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Adding another graduate Alan Bikerchick Billin Chemist Chinaco powerplay Rich_in_Tampa tesaje want2xplore Onward MsDonheff

Martha, your post is worth a thousand words. Especially to this animal lover. But I may close my eyes next time I want to get on this forum.

Tactics that make politicians look bad can be effective. It all comes down to politics - local politics. If you can delay the permit, or delay the planning, or delay the first blast, it's a neighborhood victory. Keep at it. Whew. Been there done that REW, with a local neighborhood battle...

Hmmm. My Acura is a flawless car, but I would prefer to pay a couple of bucks more for a Vaio laptop. At recent sale prices at our local Best Buy, they're almost a steal. Even if a computer breakdown is easy to fix my own preference would be to get one that won't break in the first place.

I hit $1MM a year ago and will retire with a small pension shortly. At 58 I could keep working in the boiler room but my peers are looking tired and out of shape, so I figured it was time to leave before it happened to me ;) I'm nervous about inflation and taxes, and there's no family or SO to...

- If you live on all your dividends, the principal must grow at the same rate as inflation, right?

I think we'll be stuck with it this year - ensuring the administration's place in history. Many others tried and failed... clear back to the Nixon years. From what I've experienced in large private and public institutions I expect to see many people thrown at the problem and not necessarily in...

It sounds like you went with an Ornish-type plan? A friend in Florida started it 4 years ago, off and on, and is no longer taking her beta-blocker. It was her cardio doc who told her about Ornish.

Leonidas offered some good leads. My situation is similar to yours, and I gotta tell ya, there's some very, very helpful information on this forum. And FIRECALC is awesome.

Aha! Now I know where to find a secret decoder ring :laugh:

Thank you, kaneohe. I may have to settle for being taxed as the price I pay for being comfortable in retirement - at 15% :)

Harley, kaneohe, et. al, your discussion on this short thread has been very helpful. I'm retiring in early 2010 and must decide what to do with a $400K TSP (gvmmt IRA). Annuity is not the best option right now, and headroom allows for only $12K withdrawal in the 15% bracket (post-retirement)...

So sorry for loss of your mom. A couple large bags of sand or kitty litter, and a small shovel if you can find it, in case the car slips on ice. God bless you for taking care of her dog - a just reward for a loving companion.

You betcha!

But one could rent from a small-time investor with enough cash upfront. In the old 'hood we had a guy who regularly showed up at open houses with a briefcase full of money to back up his written offer. He wrote a check for more than the down payment and got money back from the check, then...

How can someone capitalize on this trend? As an investment, I could pay cash for a "short sale" house and rent it to someone - collect the rent, or resell it. Not quite like flipping - what if someone would like to stay in their home and is contemplating default? I could buy it with cash from...

I'm single, budgeting $34-38K before taxes post-retirement. Live on $24K plus rent now, after state and federal taxes. The budget assumes no mortgage on the future residence.

It's been a good investment. I dripped MCD for years before moving it to TDAmeritrade - it is one of my largest holdings now and I like the portfolio to be somewhat balanced. All my accounts auto-reinvest dividends.

Drips: BP, KO, MSFT, PEP, YUM, MO, KFT, PM. Other high-yielders include DEO, MCD, WGL, DUK, SJT, FAX, STD and DBSDY. MCD share price hardly budged during the '08 meltdown. :)

If you don't have your papers in order - suggest you just do it, and get it over with. I'm single with no dependents, and a lawyer. Wills and estates are not my area, and some requirements vary by state, so my will was drafted by an attorney licensed in my state of residence. I also have...

I have fixed expenses, and variable expenses: Fixed: rent renter's insurance federal tax state tax car tax RE tax professional dues savings health insurance pets Variable: utilities phone groceries household medical gym clothing personal care (ie haircuts) car repairs car insurance motorcycle...

I reduced my holdings in early '08, and in early '09 started buying again, this time for yield. Sold the 10-year residence at a fair price in a steady market. Most savings are in bonds and cash for flexibility - I really, really want to retire in 2-3 months. There's enough for a low-cost life...

I'm supposed to get 18K/yr at 62 but don't expect to see it. Govt doesn't need to reduce the promised amount, and doesn't need to tax it further - just make me pay more for medicare, and take the medicare payment out of the SS check - I'm hoping to net five hundred a month.

Getting a mortgage with the idea of taking out "extra" money over a few years to pay it off gives you a lot of flexibility. Owning a home outright provides a very secure feeling, and it's amazing how little one needs to spend when there's no mortgage.

Belated Congratulations - woohoo! W2R, you are an inspiration! There IS a finish line, you found it!;D