Having been a reporter and editor at a major news organization, I can well imagine the conversations you had! Because of my former job, I never wanted to hold individual stocks or do anything fancy with my money—the perceived conflicts of interest were always there in my mind, even if they weren't always “actually” there in a strict legal or code-of-conduct sense. So, I've always been boring and repetitive with my own money—and boy did it pay off. Stay the course.
I started the simplification process a while ago. VSMBX is a terrific option, I'd argue - the forced reallocation is discipline the individual rarely has.
A supper list - but the tension between 1&18 (with 2 in the mix) is a bit tough to negotiate without some kind of personal guideline. For me, the rule would be stick to an asset allocation that makes personal sense. Mine is 60-30-10. I've currently drifted to 64-31-5, but that's within the bounds I'm comfortable with.
Oh my. Thank you for this excellent article, but it set off significant PTSD for me! I'm glad you've worked out a way through. In the case of my mother, not only did we have the similar rude shock of getting an abrupt notice of Medicare rehab benefits terminating well before any of us thought she was ready, but we had the additional incredibly stressful experience of trying to navigate the (expensive) LTC policy she had carefully bought and loyally paid for many years. In the end, not only did the LTC insurance not pay, but the insurance company had the shameless guts to try to bill me for her premium for the period one month before her death (while she was already in the facility I was trying to get them unsuccessfully to pay for) and extending five months past her demise. Whatever was left of my temper snapped for sure when I got that notice. Getting oil and frail is not for the feint of heart... and families need a lot of resilience too.
Comments
Having been a reporter and editor at a major news organization, I can well imagine the conversations you had! Because of my former job, I never wanted to hold individual stocks or do anything fancy with my money—the perceived conflicts of interest were always there in my mind, even if they weren't always “actually” there in a strict legal or code-of-conduct sense. So, I've always been boring and repetitive with my own money—and boy did it pay off. Stay the course.
Post: News You Can’t Use
Link to comment from October 29, 2022
I started the simplification process a while ago. VSMBX is a terrific option, I'd argue - the forced reallocation is discipline the individual rarely has.
Post: Mix and Match
Link to comment from December 4, 2021
A supper list - but the tension between 1&18 (with 2 in the mix) is a bit tough to negotiate without some kind of personal guideline. For me, the rule would be stick to an asset allocation that makes personal sense. Mine is 60-30-10. I've currently drifted to 64-31-5, but that's within the bounds I'm comfortable with.
Post: Go to Extremes
Link to comment from July 31, 2021
Oh my. Thank you for this excellent article, but it set off significant PTSD for me! I'm glad you've worked out a way through. In the case of my mother, not only did we have the similar rude shock of getting an abrupt notice of Medicare rehab benefits terminating well before any of us thought she was ready, but we had the additional incredibly stressful experience of trying to navigate the (expensive) LTC policy she had carefully bought and loyally paid for many years. In the end, not only did the LTC insurance not pay, but the insurance company had the shameless guts to try to bill me for her premium for the period one month before her death (while she was already in the facility I was trying to get them unsuccessfully to pay for) and extending five months past her demise. Whatever was left of my temper snapped for sure when I got that notice. Getting oil and frail is not for the feint of heart... and families need a lot of resilience too.
Post: Caring for Mom
Link to comment from April 10, 2021