Search results

When I was registering I was dreaming of retirement and the song popped into my head.

When flying out of SAN to go to Europe, the connection can be LAX, SFO, JFK, Newark, Atlanta, etc. depending on the carrier. If you are in North County you can fly out of Carlsbad and connect to LAX for an international flight. Also nice that there are non stops from SAN to Maui.

Three albums came to mind quickly when I read the title of the thread - Tea for the Tillerman (Cat Stevens), Lightfoot (really old folkie Gordon Lightfoot) and Stardust (Willie Nelson). Haven't heard any of these in many years. Someone mentioned JJ Cale. That might be the best pick of all.

I was called to jury duty in Santa Monica back in the 90s during the second OJ Simpson trial. I would regularly see the media characters and lawyers from that trial in the elevator and also in the front lawn of the courthouse when they were being interviewed by reporters. One day, we were told...

So our recovery has been much stronger than our European partners, as Obama said. Any argument there?

Al, I'm very sorry to hear about Lena's accident but glad to hear she's recovering quickly. Best wishes to you both!

Great to have you back Rich! Any one of the three choices would be great, just depends on which strong points appeal to you most. I have an inkling it might be Tampa. Sending good wishes your way!

I did build a budget with fairly generous amounts for discretionary expenses including $9,000 per year for vacations/travel, $7,200 for dining out and $4,800 for hobbies. Could probably pare this down by $6,000 or even more if we get the urge to cut loose earlier. We'll see how it goes...

I was very interested to see this thread since the title is a question I've asked myself over the last several years regarding projected retirement income needs. I voted that I'd be disappointed but, in reality, I wouldn't be that disappointed. In my latest mock budget for retirement I came...

Congratulations Rambler! Always encouraging to hear success stories. :)

Jeff, like others have said, nicely done and welcome! I'm not sure I've read something that so accurately reflects what I'm feeling at my core. I've got more slouching ahead of me...

"I was born to be idle." Are we related or something? Thanks for the post and congratulations on ER. I am envious and hope I'm not too far behind!

T-Al, you can come down to the SD area anytime for more fish :)

I'm one of the 99% that love San Diego and I would agree with previous poster that it sounds like a great choice for you. Another place to consider is San Luis Obispo, halfway between LA and SF in the Central Coast. Voted Happiest City in America or something like that. Scenic, mild climate...

Rented "Nowhere Boy" from Netflix, biopic of John Lennon. Focuses on his adolescence in Liverpool. I enjoyed the movie because it humanizes its subject warts and all and avoids the usual cliches. Kind of a sad movie but I enjoyed it.

I'll second "Investor's Manifesto" by Bernstein and "Bogleheads' Guide." Also Ferri's "All About Asset Allocation."

1. Refinanced home twice. Closing now on 3.875% 30 yr fixed. Never would've believed a few years ago payment would be so low. 2. Company bought out ESOP shares. Moved into IRA with a low cost DFA advisor. 3. Very fortunate to get a promotion and raise. Overall, things went very well in...

Best quote of the thread :)

Funny you should ask as two housekeepers are cleaning my home right now. I pay them $100 per visit, which usually takes 2.5 - 3 hours for 2600 sf home. Usually a cleaning once every three weeks is sufficient. I found out about them, a woman and her mother, from a friend who spoke highly of...

one word: go

All kinds of wine... Cabernet and Cabernet blends, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blancs from CA and France (Sancerre especially), Petite Sirah, Rhone reds, CA sparkling and French Champagne, etc. Favorite beers tend to be IPAs and Porters. Spirits... martinis, scotch (especially Lagavulin...

I'm not sure I follow this. My understanding is the pension agreements in place are untouchable. Best hope on pensions is to alter the program for new government employees. If that's not the case that's great news. Also curious what specific sub-items you're referring to.

I missed this while I was posting but seems consistent with CA Dept of Finance's finding that CA ranks 15th among states in taxes and fees collected per $100 of income at $17.22. I don't deny that there are places to cut spending but CA is not as much of a high tax state as it is reputed to be...

Los Angeles Times: California budget balancer - latimes.com I fiddled around with the budget calculator today. It sure paints a grim picture. Ended up cutting roughly 91B dollar budget by 10.5B with deep cuts in education and health and human services and increased revenues by 17.8B. Most...

Try your hand at solving the CA budget crisis here: Los Angeles Times: California budget balancer - latimes.com