Recent content by BarbWire

Thanks so much! I've probably left it too late to book for this year (I suddenly have an unexpected gap in my calendar) but can definitely plan for next year!

I am looking into doing something similar (though only about 14 days). Have you booked independently or will you be using a "light hunting tour" for some/all?

I was in Tokyo the last two weeks of December and was able to find decent $100/night for one person at the APA hotels (tiny business rooms). The one opposite the National Diet was quite satisfactory and well located. Hotel Risviglio nearby was also quite satisfactory at about the same price point.

I have no idea whether VG does that since I've never held non-VG assets there. The guy on Schwab chat urging me to unload all my VG products and buy Schwab did say that reinvested dividends would be charged a fee.... Of course, he may be on his second day on the job ....

Hmmm. This makes sense. I think I will streamline to Wellington and Welsley, move that, and make sure that dividends are not reinvested (thus avoiding a fee) but put into the money market fund. The underlying reason to get rid of VG funds is that, after 30+ years, I am finally so disgusted...

It's finally time to move an inherited IRA from VG to Schwab. I haven't tweaked the holdings since I inherited it in 2016 so it's time to do that too. I am also fortunate to be taking RMDs over my lifetime rather than compressed into 10 years. CURRENT VG holdings: VAIPX... 11% ...

Thank you. pb4uski -- I was drawing the same conclusion but figured there might be a subtle but important difference that I was missing. I don't really want to spend a lot of time researching unless this is something on which I really need to educate myself. There is way too much other...

I'm looking for MM funds at Fidelity and/or Schwab to park about $100K for an unknown period (less than 2 years). My choices are either Government MM or Prime MM. Yields on Prime are a tad higher than Government. Fido: SPAXX vs SPRXX CS: SNVXX vs SWVXX So how/why should I select...

At Girl Scout Camp Texlake. Everyone went to the dining hall, and two counselors brought out their (not allowed) tiny B&W TVs for us to watch.

So glad to hear the CCRC system worked well (went to hospital, came back to a couple of weeks of supported cared and then back to independent) and, more importantly, that your DM was OK. There is absolutely no chance that my parents' CCRC would have worked so smoothly in the same scenario...

Very interesting. I've thought about how I'd put my "geezer team" in place, but haven't reached any conclusions. And, like you, it's complicated by the fact that I'm not sure I will be in the US (where I've been a resident for 60+ years but have no responsible family). The information about...

You are indeed fortunate that the aides supplied/managed by the CCRC were excellent (not the case at my parents' CCRC) and that the CCRC was responsible if one called in sick, etc. Someone managing aides for an individual at home is on the spot if they get a call that the aide isn't coming into...

But no matter where you are -- low COL, excellent care (Malaysia and Philippines come to mind), who will be your advocate when you get old? That is the bottom line, no matter where you are: someone to be your advocate and guardian angel when you are alive, and someone to "mop up" after you...

Precisely. People who dismissively waive a hand and say "we have plenty of money" don't grasp that supervision and oversight -- finances, finding and hiring 24/7 staff, dealing with medical -- is a massive undertaking that SOMEONE has to do. I did that, single handed, for both parents for...

But you've got to have someone -- anyone -- who is willing to be the "responsible party" who is contacted by the CCRC for medical and other needs. My folks went to a CCRC for 9 months (and left because they rightly hated it). I had to be named as the "contact person" and each time there was a...