Originally Posted by
duece12345
Says who?
Even a career legacy FO makes plenty of money. No statistics to back it up, but I’ll wager that a career FO is a top 10% earner in the country.
Sure, there are lots of variables. Kids, elderly parents, age hired at legacy, unexpected life events, health, etc. I get it. However, To say that it is tough for a Delta pilot to retire in their 50s is pure poppycock. I won’t go into pre-retirement savings or post-retirement life because there are plenty of opinions on those subjects. The overall underlying theme is 1)start putting away early and stay out of debt 2)live WELL below your means. Retiring in your mid 50s can be done with some planning.
Didn't say it was impossible, in fact my plan is setup for me to retire at 55, then again I have no wife/kids, was hired young and will have a Guard retirement at 57ish (medical at 60). However, I realize that a lot could change between now and then (ref bolded above). I'm just saying that unless you have some side residual income, it's likely not in the cards for many, again ref bolded above. How many guys have you flown with that live "WELL" below their means? I often get mortified looks from guys when I tell them I drop my entire schedule and pick up what I want. Most are too scared to attempt this because they "HAVE" to have at least XXX hours (usually in the mid-high 70s). They can't even fathom having a 40-50 hour month, which I've only done because I wanted, not because I couldn't pick anything up.
Maybe I'll be proven way wrong...I hope I am.