Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-04-2012, 01:04 PM   #21
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Austin
Posts: 375
Lake Austin flows by my land. So endless supply of H2O.

DW always wanted to keep at least 2.5 years of living expense in cash, and I always laughed at it. But seeing how much everybody here has readily on tap, I may agree on that.
HillCountry is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 10-04-2012, 01:24 PM   #22
gone traveling
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 3,851
While I/DW are both retired and are pre-pension (she) and pre-SS (both) we jointly hold between 3-4 years of gross income (includes taxes due on pre-tax withdrawls). This is down from 4-5 years ago when I first retired, but now I/we feel comfortable with our current cash holdings. Of course, this does not include any bond holdings, which a lot of folks consider the same as cash.

As to the amount of cash? That's a much different story. In seven month's, DW's two small pensions will begin, which will reduce the amout of cash she actually holds. A year later, it will be reduced again as her SS starts and at the same time my cash will be reduced since I'll be claiming 50% of her SS.

The biggest reduction will be in just over five years, when my age 70 SS starts (assuming I live that long).

Regardless of where we are in our income streams, we will always have that 3-4 year target of cash (e.g. income) available to overcome any flux in the market. Today, it is a lot (in "volume"). After all our income sources come on-line, it will be greatly reduced.
rescueme is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 01:25 PM   #23
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Not to brag here, but we have always had a lot of cash on hand, which is not really a good thing. Please let me explain.

From when we were 30 up to 45-year old, we were both working hard at our jobs and busy raising children too. And being LBYM'ers, we always underspent our income, though our pays were good but never that outrageous. And being a cautious guy, I did not want to put too much into the market, yet was too busy to even look into other investment opportunities.

So, while we were toiling our asses off, the money kept building up in the checking account, even though we already maxed out 401Ks, funded IRAs, etc... At the highest point, I had one year of the current living expenses in the checking account. And this was 15 or 20 years ago, when that money was worth a lot more. I cannot even tell what our expenses were back then. I simply did not know. As we LBYM'ed, there was never a need for budget! I only learn my budget recently, because I want to be at 3.5%WR.

All that money could have been invested better. If only I had paid more attention to my money than my work at the megacorp, I would do so much better now.

Anyway, my wife who has always taken care of the bills is used to seeing a lot of money sloshing around in the checking account. And now, since I have learned to move it at least to money markets or I-bonds to earn a bitty bit more, she does not get to see that cash. I keep having to assure her that I can transfer money for monthly expenses with just a click of the mouse.

I have been trying to tell my children that it is so much easier to sleep at night if one practices LBYM, but I do not know if they will follow.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 01:31 PM   #24
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
easysurfer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,130
I keep about 2 years worth of living expenses. Replenished at start of year.
__________________
Have you ever seen a headstone with these words
"If only I had spent more time at work" ... from "Busy Man" sung by Billy Ray Cyrus
easysurfer is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 01:52 PM   #25
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dawg52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,067
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345 View Post
Isn't it a little early to be hitting the sauce?
If your referring to med's, no.
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
Dawg52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 02:01 PM   #26
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
bbbamI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,294
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawg52 View Post
If your referring to med's, no.
Speaking of liquid meds...we have more this afternoon than we did this morning. Took a trip to the liquor store to replenish whiskey, tequila and rum. Had to buy a bottle of Bailey's while there. It's liquid but a bit on the thick side...

As far as the financial side goes, we retired on Total Net Funds only (which are obviously liquid) with no debt. Total Net Worth is a different story...just makes me grin to look at it.

To quote unclemick...heh heh heh
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
bbbamI is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 02:47 PM   #27
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,653
No cash, 300 bottles of wine.
jebmke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 03:54 PM   #28
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,983
Quote:
Originally Posted by foxfirev5 View Post
Cash - enough for roughly 5 years , total liquid investments that I could sell on any given day- probably/maybe more than I'll need.
Not to brag but on top of that I have 11 cans of Miller Lite in the fridge.
Bad day - I'm down to 9 cans
__________________
Took SS at 62 and hope I live long enough to regret the decision.
foxfirev5 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 04:10 PM   #29
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
martyb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bossier City
Posts: 2,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by foxfirev5 View Post
Not to brag but on top of that I have 11 cans of Miller Lite in the fridge.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!
__________________
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
-John F. Kennedy

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” - Edgar Bergen
martyb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 04:13 PM   #30
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
martyb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bossier City
Posts: 2,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by HillCountry View Post
Lake Austin flows by my land. So endless supply of H2O.
I used to really enjoy fishing & boating on Lake Austin. I lived in Austin & Bastrop through all of the 80's & most of the 90's.
__________________
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
-John F. Kennedy

