Recent content by Zorba

I'm not sure if this is the right thread, but I just returned from a walk on the Camino Portuguese. As a general comment, while walking in the smaller towns, it was very hard to spend more than 6 euros on a bottle of really good wine (e.g. Duro region wines). One bottle of Vino Verde would set...

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this but here is a plot from the St Louis Fed showing the excess of US retirees in the 2020-2022 period versus predictions. If I understand the plot, during this period there were nearly 3 million excess retirements over predictions. A link...

Thanks everyone. Based on this, I should plan on rolling QREARX into an IRA held at TIAA, but move all of my other assets into a single company (probably Fidelity). That in itself would be a huge step in simplifying management. TheWizard. I've read that QREARX can lag behind its benchmark...

Excuse me if this is too basic a question. When I was employed, I had a dogs' breakfast of retirement plans (e.g. 401a, 457b and 403b) from several companies (Fidelity, Vanguard and TIAA). Now that I am retired, I really want to simplify and roll these over to an single IRA. For reference, I...

Wasn't it something like? "This is a song about my old job, and all the great things about it...(Song ends)"

To be honest, barak, most of us on this forum seem to be DIY types. If you want a recent book on the topics you mention, you could start with Wade Phau's Retirement Planning Guidebook. I think the blog-o-sphere and podcast space is mostly occupied by the accumulation types, and there is space...

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll use the info to make the case for re-balancing our international back to 34% of our stock allocation from its current 20%. A few quick comments... Oldshooter: Thanks for the links. I am looking at them now. BTW. Your pdf link did not work for me but I think...

Our target allocation for US vs non-US stocks is 2/3 US and 1/3 non-US, but thanks to the thriving US stock market, our allocation has drifted to more like 80/20. If you compare the PE10 for US versus non-US, you can see that the US stock market is overvalued relative to the non-US market by...

silvor. There is so much good advice here, I don't who to tip my hat too first. Let me try to summarize what I have read... At a minimum, someone in your FI position has *choices*. Lets first acknowledge the luxury of choice and how few people get to be in your position. Do you want to keep...

Yesterday was my final day after 30+ years. Quiet day. Not with a bang, but a whimper...

I don't have a crystal ball, so I look at it like I looked at the last 30+ years during the accumulation phase. I want to diversify my risk. I don't know if the step up basis will go away, or if income/cap. gains tax rates will increase in 2026, or if the tax-free status of Roths above some...

I liked Fritz Gilbert's recent book "Keys to A Successful Retirement". It does have some financial parts but its focus was on non-financial transition issues.

Fingers crossed for your son.

Yes. It came from something called the M-sigma relation. Only a handful of galaxies, including our own Galaxy, have direct evidence of nuclear black holes. However, around 1999 astronomers noticed that the more massive the black hole was, the faster the stars moved around it (in an area called...

Thanks. Loved it. Saved it to read more carefully. From his Starry, Starry night. "This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you." Ah... Short story. 30+ years ago. I had just finished my PhD and were doing the standard backpack Europe trip for a few months before joining the real...