Recent content by frankbrenowitz

OP, you have received splendid advice and knowledge of resources available to help your mother transition to a retirement lifestyle and live independently in the worst case that she is unable to continue working. Your recent post that she now thinks you are micromanaging her life should be...

I have been retired six months now, by no means early (at 63), but earlier and in better financial shape than I ever thought possible thanks to this site and the folks at Bogleheads. I cheerfully affirm that the worst day of retirement is orders of magnitude better than the best day spent working.

May not be terribly relevant, but I have a solar powered trickle charger for my 78 GMC Sierra. I don’t drive it frequently but it is always rarin’ to go when I climb into the cab.

Can they only be horror stories? I bought a 2011 Focus new (admittedly outside your rather narrow window). 8 years, 133k miles and counting. Replaced the front struts 3 months ago. No other repairs in 8 years, just scheduled maintenance. And thanks to the Civic fanboys on this forum, I can now...

In a word, yes. The employer-employee contract has long since disappeared. What is left is a relationship where employers count on and exploit workers’ sense of loyalty and honor to extract your only leverage from you, that is, your end date. With that proprietary information in hand, which you...

The greatest gift I can give to my children is freedom from having to supply their destitute parents’ needs. We have enough that we will likely leave substantial amounts to each of our children. I understand the sentiment of desiring to help the children when they are getting started, raising...

Exactly this. I ratcheted down the asset allocation from 100% equities to 50:50 over the last few years (long story). In hindsight l left gains on the table relative to my prior AA but I sleep better than I have in decades and I now have sufficient funds in fixed income to carry DW and me to 70...

This analogy would work a little better if at some point you were guaranteed that your house would burn down. I could theoretically pay fire insurance premiums for 10,000 years and never have a claim. Your eventual death is a certainty, however. Delaying social security can be considered a...

As alluded to by RunningBum and Pb4uski, it's not what tax bracket you are in when RMDs start, it is the quantity of dollars that are being taxed at that marginal rate. Any portion of the 12% bracket you don't utilize before 70.5 will, of necessity, be taxed at 22% during the RMD life cycle...

Do you have a wood burning stove in your home? That is the best heat ever! We heated our house exclusively with wood for 18 years. Did all my own cutting. Cutting with a real chainsaw (Stihl is my favorite) and a fresh chain is a top five activity and great exercise.

The likelihood of your being run over by the proverbial Mack truck is an independent variable in your analysis of whether to take social security at 62 or 70. According to Vanguard, a 65 year old married couple has a nearly even chance that one of them will live until 90 and almost a 1 in 5...

The spouse receives the higher of one half of the highest earner's benefit at FRA or the benefits based on his or her own record. At the death of the highest earner, the smaller benefit is discontinued and the survivor receives the highest benefit, including the value of the delayed retirement...

I still have a T-shirt from Singapore with the words "Singapore is a FINE city." Then it has about a dozen infractions for which you can and will be fined, including chewing gum ( not spitting it on the street, chewing it), not picking up after your dog, spitting, and so forth. More power to...

Best goodbye song ever is "We've Only Just Begun" by the Caroenters. I know it's more traditionally a wedding song, but the lyrics are superb for a retirement send off. We've only just begun to live White lace and promises A kiss for luck and we're on our way (We've only begun) Before the...

Actually, it is a valid comparison. The OP is 57 and wants to retire in two years. How does he plan to source the next 40 years of retirement? The fact that the portfolio would not be at $850k today unless he had taken a 100% equity position for a lot of years is wholly irrelevant to the...