New tools or toys and retirement.

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
I like to share a thought here that comes to my mind each time i use my drill press.

To set the scene though i need to remind you of how i came by this drill press.
Well a fellow member of our forum passed away. His widow was left with disposing of his tools and Jay stepped up to assist her in this process. The Ambassador was on his way home and kindly offered to be the Fedex man and carry items to the next stop for anyone wanting to buy something. With that i bought Pauls drill press.
The sad thing and point to my post is this drill press was only 6 months old.
I recall Paul posting at a point in time that he had been given permission by the missus to buy some tools, the drill press was among the items at the time.

Now i am less than a year from 60. I have already lost 4 very close friends that i never expected given our times to see pass at the age they did. It hit me hard to loose these brothers and a sister (not direct family but they were more to me than my family ever were).

But one day our dear pastor Carol said we are not assured of tomorrow.

Well between losing my friends, watching rock stars and movie stars of my era pass and thinking of how Paul had patiently waited and then barely got to get pleasure from his purchase, coupled with Carols words, i would like to suggest that if you have a plan in mind to do something, do it now.

You never know what awaits you round the corner and life is just to short.

Its pointless getting tools you would like when your faculties are no longer able to employ them and have you enjoy them.

And if you thinking of leaving the kids what money you have, be sure this next generation will blow it faster than you can say Bobs your uncle. Lol

Just my 5 cents after having spent a fair bit of coin on some new toys. All of which will either collapse my grey matter left or keep it going for a long long time. Lol.

Nudfe nudge nudge. Lol
 
7 years older than you, Rob. My instructions to Jan are simple. If I go unexpectedly (no time to plan myself) she is to call Larry and Tom regarding my shop. They will know how to liquidate everything and they are welcome to take some for themselves for the trouble. I have no family interested in my tools and most are too far away for it to be practical.
 
Well, I've told my wife to let my son and daughter pick and choose what they actually want, some items are my dads old tools, so other family members can have a pick also. But beyond that, if she wants to run with the "Betty's got a bass boat" scenario and attract some new prey, it's all up to her. ;) :D
 
I really need to make sure LOML knows what she's got when I'm gone. Between guitars/music gear, tools, and firearms, I've got a lot of things of value that nobody else in my family will be very interested in. (A few of the guns will be scooped up by nephews, but they own about as many as I do, lol.)
 
agreed - do it now.

I am.

My CNC router and my laser are just that. Do it now, rather than wait.

Still there are need to do things and there are want to do things. We still need to do the need to do things.

The want to do things are lined up there at the ready. I definately do some want to do things mixed in with the need to do things.

I have already lost 2 of my sisters. One was 53 and the other was 67. Granted, lifestyle took them earlier than we all thing it right, but none-the-less we are NOT assured of tomorrow, or even to make it through the rest of today.

I told Diane the other day - make a lawyer appointment. We need to get the books in order.

I am 3 years away from retirement and presently working hard to get as much as possible in order, hence the work around the house. I do not know what my health will be like after today, tomorrow, next month etc.

Good post Rob - we need that encouragement.
 
I retired a bit over 20 years ago and past 60 a few years back. Still going fairly strong but you never know. I have a will, an executor, and life insurance and all that stuff. My executor is tough and by the book so things should go smoothly. My will simply states that if someone protests it, they are to receive $1.00 and shown the door. Period. With my back and knees giving me fits off and on, I figger things are going to go however they go. But, anytime I can upgrade a tool I do it. And, being hard headed I will continue to do that until the time comes I know my shop time is near end. Don't know what else to add. I've been blown up, blinded temporarily twice, been shot twice, and 3 spinal surgeries along with a few other little inconveniences. Anytime I have upright I figger is good for me.
 
I have no one to leave things to, and pragmatically, since I won't be here to object, let the buzzards hover until it is all gone.

That said, it is one of the reasons for getting this place and moving in. Even a tiny shop is more than I have had for the last six years. SO stuff will come out of storage, renovated, some used again, some sold, some new stuff acquired and thankful if I am given some time to play with it.
 
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I'm 73 now and have been "retired" since 9/11 happened. The circumstances surrounding that event made the job market virtually non-existent. LOML and I had been on a mission to be debt-free, so it was fairly easy to move on with our lives. I had set up a nicely equipped shop in our garage prior to 9/11 and the time off allowed me to start building more things for our home. We were living in Florida at the time but knew we wanted to move elsewhere. In June, 2006, we bought our present (and final) residence in Georgia, where I have set up a pretty nice shop.

We had valid wills from Florida but knew we needed to update them for Georgia and our current situation. Those who are to get anything when both of us are gone are named in our wills. I say "wills" because we each have to have one but they are identical. There is also verbiage regarding those who are getting nothing so there can be no question about our intent. FYI, our attorney was very pleased when we arrived at his office well-prepared and with bequeaths specified as percentages rather than dollar figures.

We have no family within a thousand miles of us, but Bobbie knows who can get what from my shop, if they want any of it. There is a technical college here that is named in our wills and can come get whatever they want from my shop when I'm gone. Bobbie knows the purpose and value of everything in my shop. She may not have an interest in becoming a woodworker but she understands why I have what I have in the shop. She also knows how to contact Larry, who has been a guest in our home several times. He might be a long way from us but he knows plenty of people in closer proximity who could assist Bobbie and him as necessary.

