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I've been ERed for 4 years and have several hobbies that keep me pretty busy but I've always wanted to go back to school to get a PhD in a field that I had a strong intellectual interest in. I've recently been accepted into a doctoral program in business, where I'll specialize in...

I received an audit by mail notice from the IRS back in January for our 2012 return. They claimed we owed an additional 33k because of some business expenses that they were denying. After 9 months of submitting proof of the expenses and getting additional pushback from the auditors, they...

We are looking to rent an RV for a family trip from Illinois to Phoenix this summer and then drop it off in Phoenix and fly home. We checked with the major rental companies but they weren't interested in a one way rental at this time. Another option is to drive it round trip but for logistical...

Anyone see the episode of Morgan Spurlock on plastic bags and recycling? There was a lady who only bought food that wasn't pre-packaged. Bulk grains, cheeses, meats, everything. She brought her own little sacks and jars to put things in. She said she saved at least 15% because the product price...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/retirees-travel-the-us-in-an-rv-183848302.html# For all you wanna-be full-time RVers, this article has some good tips. It reminds me so much of the (sailboat) cruising lifestyle. Well, except RVs aren't at risk of sinking. Sent from my SM-T237P using Early...

I'm sure glad I didn't panic and start selling during that last small correction we had. My portfolio was down about 100k at the trough. My portfolio is now up over 140k from that low point. Because of coincidental timing, I was able to rebalance and pick up some more IVV before things headed...

I've just completed writing 35k words on my NaNoWriMo novel. 15k to go before Dec 1st. Anyone else participating?

Our 6 yo 42" LG LED TV has developed vertical lines, buzzing, and now blinking. So, we're demoting it to our video game TV and just purchased a Samsung 50" Plasma TV for $549 from best buy. We've never owned a Plasma TV but the online reviews just raved about the picture quality vs price for...

There is another Awkward Wealth Moments thread active right now. Consider this a thread for when revealing wealth becomes more than just awkward, like affecting relationships. When I retired it was a year after selling a company. I made enough from the transaction and my previous savings to be...

Today we received a windfall lump sum of approx. 650k. This represents a roughly 12% boost to our investible assets. We've been retired 2 years and are currently 45 and 44. Our current WR before the lump sum is about 3.25% and this provides enough for our lifestyle. We're wondering if we...

In late March I received a letter from the IRS saying that my 2013 return had been reviewed and I was due an adjustment of 15k. Weird. Esp because the AGI and other numbers it listed in the letter were an order of magnitude lower than my actual numbers (I had a big cash payout last year). It...

I flew to Philly last week for a short vacation. I was solo--DW and kids stayed home. I paid $310 for the round trip flight. I took a look at greyhound and amtrak and they were both running in the $220 for RT fares. Interesting that a greyhound fare was only 30% less than flying. I thought it...

Hi, 2014 will be our second full year of ER. I'm trying to figure out a meaningful way to compute WR when we have earned income. We operate 2 small very part-time businesses and then we have a small ownership stake in another full-fledged business, but we are not involved in operating it, that...

I met two friends for breakfast Thursday morning. They were talking about this and that initiative they were pursuing at their companies. I just smiled. Then, later that day, I emailed them both these pics of the initiative I pursued that same afternoon.

I had lunch with a friend from my old career life. He is in a similar role as what I retired from. When we met at the restaurant he mentioned how healthy and relaxed I looked. I saw him a few months ago at his office when he didn't make a similar comment. Maybe because he was in his work element...

About a year ago my beard started developing a bald patch that grew to the size of a silver dollar or two. I went to the dermatologist who said it was an autoimmune issue and wanted to shoot my fact up with steroids but I said I would look at other options. My DW suggested trying a gluten-free...

We received our new insurance cards yesterday for our ACA BCBS Silver plan. Very, very happy to have it and the timing was perfect. Our COBRA was scheduled to end on Feb 1st. For a family of 4 (including 2 kids) our monthly premium went from 1300 to 800, and the new policy includes dental...

Basic question for you all. If someone has a portfolio of 100k and spends 5k on expenses and 1k on income taxes, is their WR 5k or 6k? IE, is WR inclusive of income taxes?

Hi All, Some of you may remember that I retired last August, 2012 at age 43. We moved on to a sailboat about a week later for a one year sail around Florida and the Bahamas. Well, we are wrapping up and it has been an amazing time for my DW and I to really get to know our two kids, 12 and 10...

Hi, We've been lurking on these boards for the past 6-7 months and have found your insights very valuable (and entertaining at times) and thought I would introduce ourselves. I was an old Motley Fool fan in the early 2000's and like the common sense, DIY vibe on this forum. I'm 43 and my wife...