Interesting Real Estate Increases
 

The following was taken from information posted by Frank Roche and shows the substantial increases in activity and prices in our area between 2019 and 2020.

Alton had 133 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $340,000, a 19.29% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 14 days on the market. In 2019 there were 126 sales with a median sales price of $285,000 and a median of 32 days on the market.

Center Harbor had 28 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $452,500, a 33.48% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 7 days on the market. In 2019 there were 23 sales with a median sales price of $339,000 and a median of 43 days on the market.

Gilford had 239 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $340,000, a 24.31% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 14 days on the market. In 2019 there were 238 sales with a median sales price of $273,500 and a median of 23 days on the market.

Laconia had 472 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $250,000, a 16.27% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 16 days on the market. In 2019 there were 415 sales with a median sales price of $215,000 and a median of 24 days on the market.

Meredith had 173 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $460,000, a 25.68% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 13 days on the market. In 2019 there were 163 sales with a median sales price of $366,000 and a median of 28 days on the market.

Moultonborough had 159 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $385,000, a 4.05% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 15 days on the market. In 2019 there were 146 sales with a median sales price of $370,000 and a median of 48 days on the market.

Tilton had 86 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $247,000, a 31.38% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 17 days on the market. In 2019 there were 60 sales with a median sales price of $188,000 and a median of 21 days on the market.

Tuftonboro had 93 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $420,000, a 15.06% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 21 days on the market. In 2019 there were 66 sales with a median sales price of $365,000 and a median of 42 days on the market.

Wolfeboro had 152 sales in 2020 with a median sales price of $375,000, a 13.63% increase over the same period in 2019, and a median of 24 days on the market. In 2019 there were 165 sales with a median sales price of $330,000 and a median of 33 days on the market.

Interesting information
 

Thanks , Tilton BB, for a snapshot of market activity , which has been nuts this past year...could almost make me regret retiring...not really...too many headaches schlepping people all over the place. My husband recently checked and could find only one waterfront property under a million in Moultonboro. Lots of money around, and people are eliminating contingencies from their contracts in order to be more attractive to sellers...pretty risky stuff. Anyhow, it will be interesting to see how long this boom lasts.

The boom will last as long as the stock market is working well and giving nice returns. They both go hand in hand.

Exactly, People that had a lot of money before this pandemic started have made out quite well.
People that were living pay check to pay check are struggling more than ever.
It's unfortunate that even though essential workers have kept their jobs through all this they are the ones that are stressed the most, maybe not financially but emotionally.
It's been a boon for the "haves" and a bust for the "have nots".

Don’t agree with you entirely. Many small businesses and restaurant owners were doing very well before the pandemic and have exhausted their “have” resources trying to keep their businesses going. These many people have gone from “haves” to “have nots”

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Yes, it has effected certain businesses differently.
Some have seen their business skyrocket while others have tanked.
I wouldn't put all small business owners in the "have" basket. Many small business owners were never making tons of money even before the pandemic. They were just making a healthy living.
It's the freedom of being your own boss that drives many small business owners.
Notice I said "had a lot of money", "not made a lot of money". I had an uncle that always said, "it's not how much money you make, it's what you do with it after you make it".

Those who live pay check to pay check make that choice. It has consequences. I do not feel sorry for them what so ever. Not when you see millions of immigrants (legal or not) managing to survive, even thriving on jobs that Americans are either to lazy or simply refuse to do because it is beneath them. Opportunity abounds for those willing to work for it, save and live responsibly. It's not a matter of luck but shear determination and sacrifice. I know plenty of multi millionaires who are just average everyday people who never had a flashy high paying job and did not then or now live like a rock star. In fact many passed on what is today considered to be "essentials" but managed to live without.

If you don't think the "haves" as you put it were not hit hard when they lost businesses and took massive losses in investments it shows a complete and utter lack of intelligence.

All the wealthy people I know have become enormously more wealthy over the past 4 years, this past year esp.
As for my "lack of intelligence" your showing yours with that degrading statement, but not unexpected from you.

Obviously the 70% or so of Americans who have less than $1k are all making bad decisions. It's your complete and utter lack of intelligence that prevents you from seeing it.

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And why is that?

Betcha it has nothing to do with a bigger pay check and everything to do with the fact they have investments that have increased in value. That wealth generated was not a guarantee, there was risk involved and there was volatility along the way. For those that were in and stuck with it all reaped the benefits. To all that did - congrats! To all those that didn't, to bad so sad.

