat on the beach earning 6 percent. Once they've all died off or killed each other we can move back if we want.
nonuffin
19-09-2018, 18:09
the solution is make drink, drugs, tobacco loads cheaper stop whining on about obesity and lack of exercise and let people lead short, unhealthy but fun-packed lives.
They told everyone to stop eating fat because of heart disease, and the idiots who listened are now all on pills for depression because their serotonin levels are so low, and now they've decided it wasn't bad for you after all.
Solution: Make it illegal for the government to interfere in people's lives or tax or ban things because some self-important nonce of a doctor decides it's 'bad'; save a shedload of money on idiotic departments and campaigns and reduce average life expectancy back down to three score and ten like the Bible says it's supposed to be.
With a retirement age of 67 most people will only get a pension for 3 years. Problem solved.
I don't know how true this is, but someone recently told me that the entire "war on fat" for all these years was started by a Russian scientist back in the early 20th century who discovered that fat was extremely harmful to health. Notice I have left out the word "human" when mentioning health, because this same scientist was feeding dairy products and raw fat to rabbits to arrive at this conclusion because the rabbits all died. Equally as absurd then is we are now told that dairy and fats are actually good for human health.
In the last week alone I am told that Statins and Aspirin commonly prescribed for people with heart conditions (myself included) because both these drugs are either harmful or have no benefits.
It wasn't that long ago they found out that current flows in the opposite direction to what was thought with established wisdoms. So with a track record like that, little wonder I get a short fuse with the objectivists who rigidly support their supposedly infallible scientific idols.
It wasn't that long ago they found out that current flows in the opposite direction to what was thought with established wisdoms. .
It was quite long time ago and they only got it wrong because they had no way to check back then so they made a fifty-fifty punt and lost.
Otherwise, good rant.
Firebottle
19-09-2018, 18:22
I've been saying for years all us normal, non-fanatical people should get together, buy a Caribbean island and then all sneak off there one night and set up a new country without all the nonsense. No killing, no robbing, no punching below the waist. That's all the laws you need.
I'm in, when do we go?
I'm in, when do we go?
That's two of us then, plus Mrs F. We just need about another million people. Ask around but keep it quiet.
Pigmy Pony
19-09-2018, 18:48
If the door policy only allows normal people in, count me in too! :)
We'll have a screening process, don't worry.
walpurgis
19-09-2018, 19:41
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a 'normal' person (especially in Hi-Fi circles :)).
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a 'normal' person (especially in Hi-Fi circles :)).
How it will work is I'm the benchmark and then there's a little bit of leeway either side of that. :D
walpurgis
19-09-2018, 19:53
How it will work is I'm the benchmark and then there's a little bit of leeway either side of that. :D
Well that's the whole project sunk without a trace then! :lol:
Well I've already got 3 people on board, how many have you got for your project?
We'll need some science and techy types too because we'll need to find a way to make Guinness out of coconuts. Amongst other things.
Minstrel SE
19-09-2018, 20:36
To a large extent the older generation have pulled up the rope ladder after them. It was probably always the way
I just see large bubbles and a system that doesnt really work. The young are not going to be paying for the old on zero hour contracts and lower salaries
In a better system the pension should kick in from about the age of 50. Theres deliberate policy going on where the working class are having to work later and later to make ends meet.
I dont want to live till Im 100 but it would be nice to see state retirement allowing some quality time before old age takes its toll
walpurgis
19-09-2018, 20:36
Well I've already got 3 people on board, how many have you got for your project?
We'll need some science and techy types too because we'll need to find a way to make Guinness out of coconuts. Amongst other things.
There will of course be a need for somebody to organise Security and Defence. Being the ideal candidate, that will naturally fall to me.
ianlenco
19-09-2018, 20:57
Not too sure there are any uninhabited Caribbean islands so what happens to the folk already living there?
walpurgis
19-09-2018, 21:06
Not too sure there are any uninhabited Caribbean islands so what happens to the folk already living there?
Nah. No need, we'll just seize The Isle of Wight, declare secession and claim alliance with France, they'd be delighted and jump at it just to piss off our government. It's just the right size and ideally placed for getting supplies from across the channel, seeing as the British Government would try and make things difficult.
Not too sure there are any uninhabited Caribbean islands so what happens to the folk already living there?
We'll chuck 'em a few quid, they'll be fine.
I just see large bubbles and a system that doesnt really work. The young are not going to be paying for the old on zero hour contracts and lower salaries
This zero hour contracts thing makes me laugh. Like it's come about all of a sudden. When I was young I was working zero hour contracts, that was before they even had a name for them. Stupid name as well, I was doing 80 hour weeks on one of them. IIRC over a two year period there was only 1 day when there was no work to do and they said don't come in.
I don't think there is any way that retirement for everyone at 50 can ever be financially viable, although it would mean I could pack it in in two weeks time. That does sound good :)
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2018, 08:15
Well I've already got 3 people on board, how many have you got for your project?
We'll need some science and techy types too because we'll need to find a way to make Guinness out of coconuts. Amongst other things.
Will the coconuts want shaving first? I had my eye on that job. I also wanted to be in charge of banana-bending, as a big F-you to EU.
