Recent content by Bob_Smith

You are addressing a whole different issue! Sure, as they're growing up we need to make them aware of the things you mention. But that's an entirely different matter than deciding that it's "a good time for them to start to get serious" about "saving and planning for their retirements". We're...

bongo2, where did you buy it? I'd like to try it. If people are actually going to the cash register and buying a product called "Crack Cream" it must be good... I'll have to wear a disguise when I buy it though.

wheel9, my comments below are not directed toward you because I don't know anything your about your specific circumstances. I'll just throw out a couple of thoughts about this general topic, for what it's worth (not much)... --The investing/financial/ER things we talk about here can be almost...

I am one of those who is of the opinion that anyone who beats the market over a long period (and most of us are in this for the long haul) either takes more risks to do so, or got lucky. I allow for the possibility that there may be a few exceptions, but I have no way of knowing, in advance, who...

As far as I can tell, the only thing you miss online are those adjustments you mention. Mine fit fine right out of the box, but even if they didn't, there's an optician in my town who will adjust them for less than $10. I haven't had to use her services, but my wife replaced those little plastic...

Yep, solvency is the biggest concern. They're a big outfit, but you never know for sure. And decent ratings today can change on a dime, or be too optimistic to start with. It's a roll of the dice. When it comes to LTC, there was nothing we could have done that would have left us without...

Martha, I'm going to order a pair of sunglasses for my wife at 39DollarGlasses.com. I checked for coupon codes and one site tells me that the code: dn17326 will get you free shipping with no minimum. I haven't placed the order yet so can't verify.

Rich, here are the details: --I was 49 and my wife was 48. --Coverage was $110 per day, but there's a 5% compound inflation rider, so it's $140 now. At the time we called a care center in a small town that has a good reputation (we have known people there). Their total cost was $110 per day for...

Approximately 4 or 5 years ago, my wife and I each bought a LTC policy. We paid them off in one lump sum. So there are no premiums (or premium increases). We'll know for sure if it was a good move when we're dead.

Is it really as trivial as that? I'll quote justin up-thread: While you could probably conserve some of those savings, you'd likely give up a fair amount of them. Add to that the costs associated with passing on Flagship perks. Add additional costs associated with funds with higher ERs than...

The market dropped yesterday? I didn't know that. I reconcile my statements once a month and have no idea what the market does in the meantime.

Ron, I went in and read the fine print. It appears to me that the customer would be left holding the bag if something went wrong. Here's some of the legalese: "LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. YOU AGREE THAT NEITHER FIDELITY NOR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, ACCOUNT PROVIDERS OR ANY OF THEIR AFFILIATES, WILL...

Rich_in_Tampa, have you maxed the 15 year rule? If you haven't, and you have been with your employer for 15 years, you may not need to do anything. It would add $3,000 to the max. I've been retired almost three years and have not kept up with 403(b) changes in the past 3 years, but the 15 year...

OkieTexan, I have concerns about this too. I used aggregation services at one time, but quit doing so because I couldn't get a solid answer to this question: If I provide all of my Company A security information to Company B, and my assets at Company A are stolen... under what specific...

Not at all! This thread is about examining a low probability event and trying to determine how low the probability really is. Brewer did exactly that. I appreciate his candor.