Recent content by smoghat

Of course anything is possible, but when I FIRE'd in 2016 with 15% of my assets in cash, my accountant (who has served our family well for 40 years) said, "Spend the cash first!" I did, and now we only have about 5% in cash. Meanwhile, an item costing $1.00 in 2016, now on average, has increased...

I was at $5.2 million in February, my highest ever. I dropped to $3.7 at the pit. I sold some bonds to get some cash, which didn’t really hurt since they hadn’t fallen. As of today, I am at $5.04 and one of my funds (VEIRX) has room to run back to its highs. If that happens, I’ll be well over my...

We rebooked out trip to Tuscany (originally supposed to be this April) for spring 2021, plus I have a trip to an art/music residency (campfr.com) for May, again delayed by a year.

I know all about Vilnius and especially the art museums there. PM me with any questions you might have.

Yeah, that was a callous and stupid comment about coal miners dying of black lung, even if this thread was old and moldy. That said, it’s not coal miners who are dying, it’s coal mining that is dying out. Production is down by a third over the last ten years. In 1923, there were 863,000 coal...

We bought two Teslas this year. 2017 Tesla Model S and Model Y. Couldn’t be happier!

I get the flu shot every year and I don’t get the flu. Before I did I got it. Simple as that!

I interviewed a bunch of managers. The smartest one leveled with me; he said, if you could make $50k a year somehow, you’d be fine, but you need that to make your portfolio work. Since that was equivalent to what I’d have to pay him, I decided to not hire him, or any other financial manager. And...

Yeah, I think that makes sense. No need to wait until the end of the month.

We live near the Newark United hub and, given that I used to travel a lot for work, around a decade ago I started using my Chase United Presidential Plus card for everything. I have never missed a payment. I charge around $20k a month and pay if all off. Everything goes on there. Naturally we...

I swear I posted here, but it’s gone (?) or maybe I didn’t. We are still 85% in US equities, 10% in bonds and cash, 5% in time-based 529 plans. Down 10% on the year at this point. No big deal given what it is. In fairness, of my equities, 20% or so are consumer staples and those are performing...

1. 71 year old colleague. Last I saw him, he seemed to be in good health (a couple of years ago). Lived in NYC. He died. 2. 34 year old friend, health care profession. She could probably lose 10 pounds, but is otherwise healthy. She hasn’t tested positive for it, but we are sure he has it...

Born in Chicago, grew up in the Berkshires and upstate New York. I’ve never owned a car as good in the snow as my Model S. If you can’t afford it, that’s another story. They aren’t cheap.

Bought a used model S a month ago. Wow, what a great car. I’ve taken one long tip in it and it was maxing how relaxing it felt. The autopilot, lack of engine noise, and absence of vibration are fabulous. I got to drive both of our BMWs since and they feel completely broken.

I would love to relocate, but my wife and are shy extroverts. We don’t enjoy life on our own but have difficulty making friends. Over the years most of our friends were faculty I met via teaching. But now that that’s over, it’s proven much harder to connect. I’d hoped there’d be a community of...