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2018, 08:18
There will of course be a need for somebody to organise Security and Defence. Being the ideal candidate, that will naturally fall to me.
Yes I heard you'd bought a Milbro catapult.
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2018, 08:22
Nah. No need, we'll just seize The Isle of Wight, declare secession and claim alliance with France, they'd be delighted and jump at it just to piss off our government. It's just the right size and ideally placed for getting supplies from across the channel, seeing as the British Government would try and make things difficult.
I was going to suggest Skye and a shitload of cagoules, but Geoff's idea "has legs".
walpurgis
20-09-2018, 08:28
Yes I heard you'd bought a Milbro catapult.
Funny you should say that. :)
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2018, 08:29
This zero hour contracts thing makes me laugh. Like it's come about all of a sudden. When I was young I was working zero hour contracts, that was before they even had a name for them. Stupid name as well, I was doing 80 hour weeks on one of them. IIRC over a two year period there was only 1 day when there was no work to do and they said don't come in.
I don't think there is any way that retirement for everyone at 50 can ever be financially viable, although it would mean I could pack it in in two weeks time. That does sound good :)
The big five-oh coming up eh? Funny, I thought you'd be older. Your take on the state of the world, and your ideas suggest greater maturity. And I bet you look really young for your age.
Now, about that banana bending job, am I in the running?
Stryder5
20-09-2018, 08:44
The big five-oh coming up eh? Funny, I thought you'd be older. Your take on the state of the world, and your ideas suggest greater maturity. And I bet you look really young for your age.
Now, about that banana bending job, am I in the running?
Nah, he doesn't look younger, probably the opposite :ner:
Patrick Dixon
20-09-2018, 09:13
I was going to suggest Skye and a shitload of cagoules, but Geoff's idea "has legs".
I think you are thinking of the Isle of Man ....
We can't afford the Isle Of Wight or the Isle Of Man.
Might be able to buy an island off of Greece, Spain or Portugal, they're all desperate for cash. The Greeks have already flogged a few off. Better weather down there too.
ianlenco
20-09-2018, 11:30
How about Madeira? Good weather all year round - all we'd need to do is get rid of the Ronaldo museum :eek:
Madeira would do, quite rainy I understand but we're used to that already.
walpurgis
20-09-2018, 12:51
Madeira would do, quite rainy I understand but we're used to that already.
Too bleedin' hilly, everywhere is uphill.
Too bleedin' hilly, everywhere is uphill.
or downhill ;)
We'll get a Stannah Stairlift put in for you oldies. Most of the rest of you could probably use the exercise if the bake-off photos are anything to go by.
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2018, 19:13
We'll get a Stannah Stairlift put in for you oldies. Most of the rest of you could probably use the exercise if the bake-off photos are anything to go by.
Catty!
I like the Stannah idea though, it could have a turbo setting for ejecting undesirables.
walpurgis
20-09-2018, 19:17
Catty!
I like the Stannah idea though, it could have a turbo setting for ejecting undesirables.
Well that's about three quarters of prospective candidates gone then.
I like the Stannah idea though, it could have a turbo setting for ejecting undesirables.
Yes good idea. Also a stainless-steel bridge over a pool of sharks. With no guard rails. And the bridge is collapsible.
I mean come on, it's already sounding like the best country ever.
walpurgis
20-09-2018, 19:27
We're gonna need some rules. Could start with 'no slipping smelly ones out without a warning' and 'no ebay buying when you're really pissed'.
We're gonna need some rules. Could start with 'no slipping smelly ones out without a warning' and 'no ebay buying when you're really pissed'.
No the whole point is you keep that crap to a minimum. I said before: no robbing, no killing, no punching below the waist. That's it. Otherwise, whatever it is, you sort it out amongst yourselves.
BTW Everyone will have a detached house with a purpose built listening room in the grounds. Golden ratio.
Yes, beginning to sound good now isn't it?
walpurgis
20-09-2018, 19:47
I suppose you'll each want a Harley too (apart from me that is).
And Magnum-style Ferraris for matching with the sub-tropical setting.
Might not be able to get both for everyone though. Not straight away.
What about electricity? I could look after the generators for you, if you get ones that run on scrumpy.
No SMPS allowed anywhere on the island.
walpurgis
20-09-2018, 19:58
What about electricity? I could look after the generators for you, if you get ones that run on scrumpy.
No SMPS allowed anywhere on the island.
We'll use kidnapped Tory politicians to power the treadmills that provide the juice. Just suspend a big bunch of fifty pound notes in front of their noses, just out of reach, they'll keep tramping towards it all day.
We'll use kidnapped Tory politicians to power the treadmills that provide the juice.
Suppose you could run those on scrumpy but I'm not looking after that lot.
I can confirm that you can run a tory politician on scrumpy. So no problems there.
Some good ideas here lads keep them coming.
Pigmy Pony
21-09-2018, 06:20
Suppose you could run those on scrumpy but I'm not looking after that lot.
No, you can't make their incarceration enjoyable, our prison system shows that doesn't work. I would suggest standing behind them with whips, but they'd probably enjoy that too.
