Jumpline magazine January 2024 - Flipbook - Page 24
24
An Informal
Retiree Survey
Ret.
Dan Murray
The retiree reunion in Georgia is one of my
favorite weekends of the year. It’s a chance
to reconnect and say hello to some of my
favorite people. Sometimes it’s a chance to
say goodbye. Like many of us, I enjoy hearing about “back in the day” but, I also want
to hear “the rest of the story” as well as
“where are they now” and “how did they get
there?” And come to think of it, “what do
you do all day?”
While at the reunion, I distributed a short questionnaire hoping to elicit answers to some of my questions. I received about
forty replies from people who’ve been in my shoes…and your
shoes. They’ve been there and done that. The oldest was 82
and the youngest to respond was 56 years old. The longest
retirement from a respondent was 23 years and the shortest
was 3 years.
Retirement Options:
Fifty percent of the guys took Option 1. A few of those were
single, but most explained they bought a life insurance policy
to cover their wife if they died, for far less dollars than the cost
of choosing Option 3. A few took Option 2 (ten years certain)
but they too, bought life insurance. About 25% selected Option
3. They all mentioned taking care of their wives with Option
3. Only one guy decided on Option 4 and one couple took the
investment plan.
Dan Murray, Ret.
Decisions:
Aside from the FD, what was the best decision you’ve ever
made? Got married, joined the military, became a Christian,
became reliable and faithful. One fellow was proud of his decision “not to kill a former Fire Chief.” Or how about the guy who
said he’s not sure if he ever made a great decision, but he’s
got some great stories.
Best Days:
The best day ever, aside from births or weddings? The day
I got hired was mentioned three times, 昀椀nally getting my motor
home, hunting (guess he bagged a big one), the day I saved a
person from drowning. A couple of guys said there were just
too many great days to choose only one.
What would have you done differently?:
I wondered if there was anything they might do differently.
Several said they would have retired earlier, promoted earlier, gotten hired earlier. One said he wished he married his
wife when she was younger, while another wished he’d not
gotten married at all. Should have bought more Home Depot
stock. Not sure if that would have been better than the guy
who wished he’d bought Tesla stock earlier. A few suggested
buying more real estate and doing it sooner. Half a dozen
guys wished they would have gotten more education. Listen
to the old guy cuz that ain’t bad advice.
Deferred Comp and DROP:
Closing Thoughts:
I wondered how many guys have tapped into their deferred
comp and DROP accounts? Half haven’t touched it yet, while
some bought vacation and motor homes. Some guys paid for
college, weddings, cars, and grandkids. My favorite answer
to “Have you touched your DROP money?” was “Hell Yeah!”
Every respondent said they had enough money to do whatever they wanted to do in life. I wanted to know what their days
looked like and most of the responses were that they were
very busy. One guy said he was so busy; he wasn’t sure how
he found the time to go to work.
I asked if there was anything they would like to add.
Most of these answers had little to do with the 昀椀re department and much to do with life. Love your family.
Make good choices. Be safe. Be honest. Be faithful.
Retire early. Find God. Ful昀椀ll your dreams.
Activities:
Our retirees are traveling...a lot. And when they’re not traveling, they’re planning their next trip. They’re exercising, playing pickleball, 昀椀shing, and eating well. One guy says he feels
like a teenager with money because he sleeps in so late. A
few of our guys are caring for their loved ones. One respondent recommends doing all the fun stuff as soon as you can…
don’t wait.
Advice:
I wanted to know what advice they would share with the kids
in class 152? After the shock of hearing the number 152 wore
off, they said, “invest in Deferred Comp early and often”. Save
your sick and holiday time. Get promoted. But most of the
advice was along the lines of “enjoy your life.” Be the best you
can be. Attitude is as important as ability. Or how about, don’t
do anything stupid. Spend time with your family and friends and
昀椀nd out about God. Finally, one guy said, “Listen to the old guy.”
When I talk to guys who are getting close to the DROP, I tell
them they should go to the reunion. Seek out the guys you
always respected and ask them some of the questions you
may have. It’s unlikely too many wannabes can pull that off,
so I thought I might save you the trip and get the answers to
the questions you may be asking yourselves. If you can make
the trip, just do it! Bring your softball gloves, golf clubs, wine
glass and yourself. You won’t regret it.
Disclaimer: I refer to “guys” but many of the people at the
reunion are gals and since I wanted to try to keep the identities
of the respondents private, I referred to everyone as ‘guys’.
January 2024 | JUMPLINE Magazine