What did you do today? - 2023/2024 version

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socca said:
I sometimes can't decide what to have for my major-meal-of-the-day so I spin a nickel on the countertop: heads = option 1 and tails = option 2. The other day I spun a nickel and waited for the result .... N/A. The nickel balanced perfectly on its edge. 😲 I immediately thought of the 2010 movie Inception and wondered when I was going to wake up from this nightmare. :)

I was idly wondering about the probability of this particular event: 1 in 100, 1 in 10k, 1 in 1M, 1 in 1B? If there are any bored ER folks who would like to spin a nickel 10,000 times and inform me of the result I'd much appreciate it. :)
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fasting IS a valid option :)
The other day I drove the truck in to the home site on it's last legs, something was amiss in the serpentine belt.
I parked it just out of the way, pulley squalling and smoke coming out from under the hood. Today I got the belt loose and found the culprit. The AC compressor and bearing had seized up. After working all day on the framing, I fixed it by flashlight and got a new compressor on there. The old horse has to haul 5 more loads, 6 tops before I can give it some attention.
 
Went shopping for a flannel shirt, AppleTv, caramel corn, shrimp, and Christmas decorations. Installed YouTubeTV. Told DW and SIL that I will be running a marathon in 2025, and ran my first training run - 82 more to go.
 
Biked 32 hilly miles on my new Specialized Roubaix. The bike performed beautifully, me not so much. In my less elderly years I could count on an easy 1-4 transition between running and biking (1 mile of running nicely transitioned to four miles of biking). Possibly still true, but I now primarily hike, and discovered yesterday that the transition miles are not the same.

I finished, so good on me for that, but I'll take it back a bit for the next ride, and work upward from there.

Otherwise, showered, made breakfast for dinner - homemade challah bread french toast, maple sausage, and eggs - worked on Iceland vacation trip planning, watched 30 minutes of Netflix*, then went to bed.

The Man Inside with Ted Danson. So well written and performed!
 
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I'll call it a getting me some culture day.

Local college had student piano recitals, some newbies and a few skilled. Was pleasure to listen.
Then went to a Museum some miles up the road, had a full size Harp set up, the young lady playing was masterful, sat back, closed eyes to just enjoy the sound.

Next up swing dance class later, then off to a nearby dive for blues and Rock and Roll and some beer. And maybe some more dancing.
Am telling ya, this retirement gig is tough.
 
Worked out this morning.

This afternoon my DW and I helped our neighbor with some chores. She is unable to do much with her mobility issues. The battery in her garage door opener died. We changed the batteries in her garage door openers and key pads. We removed some dead plants from her house that she could no longer water. I was able to lock her back door on her garage. The door was sagging and the deadbolt became mis-aligned. I was able to lift the door to lock it. It is a blessing to serve others.
 
Wrapped-up my annual funding process today (where the goal is to get the money to fund the following year while sharpening up the asset allocation). Early in the week I did my taxes, which determined the size of the taxable withdrawal. I built a plan that included gifting to the kids (and the IRS, hehe). Since I couldn't do "in-kind" transfers, it was kind of complicated, and it included an HSA withdrawal as well. And it required opening new after-tax positions. Today I checked my work by pulling the actuals, and my AA was spot-on across 7 buckets.

I realize that earlier in my retirement, I would have dragged that process out for weeks. I did my taxes and built the transfer plan and sent in the withdrawal form, all in one afternoon. When the money came through, I spent about 10 minutes putting in the trades. And then spent another 10 minutes today checking the result. Now I need to find something "fun" to do :)
 
sengsational said:
Wrapped-up my annual funding process today (where the goal is to get the money to fund the following year while sharpening up the asset allocation). Early in the week I did my taxes, which determined the size of the taxable withdrawal. I built a plan that included gifting to the kids (and the IRS, hehe). Since I couldn't do "in-kind" transfers, it was kind of complicated, and it included an HSA withdrawal as well. And it required opening new after-tax positions. Today I checked my work by pulling the actuals, and my AA was spot-on across 7 buckets.

