[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Wrong.

If the vehicle is capable of going faster than 25mph then it is NOT an LSV. FS 320.01(41)

The chances of getting caught may be low but become greater if you announce on social media that you are operating such a vehicle, particularly if you call out the business that sold it.

Then there lot of non LSV in villages cause about 99.999999999999999999999999% goes faster than 25MPH.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by MX rider

Exactly!
Nobody is forcing people to buy them locally. But people are willing to pay more for the convenience. If I was buying new I would shop around, but many buyers don't want to do that.

Many have no clue what they’re buying anyway. Besides 25K for golf cart chicken feed for some.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

Then there lot of non LSV in villages cause about 99.999999999999999999999999% goes faster than 25MPH.

Interesting. I own two carts that do not go faster than 25mph. If mine were the only two then for even 99.9999% to go faster than 25mph there would need to be 2,000,000 carts in the Villages. There simply aren't that many. So are you sure your number is anything more than an exaggeration based on no facts at all?

In four years I have seen many carts (though certainly not 2M) but NONE that were going faster than 25mph.

[GoRedSox!]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Inflation over the last three years is truly a game changer. We were extremely lucky to have retired before this all happened and purchase all the big ticket items we will hopefully need for the rest of our lives (with the exception of automobiles). I feel sorry for the recently retired that need to live on a fixed income.

If you have cash savings, you have real interest income for the first time in over a decade. If that fixed income is Social Security, it’s gone up 17.8% in the last 3 years. If you own a home, the value is up significantly. If you have stock investments, the market is at an all time high. If your IRA or 401k is invested in the market, that all time high has likely boosted the value a lot, which increases the annual distribution you can take. I think it’s fair to say that the last few years have been financially good for many seniors.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by GoRedSox!

If you have cash savings, you have real interest income for the first time in over a decade. If that fixed income is Social Security, it’s gone up 17.8% in the last 3 years. If you own a home, the value is up significantly. If you have stock investments, the market is at an all time high. If your IRA or 401k is invested in the market, that all time high has likely boosted the value a lot, which increases the annual distribution you can take. I think it’s fair to say that the last few years have been financially good for many seniors.

Not exactly.

Social Security doesn't keep up with inflation. It may have increased but those relying on it lost ground.

Home value is irrelevant unless you own a second home that you are willing to sell. Any increase in your primary home is a wash since selling for a profit would require purchasing a home that has also increased in value.

The market has been good for the last 12 months or so but that has only been sufficient to recover from the losses in the 18 months before that. By leaving my investments and 401K alone, it has finally climbed back to where it was at the end of 2021. If any seniors had found it necessary to make withdrawals during those 18 months when the market was down then their accounts have not regained the lost value.

SS has lost ground, increases in home prices are a wash, and investments that have taken withdrawals have not recovered. The last 12 months have been better than the previous 18 but the last few years have not been good to seniors at all.

[GoRedSox!]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Not exactly.

Social Security doesn't keep up with inflation. It may have increased but those relying on it lost ground.

Home value is irrelevant unless you own a second home that you are willing to sell. Any increase in your primary home is a wash since selling for a profit would require purchasing a home that has also increased in value.

The market has been good for the last 12 months or so but that has only been sufficient to recover from the losses in the 18 months before that. By leaving my investments and 401K alone, it has finally climbed back to where it was at the end of 2021. If any seniors had found it necessary to make withdrawals during those 18 months when the market was down then their accounts have not regained the lost value.

SS has lost ground, increases in home prices are a wash, and investments that have taken withdrawals have not recovered. The last 12 months have been better than the previous 18 but the last few years have not been good to seniors at all.

There is plenty of economic data that shows how much the average and median net worth of Boomers has gone up, and it's a lot. You left out commentary on interest on savings. Many folks were not entirely invested in the market or other at-risk securities. There is a significant income stream now available to may who like to keep at least some assets in cash deposits, insured by the FDIC. The stock market is at an all-time high. I also disagree about the value of homes. It's not a complete wash, it's far better to have an increase in home equity rather than a decrease...when the value of my home goes down 20%, I don't say it's a wash. It's real equity that is part of your net worth. Some or all of those appreciated funds can be accessed by downsizing, or selling. And I know some prices have gone up more than the rate of inflation (e.g. homeowner's and car insurance), but 17.8% increase in Social Security is roughly equal to the stated inflation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for this period. There are so many more millionaires in America now than before the pandemic, and lots of data to back up what I am stating here.

I am specifically referring to Boomers, though....it's a different story for folks half our age.

[melpetezrinski]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Not exactly.

Social Security doesn't keep up with inflation. It may have increased but those relying on it lost ground.

Home value is irrelevant unless you own a second home that you are willing to sell. Any increase in your primary home is a wash since selling for a profit would require purchasing a home that has also increased in value.

The market has been good for the last 12 months or so but that has only been sufficient to recover from the losses in the 18 months before that. By leaving my investments and 401K alone, it has finally climbed back to where it was at the end of 2021. If any seniors had found it necessary to make withdrawals during those 18 months when the market was down then their accounts have not regained the lost value.