Well with that statement I guess we could say that everyone that lost money this year has made bad decisions.
It just goes to show that not all decisions are under your control.

This is exactly it. If you've had money in the stock market or similar investments, it's been a gusher of additional wealth for approximately the last 12 years.

Ironically, to Maxum's argument, this additional wealth from the stock market has required zero brains or effort--it only requires that you had money in 2009 (through some earlier combination of brains, work, luck).

I have nothing against the people that have made lots of money in the market, I'm one of them.
I just have compassion for the ones that don't have that ability. Not all the "have nots" are lazy just as not all the "haves" earned their money through hard work.

Investments in the stock market can equal returns and rewards. It can also lead to losses. The same argument can be said for real estate.

I think the obvious difference is that people have to live in Real Estate, but they don't have to invest in the stock market.

Are folks at fault for not investing in real estate or the stock market? No, but they also don't get to enjoy the potential upside returns, or suffer the downside losses.

Is there a right or wrong answer here? Not really, but planning for the future is likely a better route to take than living from pay check to pay check. Some people can afford to do so, others can not.

Let's hope that everyone has a crystal ball and makes decisions which work for them.

No argument from me there.

lets see what happens in Georgia this week this will determine the momentum of the stock market. Still wondering what happened in November? if so many made alot of money in 2020 why change and go Democrat. beyond me???????????

All that has been needed is the concept of dollar cost averaging, through the ups and downs, let the market do it's thing, just keep making that monthly payment to yourself into well managed low cost mutual funds, ETFs or if you have the desire go buy your own portfolio of individual stocks. Years later YOU reap the benefits.

On the contrary you can live like a rock star, leverage every bit of credit you have to do it and let somebody else reap the long term benefit while you live pay check to pay check floating all that debt with little to show for it at the end of the day.

It's a simple choice or maybe better put philosophy.

What about people that don't have money in the market, aren't they American voters too?

Again I have many clients and friends with small businesses and restaurants that did extremely well over many years and are now in extreme financial distress. Having to use all their life long earning to keep the business afloat including mortgaging business and personal property. Just because a business is small doesn’t necessarily mean they do not make out really well and are not “haves”.

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Advice?
 

Good points, Joey.
But I'm looking at your restaurant owner who "did well" and saved for retirement. Then the government says you can only serve 6 tables. You need 12 to break even and if you can fill 24, you'll make some money. When you cash in some investment to stay afloat or to buy outdoor serving equipment, you (add insult to injury) get nicked for taxes on the capital gain. What's the work around here?
To me, these folks need more help than "forgiving" college loans. I remember when people "worked their way" through college or other school, no loans.

I'm not sure if my point was visible through the dripping sarcasm, but to be clear: simplifying poverty to bad decision making is absurd.

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I absolutely agree. There are many things on the list, first and foremost helping the small businesses that where hot the hardest before student loan debt is forgiven.

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Then you must also remember when paying for college was "easy". The cost has absolutely skyrocketed over the past 30 years or so. It is no longer possible for anybody to work their way through school in four years. Here's a piece from Forbes--8X the rate of inflation!

This is not the kids' fault.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilom...h=c710e4266c1d

I have just as much compassion for those people as I do for people that had nothing before and have even less now. Maybe that's where we differ?

Many of us have put all of our assets, life savings too, to keep businesses afloat. It kept others being paid while I was not and I was investing the entire time in them.

Your attitude is condescending and rude to many who have tried to get through this intact somehow. I would guess you don't care what others think anyway.

Personal perspective
 

A personal perspective for me: my folks spent just over $8000 tuition/ R&B at Macalester College in St Paul MN for the 1964-65 school year.

For 2019 , tuition was $58, 0000+ and R&B was $13, 000+, total cost in excess of $71k!

Yikes

Dave

As more and more grants, financial plans, scholarships, etc became available, the colleges raised their tuition and fees to keep pace with available funds. Another irony to me is fund raising. The private college I attended receives financial support from around 50% of alumni. Last time I looked at UNH, their rate was about 8-10%, with ~42 paid staff in the development department.

Well BB, I'll bet you didn't expect this thread to morph into what it has? :emb::emb::emb:

I never said I had no compassion for the “have nots”. You are misinterpreting my post.

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But isn't it all really relative? Average salary in 1965 was 4-6 thousand a year. Tuition according to you up was $8000. Cost is much higher now but so is average salary.

