In my finance course that I taught, I always told my students the banker is not your friend, the broker is not your friend, the insurance agent is not your friend. You are the only friend you have so learn something 😆
Just goes to show that spending less than you earn is numero Uno. Many arguments can be made about two, three and four. If you invest poorly, the school of hard knocks will gradually steer you in the right direction. It's just a shame that I could not have found Vanguard in my twenties 🥴
This was an excellent, and enlightening article but the comments were especially excellent. I would like to recommend a suggestion. In order to follow comments more succinctly, would it be possible to add a button to the newest and most voted options called latest or oldest. That way we would be able to read the comment and access all of the replies to that comment in the proper order. Thank you for your consideration.
As long as my car gets me from point a to b in comfort and meets any other needs I might have, I will continue to drive my 2017 Honda CRV. It will probably be my last car since I am 76 and most CRVs last well over 200,000 miles.
I started with dinkytown.net over 28 years ago and although you need to be careful with your assumptions, it offers a wide variety of calculators for not only retirement but also living before retirement with many expenses. Jim
If we are seeking simplicity as most of us espouse, I would suggest using VGWAX, the Global Wellington fund at Vanguard with an expense ratio of .37% for your entire long-term portfolio. Then your children and spouses would have a simple portfolio that needs no rebalancing. Do your research. Jim
Vanguard Capital opportunity fund.
VHCAX.
The fund is closed now but periodically reopens if the market drops precipitously. Although morning Star rates this as a large cap growth fund, Vanguard listed as a mid cap growth fund. When you look more deeply, you will see that it is somewhere in between mid cap and large cap and consequently does not rate very highly as a large cap growth fund. However, I decided to invest in this fund many years ago because it is heavily weighted toward health care and technology which are two Fields I believe have great growth potential but they are changing so fast that I cannot keep up with them. The majority of my money is in the index funds but I have 4% of my money in this fund.
Comments
In my finance course that I taught, I always told my students the banker is not your friend, the broker is not your friend, the insurance agent is not your friend. You are the only friend you have so learn something 😆
Post: Stepping In It
Link to comment from June 2, 2025
Just goes to show that spending less than you earn is numero Uno. Many arguments can be made about two, three and four. If you invest poorly, the school of hard knocks will gradually steer you in the right direction. It's just a shame that I could not have found Vanguard in my twenties 🥴
Post: Is it possible to achieve financial well being without a plan or even a spreadsheet?
Link to comment from June 2, 2025
This was an excellent, and enlightening article but the comments were especially excellent. I would like to recommend a suggestion. In order to follow comments more succinctly, would it be possible to add a button to the newest and most voted options called latest or oldest. That way we would be able to read the comment and access all of the replies to that comment in the proper order. Thank you for your consideration.
Post: Feeling Moody
Link to comment from June 1, 2025
As long as my car gets me from point a to b in comfort and meets any other needs I might have, I will continue to drive my 2017 Honda CRV. It will probably be my last car since I am 76 and most CRVs last well over 200,000 miles.
Post: When to spend money
Link to comment from March 16, 2025
I started with dinkytown.net over 28 years ago and although you need to be careful with your assumptions, it offers a wide variety of calculators for not only retirement but also living before retirement with many expenses. Jim
Post: My Favorite Websites
Link to comment from March 16, 2025
https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/mutual-funds/profile/vmfxx
Post: I’m new to my retirement journey. What should I do with extra cash?
Link to comment from March 1, 2025
If I was limited to only one fund, my choice would be a balanced fund like VWELX (60-40)or VWINX(30-70) . Do your research.
Post: One Is Not Enough
Link to comment from July 24, 2024
When I posted a year ago, my cable bill was $150. Today my cable and internet bill is $218. When will I do something about it? 🥴
Post: What do you do that’s financially foolish—but you do it anyway?
Link to comment from December 10, 2023
If we are seeking simplicity as most of us espouse, I would suggest using VGWAX, the Global Wellington fund at Vanguard with an expense ratio of .37% for your entire long-term portfolio. Then your children and spouses would have a simple portfolio that needs no rebalancing. Do your research. Jim
Post: No Right Way
Link to comment from July 8, 2023
Vanguard Capital opportunity fund. VHCAX. The fund is closed now but periodically reopens if the market drops precipitously. Although morning Star rates this as a large cap growth fund, Vanguard listed as a mid cap growth fund. When you look more deeply, you will see that it is somewhere in between mid cap and large cap and consequently does not rate very highly as a large cap growth fund. However, I decided to invest in this fund many years ago because it is heavily weighted toward health care and technology which are two Fields I believe have great growth potential but they are changing so fast that I cannot keep up with them. The majority of my money is in the index funds but I have 4% of my money in this fund.
Post: What’s your favorite actively managed fund—if any?
Link to comment from February 18, 2023