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Looking for a critique of my understanding of Open Social Security. I am limited to 40% of my FRA benefit due to the Windfall Elimination Provision and only 13 years of "substantial earnings." Wife has no such limitation. So on OSS I put in 40% of my FRA projected benefit and wife's full...

My dad passed in Feb and his wife delayed in filing for survivor benefit and spousal increase. Her October check did increase to dad’s former benefit but she thinks she is entitled to retro payment of the missed increase from Mar to Sep. Wondering if anyone knows if it is true and worth pursuing?

I am getting unexpectedly involved with my father and his wife's finances (by their request I should add). They are 91 and 87. They've got $45K in checking/savings. With their bit of income that will not likely be depleted this year, but certainly next. They've got $132K in CDs that mature...

Try as I might I can't find an explanation for why Fidelity's Blue Chip Growth fund dropped 7.64% on Friday. Yes there's a lot in technology, but the biggest drops amongst its largest holdings (Apple, Tesla) were only 2-3%. Just wondering if anyone can point out something I'm missing.

My son is thinking about joining the air force and as we are not a military family I need some advice from those who know more than me. First off, I am totally supportive of the idea... I just want to be able to help him if I can. He is 27, with a little bit of college (<2 years), and currently...

DW and I will travel at some point in 2022 in our class B RV to far northern Minnesota and Michigan to a couple of national parks, and I need advice on the best/worst times. I know we don't want the middle of winter, but what's the cut off in the fall to avoid it? Is humidity the worst part of...

Wondering what others do in this situation: I project DW and I will receive $2-3K back on our federal taxes this year and for the next couple of years at least. We pay monthly tax on a SEPP and teacher pension. Part of me says to just throw the refund into the checking account as income, and a...

I'm getting daily pick pop-up messages on my iPhone. Looked around to find a way to turn it off and have been unsuccessful. Any ideas? *edit - that would be E-R Daily Picks, not lotto or something else! I do have the app installed.

DW and I are finishing up our first calendar year as FIRE folk (we are 53 and 51) and it looks like we will be about $800 under budget (about 1.6% of our budget). Makes me proud of our forecasting ability, especially as it included a nice anniversary trip to the Caribbean in August. My natural...

I FIREd three years ago, aged 50; DW joined me in June, aged 51. We're celebrating her milestone and our August anniversary by leaving next week for a month to Puerto Rico (actually mostly Vieques, a Puerto Rican island). We've got a solid plan to rest, walk, hike, eat, sunbathe, swim, play, and...

What do you put for occupation on your 1040 form, especially as an underaged retiree? I'll still put "teacher" this April, but wondering what is appropriate next year. Does the IRS raise its eyebrows when a early-50s fellow puts "retired" in that field? Can't think of what else I'd put, though.

I retired in June at 50. DW (48) transitioned at the same time to half-time. Her current income ($3500/month) matches our current expenses (minus college—early retired with three kids in college—defies most people’s expectations). College is being paid for with some college loans, kids paying a...