Hi, I'm Hamlet

[Hamlet]

I'm 34 years old.* I've been lurking for a couple months.* I was a longtime reader of the Motley fool LBYM board before they started charging for it.

I have been saving for FIRE since I got my first raise at my job after college.*
I currently save about 30% of my gross pay.* I work in network consulting.* My company has had me placed at a large financial company for about 4 1/2 years.*

I have about four times my gross annual salary saved so far.* I have about half of it in various funds in my 401k's (mostly index funds), and about half in self-directed accounts that are individual stocks.* The individual stocks I own, in order of position size are:

SPY
BRKb
TCB
FAST
JNJ
FR
TGT
MSFT
MCD
MMM
CSCO
O
PFE
NNN
SHN
USB

I love owning REITs in a tax-sheltered account.* I don't own any bonds.

I bought my house about 18 months ago but don't consider it an investment.* So far it has been a complete money sink :>*

[Sarah in SC]

Hi Hamlet!
WELCOME!
Yes, money pit is the correct way to look at the house, investment-wise!
Did you buy an old house? Prepare for lots more!
When are you planning for your FIRE to happen?

Sarah

[astromeria]

Greetings, Hamlet.

How to be, or not to be, invested: that is the question

[Hamlet]

It will be awhile.* I'm going to get married next Fall, and we are hoping to have a couple rugrats.* Without having children, I think that I would be all set to retire at about 45 or so ( although healthcare could present a challenge).*

Now that I'm planning to have children, I think that I will be working until I'm 55.* It really depends on how expensive they end up being, whether my spouse takes time off of work to stay home with them, etc.*

A lot depends on how much our savings rate is impacted by children.* Currently, my SO and I are squirrelling away alot of money.* I bought my house with a 80%-30 year fixed/15% HELOC/5% down to avoid selling any of my stocks.* It is a modest 3bd/2 bath split-level built in 1982. Since rates have gone up so much on the HELOC, I've pretty much devoted all my free cash (except for maxing the 401k) to paying down the HELOC.* It will be paid off by the end of the year.* I haven't funded my Roth for this year yet, but I will get it done* :P

SO is a saver, but until we started dating she was overwhelmed by the idea of investing.* She felt like she had to go thru every possible investment choice they offered to even start.* I got her signed up in her 403b at work, allocating to four index funds (even amounts in large cap, midcap, smallcap, and a REIT index).* Once the worry of choosing funds was removed, she has been very aggressive in upping her contributions.* She's getting very close to maxing it out.* She also funded her Roth this year out of some of her savings.* She just finished paying off her car and new computer.* She had no other debt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mclesters Hi Hamlet! WELCOME! Yes, money pit is the correct way to look at the house, investment-wise!* Did you buy an old house?* Prepare for lots more!* When are you planning for your FIRE to happen? Sarah *

[JPatrick]

Welcome Hamlet.
Sounds like you've got a well grounded plan.
Please tell me you are not as boring as that book*

[Scrooge]

Welcome, Hamlet!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPatrick Please tell me you are not as boring as that book*

Dear Lord, it's a murder mystery spruced up with non-stop lethal action and supernatural fantasy and you call it boring??* :

[astromeria]

Forsooth, it hath some mighty turns of phrase!

-- Season your admiration for a while.

-- Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede.

-- The apparel oft proclaims the man.

-- Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

-- This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

-- Brevity is the soul of wit.

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by astromeria Forsooth, it hath some mighty turns of phrase! -- Season your admiration for a while. -- Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven; Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, And recks not his own rede. -- The apparel oft proclaims the man. -- Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. -- This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. -- Brevity is the soul of wit.

Bravo. Bravo.

[bpp]

nm