No, you can't make their incarceration enjoyable, our prison system shows that doesn't work. I would suggest standing behind them with whips, but they'd probably enjoy that too.
They'd pay you for that.
ianlenco
21-09-2018, 10:03
If you'd like to crowd fund a fact finding trip to Madeira I'm willing to volunteer.
As to getting down the hills, we could extend this network
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohIF_MuO_p0
walpurgis
21-09-2018, 10:13
Madeira is basically just a bleedin' great mountain with a few towns scattered around it. Take a look just up the road at the Azores, much more user friendly.
Minstrel SE
27-09-2018, 04:46
The state pension age will reach 68 which is far too high in my view. The bible mentions three score years and ten but although life expectancy has generally improved, I dont want to live long if I cant see or dress myself.
The elephant is that if people are working longer then what room in the job market for new entrants? The job I first did exists on a much lower level (50% lower) and is gradually being taken over by machines.
Of course they cant afford it because they have buried their heads in the sand on this problem. Youve done well to even collect on the state pension. I have a private pension which I am going to massively top up and claim from 55 or 60 at the latest.
Im opting out of the workplace pension to fund my pension scheme.
Of course anyone doing financially well in life plans to retire much earlier. Nearer 50 seems the ideal age
Pigmy Pony
27-09-2018, 06:16
I expect (health permitting) to be working well into my seventies as my pension will be so pitiful, and I'm ok with that - I will do less hours (hopefully I can cherry pict the better/easier jobs).
I'm not worried about keeping younger people out of a job as I will hopefully be able to train up someone who can eventually take on my customers, although going on past experience, having to get out of bed in the mornings will always be a sticking point with them. No way round that!
I expect (health permitting) to be working well into my seventies as my pension will be so pitiful, and I'm ok with that...
Sad days though, bro, when instead you should be putting your feet up (inside those fur-lined slippers, secured with velcro straps, the old duffers wear, lol), sucking on a Werther's Original, whilst playing with your grandkids (if you have/will have any by then)....
If successive governments, for years, hadn't repeatedly neglected to put into place a proper infrastructure for looking after hard-working people in their old age, who've more than contributed their bit to society, things could've been rather different!:rolleyes:
Me? I reaslised, around the age of 26, that if I wanted to enjoy life when I retired, I had to do something about it myself - and I did. But I was lucky it worked out, although I suppose, to an extent, you make your own luck in life.
Marco.
nowt wrong with werthers:D
Pigmy Pony
27-09-2018, 19:51
Sad days though, bro, when instead you should be putting your feet up (inside those fur-lined slippers, secured with velcro straps, the old duffers wear, lol), sucking on a Werther's Original, whilst playing with your grandkids (if you have/will have any by then)....
If successive governments, for years, hadn't repeatedly neglected to put into place a proper infrastructure for looking after hard-working people in their old age, who've more than contributed their bit to society, things could've been rather different!:rolleyes:
Me? I reaslised, around the age of 26, that if I wanted to enjoy life when I retired, I had to do something about it myself - and I did. But I was lucky it worked out, although I suppose, to an extent, you make your own luck in life.
Marco.
I was 26 when I got married, my mortgage was only a few months old, my first daughter 2 years away, second daughter 4 years off. Missus went part time so we could be around for them more, so we never had much income, and certainly not enough left over to chuck at a pension scheme - all our money was tied up in the here and now.
30 odd years later, I still don't have much money, but I do have my health (long may it continue), and I have an 11 year old grandson and my younger daughter who's fiancé hails from Tuscany, is expecting her first child in April.
Cash poor, but pretty well off in other ways!
And I'm not waiting for retirement to enjoy my slippers and Werthers, got 'em already. :)
Minstrel SE
01-10-2018, 13:35
Yes the rub is that I never felt I had enough left over to start a pension scheme when I was younger and many people dont. An insurance salesman used to hassle me but pension age seemed so far off
I later worked in a department handling pension complaints because many people had been mis sold pensions WELL TOTALLY CONNED OR DEFRAUDED ACTUALLY. There was actually a strong case for fraud and these companies were shitting themselves and offering the full premium plus compensation back
You know people had been paying the man at the door and ended up with a tiny pension pot which was not worth a light in terms of an annuity.
So the pension industry can be a complete con unless people are fully aware and pay a large chunk in. Who has that large chunk of money when the cost of living is so high?
Who has that large chunk of money when the cost of living is so high?
I read just yesterday that there are over 900,000 people with pension pots just under or already over the LTA of £1.03m. There an earning brackets where it's madness to not pay a chunk into a pension otherwise such people pay 60% tax.
When I retired annuity rates were abysmal and I suspect are no better these days. They just about divided your pot by 20-25 (how many years till you were 85!) for the annual amount so £30K got you little more than a Grand per annum. Much less if you wanted a spouse to have something after your demise. And if you didn't live long guess who got any surplus - the good old pension company. I was lucky enough to have enough guaranteed pension from occupational schemes to put my personal annuity pot into a SIPP and use draw-down over a few years to claw it all back in a number of annual cash lumps (minus tax of course).
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