$8000.00 in 1964 is equivalent to approximately $68,000.00 today....

Dan

How times have changed....in 1962, our combined income as new graduates was $10,000, and we were able to save all of mine, some of his, and were able to buy our first house a year later....$24,500 bought a charming stone Tudor on 1.5 acres...only 2 bedrooms..1 bath (no tub), with detached 3 car garage in Media, PA. Life was good then...much simpler....many wonderful memories of that era. P.S. I forgot...it had 2 fireplaces....oooozed charm.

$8k seems incredibly high for college in 1964.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilom...er-than-wages/Attachment 16667

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You are right, thinkxingu. In 1960, Bates was $2,000 and Lewis & Clark $1450. I recall my father grousing about the high cost of my college in ‘57, which was $1800/yr.

Bit of apples and oranges. State schools were nowhere near $8,000 then. The state school I attended - in 1984 - was under $500/year for tuition.

The thing that caught us by surprise when it was my son's turn was how the private schools' sticker prices (around $60,000) were way above what they actually offered: they threw quite a bit of money at my son to make it more attractive. Someone fact check, but I've heard the lowest amount of debt per student is from the Ivy League schools. Again, their sticker price is easily $60,000, but once they admit, they put out a good deal of financial assistance (grants not loans) to their students.

Now, about those hefty real estate prices. Still goes back to supply and demand, which are both real and perceived. Probably a good bet it can't go up forever (or the demand would fall off). But, they're not building any more land on the Lake.

One of the top small colleges
 

Macalester was one of the top small colleges in the country back then. Depending on the myriad of rankings, it's still highly ranked. I believe back in the day, 3M was heavily invested in the school.

To Dan's figures a few posts back, I thought I saw where the value of a dollar had increased 723% (?) In all those years.

Dave

I can’t speak about student loan debt at the Ivy League schools. However, my daughter went to the George Washington University in DC in 1994 and graduated in 1998 with only $13,000 total in student loans.
At the time, if it wasn’t the most expensive college in the United States it was the second most expensive. And we were going through the worst financial time of our life. She had mostly all scholarships and grants as well as Pell Grants and just a couple of subsidized loans that had to be paid back.

She chose to go on to grad school and that is where she acquired most of her student loan debt. She then had $52,000 after graduate school.

Real estate and stocks have had a good run but the future is Bitcoin!

Way too volatile for my taste. [emoji4]

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I agree that the fault is largely with the colleges. An irony for you in return--as the financial support has grown, college has become less affordable in total.

I went to Penn (the Ivy, not the football powerhouse). In 1985, tuition was $10K.

I do not have hard data on debt by school, but I am not surprised that the Ivies have relatively low debt--many (all?) of them have eliminated debt from their financial aid packages--they give kids grants for the amount "needed". Of course, they can afford it. But they are not blameless--they could be leading an effort to reduce tuitions for all.

Well you are right about one thing I really don't care what anyone thinks as if I did listen to what everyone was telling me I would have been convinced that I had little to no chance of doing or amounting to much of anything.

Far as the context to my comments, this was not just directed at the past year, but as a general statement of fact. If the best anyone can do is live paycheck to paycheck that will never work as a long term strategy. As I learned in the military adapt and overcome. Is it easy, hell no, but failure comes easy to those that are complacent.

I have never been condescending to business owners, in fact I admire them for doing something that I have personally 3 times tried and 3 times failed miserably at. Current events have been difficult if not impossible on many business owners, large and small. Many have already lost the battle, others continue to hold on but for how long remains to be seen as the future looks bleak for many. Much of the reasoning behind why this is occurring is political and the American people have spoken as to what they want moving forward. If you as a business owner think it's bad now, just wait it's going to get even more toxic. This will have rippling effects that will not only hurt businesses but also those they can no longer employ.

Tuition
 

That 1 year/$8K number in the 60’s looked off because tuition has outpaced wage growth for some time now.

Anyhow, not sure how reliable the source but it’s the Mac Weekly so I assume reliable?

That quote makes more sense—$8k in the 60's is crazy money for college.

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My parents figure
 

That figure was what I got from my folks when Macalester did not ask me to return after my freshman year. In the intervening years, besides not having the internet to do research, I had no reason to doubt the figure.

I know they did take out a loan. I don't know if it included other costs, such as transportation. I paid for my own books, which were less than $200 for the year.

Given your figures, it points out even more how college costs have increased.

