Originally Posted by
UnusualAttitude
One man's thoughts:-UA
Nicely written! I agree
Originally Posted by
Rsv4lyfe
I left one of the big 3. I'm 28. I fully intend to retire WITHOUT a pension. That's ok. With the time I have to put in, I think I'd be alright with a 16-20% DC too. And I can control it.
I came here for commuting ease and stability (FDX is a powerhouse of a company.) We'll see.
Planning your finances conservatively certainly is wise; and not building a life that necessitates the pension-- inflation adjusted-- would be great if you can... And your post may have been just that, sharing your personal feelings should the worst happen for whatever reason.
However, I can't help but begin to freak out when your sentiment seems to betray a conflation between your personal needs and frugality, and being 'ok' with a grossly inequitable trade... and for what?
Using the lower limits of one's personal needs as a metric for willingly giving up present benefits is not a trait I want to see in our future crewforce. Not to mention, just how short an additional 8 percent on the B fund would reach, should we lose the A fund (for the majority of us).
I'm in my early thirties and have been here for around 7 years, I may plan for the worst, but it certainly wouldn't be 'ok' with me! The A plan, or something truly equitable, is invaluable (less each passing year), it strongly influenced my decision to work nights, fly haz, work out of the available domiciles etc... Sure, there were many other benefits to Fedex, but the presence of the pension is what led many to arriving at the same career decision, eschewing companies that may have been better for social life and physical health.
The issue for pilots our age is that the pension, if not adjusted for inflation, will basically be a car payment come retirement.