David, I've seen several posts recently from crafty people who have installed paper mache or crochet wasps nests to keep the real (very territorial) ones away.

I bet I could buy one from a craft person on Etsy!

I am still in the "La la la not time to think about it" stage of even vaguely thinking about retirement plans. Bluntly, our household is fucked. There's no such thing as retirement for freelance artists, and I know I'll eventually age out of tech.

And I KNOW part of this mindset is growing up poor, where planning for the future was not a thing. Getting through the month was a thing.

And I KNOW part of this mindset is growing up poor, where planning for the future was not a thing. Getting through the month was a thing.

This is still a big part of my psyche. I freak out at the idea of moving money -- that was budgeted for, and is *supposed* to be moved -- from checking into the retirement account, because it feels like then the money is gone forever. It's literally still our money; it's just in a different bucket. I'm still adjusting to having multiple buckets.

My rational brain is all, "Compound interest; right on," but my lizard brain wants to lie, Smaug-like, on top of a pile containing all of our money and hiss at anyone who wants to move any of it anywhere other than under my butt.

My retirement plans are pretty much hoping that a miracle will occur. I am still working on getting through the month being a consistent thing (I mean, it pretty much is but not without constantly thinking about it to make sure it happens). I do have an auto deduction going to a 401k but very likely not as much as would be wise.

My rational brain is all, "Compound interest; right on," but my lizard brain wants to lie, Smaug-like, on top of a pile containing all of our money and hiss at anyone who wants to move any of it anywhere other than under my butt.

Totally rational! Now I kind of want to buy a rambling Victorian and stuff it full of aging, eccentric Buffistas.

Just took them five tries to get a blood draw! Undelightful!

Of course, retirement age is a whole other kettle of fish. I don't see it happening for a long, long while. I'm literally banking on both of us being able to work for at least another ten years. Minimum. God willing and the creek don't rise.

Now that it seems I am unlikely to make it to retirement age, I have the opposite issue. Social Security is just, "oh well, guess I'm paying for you guys." But my 401K has like 200K and I'm still contributing with every paycheck. I need to figure out ... how to figure out at what point I stop contributing and try to look into early withdrawals. That money would pay for a lot of travel since living into my 90s has been taken off the table.

My rational brain is all, "Compound interest; right on," but my lizard brain wants to lie, Smaug-like, on top of a pile containing all of our money and hiss at anyone who wants to move any of it anywhere other than under my butt.

Totally rational! Now I kind of want to buy a rambling Victorian and stuff it full of aging, eccentric Buffistas.

...are you planning to lie, Smaug-like, on top of a pile of aging Buffistas?

Of course, retirement age is a whole other kettle of fish. I don't see it happening for a long, long while. I'm literally banking on both of us being able to work for at least another ten years. Minimum. God willing and the creek don't rise.

I'm only 53 (well, I will be next month), and while I know people retire in their 50s, I genuinely can't imagine not working. The structure of a job is good for me. I assume the closer I get to actual retirement age, I'll be more on board with not working, but I expect to work until I'm at least 62, and most likely 65. Tim has talked about retiring early because of his RA, but even for him, "retiring early" might mean 60 instead of 62 or 65, since he turns 58 this year.

are you planning to lie, Smaug-like, on top of a pile of aging Buffistas?

Only if everyone committed to being soft and squishy.

are you planning to lie, Smaug-like, on top of a pile of aging Buffistas?

Only if everyone committed to being soft and squishy.

Baby, I got this.