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Just wanted to get some thoughts from this forum as to how I should allocate my family's balance sheet. We're currently worth about $250k, split between $150k of mutual funds/cash and $100k of home equity, or about 60%/40%. We contribute about $15k annually to our savings and are paying off the...

Thank you all for the valuable input! I think the question related to "boredom" might be better resolved by maybe making a better distinction between FI and ER. Maybe what I'm really seeking isn't ER at 45, but rather FI at 45? I enjoy the work that I do, and it pays relatively well, so perhaps...

Thank you! I do review statistics on wealth, and I believe that I'm in a pretty above-average spot. Sure doesn't feel like it since we're saving and not spending, but keeping score definitely helps! Sometimes, it's hard to put things into perspective for me because I've seen people in their...

Hi everyone, Just wanted to reach out for some advice from this forum! Here's my financials as of today: Cash: $5k Investments: $150k Home & Auto: $300k Auto: $30k Total Assets: $485k Mortgage: $225k Auto Loan: $20k Credit Card: $0 Total Liabilities: $245k Net Worth: $240k Life insurance...

Definitely planning to consider getting the wife back to work eventually. I think that makes sense that being a SAHM isn't going to be her permanent gig. The second income will definitely help, since it'll all probably going directly into savings. The boost will be extremely helpful! Been...

Thanks for all the advice! We definitely have our work cut out for us! Hopefully we'll have more positive news to share next time around!

I think that allocation's done well over the 10-year bull run we've had, but do you think that's reliable? My understanding is that research has shown a 70/30 and 60/40 portfolio is a pretty reliable long-term vehicle for investments, with lower risk than a 100/0 portfolio. Rebalanced annually...

Thanks for all the feedback! Selling the vehicle has definitely been on my mind, but hard to pull the trigger on such an illiquid asset, as well as having to replace it with another vehicle (transactional costs for a sunk asset?). I think we've should keep the vehicle, having already absorbed...

That's definitely something to consider, since she can always enter the workforce a little later!

Thank you for the encouragement! It's always terrible to lose one's hard earned assets to events such as the one you describe, not to mention the emotional pain. Your testimonial is definitely a positive! I've been having a lot of doubt as to my dreams of ER, especially with the crazy debt...

I agree with the sentiment. However, I feel like the benefits of having the kids grow up at home outweighs the drawbacks. Personal differences, perhaps? In addition, the calculus gets harder because my wife is trained as a florist, which is an industry full of small businesses that don't provide...

Good question. I don't plan to carry that into my retirement at age 45. Hoping to pay off my mortgage early (currently contributing slightly more than the monthly payment), but at the current rate, will only extinguish this debt after retirement (around age 55), unfortunately.

Hi everyone, I've been away from this forum for too long, and hoping that I can get some advice. I've just freshly come off several years of serious financial mistakes (costing $60k), but looking to hit a hard reset of my financials and get back on track to early retirement! My spending had...

I will definitely consider that. It has crossed my mind that I need to monetize my house. My fear with taking a home equity loan is that there might be a margin call, or that I might have an unexpected need for cash, resulting in a missed payment. Just a quick peek at home equity rates, and it...

That's kind of my thought process as well. Post-tax, her income shrinks significantly, though the additional cash flow is always welcome.

Could you elaborate on how I would do that? It also seems like a risky proposition because the house would be at risk of a loss (i.e.: 2008) due to the leverage. I think, with the Fed due to increase rates soon, I'd worry that both home value and REIT value will drop. Also, when I look at VNQ...

Bad_LNIP, Thanks for the response. I think something has to be said about the less tangible benefits of having a stay-at-home partner. For example, I could focus on my career more without having to worry about the home or child. At the same time, we'd be saving on childcare, which might be more...

Dallas27, I definitely appreciate the gift very much, and I know how valuable it is to my early retirement plans. However, I find it hard to imagine how this will double my final wealth. I certainly enjoy not having to pay rent, though utilities, property taxes, and maintenance seem to easily...

Thanks for the advice! I think it's certainly true, that globalization is bringing the cost of living across the globe closer in line, and will give that a lot more thought. We definitely plan to travel more to vacate, while looking for a nice spot to live permanently in retirement. In fact...

Good evening, I'm a 26-year-old, recently married, and have a baby on the way (due in September 2015!). With the news of the baby and such, I thought I'd get a few suggestions from the folks here on how to improve my portfolio management, and maybe some advice on how to handle getting a baby...

I was wondering if anyone has advice regarding an ideal nonretirement/401k/IRA proportion? I know each has its own advantages, but I can't really decide if I'd prefer to increase my 401k past the maximum for employer matching, or retain the funds and place them in a nonretirement/IRA. Then...

I'm sorry, I think I might have made a mistake there! Just realized that, after costs are factored in, the taxes won't hurt any return on stock purchase plans.

I agree! I think there's a lot of basic "tips and tricks" that often get overlooked. Living frugally is definitely one of them. I've just borrowed Your Money or Your Life, and Early Retirement Extreme from the local library, which I hope will provide lots of good advice!

I think that while it might like a free lunch, because my company sells the stock at 15% below the beginning or ending stock price of a six-month window. However, at the same time, one has to be cautious about the tax implications, because the capital gains taxes might undo whatever discount.

I guess that's an interesting way of using an HSA to increase your annual contributions. I will look into more resources for saving for retirement. There's a lot of thinking to do, especially with a million different savings accounts!