Nice People Thread No. 15, a Cyber Summer

zagubov

GDB2222 wrote: »

I feel a bit like a Jonah. We started off the year with a death in the family. Then our friend in Sheringham sadly committed suicide. Then DW's first cousin died from lung cancer (more accurately, from chemotherapy). Now, we have heard that our cleaner's sister in law has sadly died from Pre-eclampsia. That's all just this year.

Please be careful, folks!

I'm sorry to hear about your losses. Please don't feel you're a Jonah. I don't half wonder if the death rate is increasing this year among certain age groups due to baby booms and other demographic factors that might cause them to cluster.

On other threads people have noted that the number of deaths of celebrities is higher than in previous years. I wonder if that means they have risen against people of similar ages in the non-famous population IYSWIM.

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

The more means testing there is of the state pension the lower the value of private pension savings :eek:

This is my theory. Don't have proof and my view may change.

Everyone opted in unless either a) too poor, or b) choose to opt out.

If you opt in, you'll be means tested.
If you opt out, you'll be penalised for not saving.
Means tested bens will go to working poor/disabled, etc.

vivatifosi

Gutted to hear Prince has died. He was epic in concert.

CKhalvashi

vivatifosi wrote: »

This is my theory. Don't have proof and my view may change.

Everyone opted in unless either a) too poor, or b) choose to opt out.

If you opt in, you'll be means tested.
If you opt out, you'll be penalised for not saving.
Means tested bens will go to working poor/disabled, etc.

This is the problem, and the hard part is balancing it out.

I think the difficulty, even with unemployment/disability/etc is working out when someone is taking the mick and when it's genuine, and the current system isn't working, but then again what will?

I know a girl last year who went into a wheelchair for the few weeks before ESA/PIP assessments, and as soon as these were done was able to walk unaided. Without wanting to judge on anyone, she was openly admitting what she'd done, as the PIP is a way of accessing higher rates of ESA/higher income limits for other benefits, and without wanting to find work and again without wanting to live on the 'standard' ESA/JSA, it was easier.

At the same time, there are many genuine claimants that are rejected as they don't fit into the tick boxes and are honest about everything.

Sad world

vivatifosi

I honestly think that there are a number of people who work, are reasonably comfortably off but haven't saved. They will not be able to live comfortably on the basic state pension and won't get any top ups. Equity release will become far more common.

silvercar

vivatifosi wrote: »

I honestly think that there are a number of people who work, are reasonably comfortably off but haven't saved. They will not be able to live comfortably on the basic state pension and won't get any top ups. Equity release will become far more common.

Very luckily for them, they will have gained by a long period of house price inflation. Of course, they may say they haven't been able to save due to house prices.

silvercar

Fuming.

We've been in our house nearly 10 years. Today a letter arrives to the previous owner requiring a repayment plan to an outstanding loan of over £20k. Why is he using our address? He went bankrupt shortly after moving, so this debt must be since then, when he no longer lived here.

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

I honestly think that there are a number of people who work, are reasonably comfortably off but haven't saved. They will not be able to live comfortably on the basic state pension and won't get any top ups. Equity release will become far more common.

It is why I am secularly bearish on house prices. There are going to be a lot of people who are living in half-million pound houses without a pot to wee in. Selling up and moving to a nice, cheap bit of France, Spain or England must be very tempting.

One of these:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-57825557.html

Would buy you one of these in Normandy and put £400,000 in your pocket:

http://www.french-property.com/vp/nv/ds/lower-normandy-orne-argentan-house/id/588891/

SingleSue

CKhalvashi wrote: »

This is the problem, and the hard part is balancing it out.

I think the difficulty, even with unemployment/disability/etc is working out when someone is taking the mick and when it's genuine, and the current system isn't working, but then again what will?

I know a girl last year who went into a wheelchair for the few weeks before ESA/PIP assessments, and as soon as these were done was able to walk unaided. Without wanting to judge on anyone, she was openly admitting what she'd done, as the PIP is a way of accessing higher rates of ESA/higher income limits for other benefits, and without wanting to find work and again without wanting to live on the 'standard' ESA/JSA, it was easier.

At the same time, there are many genuine claimants that are rejected as they don't fit into the tick boxes and are honest about everything.

Sad world

I wish I could get rid of my wheelchair...

It's people like that that really annoy me, well actually, really pee me off. They make it so much harder for the genuine to access the help and of course, it then makes some of the non disabled believe that everyone attempting to claim a disability benefit is making it up.

On that note, it took me ages to get up the stairs tonight and I felt slightly (ok a lot) in a panic when I had trouble getting up from the loo despite having OT supplied equipment in there. Thankfully, I managed it in the end.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

It is why I am secularly bearish on house prices. There are going to be a lot of people who are living in half-million pound houses without a pot to wee in. Selling up and moving to a nice, cheap bit of France, Spain or England must be very tempting.

One of these:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-57825557.html

Would buy you one of these in Normandy and put £400,000 in your pocket:

http://www.french-property.com/vp/nv/ds/lower-normandy-orne-argentan-house/id/588891/

These are some of the options we've been looking at. Not France, but looking at Sweden and Spain. Sweden is quite an expensive place to live, but the houses are dirt cheap if you don't live in a big city. Spain we can buy somewhere pretty cheap, though not as cheap in the parts we are looking at.

Our mortgage here is almost paid. We've worked out we can retire early if we buy a cheap "holiday home" and live there permanently for a couple of years. We could then live off a combination of savings and rental income from uk house, then move back when we have full access to all of our pensions.