General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I reach "retirement age" soon. Like in fifteen minutes. So, now what? [View all]DFW
(54,781 posts)He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 77, but defiantly kept working until 8 days before he died, eleven months after diagnosis, when his last column appeared. Though barely able to function, about 4 months before he died, he saw that some proposed adjustment to Medicare would end up costing the government more, where its sponsors had intended it to save the government money. He arranged a conference call between himself, the office of then-Senator Moynihan on NY and the (Clinton) White House, laid it out for them, and the proposal was taken off the table when they realized he was right.
I could stop working tomorrow, but to be financially secure, I'd have to move back to the States in order for my Roth IRA to be accessible. I need it to live on if I stop working, and while I paid the taxes (39.6%) on it up front, as designed under US law, the Germans don't recognize that, and want to tax it again (51%), in violation of the double-taxation treaty. At 10% left over, and me living in an expensive country, I might as well donate the rest to charity and sell pencils on the street.