Carpenters: Watch Scott Brown on NZ builds and think about your retirement setup

Scott Brown Carpentry's video on how they don't build like this in the USA got me thinking about long-term savings since I'm 15 years into framing decks and cabinets. I'm setting aside $500 a month into a Vanguard IRA to cover my tools and back issues down the line, especially with Festool gear costing an arm and a leg to replace. If you're in carpentry, what's your go-to for retirement without getting screwed by the trade's wear and tear?

man, that video hits hard, my knees are already shot from years of joist work.

insurance companies are the real crooks here, jacking up premiums on us carpenters while we bust our asses on sawdust-filled sites. PE firms buying up shops and gutting benefits just to flip 'em.

for retirement, max out that 401k match if your crew offers it, i put 10% of every cabinet job into mine and it's building up nice.

same here, watched essential craftsman on similar stuff and feel the burnout coming.

start a sep ira if you're solo, i do $3k a year into fidelity and it covers my sawstop replacement fund. saw a post on r/woodworking about it last week.

trim work's killing me too, can't imagine 20 more years without a solid plan.

guy in contractors network fb group said to get disability riders on your policy early, covers if a bad fall from scaffolding ends your days.

i'm stashing 15% into a roth, focusing on health savings too since carpentry wrecks your body.

ServiceTitan for tracking expenses helps me allocate more to savings from cabinet installs.

frustrated as hell, had a client stiff me on a $4k framing job and it ate into my ira contributions this quarter.

how do you guys handle variable income for consistent retirement deposits? mine swings with deck seasons.

homeowners demanding cheap plywood fixes while we foot the bill for real materials, it's rage-inducing when it hits your savings goals.

hit 50k in my retirement account last year after consistent 10% from every door install, feels good man.

lol, i told my wife i'm retiring to build birdhouses instead of full kitchens, she didn't laugh.

that nz build style looks way easier on the back, wish we did more of that here to save for retirement.

warning: don't skimp on liability insurance, had a buddy lose everything after a porch collapse claim went south.