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We're taking a cruise to Hawaii in December. Honolulu, Nawiliwili (Kauai), Lahaina (Maui), Hilo. We'd like to keep the budget in check and it seems that we should be able to explore and do things on our own rather than do cruise excursions. We're aware of the fact that th ship will only wait...

The cruise travel agency we used is closing/retiring, so I'm shopping for a someone new. The people we were using only did cruises. They had careers in the cruising industry before creating their agency, and had a lot of inside knowledge, both from having been a part of the industry and...

My 2011(bought in 2010) Kia Sorento is getting old (transmission slipping) so I might be time to think about a replacement We need two vehicle and buy one more or less every 5 years and alternate between a smaller one and an SUV style. We decided to push off the RV Trailer purchase for a few...

I just purchased travel insurance for a trip with a lot of connections to go from one place to the other. I am especially worried that something could go wrong on my return trip as I am flying a small local airline (in Europe) that will get me to the airport for my return trip to the US. I...

I am switching from my Sapphire Preferred to a Citi Double cashback because now that United has raised their mileage requirements to fly to Europe, it's cheaper in most cases to use the points as cash which are only worth 1.25c. and the Sapphire has a $95/year fee and somehow I keep not finding...

We loved our Tour du Mont Bland last year, and are planning to do the West Highland Ways hike next June(?). 100 miles and 12,000ft over 8(?) days. If anyone has done the hike, I'd love to get tips, we're planning on only doing day packs and using a luggage service, and are NOT going to camp...

I just booked a cruise to Alaska for next summer with Princess They are touting their EZ-fare program that lets you book a flight through their system and change it at any time until 45 days from the cruise. Obviously it's great to be able to change your flight for free if you find something...

We're doing the Tour du Mont Blanc this summer (10 days, 100 miles through France, Italy and Switzerland). Since there is always a danger of twisting an ankle, tripping, etc .. and some of it is far enough away from main roads that getting extracted can get expensive, I want to get travel...

My wife and I want to fly out to Geneva this summer (to go hike the Tour du Mont Blanc, a 10-day, 100 miles hike) and trying to see if I can use my various cards/rewards, even open a new card for its bonus, to keep the cost down. - My wife has a Chase Sapphire preferred with 106000 points worth...

I'm still 10 years from retirement (less if this crazy stock market keeps going up I suppose) and we have been talking about RVing in retirement. We've actually never done it, so I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to get into and find out what we'd like and don't like, etc... That...

I'm really struggling with the concept of "fixed income" in a portfolio, especially during the accumulation phase. Possibly because while I understand how individual bonds work, I'm not sure I get how to use bond funds as a tool. I'm trying to understand the difference between investing in say...

I'm 10 years from retirement. Current AA is 60/38.5/1.5, the 1.5% cash being frictional cash in my various accounts (brokerage, IRA, 401(k)...) The 1.5% is mostly left from working with an advisor that would automatically assign 1.5-2%% of each account to cash. I have a separate 6-month income...

I'm meeting family in the island of Martinique in the Caribbean in January. Currently plane tickets are about $1000/person! I guess not a common travel destination from the US I keep hearing of people using credit card miles for travel but I haven't been using miles, I get 2% cash back, last...

I'm in Colorado and I pay centurylink $40/mo for a wired phone which mostly gets spam calls, plus mis line and other "fees". On top of that I pay $15 for long distance. It used to be pay-by-the-minute and it would be $3-$6 a month but they changed to a minimum monthly fee with more "free" hours...

My son in his early 20s now eligible for a 401(k) and proudly opened a Roth 401(k) with a 10% contribution and 5% match. Great for him! The managed target fund for 2060 and 2065 had quite an expensive expense ratio, so we picked some cheaper funds for the following allocation: 70% US Large Cap...

I have access to a Stable Value Fund in my 401(k) that guarantees a 2.25% return for the first quarter of 2021, then change quarterly. Currently, bonds are hovering around 1% and could go lower with inflation threat, but with interest rates so low, there is little room for them to fall even...

I'm 10 years from retirement with a 60/40 portfolio, actually closer to 65/35 as I have not rebalanced in a while. With bond yields in the dumps, I am wondering if I should put part of my 40% fixed income into STANDARD INSURANCE CO STABLE ASSET II since it's offered in my 401(k) It currently...

Years 1929,1966, 2000 and 2008 are often quoted as the worse years to retire. I would love to be able to see how my particular situation would have fared for any of those years. A little like the firecalc intro plots a few years in the 70's Does the tool allow you to do that?

I'm 52 and have been working for 25 years and some of the early few years had really low earnings. The estimate letter from the SSA shows an estimated amount for taking SS at 62, 67 (FRA) and 70. I'm trying to understand the assumptions the SSA makes in those calculations. It sounds like they...

I'm mostly invested in ETFs, most with ERs under 5 basis points (e.g. VTI is 0.03%) although I do have some with higher ERs (e.g. BND is 0.20%) I'm calculating my average at around 0.10 based on the respective balances. I must say my 401(k) is likely hitting me with extra expenses, but I doubt...

I just discovered FireCalc and it's such a great tool! and free too! (I'll donate to support). I love the configurability! What got me to FC in the first place was the ability to use the 95% rule rather than the inflation-adjusted 4% of starting portfolio that most others seem to use, when they...