Aloha from the newly retired

[Kim451]

I've just started browsing the forum and am reading the posts with interest. I retired in December at age 56 from a 32-year federal career and after an extended stay in Panama and a stint as 'inexperienced crew' on a catamaran in Polynesia (while waiting for my renter to depart), have moved into my condo in Honolulu. No hubby or kids and my parents have passed and I'm still working out what I want to do! I love Hawaii but not convinced I'll stay, other than for the next year or two. Would prefer to live on to a boat in FL but not sure if I can acquire the necessary skills & requisite knowledge to maintain a boat, and will have to work on the agility, strength & mechanical know-how! Will continue with volunteering as crew in the meantime while I'm still considering the idea...

I have a pension and a beneficiary IRA; two traditional/ROTH IRAs that I'll start on later; and I still have 650k in the TSP that I'd like to move to pro management. I started talking to Vanguard but I missed my first appointment (was overseas with terrible phone/internet!) and the guy I talked to when I finally did get through was so rude that I'm reconsidering my options on where to stash the cash, so new ideas welcome. I've been told that until I'm 59.5, I may incur penalties even for a direct transfer to an IRA anyway (?), so....

I'd love advice! In the meantime, I'm enjoying the sun and the beautiful islands. Thanks for letting me join to browse all the interesting ideas here.

 

[omni550]

Welcome aboard!

Lots of helpful and knowledgeable posters here...including a few in Hawaii.

omni

 

[Hermit]

Welcome!

You might give Vanguard another try. I have had very good interactions with the Vanguard people. I started off with them with a fairly small amount and paid $200 for a formal investment plan which worked well for me. Schwab and Fidelity are two other large firms that are used by quite a number of members here. You might look at them too.

 

[HI Bill]

Welcome to the Aloha state! You'll find that the weather here is a bit better than in FL, but the cost of living, not so much! It took me a year or two to adjust, and now, it's home. No significant natural disaster risk here, on Oahu, other than the extremely rare tsunami or hurricane. Go check out the Waikiki Yacht Club. If you make friends there, there are boat owners always looking for crew!

 

[Kim451]

Thanks!

I'll browse and read up on everyone else's experiences. Thanks for the Schwab/Fidelity idea! And I need to do more research on the Thrift Savings Plan and transferring it to an IRA.

 

[DrRoy]

Sounds nice Kim. I would just suggest that you find a way to avoid a paid FA (pro management). Fidelity will give some a FA at no fee, or you could just read up and do it yourself. The fee is money that you could live on instead.