Thanks for the info

Dave

"When Macalester did not ask me to return"! Sounds incredibly similar to when UML put me on "academic suspension" for an "insufficient GPA to continue studies."

My parents, also, made me pay the loan they took out for that failed year. They also aged a decade in a moment when I told them I, their last child and hope for a college graduate, was dropping out.

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Yearly tuition in 1961 for Cornell (Arts and Sciences) was $1400.

Stop the presses! You're a teacher today, right? How/when did you turn things around? Spill the tea!

Short version: '94-'95 UML for plastics engineering because a high school test said it would be a good fit. It wasn't, nor was I "ready." Returned in '00 under the Fresh Start program and, after a mentor professor took me under his wing, found my calling as an English teacher. This year makes 16 in a solid middle-class community with night school, private summer school, and many, many hours of tutoring.

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Sometimes it only takes maturing to do better in college.
That and perseverance.

I ask people that are older than the “regular” student when they are saying they will be x age when the graduate it y years, how old will they be in y years if they don’t continue with school.

OTOH, the cost for college has gotten out of hand.

I went to BU 1980-1984....cost was $9K, $10K, $11K, $12K each year. My son is now a Junior at WPI...sticker price before deducting scholarships, student loans, etc is $62K per year.

As a friend of mine described it, "it's like buying a new Mercedes every year for 4 years and pushing it off a cliff. You spend the money but don't get to enjoy it" :laugh::eek:

College
 

Sometimes it only takes maturing to do better in college.
That and perseverance.

I ask people that are older than the “regular” student when they are saying they will be x age when the graduate it y years, how old will they be in y years if they don’t continue with school.

OTOH, the cost for college has gotten out of hand.

If you have a pension, 401K or other retirement vessel, you are in the market whether you know it or not.

True, but not really. If you have $100K or so in the stock market via your 401K, you might pick up $7-8K/year on average. That's nice, but hardly earth-shaking.

Also, as the past 12 years have made clear--it's kind of silly to think one party or another is a good bet to improve your stock portfolio. We've had essentially a straight line through very different presidents and very different times, even within each presidency. Compounding the puzzle is that Obama's fiscal policies were actually more conservative than Trump's.

Buy and hold...and pray! is the best investment strategy

Pensions have been on there way out for years and many people don't even have retirement accounts because they barely make enough to get by on. Those people are American voters too.
Many jobs today are independent contractor jobs where you get no benefits and a 1099 at the end of the year.

Exactly, we've had a 12 year run up in stock prices. What goes up must come down.
It's only a matter of time before it turns downward.
If interest rates start to rise then be very afraid!

Stock prices may go up and down but the question is how much and for how long. We suffered a serious drop at the beginning of the year but the markets have mostly recovered. Personally, I finished the year in the black. Not by much but in the black. Some investments finished significantly (10% - 15% up). The worst thing about the market isn't the risk of loss, it is the volatility. If you are traveling along from point A to point B do you want to ride on a highway or a roller coaster? Many people cannot tolerate a roller coaster. It makes them very fearful and sick. These people may put their money in a CD and don't make enough money to keep up with inflation but they KNOW their principle is not at risk. Other people love riding on the roller coaster and KNOW at the end of the ride they will be better off. The risk of the market, for careful investors playing the long game is low. It is the best way to make money in the long run.

2007 was a lot worse. The drop was more significant and it took 5 1/2 just to recover. But the market DID recover and has grown significantly.

I DO worry about interest rates, not directly for myself but for the government debt. If rates spike, the raw dollars needed to pay for the interest will go through the roof, exploding the yearly deficit. Certainly it will also be painful for people trying to buy a house or a car. I was caught buying a house in the 80s when the mortgage rates spiked. OUCH! But a few years later they dropped, I refinanced, locked in a low rate, and got my monthly bill dropped a lot. The lesson is, if you can avoid it, put off buying on credit at times of high interest. Interest rates go down as well as up. Also, ditch your highest interest rate loans as soon as you can. The government doesn't have this option and seems to think that infinitely growing debt is not a problem. COVID expenses are making, and will continue to make this problem much worse.

What a Trip!
 

How did we go from a simple easy to recap real estate comparative to debating the haves and have nots, pensions, the stock market, personal wealth, the election, college tuition, R&B then and now, small business challenges.....etc?

HOW ABOUT THOSE RED SOX!

