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Looking Back On My Hard Luck Days
27 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 8/7/2026
FIRST: Jack Hannam on 8/7 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 8/15
Too Good to be True
20 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 7/22/2026
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 7/23 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 7/23
Tax Free Income Trap, Dealing With MAGI
24 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 4/21/2026
FIRST: Ormode on 4/21 | RECENT: Andy Morrison on 5/4
Hidden Surcharge
11 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 4/21/2026
FIRST: Nick Politakis on 4/21 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 4/27
Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
66 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 4/12/2026
FIRST: kristinehayes2014 on 4/12 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 4/21
How do I scam thee? Let me count the ways
47 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 7/20/2025
FIRST: Jonathan Clements on 7/21/2025 | RECENT: Susan Farke on 3/6
2026 Charitable Contributions
10 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 2/9/2026
FIRST: R Quinn on 2/9 | RECENT: Randy Dobkin on 2/10
Planning a Trip
21 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 1/30/2026
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 1/30 | RECENT: normr60189 on 2/4
Less Paper, More Fraud
11 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 2/2/2026
FIRST: R Quinn on 2/2 | RECENT: Randy Dobkin on 2/3
Smart Watch
8 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 1/22/2026
FIRST: normr60189 on 1/22 | RECENT: Jeff Bond on 1/23
Private Equity Investing
8 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 1/21/2026
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 1/21 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 1/22
DIET, Did I Eat That
24 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 1/16/2026
FIRST: David Lancaster on 1/16 | RECENT: Randy Dobkin on 1/18
Plan for a Pay Cut
36 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/26/2025
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 12/26/2025 | RECENT: Lis7 on 1/13
Filing Status and IRMMA
4 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/28/2025
FIRST: Nick Politakis on 12/28/2025 | RECENT: David Lancaster on 12/31/2025
Humble Christmas and Holiday Message
6 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/20/2025
FIRST: OldITGuy on 12/20/2025 | RECENT: Nick Politakis on 12/22/2025
They Never Call
1 reply
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/19/2025
FIRST: greg_j_tomamichel on 12/19/2025 | RECENT: greg_j_tomamichel on 12/19/2025
27 Months
73 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/12/2025
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 12/12/2025 | RECENT: Andy Morrison on 12/19/2025
Enough Already
29 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/9/2025
FIRST: William Perry on 12/9/2025 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 12/12/2025
The Point of Diminishing Returns
50 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/31/2025
FIRST: Gary Klotz on 11/1/2025 | RECENT: David Lancaster on 12/8/2025
Are the actuarial assumptions regarding benefit neutrality still accurate?
19 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/5/2025
FIRST: R Quinn on 12/5/2025 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 12/8/2025
A Day In Philly
26 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 11/11/2025
FIRST: Jack Hannam on 11/11/2025 | RECENT: mytimetotravel on 11/12/2025
To Help, And To Be Helped
14 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 11/11/2025
FIRST: David Lancaster on 11/11/2025 | RECENT: Mark Crothers on 11/12/2025
Public Schools and Property Taxes
16 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/27/2025
FIRST: R Quinn on 10/28/2025 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 10/30/2025
HumbleDollar Friend Request
8 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/27/2025
FIRST: DAN SMITH on 10/27/2025 | RECENT: Edmund Marsh on 10/28/2025
Don’t Give Up on the Wayward Kid
16 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/24/2025
FIRST: greg_j_tomamichel on 10/24/2025 | RECENT: Mom & Dad Schneider on 10/27/2025
Balance Transfers and Money Factors
6 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/21/2025
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 10/21/2025 | RECENT: youthbudget on 10/25/2025
Discarding the Negative
23 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/19/2025
FIRST: Andrew Forsythe on 10/19/2025 | RECENT: Mark Crothers on 10/21/2025
Drinking on the Job
10 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/16/2025
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 10/17/2025 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 10/19/2025
The Wine Chronicles
24 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/10/2025
FIRST: Mark Crothers on 10/10/2025 | RECENT: Mark Crothers on 10/11/2025
Taxpayers Say the Darndest Things
30 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/2/2025
FIRST: Jeff Bond on 10/2/2025 | RECENT: David Lancaster on 10/8/2025
November 7 HumbleDollar Reader/Writer Meet Up
6 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 10/4/2025
FIRST: Dave Melick on 10/4/2025 | RECENT: S on 10/5/2025
Told Ya So Big Dummy
38 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 9/26/2025
FIRST: greg_j_tomamichel on 9/26/2025 | RECENT: greg_j_tomamichel on 9/28/2025
An Idea Every Week
12 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 9/6/2025