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” - Edgar Bergen
martyb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 04:28 PM   #31
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Amethyst's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,597
Probably 1/2 year's living expenses in cash. Maybe less - We have been going through a lot of house and rental repairs of late.
Liquid: Mr. A's 100-bottle wine collection, which we consider a "liquid investment" - let me explain: His upper limit is $10.00 per bottle and has been for years - he researches the "best buys" in wine magazines, articles, etc.
As soon as we consume 15% of it, he replenishes. We just finished off the 2006 reds. There is a significant quality bump when inexpensive wine is kept in the dark for 6 years...thus, a "liquid investment"

Amethyst
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
Amethyst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 04:44 PM   #32
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 241
Six months cash. Only about a week's worth of liquid (beer).
MDJO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 04:51 PM   #33
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: North of Montana
Posts: 2,769
The 'bond component' of our AA is in 'cash equivalents' rather than bonds. When our bonds matured we didn't buy more. At today's rates, I'd rather use CDs. Anyway, it's about 10 years of expenses.
__________________
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate conclusions from insufficient data and ..
kumquat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 04:51 PM   #34
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Hmm... Aging inexpensive wine to improve its quality... Sounds like a worthwhile and rewarding pastime for a retiree.

Lemme see... I usually drink 2 bottles per week. To age them 6 years, that's 52*2*6 = 624 bottles. I can keep them up in the boonies home, where it's cooler.

Heh heh heh... So many things to do... Heh heh heh...
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 05:12 PM   #35
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,525
As far as cash/near cash is concerned about 8 years of living expenses ( I consider my short term bond fund as being near cash). As for liquid assets, my well is only 25 gpm which seems to be ample for our needs but my neighbors well is 100 gpm so I guess he is the wealthier one by far (although he's still working ?).
ejman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 05:13 PM   #36
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Amethyst's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,597
We drink ~ 1 bottle per week (use box wine for sangria, etc.). Somehow it has evened out to 100 bottles of various vintages at any given time; naturally, we drink the oldest first, and are into our 2007's now. Some weeks we drink newer whites instead, so the reds "pile up" so to speak.

If the boonies house doesn't get too hot in summer, or has a root cellar, you've got a great stash spot...just make sure nothing shows where tramps, etc. might discover it. You will go into your carefully preserved "wine cellar" and find only empties!

Amethyst

Quote:
Originally Posted by NW-Bound View Post
Hmm... Aging inexpensive wine to improve its quality... Sounds like a worthwhile and rewarding pastime for a retiree.

Lemme see... I usually drink 2 bottles per week. To age them 6 years, that's 52*2*6 = 624 bottles. I can keep them up in the boonies home, where it's cooler.

Heh heh heh... So many things to do... Heh heh heh...
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
Amethyst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 05:22 PM   #37
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Boonies home is up at 7,000 ft. Cool in summer, and cold in winter. Even the closet under the stairs stays cool year-round. But 50 cases of wine take a bit of room. Imagine if my wife also drinks (she's a teetotaler). Maybe hide them in the basement, which is not too easily accessible through a trap door.

About tramps discovering the stash, oh man! I have been very discreet about my hideout place "up in the mountain", and will have to be more secretive, now that the whole world knows about the booze deal.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 06:08 PM   #38
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 1,688
We intend to keep at least two years worth of living expenses in cash/near cash at all times once we retire. Currently, we have about three years.

As far as serious liquidity is concerned, I have built up a small collection of Bordeaux, Burgandy and Rhone wines kept in a bonded warehouse in the UK. I keep telling DW that they are an investment in future drinking and help to diversify the portfolio.
__________________
Budgeting is a skill practised by people who are bad at politics.
traineeinvestor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 06:08 PM   #39
gone traveling
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Austin
Posts: 245
Quote:
Originally Posted by HillCountry View Post
Lake Austin flows by my land. So endless supply of H2O.

DW always wanted to keep at least 2.5 years of living expense in cash, and I always laughed at it. But seeing how much everybody here has readily on tap, I may agree on that.
Not sure about Lake Austin, but the LCRA has started enforcing permits on Lake Travis for drawing water from the lake. When all is said and done, it's no longer less expensive to utilize lake water for irrigation purposes. I have a bit of a problem with that, because I've given LCRA an easement to store water on my property (thus "lakefront") but I can't sip a little thru a straw for my lawn?

Sorry to stray off topic........
LakeTravis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2012, 06:16 PM   #40
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by LakeTravis

Not sure about Lake Austin, but the LCRA has started enforcing permits on Lake Travis for drawing water from the lake. When all is said and done, it's no longer less expensive to utilize lake water for irrigation purposes. I have a bit of a problem with that, because I've given LCRA an easement to store water on my property (thus "lakefront") but I can't sip a little thru a straw for my lawn?

Sorry to stray off topic........
There'a a topic?

I've thought about starting a small wine "cellar", but would need a wine fridge. No basements around here.
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:50 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.