Hardly earth shattering
 

If you have $100K in a tax deferred account at age 35, at 7--8% it should double every 10 years, that's $800K at age 65. If you also continued to add to that 401k, you'd likely have $1MM. At the same 7-8% that throws off $75K a year. That's pretty good in my book, probably earth shattering for some.
The difficulty, of course, is getting to that first $100K. Lots of temptations, new cars instead of used, bigger fancier house, resort hotels instead of campgrounds. And, student debt, as discussed earlier. These days, the trades make more fiscal sense than they did years ago when our schools pushed four year colleges. My independent plumber charges $125 for a quick house call. That's $250K a year if he has 40 billable hours a week. How often do you read this forum or FB and people are in need of a plumber, electrician, etc.? Heritage Home Services isn't advertising on TV for customers. They're advertising because they need tradespeople! But we still rank our high schools based on how many graduates go on to a 4 year college.

I strongly disagree if you are in your mid 30s with 100k making 8% compounded over 30 years even without additional contributions is 1m. That’s significant and that’s without adding another penny. Additionally if you have it in a Roth IRA it is completely tax free.

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Those that have access to an HSA (Health Savings Account) should consider putting as much in there as possible. I believe the max for 2021 is $8,200. Do that year after year and it'll add up quickly. You are essentially self-funding at least part of your future health care needs and you are all but guaranteed to need a lot of money for that eventually. HSA's help take some of this burden off the table by offering triple tax advantages:

1. Contributions are tax free.
2. Investment growth is tax free (many plans offer a multitude of investment options).
3. Withdrawals are tax free provided they're used for qualified medical expenses.

Max out your 401K (the portion that's matched by your employer), invest remaining dollars into the HSA, more remaining dollars into a ROTH or traditional IRA, and if you still have dollars remaining, continue funding the unmatchable portion of your 401K. Select well diversified investments that reflect your risk tolerance.

Also note that there are annual limits to how much in total you can invest in tax advantaged accounts like this. I seem to recall that number being in the upper $50K area.

I know that many folks don't have access to these vehicles but I'm often surprised at how many do, yet fail to take advantage of them.

You've sort of lost the general point which is that very few people have significant wealth in the stock market. First, on the specifics--do you know many 30 somethings with $100K in the market? But more broadly--the top 1% own more than have of the equity value in the US, the bottom 50% own less than 1%. So when we prop up the stock market, virtually all the benefit goes to those already wealthy. As I would imagine you know from your accounting practice, the large majority of boomers do not have enough to retire over the next few years.

Here's more on the market distribution, and an explanation of how wealthy people are able to increase their wealth dramatically with no hard work or brains necessary after their initial windfall:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/27/weal...ouseholds.html

Starting at nothing, zero, nada, a monthly investment of $300 per month for 40 years yields a million+ dollar portfolio with an average 8% return year over year. Obviously the more you have the more return there is on a set percentage. That's the whole point of investing, reap the benefits of compounding returns. You don't need a "windfall" to get started and get there you just need discipline. That's it, it ain't rocket science and it ain't luck. With a bar set that low there is no reason why anyone today isn't retiring with that or even half that.

The reason why so many are unprepared for retirement is very easily explained, just look in the mirror.

A million dollars in 40 years will be nothing.
$300 a month 40 years ago was a fortune.

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That example is dumbed down for illustration purposes. There are many factors that come into play and if that were a more accurate depiction the end result would be far greater than 1 million with a dollar value adjusted for inflation from start to finish even with no fluctuation in the rate of return.

Common you got FAR MORE education than I to throw out a dubious response like that.

Agree that achieving those dollar amounts take time, the ability to stomach steep up and downs and ABSOLUTE DISCIPLINE. This is what I taught my 21 year old daughter who just graduated from college and began her investment journey in high school. We had a pact that any money she earned or was gifted would be divided three ways - 1/3 education, 1/3 retirement and 1/3 whatever she wanted. She's stuck to it for eight years and has about $7,000 saved for retirement. That doesn't seem like much but with only part time work for most of that time, she's learned the value of saving AND investing. I'm hoping that education will last a lifetime.

There's also a wealth of resources out there to learn about investing so, 40 years from now, I really don't see "I didn't know what to do" as being a very good excuse for having meager retirement savings. As I've always told my daughter - start now and you will easily retire in comfort.

Using these numbers, your daughter has saved $7k for education in eight years. How'd she pay for the rest of college, if you don't mind me asking? $7k is one year of community college these days.

