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While I don't like where VG is going I guess I'll stick around even if they don't really care. DM has had her $$ there for decades. A change would be stressful for a 94 yo. Just switching her over to the brokerage platform was a major hassle. DW and I likewise have significant accounts just to...

I went all in for this year in January. Hopefully the 1.3% fixed will hold for next January. In any event I'm still a buyer. As a retiree it's the most basic form of insurance.

If I take travel and Roth conversions out of our annual expenses we're left with 2023 net expenses of about 60k. SS and my small pension just about cover that. Our travel plans are shrinking with the realization that our second lake house provides the bulk of our recreation wants. Based on 46...

DW just cancelled her Delta AMEX card after the 50% increase in annual fees. Airline miles are a joke and the only reason we kept the card was for the free baggage feature. Now that we're down to one big trip a year the benefit has gone away.

Shoes for long walks - about $10 /month. 14 foot aluminum rowboat for rowing/upper body - $0. Mowing and yard work - Monthly savings - $350. Looks like I'm making money with my pursuit of fitness.

I bought a 5 year CD ladder in 2018. CD's were paying .25-.5% more than treasuries. That premium was enough to compensate me for the illiquidity. Brokerage CD's are a pain to sell. On the other hand treasury bills and notes are quick and simple to trade with small spreads. For this reason I've...

As a family project we built our lake house in 2001. It's only 17 miles away so DW and I use it weekly May-Oct. Being retired we go and enjoy the lake during the week and go back to town on the weekend. We just returned from a flying vacation and have decided we prefer the lake house to the...

Nice. I would want them managing my affairs.

OK, But if you must, never touch the principal.

An accidental financial genius.

WOW. You had to go back that far to make an argument. It like everything else had to start somewhere. At the time the country was growing and SS was a huge leap for many reasons.

Yep. That's what it's all about. While I had great retiree coverage there is no logical reason why everyone in this rich country should not benefit from basic health coverage.

While the devil may be in the details, I've always taken a big picture view of SS. One night in 1978 I had a friendly pub debate with the local SS manager. My crude calculations were presented that the boom was over and SS was slowly going down the tubes. I was laughed right out the place. When...

Look but don't touch.

2 Brokerages - Fido & VG. 2 Banks - B&M and Online 2 Treasury Direct Accounts Not complicated at all.

Yeah, the hold to maturity mindset has really put my mind at ease these last few years. I've slowly expanded my bond ladders after starting with a 5 year CD ladder in 2016. When yields went above 3% and TIPS went positive I accelerated the program. With enough set aside for future living...

Roughly 50/50 equity/bond. The 50% equity is what's left after setting up LMP bond/TIPS ladders to fund the next 20 years. Hopefully this will result in a rising equity glidepath, although I doubt I would ever go over 60% equity.

Fed 7.4% State 1.2%. This year the state should shrink further to less than .2% due to the phase out of retirement income tax in Michigan.

Same here. DW and I must use ViaBenefits to get the annual corporate kicker. I might add that the cost was identical to what I could buy the same coverage going direct. I found ViaBenefits to be very helpful and did not try to sway us one way or another. In our case we settled on the UHC AARP...

One example - FBTC.

Rhymes with triptoe.

I might suggest more of a LMP approach. I've set aside about 20 years expenses in TIPS/I Bonds and Strips. In 20 years the equity allotment will probably cover any future needs. If not I'll probably be dead anyway. Either way the kids will probably benefit greatly. I might add that the equities...

FWIW the Fido free Turbo Tax "Get Started " button is now activated on the Summary page.

Class of'16. Yep, luck played a significant role in my investments growing by a third since retirement. Offset by inflation to a large degree, but I'll take it. Note to those in a similar boat - we now have a safe option in positive yielding TIPS. IMHO, not a bad way to take some risk off the...

FWIW, regarding today's 10 year TIPS auction. The expected yield is simply a ballpark number. Fido's estimate was set last week at the announcement. I usually anchor that number to the 10 year nominal rate and follow it until auction time. Over the last week the 10 year rates have risen so the...