My wonderful parents Toni and Rob are in need of financial support for a huge life transition.

As is too common in this country, retiring can be difficult (if not impossible). My parents have worked hard their entire lives yet medical, educational and homeowner debts (plus pensions that vanished in the 80s and 90s) are making this transition difficult. They deserve to retire without having to worry.

My father Rob worked tirelessly at the same small company for 30 years. He was extremely dedicated, loyal, hard working and patient. He was the most senior / key employee, had built valuable relationships with clients for three decades and handled a workload that was originally split between multiple people. However over the last few years he was taken advantage of. Through poor management and restructuring a third of his wages were taken away and benefits he had relied on disappeared (401k contribution, work vehicle / gas reimbursement, vacation days). He was not valued. With how seriously his mental and physical health were being affected he made the very difficult decision to leave. My mother Toni had multiple jobs before needing to shift to disability benefits in 2014 due to ongoing medical problems. My parents greatly relied on the health insurance from Rob’s employer, so this decision was not made lightly.

Knowing that retirement was around the corner and would be difficult for them financially, they had begun discussing transitioning to compact living in the future. For the past few years they watched / read everything they could on the subject as research. At the start of the pandemic they saw an ad for a free 1955 Spartan Imperial Mansion (an airstream-like trailer home) from a farm that had been using it for storage. They invested part of their savings to have somebody move the 40ft trailer home into their driveway where Rob began the task of gutting the interior and rebuilding from scratch. All of this labor happened in the evenings after work or on the weekends.

Having lived in northern Minnesota most of their lives, my parents would like to retire in warmer weather and be closer to me (their only child) in California. A lot of changes now need to happen to continue their lives with the modest budget (social security payments) they have:

–The work on the trailer needs to be finished

–Their home for the last 17 years needs to be sold to pay off the mortgage.

–Someone will be hired to move the 40’ trailer from Minnesota to California.

–A cross country drive to move their remaining belongings and their cat Boris.

–A permanent location for the trailer needs to be found. Only a temporary spot has been found thus far.

Rob has been working full time on the Spartan trailer. Luckily he has the skills to do almost all of the work himself, with hired labor only needed for a few things. Toni has been handling necessary research, budgeting, and paperwork. A relative has been hired to handle their estate sale and is currently pricing everything in their home. That individual will receive 30% of profits, but any money that comes in will be put toward this transition.

Where the money will go:

– $7,000 will be used to pay for the transportation of the trailer to California. This includes the fee for the transporter, trailer prep, and gas.

– $2,000 will be used for Toni, Rob and their cat Boris’ travel costs to California. This includes a uhaul trailer, gas and lodging.

–$1,000 will be used for relocation costs: Car & Trailer registration, Smog checks and inspections, licenses and other fees.

This transition is life changing and stressful, but also exciting. Any assistance that you or someone you know can provide for my parents will be absolutely appreciated. I would like them to be happy, healthy and safe. Thank you for all of your support!