Recent content by hornet99

I thought NYS already offered cost-sharing subsidies (up to 400%) on qualified health plans, in the form is premium subsidies? The detail will be interesting here, as there's a pretty big difference in cost between NY Essential Plans vs. QHPs (i.e. standard Obamacare subsidized plans).

I opened a Roth-IRA back in 1998 with Scottrade and transferred it to Vanguard in 2008, where I continued to contribute annually until 2017. I began tIRA conversions into it in 2021 (paying associated income taxes) in anticipation of early withdrawals before I turn 59 1/2 (currently 53). My...

Yes, I think this is the best option. And yes I can defer the lump vs. annuity decision right up until my 65th birthday. I just need to find out what happens if I die suddenly before then. That is, is there a payout to my estate or is the money just gone. I'll have to check with MegaCorp on...

Long time lurker, infrequent poster here. I’m looking to leave my current employer in the next several months and would like some help with my pension analysis. First is the standard question about taking a lump sum or annuity from the non-COLA’d Mega Corp db pension. For the purposes of this...

If you all could indulge me, let me give a real world example. Let's say I leave my Megacorp employer today, at age 47. Pension is non-COLA'd, no survivors benefits, I'm not concerned about Megacorp or pension solvency, my longevity is about 82. Lump sum taken at 65 would be $404k or I could...

I live in upstate NY and I believe we have the highest property tax as a percentage of assessed value (roughly equal to market value). My $170k, 1800 sq ft home comes with an unbelievable $7k per year in property taxes. My home is paid off, but doesn't feel like it, given the ~600 per month...

Yes, definitely get the PSA. Do you have any family history of prostate cancer? My father and all paternal and maternal uncles all had PCa in their 60's and 70's. I followed the conventional recommendation to get a baseline PSA at age 40. My PSA was 18.5 (really high) and my DRE showed a...

I was in NO a year ago and definitely recommend the bar tour. In fact we got to know many of the bartenders and kept going back to some of the same places for the remainder of the trip. We really liked the Hurricane's at Lafitte's Blackshop. For food recommendations, my must have's would be...

In my opinion, PSA tests offer another useful data point in diagnosing a potentially life threatening disease. Based on family history of PCa, I followed the conventional advice of getting a DRE and baselining my PSA at age 40. The DRE (performed by primary care Doc) showed no abnormality, but...

In 2009, 2010 I received 2% and 1%, respectively. This was for above average performance. This year is expected to be very lean as well. Our company supposedly rewards high performers, but the typically difference between meeting and exceeding expectations is 1-2%. Certainly not a large...

1) Estimated floor income needed in retirement post-tax: $55K. 2) 5 people (2 adults, 3 kids) 3) location: Western NY 4) still working, hope to ESR in a 2-3 years Assumes no mortgage. Largest expense will be property tax, currently $6200 on $170k full market value - my county was recently...

I'm new here and just saw this thread. I am a 2 year PCa survivor - I was diagnosed at age 40 and had the DaVinci robotic surgery 18 months ago. All going well thus far. The best PCa message board I found was the Healing Well site. Prostate Cancer - HealingWell.com Forum Very...

Yes, I've thought of government positions (some sort of technician job in law enforcement sounds interesting). I've also thought of Project Management, but I'm really hoping to get out of the corporate world for a while. Thanks for the helpful responses. I look forward to continued learning on...

Hi all, Background: Since my first Mega Corp job as a software engineer in the early 90's (age 22) I've been focused on FIRE. Even back then I spent A LOT of time thinking about how I could better be spending my time rather than working for "The Man". The thought of FIRE in my 40's provided...