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Thanks for all the replies! As for the dollar, March to September 2009, the dollar's value fell 14.9% against the euro. The U.S. debt is rising to over $12 trillion. Remember, one of the ways a country gets out from under its debt burden is to devalue. (Note how Washington is quiet on the...

Darryl, you ignore the devaluation of the US Dollar, IMO. Especially with an annuity. I am not talking about putting a major part of my portfolio into metals or foreign stocks. And, with cap and trade, card check, health care, the Climate Change Treaty, etc, etc - I think this country has...

Yes, there are risks.... But I have to think that leaving all our money is a savings account in US dollars is also a risk. It comes to this: We have enough money that I no longer think we have to take the risk in the stock market - and I'm considering the risk this administration poses to...

I'll keep about 2 years living expenses in US dollars at least, plus my rental income is in US Dollars, which is what I use to pay expenses. I suspect the USD will continue to decline so I have to act on that.

If the US dollar continues to devalue and I am in all or mostly US dollar, I'm screwed. And, with several different currencies (I will continue to hold some in dollars) I will be broadly diversified.

Hi all, I am 56 and retired 9 years ago. Since retiring, I have been a huge proponant of Bogle and Vanguard and have done well. However, IMO, things have changed a LOT with the new administration in power and I have decided I no longer need nor want to take risks in the US stock market. That...

Remember, we have no need to take that kind of risk. I would kick myself for the rest of my life if we had plenty of money to easily last us the rest of our lives (we do) and yet I continued to invest in the market at a time when my rational mind tells me that danger abounds...and then we lost a...

Hi all! I have a desire to hash out opinions on what to do after you take your money out of the (US) market. My husband and I are very concerned about what is happening in the US. We have no confidence that the market will not take a nose dive going forward. We have also decided that we no...

I absolutely hate the idea of not existing.

"Her money / income is not yours." Excellent point. A lot of married couples end up divorced because one thinks they have a (moral?) right to the money that belongs to the other. It may start out OK, but then...resentment, doubt, feeling obligated, a sense of injustice ...sets in. Communism...

My husband went through the free planning and it was pretty much as described above. One thing, no annuities or VUL suggested! The planner used the non-Vanguard funds my husband has in his 401k as part of the analysis. When we asked about a couple non-Vanguard funds as possible future purchases...

Sam, you might want to call the Vanguard annuity people and see if they can help you figure out the fees you'd save if you did a 1035. It might end up in your favor even with surrender charges (are you sure there would be surrender charges?). I've always found the Vanguard folks to be very...

Not sure if this will work, but could you use a 1035 to move the annuity from one company to another? http://www.annuityadvantage.com/1035exchange.htm

I did it in 25 years by stupidly investing a lot in company stock. I made a lot of other mistakes out of ignorance, too. Took out a 30 year mortgage when I should have taken out a 15. But the house has greatly appreciated. It's worth $650,000 now. I think luck and/or just putting that money in...

Be sure to compare the expense ratio of the ETF with the comparable index fund. The ETF will not always have a lower expense ratio. http://news.morningstar.com/doc/article/0%2C%2C145714%2C00.html?fsection=Comm4&t1=1129645241

Have you thought about a 'home exchange'? http://www.homelink.org/ http://www.exchangehomes.com/ Just examples. Google 'home exchange' or 'home swap' for tons of sites.

Here'a a link to a very helpful Morningstar post that discusses soup to nuts about investing. http://socialize.morningstar.com/NewSocialize/asp/FullConv.asp?forumId=F100000002&convId=60825 (Please let me know if the link doesn't work.) And good for you for starting to invest. I started at 24...

"He is kind of a mooch. Not that there is anything wrong with that." Unless you are the moochee.

"I've got news for you man. There is no limit on the number of BIG (BAD) things that can happen at the same time. " Actually, there is a limit. Infinity is a mathamatical concept is valid only when used to indicate a potential, not an actual. Per John Galt. And Aristotle. ;)

Re: ctastrophy theory "I'm curious if people actually physically put this "emergency pot" in a different account, or just a diferent catagory on the spreadsheet?' When I retired (in my 40's) I started considering my taxable dollars as a pot for emergency and living expenses. I do not risk that...

Alex (or anyone), is there a quick way to estimate transaction cost? I thought I read somewhere that if a fund has 100% turnover a year (and turnover is available on Morningstar), then you could estimate the turnover cost as .50%. If turnover was 200%, the cost would be 1%. (I have forgotten...

I had a high stress career I loved but the team I was leading was outsourced. I was offered a promotion leading a team where one of the members, a horrible trouble maker, was sleeping with the VP. I looked at my 401k and headed for the door. It took me a week to completely forget what 27 years...

"Personally, I don't like the idea of an autonomous robot with the ability to use deadly force... " That's why we must have the 'Three Laws'..... "A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings...

ummm, as you can guess, I tried to be the first in the tub every day. The real 'ewww' is when you eat a traditional Japanese meal. Nothing is familiar. Being adventurous, I tried a lot of things. Eel, many kinds of raw fish, bulbs, strange pickles. But I yearned for a Big Mac by the time we...

More on Japanese bathrooms..... We stayed with some Japanese friends a few months ago. First, you NEVER get into the tub without taking a complete shower first. The shower and tub are in the same room - no shower stall, the room is the shower area. The whole room is water proof with a drain in...