Yeah, no fuckin shit. I've been incredibly fortunate and started saving for retirement at 22 (not because I could afford it, it's mandatory when you work for the government) and I'm almost 40 and still only have about $220k saved. I'm miles ahead of most of my friends, and miles behind where I'd actually need to be to retire at 65. I realized a few years ago that my options are to work until I die or retire when I'm ready and off myself when I'm out of money. Option 2 is a lot more appealing - at least I'll get to enjoy myself for a few years instead of none.
I've given up on the idea of owning a home. That's just plain never gonna happen on a single income.
Morbid as it is, I've told my entire family that I fully intend to seek assisted suicide when I'm old. I've watched enough family members become decrepit and just live with constant pain for years, and then the mental decline, the Alzheimer's, the dementia. Fuck all that noise, when I'm ready and feel fulfilled with my life, I'm out of this bitch
Oh yeah dementia is a hard no for me. My dad had glioblastoma and it was like cancer and dementia combined. Watching him made me even more positive that I'd rather jump off a cliff than live like that. Every day was confusing and scary and he became really volatile, but he turned down assisted suicide when he was still lucid, so there was nothing we could do. If I'm ever in that position, give me the drugs, I'm done.
Nah, I've only worked at the city/state/county levels, never federal. I think they've all been in the neighborhood of 8-10% from both me and my employer, it's just that I've made shit money for most of my career because I wanted to help people and those jobs pay like crap. I also lost about 50k the last time the market went in the shitter and I've spent the last few years just making up for that.