steve o, I am simply talking about exercising the right itself, not the attendant costs that in today's government/society happen to be in place that are related to that right. That is, again, everyone CAN exercise his right to free speech. It doesn't cost anyone anything when someone exercises his free speech right. Same with being "peaceful" -- it doesn't cost me anything for my neighbor to be peaceful, to mind his own business. And voting, in its simplest form, also fits this definition. One can say "yea" or "nay" or raise or not raise his or her hand. The voting per se does not necessarily cost anything. And oh, gotta love the efficiency of the military other government institutions. Gotta love the $400 hammer and the $200 toilet seat. As for zone 8 gma, what one "needs" in retirement is certainly dependent on the definition of "comfortable" eh? Let's say someone owns a home free and clear and the home is worth $500K. If that someone gets a typical SS payment in retirement, I am under the impression that for a household used to a salary of say, $100K per year in a medium- to-high-cost-of-living part of the country that SS payment is a small portion of what they will need to sustain their standard of living. Isn't the rough rule of thumb, you want to plan on living on 75 or 80% of your pre-retirement income? If my example household does not have a pension, as MANY will not in future years, then where's the rest of that money coming from? I think at least $1M today could be comfortable for that example household. You have to figure they still pay property taxes, they need medigap insurance, they may need to weather downturns in the market, they may need nursing home care someday, etc. If their $1M earns 8% per year, that's $80K and great, they have their desired stream of income and they do not deplete their nest egg. Most people want to leave their kids something as an inheritance. I know I want to. To really have a solid cushion, though, I do not think $2M is outrageous. What if there's a recession, if there are BIG increases in taxes due to bailout of entitlements, etc? Seems prudent to assume the worst and hope for the best.

tina...I do get what you are saying. We have volunteered a lot with the local food bank and our church. Many people need rides out of town and few can do it so DH and I are always called upon to give rides to those that have out of town appts for MD's and lengthy tests etc. We are gone a lot so it is a challenge to fit in volunteer work and travel, for sure ! I seem to never have much time to relax LOL! DH and I are on the go and this trip has been much the same..you have to be someplace every day by a set time...sigh... this will be my last bike tour with others...remember I said I hate too much structure...even if it is " fun" ! We have LOVED being on our own the past 2 1/2 weeks..no one to please but ourselves. You should have seen my face when the 1st B and B wanted to know when we wanted breakfast ...arrgghh ! I don't know !! It is SO fun tonight to be at our nephew's home near Den Haag..they are gone and we are borrowing their home...we can get up when we want :) Joanie...exactly..you said it perfectly ! Precisely what I was trying to convey..thank you ! If you are at all like DH and I you will have more trouble deciding "what to do next? ! " ..there are just too many great things and people and places out there and of course family comes first so that has made a big difference in our plans. We would move to Europe most of every Summer were it not for our children and now our lovely sweet grandson...so choices. May you have a lovely time deciding what joy to bring in to your life next . c

'annainva' do you pay the $110 monthly fee for registering for Part B medicare? I was advised to pay this now as there would be a huge penalty if I waited till DH was Social Security eligible. I also am younger than DH. I do not have enough credits to collect SS on my own paid work history ( a lesson for all those military spouses who volunteer at DOD schools, hospitals and church). DH will be eligible at in 2 more years. We have Tricare for life, plus supplemental with MOAA. We use the Tricare network pharmacies. So Tricare is still my first insurer, then MOAA. When DH retires it will be medicare first, then Tricare.We will drop MOAA. We retired from the military 3 years ago and moved from CA to Louisiana, DH's home of record. It is very difficult to find anyone who will accept Tricare, as they inform me that they pay less than medicare. Fort Polk is located 2 hours away, no doubt bringing $$ and jobs to Louisiana. I find that the average citizen here, unless they have family serving appear to not care about the military family or their sacrifice. We are planning on another move this summer, to Houston TX, they have a large VA hospital there for DH's needs. When Doctors offices repeatedly turn us away, I feel like reminding them that the freedom they are enjoying was and is not free!

Some of us don't do spas. I certainly don't. If I was a spa person I would already have my favorite one I trusted. Like hair. You wouldn't send someone to a different hair salon from their usual. A lot of people don't like heavy scents these days and not everyone drinks wine or even runs in circles with friends that do. I vote for the generic gift card in this case. Amazon is my first choice since it could be used not just for stuff but digital downloads to Kindles and such.