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We did the big ship thing a couple of times when we were younger. It was okay. We’re doing a Rhine River cruise in April for the first time. A lot of my recently retired friends love it. Well find out.

Just a few. My township has an up charge for electronic payments for taxes and our quarterly sewer/trash payments. Also, my handyman is old school. No Venmo or PayPal. A total of 10 to 12/year. Not like the old days - 30 to 40/month.

I’m confused by your comments. Have you been proactively planning for retirement? Or simply counting down the days? BTW - I’ve known low to high six figure workers struggle to get to retirement due to the overhead costs and debt load of their preferred lifestyle. I’m having a blast in my...

Pretty easy to go paperless. You can view and print statements and tax documents from the website. The less I can involve the USPS the better.

I rolled my 401k into a traditional IRA. We’ll be doing the same for my wife soon. Year 1 and 2 I did draw from my IRA. Last year (year 3) I stopped while the stock and bond market tanked. Made up the difference with a lucrative consulting gig. I have a floor balance I’m trying to sustain...

We’re closing in on 63. We have a portfolio of mutual funds with Vanguard and TIAA-Cref. Classic 60/40 allocation which we intend to continue for many years. History and the modeling we’ve done with our advisor predicts we’ll be good we’ll into our 90’s. My concern with a more aggressive...

If you’re running what-if scenarios with these parameters you may want to run a series at various degrees. If you’re flying solo on your planning probably worth a deep dive with a qualified financial planner. Retirement shouldn’t be all about playing defense.

It would be awesome if your prediction turned out to be accurate. A 15% jump seems optimistic though. A range of 4% to 7% seems more realistic.

I went on 10mg of lisonpril a couple of years ago. My BP was high 130’s over low 99’s. My Doc said it’s safe with minimal side effects. But sounds like you’ve been through a lot. Any other underlying conditions you’re dealing with? May be a good idea to see a specialist to help find the...

I crossed over and am officially Type 2 by a fraction as of a couple months ago. I haven’t eliminated carbs and sugar but cut way, way back. I’ve tried riced cauliflower vegetable blends (frozen vegetables section) and cauliflower pizza. Both are surprisingly good. Also using an app called...

We switched to Mint Mobile almost 3 months ago. Two lines, 10GB data, $105 all in every three months for everything. We’ve had no noticeable differences in cell service but I’m told it will be better(?) when we finally upgrade to 5G iPhones. Because we both do a great job connecting to public...

I say talk to your boss now. If you do the big trip then leave your legacy will be the a-hole who took the big trip and left us high and dry. I would think if you express your commitment to help keep critical initiatives moving forward during your final months it will be greatly appreciated...

Fortunately we have Electric Choice in Pa so I’ve been able to mitigate significant price increases by shopping with different suppliers and contracting. I also have a solar lease system with a 25 year price plan. It offsets about 80% of my total electric over the course of the year.

I think you should do a little more homework. I’m fully retired and will be 62 in a couple months. My state has its own health exchange. I figured out the income requirements to get a subsidized plan. By using proceeds from my Roth portfolio I got my qualified income low enough that we have a...

Congratulations on successfully reaching retirement. It’s sad that there are so many stories like this. People with years of experience and institutional wisdom could be a wealth of knowledge to so many within their organization in the last few months of employment. Although many companies do...

Not me. I’ve never sold in a downturn going back to the 1987 October crash. Also, never tried to time my way in or out. Before I retired I made monthly contributions (dollar cost averaging) and rebalanced when necessary to meet my diversified portfolio goals. Retired a few months before my 60th.

Mutual funds are set up to meet specific goals as described in its prospectus and use a diverse set of investments to achieve those goals. You’re describing a single issue stock style tactic. Do you work with a financial adviser?

You’ve left a lot of gaps in the telling of your story. First impressions- work another 4.5 years. The doubling of your pension will give you a fantastic level of security.

An annual premium of $5000 is very reasonable compared to a decent plan via ACA. I was paying $1550/month. Then my state started its own exchange and the cost dropped to $1480. Covers annual check-ups at no cost and recommended testing at reasonable co-pays. Due to the pandemic we were asked...

We’ve been using their advisory service for a few years. We meet quarterly with our advisor and he does a good job. I agree that it’s possible to opt out of the ads you’re seeing if your not interested. But maybe have a conversation with Vanguard to learn more. In the past year I had...

A couple of things I think about. Delaying as long as possible gets you a bigger monthly payment. But you don’t know how long you’ll live. The world forces us to think more about our mortality all the time. The SS program is under constant political threat. The pandemic has caused many people...

We’re rather settled here in PA. Good friends, son and soon to be wife are nearby, tax friendly state for seniors, ample healthcare resources, etc…

At first glance the answer is YES! But your wife is significantly younger and you have younger kids. So lifestyle desires and expectations should be considered. Also, your kids are coming to an age where they’ll be watching mom and dad to see how they conduct adulthood. I get the impression you...

Congratulations on your success this far. I’d suggest a discussion with a CFP and tax accountant before making a firm decision. If your kids are still dependents and you plan to support their college expenses, pay for weddings, etc. you may want to continue to work. Your ability to earn is a...

Congratulations! If I may ask what age did you choose to draw and why?