Use a SEPP to pay health insurance

A legitimate concern for younger RVers is how to afford health insurance. Chuck Saletta, writing at the Motley Fool Web site, in "The real reason for to invest for retirement," suggests a way. He says, "Your retirement is far more than simply no longer showing up to work. It's about having the freedom to do what you want in life, and enough control over your personal finances to enjoy that freedom." With a SEPP (Substantially Equal Periodic Payments) plan, you can start withdrawing your retirement money early, without getting socked by penalties.

If you continue working, Saletta suggests, you can switch to a job you love while having the SEPP pay you health insurance. It does mean you have a few things lined up. You would want to have your RV paid for and be out of debt. Rather than $2 million saved to finance a full retirement, Saletta says $400,000 could work. In some areas of the country, the sale of your house could give you all or most of that to work with. You would also need to continue to make enough money to add to your retirement if you plan to eventually stop working. And, once you begin the payments, you must continue to receive them for five years or until you are 59 1/2, whichever is longer.

This could work for some people. It would take planning and saving ahead of time. It would also mean finding higher paying jobs on the road or having your own business. Working at an RV park would probably not cut it. There are other possibilities, though. Workamper is, in fact, having Jobinars (online Job Fairs) this week with companies that pay higher than average wages.

Read the article and decide. Maybe we'll see you out on the road a little earlier! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

For information on higher-paying job possibilities, see Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.