One of the things I teach my seniors is to think carefully about how they will pay for school. We go as deep as talking about the overall interest penalties in unsubsidized vs. subsidized loans.

For many, including myself, starting life in the red because of school loans is a necessary evil...and one that flushes all this talk about having an extra $100k/$300 mth. down the drain.

And this isn't just college anymore—trade schools and certifications have increased in costs, too. And, though unions and businesses will often "pay" for the schooling, the costs are often reflected in lower pay for the initial years.

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Here’s a scenario.
Assume a person has finished a 4-year college education at age 22 and starts a job at $35,000 a year.
Assume they were reasonably smart and didn’t go to a ridiculously expensive college and max out their student loans. Assume they probably got some state and federal aid. Assume they worked to offset their expenses. I.E. Assume any school loans are manageable.
Assume their salary increases 1% a year.
Assume they set aside 10% of their salary for retirement (beyond SS) in a tax sheltered account. (If their salary increases faster, so does their retirement savings.)
Assume the investment growth rate is 5% throughout their working and retirement lives. Hint: CDs will not work. You must go into the market. However a 5% average return is a reasonable expectation without excessive risk.

At age 68, retirement, they will have a salary of ~$54,000 and retirement savings of ~$650,000.
They could take out ~$42,000 a year (75% of their ending salary) for 30 years, till age 98. (Still 5% growth of their investment account balance.)
Note, they would also get SS.
Yes, inflation would nibble at the value of their retirement payouts but, besides medical expenses, your costs tend to decline as you age. You don’t have a mortgage, you aren’t traveling as much, you aren’t driving as much, etc. They may also get a higher rate of growth. All of this is unknowable.

The simple formula is to save 10% of your working earnings and expect 5% growth of your investments.
Is it easy? Of course not. It requires a discipline that most people lack.
If you are unhappy with your standard of living you have two basic options, work more hours/multiple jobs, OR advance your education and accept higher levels of job responsibility. The latter is best but, frankly, not everyone is capable of that.
In addition, the “I want it NOW” mentality is fatally toxic to disciplined savings. My neighbor just got a new car, put an addition on their house, got their yard landscaped, took the family for a European vacation, and my credit card is BURNING A HOLE IN MY POCKET can obliterate a savings plan. If you can earn well above your retirement planning and budget requirements, pay for it in cash, NOT credit. Otherwise, NOT now.

I know a lot of people can pick holes in these ideas and but, but, but it into pieces. Some people face special challenges that make it impossible to do do these things. However, if most people did this it would work for them. It’s not rocket science. It’s just hard and disciplined work. AND, even if it didn't work out exactly as planned, you would still be better off than if you did nothing.

We were able to pay her full college education through a Connecticut CHET 529 savings plan which we opened and started contributing to when she was born in 1999. Our early investments in that fund benefited GREATLY from the run-up in stocks after the last recession. Four years ago I moved that funding out of stocks and into a very conservative fund to eliminate any volatility during the four years she'd be in college. Along the way, we benefited from a great annual scholarship that she received and she graduated this December - 1 semester early. All in all, we have $21K left in that fund which I'll reclaim as soon as we've paid a final few college-related expenses. We should be able to reclaim those dollars penalty free since the 529 program recognizes the scholarship meant we didn't need to save as much after all. We'll be taxed however on the earnings portion of the final withdrawal. It really wasn't hard to save in this program. It, again, comes down to starting way ahead and discipline.

Bottom line for her is that she will not need to utilize the education dollars she saved (at least not for her education) - but she did learn the lesson we sought to teach her.

More options
 

A couple of simple options to start retirement savings-that $300/month in one of the examples above.
1. Buy used cars and pay cash. My college roommate had an old Buick that burned a lot of oil (400,000 miles) so he got used oil for free every time he filled up. If you don't drive a POS for a year in your younger days you're missing a lot of good stories. You're also buying comprehensive and collision insurance coverage that you don't need. Cars can be unnecessarily expensive. He was also investing in stocks in those days.
2. Join the military. Long list of options here. Trade training, ROTC, GI Bill. After active duty, I stayed in the reserves for. One weekend a month was worth a few hundred dollars, plus pay for summer cruise, and you could buy stuff cheap at the base exchange/commissary. A drill was 4 hours, so it was often possible to go in for an afternoon or evening to do extra planning or evaluation of previous events. Stick it out (with your buddies) for 20 years and get a pension.

