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I'm not terribly concerned about hedonics as a policy tool. I think it is oftentimes misused, but in the grand scheme of things is a relatively minor factor. I do think governmental economic policies around the world will end in tears. We often on this board emphasize, at a personal level...

Just finished Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson, by S.C. Gwynne (author of the Pulitzer Prize - nominated Empire of the Summer Moon). Best Civil War book I've ever read.

Books. iOS development is based upon the C-family of languages (C, C++, Objective C). Apple has just released a new language called Swift which we can expect to see and hear more from in the future. You can write iOS apps in any of them. After learning one or more of those languages, you'll...

I wasn't thinking in terms of portfolio survival or safe withdrawal rate. But rather contemplating the question for most people, who don't have such esoteric considerations. For most people, the availability of SS, and when to take it, very much affects when/if they are able to retire...

Part of what makes when to draw SS a challenging proposition are the conflicting factors. Although we often focus on the break-even point and our expected mortality, maximizing our 'take' from Uncle Sam oftentimes misses the larger point. The retirement years from age 62 to FRA are, for most...

I had a similar experience years ago with my pickup truck. AC stopped working and so I took it to the dealer. Four trips later and well over a thousand bucks and it was fixed. Each time was similar... the service advisor would come out in a few minutes, say "such and such needs replacing,"...

Absent other factors - particularly longevity expectation - SS is actuarially neutral. So you can make an argument for pretty much any age you like. Some important factors that might help sway your decision: - Tax implications. Pay particular attention to earned income while receiving SS...

Alas, there are no crystal balls. I certainly don't have one. That said, extreme market volatility usually accompanies a breakdown in confidence; and that, a breakdown in fundamentals. I personally don't like this market at all and am all in cash. I know it's a belittled viewpoint here, but...

Couldn't agree more. Handloading for me has always been first and foremost about customizing ammunition for a particular firearm, so as to eke out every bit of accuracy that weapon is capable of; secondarily about reducing cost-per-round (so you can shoot more); and thirdly for building ammo...

Reloading straight-wall pistol cartridges is about the easiest reloading there is. And .38 Special is a great round to start with. The same die set will let you do those, plus your .357 Mag. The one piece of advice I'd offer is to buy a carbide die set rather than the standard steel dies...

I've experienced the same thing on my bikes and cars. It's just a nice psychological boost.

Hi Sarah, One of the quick disadvantages of fountain pens is that they often are quite expensive. Before becoming interested in them I thought a $25 Cross pen was an expensive (too expensive!) pen. Alas. I can heartily recommend something like a Pelikan M200. That's a hundred dollar pen (!)...

Another off-the-beaten-path pleasure of mine is fountain pens. I love the slightly more measured process of writing with one, the tactile feel as it bleeds its essence onto the paper, and the beautiful, multi-dimensional line shapes it leaves behind. The incredible variety of inks, in all...

I think that's a great plan!

Aye, I've still got a pound and a quarter left of the old 4831. Good stuff, indeed! I still have a dozen-odd .270 hunting rounds left from the batch I cooked up one afternoon (just the loading, actually developing the load took many hours of testing, measurement, loading, and shooting) in the...

Yep. Easy for him to say when it's so far away. Maybe not so easy as it approaches. As the ole country song says... "Everybody want to go to heaven But nobody want to go now"

Probably those new-fangled components they're selling these days! (Or might be bullet runout. One of the reasons the benchrest boys use arbor presses and hand dies).

My DW would tell you I have way too many passions. Though an eclectic mix, most are reasonably mainstream. One that's a little different, off in the corner of the shooting sports... I handload my own precision ammunition. A lot of science. A bit of art. A tinge of magic.

Not sure what you mean by "... file some income when DW turns 62..." Regardless, your DW's spousal/survivor benefit is simply your benefit (if higher than hers), upon your death. So to maximize that spousal benefit, you wait until 70 to claim.

Sorry to hear. I agree with molof - first thing I'd do is very carefully read the plan descriptions for your 401K, stock options, and anything else that hasn't vested. Usually when a termination without cause happens, those compensation vehicles are immediately vested. If that's not the case...

Sugar is a poison. It's increase in consumption across the 20th century - dramatically accelerated with the widespread adoption of high-fructose corn syrup - fairly tracks the rise in a whole host of health issues, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Recent research is...

The lack of a bachelor's degree will significantly compromise your ability to obtain well-paying work for however long you need to work. And obtaining a well-paying job is one of the keys for most early retirees. So... I would first recommend two years of community college. During that time...

Aye, I spent many hours back in the day on the Motley Fool Early Retirement board. First in 1999-2000 when my stock options in the tech firm I worked for gave hope of an early reprieve from the work world. Later, in 2000-2001 after the dot-com crash led to an inversion of all those hopes. In...

Indeed, the work world surely changed for many of us between when we began and when we finished. In my case I started in 1974 with C&P, one of the operating companies of the old Bell System. Very 50's-like. Very paternal. Good pay. Good benefits. Employment for life. Defined pension...

A few months ago ha ha, in another thread, posted that retirement is, among other things "... a leap of faith." That simple phrase instantly struck me with its wisdom. It encapsulated for me - for a lot of us, I think - the uncertain nature of this FIRE business. We try and bring certainty...