Carl C Trovall

Comments

• Very helpful, James. I took everyone's advice and looked up Boomer Benefits, and I am impressed.

  Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?

  Link to comment from March 19, 2026

• Thank you! I appreciate the link, and suggestions.

  Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?

  Link to comment from March 19, 2026

• Thanks, Chris. Great advice. I will plan to chose a carrier highly rated in Texas and Colorado. You chose a Medigap plan for the same reasons I will be.

  Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?

  Link to comment from March 19, 2026

• Thank you, Doug, for the link. Very helpful. All my best.

  Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?

  Link to comment from March 15, 2026

• Thank for the suggestion, Dan. I will reach out to a broker.

  Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?

  Link to comment from March 15, 2026

• I retired last July and wanted to sell some heavily appreciated tech stocks I had inherited, but I didn't want the capital gains tax liability. Because giving has always been a priority in our budget — 10% of gross income, even during lean years — a DAF through Fidelity was the perfect solution for us. It made donating stock very straightforward, and allowed us to stack deductions (charitable giving, property taxes bundled into one year, plus mortgage interest) so we could itemize our deductions in 2025. Another nice thing is that I get the tax benefit of the donation in the year I give it, but I don't have disburse all of my donation in one year, but can spread it out over numerous years. Donating to all sorts of charities has become incredibly simple — simpler than I ever imagined. With a few clicks, I can give to more than 20 of our favorite charities, all in one place. For one-off donation requests that come up from time to time, it's easy to log into Fidelity and give immediately. My only regret is not having set one of these up earlier in life. Once I reach 75, I'll likely shift to QCDs. Until then, I'm quite satisfied with the DAF and will happily pay Fidelity for the convenience.

  Post: What is the best way to donate to charity in 2026?

  Link to comment from March 5, 2026

• Thank you, Mark. I feel better knowing I am not alone. You described my own situation very well, and this individual share holding (Microsoft), the only non-index shares I own, has taken up my headspace for the two weeks. Why can I not just leave it alone or sell it? Do I want to pay capital gains on it, or should I save it to allow a higher Roth Conversion? Another question for me also follows: Should I re-invest the proceeds in an index fund, or keep it in a money market as part of my cash reserve? Which then makes me wonder: How much cash do I really need? Some advise five years to help avoid any sequence of returns risk, others three years, and even others one year. That said, I still sleep well. No rush on this. I am having fun doing the research!

  Post: A Very Sensible Conclusion

  Link to comment from February 18, 2026

• I used to teach a class for first-year college students at my university. We covered many basic life and study skills, since students were away from home for the first time. One area we were required to cover was personal finance (budgeting, financial aid, etc.). At some point, I decided to include some basics of saving, compounding, and investing—not because the students had much disposable income, but because I figured at least they would hear it early and could follow up later when they got their first job. After a number of semesters, I wondered if the extra time was really worth it. Lo and behold, to my surprise, one semester I had a veteran who came up to thank me on the last day of class. She told me that she had saved up a good amount of money while serving and that, based on the information from class, she had invested it in a low-cost index fund.

  Post: I got the call

  Link to comment from February 7, 2026

• I inherited a couple of ounces in gold from my parents. I was going to give them to the kids, but now wonder if it might be better to sell. Sell high, right?

  Post: The Playground Indicator

  Link to comment from January 31, 2026

• Thank you for stating this, Chris. The old aphorism about the golden rule: Those who have the gold make the rules. Structural injustice gives certain people advantages over those of us further down the ladder. Making the rules is a big one.

  Post: I think billionaires are under appreciated

  Link to comment from November 19, 2025