FIRST: R Quinn on 9/6/2025 | RECENT: Dan Smith on 9/7/2025
Shifting Gears
23 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 8/29/2025
FIRST: quan nguyen on 8/29/2025 | RECENT: Richard Hayman on 9/2/2025
Bad Trip
32 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 7/31/2025
FIRST: 1PF on 7/31/2025 | RECENT: David Shapiro on 8/2/2025
Breaking Up 2
25 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 7/1/2025
FIRST: Scott Dichter on 7/1/2025 | RECENT: Dan Smith on 7/5/2025
A Lesson in Accountability
15 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 5/29/2025
FIRST: Jonathan Clements on 5/29/2025 | RECENT: Michael1 on 6/1/2025
Can’t Figure Out This Darned Insomnia
16 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 5/16/2025
FIRST: R Quinn on 5/16/2025 | RECENT: DAN SMITH on 5/17/2025
Insomnia and the Back of an Envelope
19 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 4/21/2025
FIRST: Ken Cutler on 4/21/2025 | RECENT: DrLefty on 4/27/2025
Trying To Think Through the Bond Situation
15 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 4/14/2025
FIRST: Russ Paoletti on 4/15/2025 | RECENT: Randy Dobkin on 4/18/2025
Will Work For Food, Starting My Diet Soon
14 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 3/31/2025
FIRST: Jeff Bond on 3/31/2025 | RECENT: mytimetotravel on 4/1/2025
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
41 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 3/6/2025
FIRST: R Quinn on 3/6/2025 | RECENT: Cheryl Low on 3/9/2025
Things That Don’t Much Interest Me No More
33 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 12/5/2024
FIRST: bbbobbins on 12/5/2024 | RECENT: DrLefty on 12/10/2024
After It's Over
11 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 11/21/2024
FIRST: mytimetotravel on 11/21/2024 | RECENT: mytimetotravel on 11/22/2024
Good Old Days?
19 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 11/18/2024
FIRST: Jeff Bond on 11/18/2024 | RECENT: H S on 11/19/2024
How Much is Too Much
5 replies
AUTHOR: DAN SMITH on 6/27/2024
FIRST: Jonathan Clements on 6/28/2024 | RECENT: Ed Wong on 6/29/2024
Comments
Right, LH, they say one out of every four people are crazy. If the three you are with seem normal.....
Post: Looking Back On My Hard Luck Days
Link to comment from August 15, 2026
Great read, Jesse, thanks. I was thinking of the variable life and annuity products as I read this.
Post: Hidden Conflicts
Link to comment from August 15, 2026
Mark, I'm going to set up a GoFundMe page to buy Tums for Dear Dicky. Seriously, safety nets have to be paid for too, and I don’t think it fair to make current worker bees and their employers carry the entire load. I don’t like paying tax on our SS, but I understand the need to keep it solvent.
Post: Income taxes on retirees with Social Security
Link to comment from August 15, 2026
Seniors within certain income levels do indeed enjoy some extra perks come tax time. The same can be said of young parent(s) within certain incomes. In a recent post I detailed the results of two real tax returns I prepared. The tax liability was so low that a few commenters questioned their accuracy. I’m sure not volunteering to pay higher taxes, still, taxes have been slashed for everyone at all income levels (both personal and corporate), while federal debt is about $40,000,000,000,000 and counting. It doesn’t seem that long ago when we had balanced budgets and a visible path to the elimination of the gross national debt.
Post: Income taxes on retirees with Social Security
Link to comment from August 15, 2026
Busted! I had just returned from the Coral Reefer concert at Pine Knob.
Post: Looking Back On My Hard Luck Days
Link to comment from August 15, 2026
So many advantages of using an HSA.
Post: COBRA insurance: No need to fear the bite
Link to comment from August 15, 2026
Heidi, this is a very important topic for anyone leaving the cocoon of employment before Medicare eligibility. Thanks for your thorough explanation. Here is my story after I became self-employed at age 50. The cost of using COBRA (X) was about equal to the cost of a Marketplace HSA eligible plan (Y) plus the maximum deductible (Z). In other words X was equal to Y+Z. I had been blessed with excellent health, so it was a good bet that I would never have to spend the entire deductible. I went with the Marketplace plan while fully funding the HSA. As luck would have it, I never came close to hitting the deductible. At age 63, even the premium for the high deductible plan was becoming very expensive. That is the year that Chris and I tied the knot, enabling me to get coverage via her group plan. By the time I began Medicare, I had over $20K in my HSA, with most of the money invested and doing very well in Vanguard ETFs.
Post: COBRA insurance: No need to fear the bite
Link to comment from August 14, 2026
Andrew, what a beautiful story about your sister, and the choice that you have made to remember her remarkable gifts. People can choose to remember good things from hard times, or they can hang on to the hard. I think that the latter can burn a hole through the soul. Choose happy.
Post: My Sister – A Reflection One Year Later
Link to comment from August 12, 2026
I understand, thanks, Dunn
Post: For most retirees, the greatest fear is not death—it is running out of money before they die.
Link to comment from August 11, 2026
My clients who useQCDs were all going to gift the money anyway. The ones that cause me to snicker are those that pay mortgage interest to lower taxes. I even knew one lady who refused to refinance to a lower rate because of the tax deduction.
Post: Risk and Taxes
Link to comment from August 11, 2026