Recent content by Involuntary Retiree

Which route did you walk?

I don't have anything to add to this thread except to say that the thread title makes me laugh every time I read it! :laugh:

Why do you describe the ex-spouse survivor qualifications as "very narrow?" They are not. If a subsequent marriage that occurred before age 60 ends in divorce, an ex-spouse (of the deceased spouse, in our example above) is certainly entitled to survivor benefits on account of an ex-spouse...

But, let's say you were married four times during your 40 years of paying into social security, and each marriage was for 10 years and 1 day. Upon your death, you potentially have 4 ex-spouses (or maybe three exes plus one current spouse, if currently married) entitled to the entire amount of...

Travelpro Maxlite 5 Rollaboard. I bought the domestic-sized carry-on for our Europe trip last fall and paid around $150. It is super lightweight (5.4 lbs) but holds 52L of items. I checked it on a few short haul flights where the luggage guys aren't careful, and it held up really well. The...

I have recently moved cash out of my Schwab MMA (SWVXX) to Synchrony CDs, where I already had a HYSA. A couple of weeks ago, I bought a 14-month for 5.65 APY, and then more recently bought a 9-month (5.5 APY) and an 18-month (5.25 APY). They are non-callable and pay monthly. Rates have...

+1. I feel the very same way about QCDs. :)

If you call Fido's customer service number, the pleasant young rep who answers can set your withholding to whatever you want. I moved my retirement accounts to Fidelity this year, so I'm a novice at their system. Yesterday, I was trying to do 100% withholding from my TIRA on the Fidelity...

My husband calls his a "murse." :)

My HSA account (the investment portion), was just moved in September from TD Ameritrade to Schwab. I don't know if someone could currently open an HSA directly with Schwab, but my (now) Schwab investment account is connected through HSA Bank, my HSA administrator through my retiree health...

The majority of my (retirement) "stash" is newly at Fidelity (as of June), but formerly at TD Ameritrade. Fidelity has had its quirks, but I really like it! My husband's "stash," as well as our taxable brokerage account, is at Schwab. I also like Schwab, but may eventually move to Fidelity...

I voted for oven-baked, with the added caveats of its having baked on parchment paper and its NOT being turkey bacon. Ick. For our anniversary one year, my DH gave me a little plaque that said, "I love you more than bacon." That's how we roll at this house. Yum!

I agree with this and will look at changing as I age. But SWVXX has a current yield in excess of 5.2%, so there's that.

What brokers actually offer this functionality? I haven't explored the options because we're not yet withdrawing from our investment portfolio. Thanks.

Well, it's a little more complicated than that. Yes, the Bankruptcy Code sets out federal bankruptcy exemptions, but generally exemptions applied in a bankruptcy case are a function of state law. My state (Oklahoma) has opted out of the federal bankruptcy exemptions, and every Oklahoma...