Recent content by GoBears

I fell for the Blues in the early 1980s when a group of my Cal college friends and I ventured out to Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland. I hadn’t heard anything like the blues before and it just clicked. I still listen, if not daily, then at least weekly. In addition to those already mentioned...

And here I thought my 2+ mile walk this morning was a good way to start off a Friday. Your 11 miles is great! Congratulations.

In 6 days I will be covered by UHC/AARP Plan G and Wellcare Value Script (PDP) Plan D. My monthly premiums for the first year of coverage are $115 for Plan G and $.40 for Plan D. Drug costs remain to be seen. DW is under 65, but disabled and receiving Social Security benefits and Medicare...

The discount for a second family member who is an AARP member on the same membership number apparently varies by state. When I called this week to enroll in Plan G, the UHC representative told me that discount for California residents is 7%.

FTBFX is an actively managed fund and the Fidelity website shows the latest annual turnover rate at 177%, so the bonds are not held to maturity. The website also indicates FTBFX has distributed capital gains in seven out of the last ten years. None in 2022 or 2023, probably because enough...

Probably too late for you, but I was confronted with the same choice last year. I elected to go with Kaiser rather than Blue Shield and my doctor at John Muir Health. My father (age 94) is also a long-time Kaiser member. I’m glad I had the opportunity to evaluate Kaiser. They do some things...

My wife and I both got Covid while on our May 2023 Mediterranean cruise. Mine progressed to pneumonia in one lung; she developed pneumonia in both lungs. We were both fully vaccinated and boosted. It was pretty bad, although neither of us had to be hospitalized. I am planning on getting an...

A detour to the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument right off of Interstate 90 would be worthwhile. I spent a couple of very enjoyable hours there a number of years ago on my son’s and my drive from Denver to Glacier NP.

We stayed at the modern Ocean Drive hotel in Barcelona this past May, https://od-barcelona.topbarcelonahotels.com/en/. We very much enjoyed the breakfast buffet (I think I need to go back for more Spanish chorizo) and the rooftop bar. The friends we were with had previously stayed there as part...

ER_Hopeful, since you are near LA you should be aware that California law requires consent of all parties to record a conversation. I’m hoping all goes well for your wife and you.

Since our 3-week Happy Retirement cruise in May was derailed a week into the cruise by Covid and pneumonia, we’ve booked for April a 10-day cruise around Italy with several additional pre and post cruise days in Rome and Venice. We originally thought about delaying this “do-over” vacation for...

We don’t pay much attention to how we spend the money, just the total amount we withdraw from savings and the portfolio each year. The total withdrawal covers everything - food, dog, taxes, insurance, travel, wine, mortgage, hobbies, etc. As long as the overall number is reasonable, and it has...

Pork tamales, chicken enchiladas, beans, rice, chips and guacamole catered by an excellent Mexican restaurant. Pick everything up today, set up a buffet tomorrow afternoon, and invite all of the relatives to drop by whenever.

My dad was an administrator at a local community college so it was a given that I would attend there for the first two years of college. And since he was paying, I didn’t argue. Class sizes at the community college were manageable and most of the instructors did a good job teaching and were...

Covered California’s rates in my SF Bay Area county will go up an average of 6.1% for 2023. That translates into an extra $180 a month (not taking subsidies into account) for a Blue Shield of CA Silver plan. I decided to switch to Kaiser and save $300 a month for the same Silver Plan coverage...