Dow over 28,000!

[pb4uski]

Just curious - how much are you all up since the peak in January 2018?...

I'm up 9% since 1/31/18 if I add back withdrawals, otherwise about 2%.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Hmmm... You made me look.

It's 12x for me. This means that my WR is 1/13 of the total gain.

Darn! This is the best gain I have had since I started to track expenses since 2011.

This certainly cannot be sustained.

Probably not, but I'm closing in on a major, major milestone that I estimate - with the way things have been going - to come in less than six months. If things fall apart, hopefully it'll wait until after I hit that target. If I hit it, I'm running out and buying a bottle of Silver Oak Napa Cab. I've been waiting for a good excuse to splurge on that wine.

 

[street]

33x since 01/31/18

 

[audreyh1]

Probably not, but I'm closing in on a major, major milestone that I estimate - with the way things have been going - to come in less than six months. If things fall apart, hopefully it'll wait until after I hit that target. If I hit it, I'm running out and buying a bottle of Silver Oak Napa Cab. I've been waiting for a good excuse to splurge on that wine.

OMG just go ahead and buy it! LOL!

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah, it's just a bit over $100. Like my bottle of Don Julio 1942. Which is 1/3 gone.

 

[NW-Bound]

Just curious - how much are you all up since the peak in January 2018? For me, the growth is much lower when compared to that date...

Peak in Jan 2018? You too? That tells me you are not an indexer, same as myself. The market set a higher high later in Sep 2018, but I did not due to my stock picks.

No, the gain is not all that great when I compare current portfolio to that peak in late Jan 2018.

And the wonderful ratio of %gain to %WR attests more to my low WR than my investment acumen.

Probably not, but I'm closing in on a major, major milestone that I estimate - with the way things have been going - to come in less than six months. If things fall apart, hopefully it'll wait until after I hit that target. If I hit it, I'm running out and buying a bottle of Silver Oak Napa Cab. I've been waiting for a good excuse to splurge on that wine.

Nice wine. But I would pay a bit more to get myself a bottle of XO Cognac which lasts longer.

Oh wait! I already have more than 1/2 dozen of bottles in my cabinet.

 

[RobbieB]

Just pour 'em down the sink, you ain't gonna drink 'em so they're just useless clutter.

 

[NW-Bound]

Hey, it's not my fault people gave me more bottles faster than I drink. You want me to have liver cirrhosis?

They don't go stale, so if there's any left when I croak, my son will enjoy them.

PS. I already told people, no more booze. No more gifts of any kind.

 

[RobbieB]

Bought me a bottle of Courvoisier XO (my fav) as first Cognac of the year. And that's too long. But that 1942 is just as smooth.

Amazing.

 

[dixonge]

Probably not, but I'm closing in on a major, major milestone that I estimate - with the way things have been going - to come in less than six months. If things fall apart, hopefully it'll wait until after I hit that target. If I hit it, I'm running out and buying a bottle of Silver Oak Napa Cab. I've been waiting for a good excuse to splurge on that wine.

Back in 2011 we visited an old friend in the Bay Area. We went through 3-4 bottles of some very nice wine with her and her boyfriend, then proceeded to other substances *ahem*. A couple of days later we went to this winery and I recognized it as the wine we had been drinking. The minimal bottle price was a lot more than we normally spent on wine at the time. It was Silver Oak.

The next day we pulled in to yet another winery and our friend was there! They were members of a few wineries, it turns out. We drank a lot of wine in Napa. But when we left to continue our trip through the Western US, we carried a case of our favorite wine with us.

Two buck Chuck.

True story.

 

[momoftwo]

I've only been tracking since I retired in July and dont expect it continue this way, really.
Still hard to not be pleased to see total IRA balance to have grown from 1,022,00 to 1,064,000 in that time.

Been living off some very small pension income since July with a bit of taxable withdrawals.
Age 63, still cant decide to start IRA distributions or claim SS for myself and DH in 2020 to pay the bills.

 

[street]

^ I'm assuming you meant 1,022,000 from your start number. Either way it has been an interesting few years with growth. Good on you!

For your decision on SS or IRA I wish you the best for both of you. I don't think there is a right way or wrong way. You have to do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[momoftwo]

Yikes, yes, 1,022,000.

I think you're right on no correct answer on SS vs IRA.
That's what makes it perplexing. I'm a retired scientist who was used to there being ONE right answer!

Seems the more I study and learn, the harder it gets.
RMD, IRMA, expected tax brackets, SECURE act..oh my.

I'm leaning toward collecting SS X 2 earlier and minimizing IRA distributions.
Our expenses are low, no mortgage on downsized house, no other debt.
I'll be happy once the trigger is pulled.

 

[Retired Expat]

“Not gonna do it...wouldn’t be prudent...”

The increase in my portfolio since the end of August... the last 4 months of appreciation... exceeds my mortgage.... so I'm paying off my mortgage.

I am the same position, but can’t help thinking I am in that position partly because I didn’t use my cash/investments to buy the house and while I paid 4% annually for that money, my money was earning about 20%.

 

[pb4uski]

Just pour 'em down the sink, you ain't gonna drink 'em so they're just useless clutter.

I'm not much of a drinker. When DSIL was here for Christmas we were taking stuff out of the liquor cupboard and he ran across a bottle of Crown Royal that my aunt gave me and she had received it from my grandmother. The label on the bottle has a date of 1964... so it is 55 years old.

We poured ourselves a little on ice and were surprised that it was quite good... smooth.

 

[NW-Bound]

I think it is as smooth as it was first bottled back in 1964. Spirits do not age while in glass bottles.

 

[RobbieB]

That's true, however the corks can and do rot. And when that happens you'll get debris in your hooch and lose precious alcohol content and begin oxidation.

Would be a pity no?

 

[NW-Bound]

I have not had a bottle of spirit ruined by a bad cork (yet), but have seen that with a few bottles of wine.

Perhaps it's because wines are more delicate, while 80-proof spirits can take a lot more abuse before going bad.

 

[aja8888]

Perhaps it's because wines are more delicate, while 80-proof spirits can take a lot more abuse before going bad.

Yeah, a fruit fly would die if it got in a bottle of 80 proof spirits!

 

[NW-Bound]

Due to RobbieB's heckling that I don't drink enough, last night and the night before I poured myself a long shot of Cognac after dinner, and sipped it while shooting the breeze here.

Should I do it again today?

 

[RobbieB]

Why not? I'm right there with you baby!

 

[USGrant1962]

I think it is as smooth as it was first bottled back in 1964. Spirits do not age while in glass bottles.

True until the bottle is opened. Then oxygen does it's thing. My approach is don't let O2 damage the goods, bottoms up

 

[RobbieB]

Yup. Never let them corks dry out -

 

[Amethyst]

Old bottles

Years ago, I read a wine column in the WSJ that basically amounted to "Don't try to 'age' wine on purpose; life is short; enjoy it soon, or now." They cited various examples of old bottles, carefully cellared and proudly brought forth, only to turn out spoiled.

 

[Gumby]

Years ago, I read a wine column in the WSJ that basically amounted to "Don't try to 'age' wine on purpose; life is short; enjoy it soon, or now." They cited various examples of old bottles, carefully cellared and proudly brought forth, only to turn out spoiled.

Hmmm. I've got some 50 year old bottles of Port down in the cellar. I suppose I'd better start drinking them.