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It's said that people tend to focus more on the past -- with nostalgia -- as they age and realize that there's less ahead than behind. To my surprise, it's been the opposite for me. I've always had a strong streak of nostalgia; even as a kid, I yearned for aspects of earlier periods. This...

Just got a 19% premium increase letter from my LTC provider. I believe even my new premium is considered quite low ($82/month), since I signed up in my 40s before things went south in the industry. Nevertheless, I'm wondering whether to take the "contingent nonforfeiture" option. Under that...

I got divorced earlier this year unexpectedly, several years into retirement. I seriously thought the nearly two-decade marriage was rock-solid and would last until the end of our lives. Curious as to how many here coupled up again in retirement after the age of 60. I find it hard to imagine.

I'll admit it: I never imagined I'd be divorcing in retirement. But it happened -- suddenly and unilaterally -- when my spouse's midlife crisis ended our nearly 20-year, seemingly rock-solid relationship. We kept it amicable, and in the end, it did not derail my retirement financially. But it...

I found this Kiplinger article useful for sorting out the tools currently available for drawdown strategies: How to Draw a Steady Portfolio Paycheck in Retirement

Last year, I had an unexpected medical procedure that ate up my entire (high) deductible. That and my costly monthly premiums added up to a hefty total. You'd think that would make me tighten the grip on my wallet, but it's had the opposite effect. My attitude now is: I'll be damned if I end...

I've been a faithful gym-goer since my mid-30s. Initially, it offered an endorphin rush, and later it helped me keep the stresses of work in check. In mid-2017, about two and a half years into retirement and with 60 on the horizon, I stopped going and let my gym membership expire. This latest...

This article -- a nice change from the usual -- acknowledges that today's focus on fulfilling your potential or ticking off a bucket list in retirement can be oppressive. The word "should" and articles about what you "must do/see/read before dying" make me bristle. The New York Times: Leave the...

I think this is an interesting Vanguard blog post on a dynamic spending strategy with ceiling and floor spending limits: Vanguard: How to put a dynamic retirement spending strategy in place Before I ERed three years ago, I thought I'd be following something like this. However, my spending has...

Three years ago this month I entered the wonderful world of ER. I've come to believe that you can't predict how you'll feel on the other side, no matter how hard you try. Why? Because during our careers so much of our nonwork-related energy is focused on providing a counterbalance to work's...

Before retiring, I had moments of euphoria when I contemplated the free time I would have once I pulled the trigger. However, after ER I got used to the time off pretty quickly. It became the new normal. Subsequently, I picked up a very part-time job that I enjoy a lot. It involves doing...

This article makes it obvious how silly all those "best places to retire" lists are. I think of them as retirement porn and mere fantasy. The New York Times: The ‘Best’ Places to Move in Retirement? They’re All Over the Map Only 6/10 of 1% of those over 55 moved across a state line.

What a worthless, absurd article. The New York Times: How Big Do You Want Your Nest Egg to Be? Most of the crazy numbers bandied about by these folks are taken at face value by the writer. Even with all the "cheap and dirty" traveling, good luck reaching $65 million...

This Merrill Lynch study (done in partnership with Age Wave) is an interesting read: Leisure in Retirement: Beyond the Bucket List Here are some highlights:

A NYT article on the psychological aspects of early retirement: Is Early Retirement Great? For Some, It’s Hard Work to Have Fun The pendulum seems to have swung from ER stories to those about people who keep working past the traditional retirement date. In the process, a certain stigma seems...

Has anyone else put their :cell: permanently on silent? I think it's one of the advantages of retirement. Nowadays, apps generally include sound notifications automatically, and it can be a pain to turn them all off individually. Best to just go silent, I think.

I've heard of twisting facts to suit a theory, but this one takes the cake! Source: Time.com - Retirees Take on the Sharing Economy :facepalm:

A little ER humor... Why I Quit My Job to Travel the World - The New Yorker

I think it's hard to know before you retire what activity you'll most want to do post-retirement. There are activities we pursue to release stress from work, sometimes without realizing it. Once work is out of the picture, that counterbalance might lose its attraction. I mention this because...

Thought this might be of interest to some here. Column: How to get the most from Social Security's survivor benefit | Reuters From the article:

A good comparison of a plain vanilla SPIA annuity and a fixed-rate COLA one: Oblivious Investor: Annuities with Fixed Cost of Living Adjustments Don’t Protect Against Inflation Just posting for those who are interested. At this point, I'm not inclined to get any type of annuity.

From: Routine is the enemy of time - Intentional Retirement I've found this to be true. There is such a thing as being too comfortable in routines, and this can easily happen in ER.

Good food for thought in this. The Finance Buff: Early Retirement and Comparative Advantage

Just got the annual funding notice for my (very small) pension. It's difficult to make out if the pension fund is healthy or not, thanks to a law passed by Congress that allows employees to use a 25-year average for interest rates instead of the previous two-year one. In my plan, for example...

As usual, the Oblivious Investor provides great insights: Evaluating Vanguard’s New Core Bond Fund His bottom line: