General Discussion

But, MANY people in Western democracies are in the same boat. I own my townhouse and have a fairly healthy nest egg in the bank...but...it all depends on your POV.

My wife and I live a quite modest existence, and any "fat" that could be trimmed from our lives would leave us without a car, and without the typical electronic info package - phone, tv and interwebs. Oh, yeah. We also have a single indulgence - a "55+" supper at Denny's once a month, or somewhere on a similar price scale. There are a plethora of ethnic places around here, and many are quite cheap.

I don't have to tell anyone that pensions are FAR from generous, and, without unexpected expenses, we are under water between $600 and $1000 a month. which is made up by tapping the savings, of course. I totally believe the money will outlast me - barring hyperinflation or a COMPLETELY unexpected life span of decades longer than demographics and health predict. My wife's 401k evaporated in the fiasco of the previous decade, so I'm the sole support here...and I want to leave both her and my son SOMETHING. Life will be hard enough for them, I think.

This is the second marriage for both of us, and, I told her before we got married, she was marrying the ant, not the grasshopper. If someone told me I was being forced to give up any major portion of our money or property, I'd probably have to hold myself back from stabbing them in the eye. Like SO MANY people I know, we've worked and saved our whole lives so we could live indoors and eat every day in retirement. I know that makes us privileged, as compared to many, but it's not like we are literally stealing it from someone, or living like millionaires.

In summary......F the writer of this article. I guess I could have saved both myself and anyone reading this some time if I had led with that.