In the meantime, I'll spend as much time as possible butchering my way through this 'n that.
 
Yeah so i think some of you read my post the wrong way.

What i am really saying is buy that tool you want before its too late to do it. And i ain't shilling for anyone just saying.

I hope for more than 6 months of use from the kit i have purchased over the years .

Its a part of the reason i aint letting moss grow under my feet as far as recent purchases. 😉
 
I got you Rob. I understand.

I've seen too many good folks go to soon lately and it haunts me.

What did they put off that they wanted to do for another day?

Keep that stone rolling and the moss wont grow.
 
I agree with you Rob. Stop putting off getting new or updated items. Made the choice this summer to upgrade table saw and now wonder why in heck I didn't do it much earlier. Not getting any younger and if I wish to enjoy my hobby I better have a a better and safer tool. Sorry the kids don't want any of it but they can sort that out after I'm gone. They do enjoy the fruits of my labor though.
David
 
I agree with you Rob. Stop putting off getting new or updated items. Made the choice this summer to upgrade table saw and now wonder why in heck I didn't do it much earlier. Not getting any younger and if I wish to enjoy my hobby I better have a a better and safer tool. Sorry the kids don't want any of it but they can sort that out after I'm gone. They do enjoy the fruits of my labor though.
David

I have been negligent in setting up a trust or a will, just never had spare money for the lawyer. However, I have been executor for three estates and from both my experience and lawyers experience letting heir just pick what they want is the worst approach possible. Invariably there will be items both want and with no written instructions as to who gets what there can be battles and family splits. Usually, cars and guns are on the top of that list, next is Momma's jewelry and so on. If the estate goes to probate nobody has a choice it is all sold, possibly at auction. My son does not have a sentimental cell in his body. I have already given him several family heirloom items of great sentimental value to me. He has them stashed in the back of a closet. My wife has an extensive collection of glass bells worth many thousands of dollars. I'm sure when she passes they will be trashed. Have a lawyer write up a trust and write your will. Hard work listing every item but it will give you comfort while you are still alive. And, BTW, in my retirement community I see them die at all ages, from 39 to a recent 98. At 79 with bad heart history I could go any day or last another ten years . Never know.
 
Rob, to your point...

Jan and I had this conversation just last week. She doesn't understand me sometimes when I've hung around the house for days and I just need to take a drive somewhere. I've not seen enough of my new home state yet, I need to see more.

My explanation to her was simple. It is reported that David Cassidy's last words were, "so much wasted time". I told her I don't want my last words to be similar. He was only a few months older than me. Granted, I don't share any of his bad habits, but tomorrow's not promised.
 
I agree with Rob's point. For the past 10-15 years, I've had the attitude that I might as well enjoy having nice things while I can still use them. Of course, everyone's definition of "nice" will vary. I don't always buy the very best of something, but I tend to buy things that are more than sufficient for my needs.

Regarding wills and trusts, I highly recommend setting up a trust. My parent's and LOML's mom had trusts set up, and it made things MUCH easier for those left behind. It also helps that my siblings and I had absolutely no debates about who would get what. The closest we came to debating was when two of us had to convince the other that she should keep Dad's Mustang instead of selling it and splitting the proceeds. That particular sister was the executor, and she put in a lot of work the other two of us didn't. We figured the Mustang was fair compensation for her efforts. It took some doing, but we eventually convinced her to keep it.
 
I got you Rob. I understand.
I've seen too many good folks go to soon lately and it haunts me.
What did they put off that they wanted to do for another day?
Keep that stone rolling and the moss wont grow.

There are plenty of stories about people, mostly men, who were very successful in their careers and finally decided to retire. But, they had not developed any interests outside sitting at a desk making money, so they just flop back in their expensive easy chair and drop dead in six months. Sad, but true.

I have an acquaintance who is not in great health but gets around just fine. We had a discussion about my woodworking when he visited and he seemed interested. I pointed out there were many small ways to get into woodworking, such as getting a small lathe to do pens and other crafts. (He had watched me do some work on a pen). The bottom line is he has no confidence in his potential for whatever reason. He has always been in some kind of sales position and that's all he seems to know.

Staying active to whatever degree one can might mean one's heirs have to wait longer to get what they think they deserve, but .. so what?!?!?
 
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Bill you hit the nail on the head. Its exactly why i started buying tools and other things way back.

Case in point, lol i love the sounds of mouth organ. But i recognise not a musical note in my body. Lol. That did not stop me getting one and i suck on it while driving now and then and make a noise. Not hurting anyone's ears and i enjoy the sound. Makes no sense to most except to me. Hey miracles can happen.lol
 
Did the trust thing last year. Lots of work. Not terribly expensive. But it is done and that provides peace of mind. I have no heirs but a I do have a good friend who has agreed to tidy up the inevitable mess I leave behind. I did the trust to make things as easy as possible for him. It is the gift you give to those who care about you. Do it now
 
I was very lucky to have been able to retire somewhat early. Have played a lot with pen making, laser stuff, competitive shooting and getting close to 3000 rounds of golf. Over the last 10+ years several of my friends back at where I worked have passed. Most of them knew exactly how much $$$ they were going to have when they reached that magic age and could retire.

The one thing they did not know was their game of life end date. It came way to early for most of them.
 
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