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I am using an advisor with Personal Capital. I had two reasons at the time I started up. 1. We were going to be living in a relatively remote part of Central America, with irregular internet access, so I wanted to be able to do everything via simple emails. 2. My husband is financially...

We have a plan B budget that we update once a year. Right now plan B is 43% less than Plan A. That will carry us through an economic downturn if we need to reduce our withdrawal rate.

I look at a handful of different models and pick a WR somewhere in the middle of their predictions. For 2018 that’s 3.7%. Any extra funds over our fixed expenses go into the travel fund.

I think the issue with hand weights while walking was rotator cuff/shoulder injuries.

Yes, but the ACA/health care situation is a little scary. Pondering a move to the UK if we lose our access to health insurance here (husband is dual citizen).

We were planning to move to Carson City once the mountain winters got to be too much for us. But as early retirees, we need the ACA for our health care. If Washington loosens rules and allows more state waivers, we want to be in a state that will protect us. So we will keep paying CA taxes and...

I got my trust, will, health care directive, and POA done while I was still working, using a legal plan from Hyatt that my company offered. The plan cost me $3.50 a month, and I could drop it the following year once I had my documents. My only additional cost was postage and the notary fee. In...

I just eFiled, and wanted to come back with an update. I ended up using FreeTaxUSA. I did the return in TurboTax as well, and got the same numbers. I had no trouble with the 1099-Bs. Since FreeTaxUSA was only $12.95, I saved $115 by not using TurboTax.

Just had to adjust my budget to add snow removal service after the walls of snow along our driveway topped 8'. We've had 5' of snow in the past 3 days. I thought after FIRE we'd have enough time to do it ourselves, but this is beyond what you can handle with a snow blower and shovels. I know...

Thanks for the tip. Just tried it myself. I've always used TurboTax in the past, but have been experimenting this year. So far I like FreeTaxUSA the best, Taxact second, and TurboTax third. (Based on usability, not price). Will see if I still feel that way after dealing with my 1099-Bs. That...

My husband was a "pool guy" and he would never get one. He's seen too many people spend fortunes fixing leaky pools. Sounds like you've already bought the house with a pool, so our advice would be to get it inspected regularly and fix leaks and pump issues promptly. Also, don't be tempted to...

I turned off image preview under the iPad app settings to get rid of these photos.

Thanks. I will give that a try. We are stuck in the USPS change of address database, and some packages get sent back marked forwarding address expired. Note to other early retirees: if you convert your primary residence to a rental, do not do a permanent change of address, or the post office...

How did you train them? We have huge problems with USPS and Amazon keeps sending via OnTrak, which uses USPS for local delivery.

I use my annual spend, not my taxable income. I am pulling from my taxable accounts right now, so I only show cap gains (which are a net loss due to TLH) and dividends (too low to look good on a credit application) in my AGI. I'm using rewards cards to pay most bills, and sign up for a new...

I guess I'm an outlier as well. We keep 2-4 months in cash. Michael Kitces has posted a couple of times on this topic with data to back up his assertion that the most significant impact of a cash reserve is more mental than real...

This link shows the MAGI calculations for the ACA. http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/pdf/2013/MAGI_summary13.pdf You will see that capital gains (loss) are part of the calculations.

I went early January. That year had a lot of ice so a couple of routes were not open and we had to detour out to sea. But the weather was great (for Antarctica). Hovered just above freezing, no storms, and little precipitation. Regarding the cruise line, be aware that there are treaty limits...

I've created a news feed with stories from my local newspaper, Reuters, the Economist, ProPublica, Politifact, Slate, and Wired. I generally just skim the headlines and read maybe 5-10 stories. Longer stories I save to Pocket for reading when stuck in line somewhere without wifi. When I want a...

Definitely go visit. Also, take a look at Panamá. It has similar climate and outdoor activities, but cost of living is lower, and it uses the US dollar so you don't have to manage currency fluctuations. And don't believe what the international living type companies say about cost of living. Find...

I went in late January. Weather was great. One rainy/sleety day but otherwise fine to be outdoors every day. Regarding bringing boots, I bought the suggested rubber boots, and then found out that my ship had dozens of pairs left behind by other passengers. Worth asking before you buy a pair...

Add me. Lake161, age 50, April 2015 Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

I've done a number of trips with Intrepid. They arrange transport, accommodations, and a few tours. But mostly you have each day on your own to decide what sights to see and what activities you want to do. The groups are usually about a dozen people. It's great to have the logistics taken care...

I also bought a house that came with one. The motherboard on the furnace got fried and they did pay to replace it. It was a pain using their approved repair company that was 40 miles away, but they did pay up. We opted not to renew. Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

We spent the first year of our retirement in Boquete, Panama. Our Panama budget was about 50% of our US budget. The big savings areas: didn't need a car in Panama, health (international policy for hospital care, paid cash for everything else), food (groceries and eating out), utilities, and...