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  1. BigMoneyJim

    Here we go again... (Internet Vulnerability Apache Log4j)

    Interesting. I saw the headline elsewhere but didn't feel the need to immediately panic. This *is* a big deal for people running servers and other network-enabled Java apps, but most individuals won't need to do anything aside from be sure they don't play online with untrusted people on an older...
  2. BigMoneyJim

    One week post-FIRE

    This sounds incredibly familiar. I retired in October 2019. It's really good, but it mostly lacks the daily jubilation one might imagine beforehand. In fact, it gives you a lot more time to think about all your past and future problems which can be quite an adjustment. And it's also an...
  3. BigMoneyJim

    COBRA Expiring Q1 2021, Where to Start?

    <sigh>, I guess I need to figure this out in the next few months. I retired a year ago and have been paying COBRA, but my eligibility ends in March or April. (I haven't yet figured out exactly when, but 18 months I guess would be early April, first week or so.) I would continue paying for COBRA...
  4. BigMoneyJim

    NFL: 2020 Season

    I don't know how the Texans are this season, but geez they started the season against the Superbowl champs followed by the divisional round loser who were expected to go far but got overrun by the unexpected super Titans. The Dallas game today. I still don't know what to make of it. I think...
  5. BigMoneyJim

    vanguard fyi

    Thanks. Penfed is one of the ones I couldn't transfer to. I guess I'll try again and screenshot the notary message if I get it again. Now I'm wondering if it's something to do with me and not my accounts. But when I first had trouble withdrawing to buy it was before I was directly employed by a...
  6. BigMoneyJim

    vanguard fyi

    I have had so much trouble trying to get any money out of Vanguard. I've had two different credit unions I tried to pull money from Vanguard into them, and VG tells me they need some notarized form from my CU, even from the CU from which all my after-tax funds entered VG from. >:( Did you have...
  7. BigMoneyJim

    401k after retirement

    I think the answer to the question you're asking is that the only thing that will change in your 401(k) after leaving or retiring is that you can't add any more money to it. Most 401(k)s have open-ended fund as investment vehicle options, and I don't think I've ever heard of a dividend-minded...
  8. BigMoneyJim

    Convert to ROTH? A contrarian view

    Because I can start an early pension in 4.5 years, and there is no sane SEPP that will work for both before and after that time. I don't *have* to start the pension then, but I can't imagine that hitting the IRA for all my expenses until I'm 59.5 makes sense when I can start the pension early...
  9. BigMoneyJim

    Convert to ROTH? A contrarian view

    I retired almost a year ago, I have 10 years to go before I'm 59.5, and the vast majority of my money is in IRAs (having been rolled over from 401ks). I'm planning on selling my house and spending down the equity rather than draw more from IRAs. (Well, that's not the driving factor, but....)...
  10. BigMoneyJim

    VPN and Football season

    If you're using a VPN, I'm pretty sure you're violating somebody's terms of service. The state of NFL streaming and most sports streaming in general really sucks for...everyone. Every time I try to look into it, looking for a legitimate stream, I see "watch online here!" from NFL or ESPN or...
  11. BigMoneyJim

    What happened to FedEx?

    The pandemic caused an unexpected sudden increase in demand for shipping services. Any efficient logistic system is going to struggle with that. I waited a month on my first Amazon order after the shutdowns started, but they recovered within a handful of weeks. I worked for FedEx a couple of...
  12. BigMoneyJim

    Move to Colorado?

    Too late! Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are on my "maybe someday" radar. But pre-pandemic I was targeting the Seattle area, and now mid-pandemic Colorado seems about as far as I want to go. I guess I'm used to large population centers, but sooner or later I expect I'll check out less densely...
  13. BigMoneyJim

    Move to Colorado?

    Continued thanks all! I think I've eliminated Grand Junction & Durango because I now realize it's important to me to be able to get back to DFW within a day of driving. The I-25 corridor South of Denver should meet that requirement in most any weather. My next move is not my forever move. In...
  14. BigMoneyJim

    Move to Colorado?

    Thanks all! @mh : What's good/better about Grand Junction? It's the place I know the least about. I drove through it in November, and its general location and city-ness stuck in my head, but I don't even recall how close the mountains are. I just remember it's on the other side of the...
  15. BigMoneyJim

    Google Pay, Fidelity Elan Visa - how's that win-win?

    That's a good point. This didn't happen when I put my credit union Visa into Google & Apple Pay, but I recently put my Amex in both, and now my iPad pops up alerts whenever stuff is charged to my Amex *from anywhere*. I've never even used Apple Pay, just added the card just in case, but it knows...
  16. BigMoneyJim

    Move to Colorado?

    Hi, I retired 10 months ago. I had intended to sell my house in Irving, TX, and move to an apartment in Kitsap County (West of Seattle) to start the next phase of my life. I wanted a cooler climate, scenery, and plenty of choices of what to go see and do. But my approach to the pandemic has...
  17. BigMoneyJim

    Central Air died. Options?

    I don't know, either, but I think the big thing with mini splits is that they're heat pumps in addition to being area heating/cooling instead of whole-[-]attic[/-]house.
  18. BigMoneyJim

    Definitive Guide to Finance by Casually Explained

    This YouTube channel is entertainment, but I can't help but think he nailed everything including FIRE:
  19. BigMoneyJim

    Did you OLY?

    I definitely OLY'ed about 10 months ago. Three years ago I got laid off. With lots of notice and generous severance, and during a booming job market, so financially it wasn't too worrisome. I had figured I was 5-10 years away from my number, but the big change made me reevaluate. I had been...
  20. BigMoneyJim

    Google Pay, Fidelity Elan Visa - how's that win-win?

    I'm presuming security. I've read my card, expiration date, name, etc. out over the phone twice this week :P. Ok, Goopplesung Pay won't solve that particular problem, but LOTS of point-of-sale systems are still using the swiped card which is far less secure than the chip. It's kind of...
  21. BigMoneyJim

    S&P at all time high .. Changing your Asset Allocation? More Bull run? Wait & see ?

    This market makes absolutely no sense to me right now, so I'm going to make my signature move: nothing. Amazing how that has always worked out better than what I was thinking of doing.
  22. BigMoneyJim

    1996 Lucent Stock Certificate (what's it worth?)

    I'm guessing something got deleted because it looks like you bumped the thread. (I guess I'm next.) I'm mainly posting to add: now that I've read this, I really want closure to this anecdote.
  23. BigMoneyJim

    Central Air died. Options?

    Ok, here's the no-tool potential hack. (I've done this before but don't necessarily consider it best practice.) Like others have said, go outside when it's trying to cool and see if the fan is running. If not, but you hear the compressor (sounds like a big loud refrigerator because it basically...
  24. BigMoneyJim

    Fidelity or Vanguard

    Between the two choices I was leaning Fidelity, but just now for the second time in a few years I logged into Fidelity to find a 0 balance. There is probably a very reasonable explanation for this, and if I didn't feel pretty sure there must be I wouldn't be looking on this forum to see if...
  25. BigMoneyJim

    Fidelity or Vanguard

    I recently went almost all-ETF after having used open-ended funds for almost 30 years. Here are some possible reasons: - No ask/bid spread on purchase and sell - Until recent months (or years in restricted situations), ETF buying/selling cost commission - Can buy or sell exactly how much you...
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