"Be very careful using dealerships for work other than that covered by your warranty. I am sure some are honest but not mine. I brought my car in for warranty work and was told that my spark plugs needed replacing. The quote $600.00 for four plugs. But here's the kicker, I worked on cars as a teenager in the 70's and not only had I replaced the plugs a few months earlier, it cost me a whole $36.00. Beware of the free inspections they perform during warranty work. With my dealer it always resulted in recommendations for unnecessary work at exorbitant prices. And not every independent shop is honest either. Read the manual and Google before saying yes to any repair suggested. For those with little or no mechanical skills, it doesn't take much skill to replace wipers, cabin filters etc. and save money. My brother, not very savvy, was told by a mechanic he should change his oil every 3k miles on a new car purchase - the manual says 10K or 12 months which ever comes first."

"It's going to be almost impossible to motivate people when we have created a society on giving people "free stuff." Today we have the majority of our politicians alienating people that have created wealth.(except themselves) People who have done the "right thing" like hard working taxpayers, savers that have a good nest egg because they invested in retirement accounts for decades, even beneficiaries that inherited modest estates - are the target for these politicians handing out the "free stuff.""

"The thing is people sometimes argue for one or the other. I have done the math and at best it might be a push. But being able to spend money up to the 12% marginal bracket is nice, but I still want to live my life and enjoy the fruits of my labor. If that means I need to pay IRMAA. That's a good problem to have because it means I have money...pay the IRMAA, pay 22%, live well, eat well, and sleep well."

"What is your equity/bond split?"

"Too.Much.Trouble"

"I frequently attend (usually monthly) continuing professional education classes put on by my local chapter of the Tennessee Society of CPAs. While I am now fully retired I enjoy trying to keep current on matters that interest me. One local attorney, whose practice has a focus on taxation, has done a presentation every every year to our TSCPA chapter for a long time. Many years back his topic was a new state law TN Code § 35-17-101. That law was the Community Property Trust Act which changed available tax law in Tennessee. Tennessee is not a community property state. My understanding for people who live in one of the nine community property states is the tax basis modification that a surviving spouse receives, including jointly owned assets, when the first spouse dies results in the surviving then having a tax basis of full fair market value as of the date of death of the deceased first to die spouse for many classes of assets. What I understanding the Community Property Trust Act does is provide for the optional creation of a type of trust which then allows for a couple to title certain assets into a single trust with the expected result being the step up in basis to the full value at the death of whichever spouse is the first to die. This effectively allows the trust and the surviving spouse trust beneficiary to have a low or no taxable gain if the trust assets are subsequently sold shortly after the death of the first spouse to die. I am not an attorney and do not offer legal advice. For the right people a Community Property Trust might make good tax sense but such a trust is not needed for my wife and me. The costs to create the trust, transfer assets, maintain and eventually close such a trust currently has no expected tax benefit to us. Trusts can be great financial vehicles but like so many matters discussed on this forum I think a careful consideration of benefits and costs should drive our financial decisions. Those are my thoughts about a Community Property Trust."

"I think it’s a good plan. I am somewhat younger than you but nevertheless, I am trying to get my affairs in order, first of all by getting rid of a timeshare that served our family well for 50 years but would be a hassle for my kids to inherit. I want to stay in my small house, about a two-hour drive from the nearest child. until age 80 or 85, if possible and depending upon my health. Then I hope to sell and likely purchase a co-op near my daughter in her neighborhood with a beautiful view of NYC harbor and better health care than in my more rural area. If I should need assisted living, moving closer to my son in a less expensive part of the country is a possibility. When one is blessed to have one or more children with whom you have good relations, I think it’s important to try to make their caregiving as easy as possible. For those without children, the Continuing Care Retirement Communities frequently discussed here sound like an excellent option for those with and without children. One near me is owned and operated by the Methodist Church and is the option several of my friends have chosen, with others hoping to go there eventually."

"Thanks Andrew. Saying "thanks" certainly costs us nothing, but can have an oversized impact."

"Mark, you raise some thought-provoking questions. I've often written about the uncertainty of the future and the importance of recognizing what we can and cannot control. AI is simply another reminder of how little we know about what lies ahead. Having been retired for more than a decade, I've witnessed enormous technological changes, but I can't recall another that has raised so many questions about the future of employment and even our sense of purpose. Like you, I wonder what the world will look like for the next generation. Your point about planning rather than predicting particularly resonated with me. We can prepare financially, diversify our investments, and make sensible decisions, but we cannot eliminate uncertainty. Perhaps the greatest benefit of having a sound financial plan is not knowing what the future holds, but having the confidence to face it. As I've learned, life rarely unfolds exactly as we imagine. The best we can do is prepare for tomorrow without forgetting to live today. Thank you for another thoughtful article."