I realize that earlier in my retirement, I would have dragged that process out for weeks. I did my taxes and built the transfer plan and sent in the withdrawal form, all in one afternoon. When the money came through, I spent about 10 minutes putting in the trades. And then spent another 10 minutes today checking the result. Now I need to find something "fun" to do :)
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Impressive. I'm jealous of your efficiency! I am still in the "drag the process out for weeks" mode. I feel like still have so much to learn regarding how to manage our withdrawals and rebalancing most efficiently. It's so complicated, especially since I have to manage MAGI for the ACA. Getting there...waiting for dividend estimates before I can determine our IRA withdrawal amount.
 
Well it wasn't just today, but it concluded today. It started over a week ago with making rubs and brines for a big chunk of pork belly and tenderloin. Fired the smoker up yesterday and after a night of rest and refrigeration, today we sliced, and vacuum sealed up several Lbs of BACON!!!!! regular and Canadian.... Both varieties got tested for breakfast... We also have 4 Ahi Tuna steaks brined and set to go on the smoker for dinner tonight.
 
simple girl said:
Impressive. I'm jealous of your efficiency! I am still in the "drag the process out for weeks" mode. I feel like still have so much to learn regarding how to manage our withdrawals and rebalancing most efficiently. It's so complicated, especially since I have to manage MAGI for the ACA. Getting there...waiting for dividend estimates before I can determine our IRA withdrawal amount.
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As I have written before, I have been working hard since we retired to simplify our financial affairs. A big incentive has been to make my taxes easier. So, now, the only things we have in taxable accounts are one bank savings account, a federal money market fund (VUSXX), some I-bonds and a large position in Altria (MO).

-- The savings account has a fixed interest rate and I don't usually take any money. I can check what they have paid me through the end of November and calculate December's interest to the penny.

-- For VUSXX, I check how much has been paid through November and calculate December's interest based on the current 7 day yield. It's usually accurate to within a few dollars.

-- For I-bonds, I only pay taxes when I redeem them (which has always been in January) and the accrued interest amount is fixed at that point.

-- Altria (MO) declares its final dividend of the year in August and pays it in October. It is also quite predictable in its dividend increases.


Everything else is in tIRAs or Roths. That includes actively managed funds that make irregular and uncertain distributions very late in December (such as VWENX and OAKBX), as well as my ladder of zero coupon Treasuries, so that I don't have to calculate and pay the imputed interest for them.

Doing it this way makes it easy to calculate my taxes well in advance. So, for tax year 2025, I'll take a first crack at calculating my taxes this coming January. I'll do a sanity check again in June and I will nail them down at the beginning of December 2025. Then I'll do any tIRA withdrawal or Roth conversion for the year.

I always err on the conservative side in conversions by a few hundred dollars, just in case I have missed something. Yes, I'm leaving some otherwise convertible money on the table, but peace of mind does have a value to me.
 
hanging out here on the forum with pup in my lap and a nice cup of coffee nearby, A great morning so far!
 
Finally getting around to getting the Christmas decorations out of the attic over the garage space. DGF's car must be moved to get into the attic opening but it was doornail dead, didn't make a single noise. Removed battery to take to Autozone 5 minutes down the road for testing. Tester broken at Autozone. They said to take it to Advanced Auto which I pass on the way to Autozone. Tester broken at Advanced Auto. So I went to Advanced Auto 15 minutes away. Battery tested bad. Bought new battery for $233 but it had no handle on it for carrying. I started out the door with it and decided this was crazy as I would never get it back out of the Trailblazer once installed with no handle. I along with two other customers borrowed a screwdriver and finally figured out how to remove the handle on my old battery and install it on the new one. Twenty minute drive home to install battery. Two and a half hours after my initial try, I finally have access to the attic and can haul down Christmas paraphernalia.

Ho! Ho! Ho!
 
Resting up from shampooing the carpeted stairs to the basement and one long narrow rug in a hallway and then cleaning up the shampooer. The plan is pick a day next week to do this room but I have to move a lot of stuff to make it accessible for the carpet cleaner.
 
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Landed in Puerto Morelos for a couple weeks.
 
