Which had to be done because I am getting too close to the age where I have to start taking minimum withdrawals from my IRA(s).
I really don't need the money because I live like a coolie but it's take the withdrawals or face tax problems so it had to be done.
Anyway the wife had sent me to find someone we could work with. I didn't bother getting dressed well. I looked like a coolie.
I later figured out that these agents don't pay attention to their client's wardrobes. A lot of very wealthy people dress like bag ladies.
So I walked in and sat down waiting for someone to come along and tend to me. I was sitting there when the guy across me asked me how I was doing. He looked and sounded like someone that should have transgendered because he would have made a pretty good Karen.
"Not worth a shit. Thank you for asking, and you?"
"Maybe it'll get better," he said.
"Doubtful," I said. "After I finish with my financial business which I hate, I've got to go home and deal with my two year old daughter."
His jaw dropped and he blushed.
What I didn't see is an agent that heard the whole thing. He addressed me and apologized for being late for my appointment.
I was a walk in! What appointment? Then I saw the suppressed smirk on his face and knew he had heard everything I had said to the other guy and wanted to help me. I had made his day in the serious world of finance. This man clearly knew bull$hit when he saw it.
On the way into his office I explained to him, "You are going to be careful and explain everything to me clearly and slowly because I am now in uncharted waters because this is the first time. I've never been a senior citizen."
When I said that I could have knocked him over with a feather. He turned to me and said, "Thank you. You opened my eyes up quite a bit. It's easy for people like me to forget that many working people bust their ass for years and years and never learn the procedures. They're too busy working."
"Yeah. I busted my ass at sea making the money and my wife was at home taking care of home, hearth and finances."
"At sea?" he asked.
"Yeah. Merchant mariner, commercial fisherman since 1978."
"I think I understand. My father was career Navy." he said. "You guys bust your asses."
I then explained what I wanted to do and he carefully explained my options. It was a lot easier than I thought and knew I had found someone my wife and I can work with.
Of course this was entirely unnecessary in my opinion. When I start my mandatory withdrawals only puts me into a tax bracket I don't want to be in. I am (not seriously) considering donating my required withdrawals to charity and lowering my tax bracket even more.
I have been retired going on 2 years and have enough money coming in. On the other hand, I don't have a whole lot of expenses, either.
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