SS has lost ground, increases in home prices are a wash, and investments that have taken withdrawals have not recovered. The last 12 months have been better than the previous 18 but the last few years have not been good to seniors at all.

Ah, the master of spin:

1. "18 months before the last 12 months" of a stock market that is at ALL TIME HIGHS.
2. SSA ensures that benefits keep up with inflation through COLA adjustments but "those relying on SS lost ground"
3. "Home value is irrelevent" unless you want to simply downsize and reap the profits or do what thousands of villagers do and buy new, sell in two years for a significant profit and then rinse and repeat.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Interesting. I own two carts that do not go faster than 25mph. If mine were the only two then for even 99.9999% to go faster than 25mph there would need to be 2,000,000 carts in the Villages. There simply aren't that many. So are you sure your number is anything more than an exaggeration based on no facts at all?

In four years I have seen many carts (though certainly not 2M) but NONE that were going faster than 25mph.

And I have another 2 that might get to 21 downhill. Now we're up to 4 million. OP: hyperbole much??????

[GoRedSox!]

Originally Posted by melpetezrinski

Ah, the master of spin:

1. "18 months before the last 12 months" of a stock market that is at ALL TIME HIGHS.
2. SSA ensures that benefits keep up with inflation through COLA adjustments but "those relying on SS lost ground"
3. "Home value is irrelevent" unless you want to simply downsize and reap the profits or do what thousands of villagers do and buy new, sell in two years for a significant profit and then rinse and repeat.

Thank you for these points and I agree. I am not putting up my points to be an irritant, but there is plenty of objective economic data to back up the fact that most Boomers have fared extremely well since the pandemic. Net worth is meaningful, it's not a wash. The average 401(k) balance increased substantially and that includes and withdrawals during that period. And I'm surprised more folks are not acknowledging the interest they now make, it's the first time in over a decade that it's been meaningful.

[spd2918]

To anyone thinking the U.S. inflation rate has been lowered, it technically has gone from horrible to not so horrible. It is still very bad. By the years:

2017, 2.1
2018, 1.9
2019, 2.3
2020, 1.4
(7.7.in 4 years)

2021, 7.0
2022, 6.5
2023, 3.4
2024 (12 month based prediction) 3.4
(20.3 in 4 years, or 16.9 in 3)

Anyone trying to put a good face on this economy is a propagandist and wants it to fail.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by GoRedSox!

If you have cash savings, you have real interest income for the first time in over a decade. If that fixed income is Social Security, it’s gone up 17.8% in the last 3 years. If you own a home, the value is up significantly. If you have stock investments, the market is at an all time high. If your IRA or 401k is invested in the market, that all time high has likely boosted the value a lot, which increases the annual distribution you can take. I think it’s fair to say that the last few years have been financially good for many seniors.

You forgot to add cost of everything including taxes, food, utilities, and every other needed items. So, probably in negative.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Interesting. I own two carts that do not go faster than 25mph. If mine were the only two then for even 99.9999% to go faster than 25mph there would need to be 2,000,000 carts in the Villages. There simply aren't that many. So are you sure your number is anything more than an exaggeration based on no facts at all?

In four years I have seen many carts (though certainly not 2M) but NONE that were going faster than 25mph.

So you own two don’t mean all that way and beside we was taking about LSV’s, you know they type you licenses to gain 5 MPH and NOT to exceed 25MPH.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

So you own two don’t mean all that way and beside we was taking about LSV’s, you know they type you licenses to gain 5 MPH and NOT to exceed 25MPH.

You quoted the number, I just did the math for you, then GE proved your number even more wrong.

If you are talking about LSVs on the street, I can't tell an LSV from a Smart car; if either one is traveling 30mph it looks the same to me.

If you are talking about LSVs on the MMPs, my statement stands - I have seen none that I would say are traveling greater than 25mph.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by melpetezrinski

Ah, the master of spin:

1. "18 months before the last 12 months" of a stock market that is at ALL TIME HIGHS.
2. SSA ensures that benefits keep up with inflation through COLA adjustments but "those relying on SS lost ground"
3. "Home value is irrelevent" unless you want to simply downsize and reap the profits or do what thousands of villagers do and buy new, sell in two years for a significant profit and then rinse and repeat.

No spin at all.

1. The stock market hit an all time high a few days ago then dropped a bit. I'm not sure if it has fully recovered yet. Still, the value of my investments today is very close to the value they had in December 2021 and since I did not remove or add anything during that time, this shows me the market has recovered to what it once was, it has not done really well the last few years.

2. SSA does not ensure benefits keep up with inflation. SSA calculates a COLA that helps but does not necessarily keep up. Just look at the calculation to see how this plays out.

3. If I want to "downsize" then I am accepting that the value in my home has NOT increased relative to the same home. Sure, I can always take money out of my home, buy something smaller, then declare I have made money but in the end, I own something smaller. As others have pointed out, your primary home is not an investment.

[Robnlaura]

Nah you can buy as many as you like from the villages. I’ll stick to getting mine from China.. at a 1/4 of the price and it’s shipped complete.. look it up on YouTube. Otherwise don’t moan just pay 🤣🤣🤣