This is one of the really messed up things about our society. Colleges are supposed to be the onramp to American meritocracy. But too many kids have to weigh the finances too carefully, and then are saddled with debt on the back end. This leaves our most prestigious schools to the rich who can pay full fare, and the poor who often qualify for a full ride. The vast middle? Not nearly as able to pay for the best schools as they were 30 years ago. Thus we are less meritocratic and weaker as a country.

Also, let's not pretend that somehow all colleges are equal in terms of the doors they open for the future. They are not--the more expensive private schools give a huge leg up in networking, and those give a huge leg up in job prospects.

$$
 

I treasure the episode of Frasier when Dr. Crane, from Harvard is discussing with his plumber various Mercedes models and other aspects of high living. DOCTOR Crane was the loser.

Speaking of that it's amazing how much those Mercedes plunge in value. I was watching the Mecum car auction the other day and good grief these cars pull maybe mid teens at 8-10 years old where they were originally 6 figure cars.

Hell I'll take a low mileage SL500 for 15K all day long! That is a lot of car for the money.

Can’t agree more. Owned a 92 and 99. Would get another one if the opportunity ever came up.


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Value of old stuff
 

It's like baseball cards.. They can't hit on 8 cylinders anymore, nut the image is valuable.

When Dealerships Can't Fix Them?
 

How many months could you drive one before spending another $15K on it?

They were a high dollar and high maintenance!

If it's a sunday afternoon driver that gets occasionally used probably be OK.

For something that is a daily driver? Nope!

The beginning of your scenario is exactly where I started out after college. 22 w a 35k a year job, about 18k in college loan debt and a bad car addiction haha! I made some mistakes back then, like buying a new car, building and racing it and spending money I didn't have and put nothing into retirement.

Through some helpful advice from my then boss and a check to my crazy spending from my now wife, I reigned myself in and and actually started planning for the future.

Now 37, at the same company I was at when I was 22, I've managed to clean up that mess through advancement, hard work, and more discipline with spending/saving. I haven't been able to kick the car addiction though...

I hope you have a chance to own classic GTO some day. Those are money in the bank. [emoji16]Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

15k for a SL500 or 50K for a true GTO. Neither is a everyday driver so your maintenance costs are minimal. And if you own either you need to wrench. Will always love the SL500. Low miles and single owners are important


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Anyone remember www.mrchucksautoperformance.com when it was in Ashland, across from the tennis courts. He had two red gto's, like a '66 and a '69, very different styling but both real Pontiac GTO's with a manual transmission.

The last year he was in Ashland, he was running a big sale on high performance snow tires and it never snowed much that winter. Anyway, he took his two red gto's and moved down to Florida which is probably a stronger market than Ashland, the geographic center of NH, and new home to a Dunk'n Donuts-Tesla charging station for seven Tesla cars at the same time.

It has to have a manual transmission to be a real Pontiac GTO.

1966 GTO is my favorite classic muscle car!! What a beauty!!

Dan

I agree! Went to look at one a couple years ago for sale, black 66 conv with a late model LS motor and 6sp trans. Awesome car but he wanted 60K. A little too rich for my blood.[emoji2962]Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

I never had the urge to own a Mercedes at any price. I'm not a fan of German cars. Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

I stick with the Japanese cars; Honda, Toyota, Subaru, etc. Just drive them and change the oil. Add gas once in a while.

Easy to maintain and inexpensive to operate. We taught them well after WWII.



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Back in high school in the mid 80's a friend had a black 66 GTO - awesome car. He's wishing he kept it

Hs?
 

I guess we all had cars we wanted in HS, and if we had access, they would be worth a lot of money today. My fraternity brother had a GTO convertible. He joined the Navy and became a pilot. Last reunion he was a four stripe Captain and a pilot with 600 traps. Join the Navy and pick your thrills. I rode an ejection seat once--hot cars are fun, but there is no place like the US Navy for real thrill rides.

I've had sooo many cars in my day but I never owned a GTO. I always wanted a 66 or 67 but prices are too high now.
I had a few Grand Prix's back in the day, a wolf in sheep's clothing. :)

I am in the process of building this at home. One day I'll get a nice 66 to park next to my 06 in there...

Mercedes Favorites...
 

The Mercedes 600 is elegant, the 190D—back in its day—was a solid buy.

Some of the SE and SL models—and 1950s convertibles have me pining for one.

But the best-handling Mercedes should get everyone's attention!

:eek:

That nose is frugly! :eek: