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My fiance' has informed me that his "retirement plan" consists of this:   First of all, let me explain that he is an avid Baseball memorabilia and card collector, and has been since childhood.  He has Thousands of cards---signed and unsigned, as well as autographed pictures, posters, and balls.  His total collection is probably worth about $200,000 dollars.  A few high dollar pieces are in a safe deposit box, and the rest.....all down in his basement in cardboard boxes, stacked all up along the concrete wall.  I keep telling him if his house catches on fire......there goes your "investment"!!!  He has about $20,000 in a savings account in the bank......but the other scary thing is---he has NO 401K!!  NONE!!  He's in his mid 50's, college degree, and does fairly well in his business endeavors----but when I found out he had no "real" retirement plan--except his Baseball collection in his basement--my jaw dropped.  Can anyone please give advice on what he should be doing to protect himself??  Do you think he should be selling off a lot of those things (except the ones that need to sit and gain more value of course) and be investing that money safely somewhere??

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hallo, "loosing patience".

the problem- if we name it thus - your fiance have seems to have to me - according to what I just read - sounds like a man who STICKS TO THE PAST. TO THINGS THAT "WERE". He kindof has built a dry condense of times of sport, manhood and boy-fun. I dare to assume that at the moment he is not willing to ever sell his cards to have money in old age. If we put a spotlight on this fact and are ready to assume it as correct, then we may conclude that he closes his eyes to the future. I don't know if you have children. They representthe future. I am having the feeling that you should try to lead guide him into having more joyin THESE DAYS. Meet friends, share events, "leave the house". He seems to be a man who needs to be awakened to notice that there still is a lot of life to be lived. I hope I touched a nerve...Niko.

Hi,

    You were disappointed to find out that he does not have savings for the future.  If you are worried about your future, he is not the man for you. If you love him too much and you are willing to take him as he is, then you should stop complaining.  He does not seem ready to part with his possessions.   I don't think he will.  It's up to you to decide if love is enough.

   I hope you'll make the right decision.

Be honest and be true to yourself.

"His total collection is probably worth about $200,000 dollars."

Captiva, if you decide to stay with him don't plan to spend that 200,000 to quickly. Unless he's had his collection appraised by an expert this is a fictional number. I have a recently deceased relative who had a 70,000 coin collection (his estimated value), we had it appraised by a professional coin dealer at 47,700, and we sold it for 35,200. There are three distinctly different numbers you are dealing with.

Basements have moisture and if this effects the quality of the cards they will lose value in a hurry. I would urge him to move them into a temprature controlled and fireproof environment immediately.  

Another factor is that when someone is in their 50's, a 401K would be difficult to begin and expect much of an anuity from in the estimated 10-15 years before he retires. DBL has the right answer which I've reprinted below;

"If you love him too much and you are willing to take him as he is, then you should stop complaining." 

"I've heard you're a low down yankee liar!"

You won't change him, let it go or let him go.

He's a bit of a moron, really. No one has ever retired on collectible ephemera.

If a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, then that makes me a burning truck filled with TNT hurtling through a rocket fuel depot.

After re-reading your comments I have a better understanding of your question, although I"ll restate my comment regarding storage. You think about fire and that's a valid point but percentage wise, moisture is a much greater threat and basements and attics are not recommended for storage of perishable items.

Now to answer your question; I live in an area where real estate valuation is back to 90's level. If I had money to invest, knowing I'm 10-15 years from needing it, I would buy property rather than stocks/bonds. It's my opinion that real estate will recover its value and rental property can provide an immediate return on the investment. If he's not comfortable with that, buy a lot (or lots) in an established area, meaning it had streets, sidewalks and sewage.

I hope you found this more helpful than the relationship advice I gave you in my initial response.

"I've heard you're a low down yankee liar!"

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