While I'm much better off financially than my parents were at 40, I'll end up working harder and longer than they had to later in life. Most of that has to do with the retirement dreams my wife and I have.

My folks were content with retiring in Kansas and living out the rest of their days staring at wheat fields and hedge rows. We have dreams of buying a beachfront condo in Maui and living on the island six months of the year. Fortunately, we've been able to make enough money up to this point in our lives to be on pace to fulfill this dream, but there are times I wonder if it would be easier to work less, have less stress, and have a different retirement plan.

Exactly what I was thinking. Dude's gonna be filthy in no time. Especially if he's throwing everything he can at it to make it go away. Great investment and a great degree.

From your previous post about your decisions and lifestyle, you should seriously consider a career in sales. You're very charismatic, and would make a great salesman. Six figures is just the starting point for good salespeople.

Why Maui? Why not say, Florida on the ocean? Or even a place like Belize that has a similar climate and landscape, and a fraction of the cost? My line of work has me fortunate enough I will be moving to some version of island paradise in the next couple of years, and earning a larger income because of it. I'm considering St. Thomas as a couple of buddies of mine were just recruited from branson, moved there, and are loving it. I want to wait and see how they feel in a year. Lol

Not sure what you're asking.

Yes my wife and I have 401k's but that's investing and your money isn't guaranteed. It's based on market fluctuations. We don't have the luxury of guaranteed money from a pension in retirement.

I'd like to think we're about the same. I won't be having any debt coming out of undergrad because of mainly my parents(though I did get a 4th of my cost covered via an academic scholarship). But the world my mom and dad grew up in when they were in college(35-40 years ago) is much different than the one I'm in today.

My wife and I just fell in love with the Hawaiian islands and Maui in particular. I've been to other tropical places (St. Thomas, Maldives, and Costa Rica) and nothing else felt like someplace I would want to live. I've been all over the state of Florida, and I would never consider living in that god forsaken swamp.

**** you, pal.

I currently live in a Kansas. The ****ing is already happening.

Seriously though, the humidity in Florida sucks. Plus BEP lives in Florida and I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that crazy bitch.

Hah. I feel you.

It's been particularly humid this summer, or at least it feels like it to me. It's not for everybody.

Sacrificing life now by living in Kansas in order to save enough money to hobble around Maui with a cane and a Hoveround when you're 70.

?Winning?

70? If I have to work a day past my 58th birthday, I'm going to be really pissed.

Maybe we will fall in love with Montana in a couple of weeks and decide to build a log cabin home in the mountains.

I'm just ****ing with you Nancy.

The Montana option would be one hell of a lot cheaper. Not sure how your joints would adapt to 5 month long winters as you'd age.