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Looking at my 2023 spending my top 10 expenses from highest to lowest were: 1. Federal taxes 2. Travel 3. State taxes (CA) 4. Mortgage 5. Property taxes 6. Groceries 7. Medicare 8. Pet care (3 dogs, lots of boarding due to travel) 9. Social Security 10. Health care (insurance +...

With the market run and receiving my annual bonus, I tallied it all up and decided to give Firecalc a whirl. I have always added a future retirement date but this time I left that field blank. I averaged out my last ten years of spending, added a bit more for inflation, anticipated subsidized...

I have 3 529 accounts set up for each of my 3 kids. My eldest is about to start college but received an unexpected scholarship so he may have about $50k leftover in his 529 when he graduates. Possibly more if he graduates early or there are good market gains. My other two kids are nearly...

My MegaCorp has drastically improved their deferred comp program. I have participated for the past couple years. I contribute a good chunk of my salary and bonus after maxing out my 401k and HSA. Currently my plan only allows for a five year payout. The drawback of the five year payout is...

I'm supposed to go to Ohau with my son later this week. We had planned to just stay in Waikiki and hike Diamond Head. I know it's a whole other island, but given they are still finding bodies and will likely continue to do so in the coming weeks on Maui, it seems disrespectful to vacation...

Hello, Longtime member but periodic poster. I was playing around with FireCalc this weekend and was surprised to find it gave me a 100% success rate for FI in 2026. I'm 53 now and using a high-level average of my current level of spending plus accounting for unsubsidized health insurance and...

Just need to vent a bit. Over my 20 years at MegaCorp there has been around 4-5 times I felt my job was in jeopardy. The last time was a few years ago when we went through a big merger. I survived but it was a lot of extra work for a while but given Covid shutdowns I had nothing better to do...

I have transitioned back to the office after 2 years of working from home, sort of. The return to the office is very relaxed so I basically roll in and leave when I want and only then, 3 days a week. It's noticeably a more chill vibe as most people have elected not to return. I imagine they...

I was talking with my HR contact today about terminating an underperforming employee. I found out they would offer 2 months severance even though she's been on the job for less than six months. This seems pretty generous. I then jokingly asked what I would get if I were let go (I'm about to...

This board frequently has some good advice so I'm throwing this out there. My son was gifted $500 face value worth of Patriot Bonds (Series EE) when he was a baby. He turns 18 next year. I just looked up the value and they appear to be earning 3.5% and current value is around $440. Should he...

I just found out I can participate in a deferred compensation plan at work. Trying to weigh the pros and cons. I already max out on my 401k and this looks like another way to defer some taxes. But taxes seem pretty low today vs future liabilities so it’s seems like a bit of a gamble...

My parents just handed me 3 checks for $10k each made out to my minor children. Their 529s are pretty well funded so I don’t want add to those. I’m in a high tax bracket so I want to be sure I’m not taxed on their earnings. None of them work yet so a RothIRA is out for now. Any suggestions...

I live in the Bay Area where housing costs are insane. My neighbor is giving a ton of help so their 25 year old daughter can buy a $1.8M house (it's a 1500 sq ft. starter home, not extravagant). They are almost certainly helping their two other kids with rent too. If not for these expenses...

DW and I decided to buy an extra car for son to drive himself to school. We are thinking of a Honda Civic. The question is whether to buy new or used? I'm looking at somewhat used vehicles (2019) and they are only priced about 10% less than new MSRP (at Carmax and AutoNation). The past few...

So it doesn't sound like DW and I are on the same page with post retirement travel plans. I was kind of hoping to travel nearly full time during our early years of retirement, occasionally returning home for family visits, medical needs, etc. We would keep the house so we always have a home...

I'm somewhat amazed on what people say they live on. I saw one guy said his annual budget is $15k!? How is that even possible in America. Even after I pay off my mortgage, my property taxes, HOA, insurance and light maintenance will still run $20k/year. I'm sure my expenses will drop...

Still a few years away from FIRE but thinking about potential scenarios after I pull the plug. For part time California residents, how do you manage/avoid CA income taxes? If I were to establish residency in a no income tax state (e.g., Florida) but keep my home in CA and stay here for 4...

If you moved just before or after retirement, why did you move and how has it worked out for you? I keep toying with the idea of moving from CA to FL for hopefully lower cost of living and entertainment options (thinking Orlando area). Part of me thinks this is an awful idea because we don't...

For those that have pulled the ripcord, are you happier in retirement, the same or less so? What changed specifically that altered your happiness? I'm 50 and still several years away. I think retirement will make me happier but I'm not sure. My job is definitely not toxic but it also doesn't...

I have 3 kids ages 16, 13 and 12. I'm assuming they will all go to college (well at least the older two, the youngest is a knucklehead). Right now I've got $360k saved in 529s for the three of them. If any of them end up going to community college I'll be overfunded. If any of them to go to...

Long time member, but recent poster. I probably should have paid more attention and may have avoided some mistakes. Looks like I joined just after my first kid was born in 2004 and then life took over. Fast forward 16 years I now have a 16 y.o., a 13 y.o and a 12 y.o. I'm 50 and DW is 48...

Due to COVID, I haven't been travelling or spending much and also thanks to an end of year bonus, I now have an extra $80k sitting in my bank account. This is on top of my emergency fund. I don't like having this much cash sitting around doing nothing. I'm currently 50 years old and 5-7 years...