Pretty perfect day, which I could put on repeat and never get bored.

Walked eight miles in AM, from house to beach, then south from there, before looping back. Aside from the usual calls outs of 'Good morning!,' 'It's a beautiful day!,' and 'We live in paradise!,' we also paused for a bit to watch a surfing contest. In the water was the Groms division (kids) with Ertha Kitt's Santa Baby playing over loudspeakers the contest organizers had set up on the sand. It was one of those surreal 'Do we really live here?' moments we continue to have even after living here 8 years.

Note to others: Moving in retirement to someplace you've yearned to live can be worth ever bump, stress, and hassle to get there.

After returning home to take quick naps and clean up, spent the evening at a jazz club listening and dancing to a FANTASTIC group of local musicians, including sax (of course) and lots of horns. They mixed jazz with motown, came out onto the crowded dance floor with the sax at one point, and horns at another, and just made everyone feel like we were getting down in our own homes. Just a great, great night.

Busy week ahead, so today I have to buckle down and run errands plus take care of some chores, after I return from the gym. Making turkey pot pie for dinner with the last of the dark turkey meat I froze after Thanksgiving. Looking forward to that!
 
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I went for my yearly physical, which was the same as the last one - no discrepancies noted. When the assistant was hooking me up to the EKG machine, she asked who my cardiologist was so she could put it in the record and he or she could get the results. I was happy to report "I don't have a cardiologist, thankfully".

After I got home, I successfully repaired my ancient doorbell, which required replacing the old (~90 years) wiring up above the fiberglass insulation in the cellar. I'm filthy and itchy now, but the doorbell works. I only learned it was broken because the FedEx guy was trying to deliver a case of wine this morning (which requires a signature) and, being home but in my office, I didn't know he had been here until I saw the door tag stuck to the front door.
 
In the PNW visiting with family, but they're back at work today, so I went to a museum and took myself out for a sushi lunch. Meeting a friend for dinner tonight and heading home tomorrow.

It's been 18 months since attaining FI and quitting the full-time. Since then, I've taken 10 trips to reconnect with family and friends: 2 with the better-half and 8 solo. Plus, my family took 2 trips to visit us in CO for a month total.
 
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Sat in a dentist's chair for six month maintenance +xrays - only $202+ change.
 
Assembled the new Christmas tree that DW ordered from Home Depot. No major issues. Even all the lights work.
 
We had a crazy storm here in the UK last weekend. Spent all morning clearing up the mess in the garden, clearing branches, leaves etc. Came in for some light lunch, This afternoon cleared out 2 cupboards and found some important paperwork which I thought I'd lost. A very productive day despite the cold grey weather outside. Wondering if we'll see the sun again here before Christmas. Considering a holiday to the Canary islands in January.
 
First SS check hit the account this morning. I feel very grown up, lol.

It's actually very exciting to be reaching this phase, after reaching FIRE over a decade ago. Between DH 's SS, which he'll begin taking next year, my new SS, plus a couple of small pensions, we'll have a reliable income flow of over $90,000 a year, which we could nicely live on should there ever be need. And that's before tapping into our portfolio.

Of course, we do plan to continue tapping into our portfolio, so in spite of finally entering our senior years, lots of great things still happening.
 
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I went to the ranch to get a burn pile ready for a burn someday next week. I was there last Saturday when my son was here, and we got the hunt for an afternoon like old times.
I can drive in to the new part of the ranch I purchased a few years back. The rest of the place is blocked with snow now and walking snowmachine only.
Been cold with a -8 with wind chill but I did take a long walk while I was there.
Tomorrow we will travel to see my Granddaughters Christmas Concert. She will be playing the fiddle/signing and has a piece to say. She goes to a private school.
 
Drove DW down to Winchester, VA to have an oral surgeon pull a tooth. It was cracked, and things were complicated by her being on the drug Evinity for her osteoporosis. The drug has some potentially serious side effects but the osteoporosis is more serious. Maybe. But for now she's doing okay, still groggy from the anesthesia so I just need to be around for the next day or two.
 
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