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Yup, this mirrors my situation almost perfectly. As of late I'm at about (1/3 taxes, 1/3 savings, 1/3 spending) My investments at this point could likely replace more than my current spending. I'm in OMY phase as well. I'm targeting 55 at this point, then I will re-assess. Obviously I'm...

Thank you for pointing this out RetMD21, I re-read MichaelB's post and you are indeed correct, his statement is the same as what I was saying, I read it differently this morning, probably not enough coffee! I'll edit the original post

Yes, this is my understanding. If you buy at auction you get a sort of "deflation put." Your nominal investment is protected. If you buy an issue in the open market that already has an inflation adjusted principle value, then you could receive less than you paid at maturity due to deflation...

There have been a lot of very good threads on bogleheads about this lately, look for anything with Kevin M or #Cruncher for details, but be ready to do your homework, there's some things to understand. The feedback in this thread so far, IMHO, has in many cases been incorrect. An example is the...

I've read a bit of MMM and ERE and others over the years. I have never really been interested in whether their budgets are legit or not, nor do I care. I think they both have had some interesting ideas. I also sometimes like the way MMM writes as it can be entertaining, but sometimes its a...

Yes, this is true, and I believe there is also a clause that they can be used tax free for education in some cases.

ibond stuff Well, current ibonds do have a negative real rate of return after taxes, but I can think of a lot of good reasons to hold them, if even just for an emergency fund. I agree the real return (<0 real) is not a recipe to get wealthy. Now, that being said, the "Risk Adjusted" return...

This. If your assumptions are accurate, then yes, this will work, but the only way I see a regular 2% return rate over the next X number of years would be to buy a SPIA, but then of course you lose the principle. Any mix of stocks and bonds will not behave this way, and I don't think you will...

You also need to add into your nest egg the cash value of your pension. It doesn't exist in a vacuum. After you do that, you may be closer to the $1M than you think!

I remember driving a couple of hundred miles with my truck for work. One of my coworkers was there (who lives in California) couldn't believe that I would put that much wear and tear on my own vehicle, and why didn't I rent one instead? I told her that I want to get as many miles out of my truck...

I have a 13 year old Dodge Ram 4x4 that has 140k on it. I've had it since it had 7k on it. I'll keep it until the New England salted winter roads finally dissolve it to the point of no longer being safe. I oil undercoat it every year, but that only delays the inevitable. Around here, for me...

I think you need to rethink this. There are ways to get money out of tax advantaged accounts before 59.5. Roth contributions can be taken out either immediately or after 5 years of aging depending on how they got in there. 401k/tIRA accounts can be accessed through SEPP or Roth conversion...

I put in an order for total international. I had some extra $$ from a maturing CD that was going to the muni fund before the dip.

Why not see what the experts think? Get a quote for an inflation adjusted immediate annuity at immediateannuities.com and see what rate they are paying for your circumstances? If the insurance company thinks its conservative enough that they can still make a profit, it should be plenty...

Yeah, from a behavioral perspective I "like" dividends as well, but I also understand they have a tax drag when not in advantaged accounts. I, like you, understand the divies are really the same as selling shares, except I have no control over them. So, that being said, I tried to create a...

Very good point. I need to go back and watch school house rock lol!

Thanks again, I was getting nervous!

Yeah, I think I am confusing "conversion" with "re-characterization." I hope you are correct.

Considering the statement below, it appears that the backdoor Roth IRA may be gone as well, again, assuming I am reading this correctly. Sec. 1501. Repeal of special rule permitting recharacterization of Roth IRA contributions as traditional IRA contributions. Current law: Under current law...

Ahhh, you may very well be correct! I didn't look at it too closely but this would make a lot of sense. Edited to add: Yes, you are correct, I read it incorrectly. Thanks for pointing this out!

If I understand correctly, an individual no longer has a 0% capital gains tax rate. Looks like it's 1/2 of the gain is taxable. I might have to get married....:) This actually appears to be quite a difference between an individual and a married couple who apparently get a 0% rate up to $77,200...

I'm totally on board with (eventually) targeting taxable investments when you have enough beyond what you can defer, but beyond an emergency fund or saving for a down payment on a house, I would not target taxable right now, but I would maximize my tax deferred space. This is a use it or lose it...

What a great employer contribution! In your position, at 35 years old and in the 33% tax bracket, I would absolutely keep up the 401k contributions at full steam. Some of the comments here recommend making a spreadsheet to predict future cash flow and taxes. These are great ideas, but at 35...

Andre1969, thanks for this post, you and I are almost in exactly the same boat, including age and assets. I've moved the goalposts all over the place as well. I once posted that determining when you were FI and ready to ER was like trying to grab a fish. Great thread, good luck to all!

Very cool OP, thanks for the update! I am in a very similar circumstance to yours, although a couple years older. I'm hoping to work till about 50 (about 3 more years) and then pull the plug. Our assets and such are similar, so nice to see you killing it! Please keep us up to date! -Pan-