William: this is a great primer for financial success! Simple, easy to follow, and straight to the point. I think I will provide copies to my 5 grandchildren. Super article!
Great post, Andrew! There is an ongoing debate here on Humble Dollar regarding Social Security benefits and how to balance that break-even point with what you called "when the future becomes uncertain": should a person take SS early so as to have the money earlier in retirement years when additional travel and etc. might cause higher expenses or should a person wait until 70 for the maximum benefit amount making it easier to afford potential higher medical expenses and/or leave an enhanced spousal benefit? I believe this is a very personal issue. I know how my wife and I fall on that continuum, and you have explained yours very well!
Richard: for many of our expense categories, yes, similar spending. However, our travel/vacation expenses are definitely higher in retirement than when we were working.
Grat post, Andrew! I remember reading about the war Bangladesh was involved in during my junior high school years. Your post sure makes one thankful for some of those "basics" you described that others don't have. Great reminder about the basic purposes of money!
Those HOA fees you're moving away from are ridiculous! $9,048 per year??? I serve on the board for our little lake HOA (105 properties, all lakefront), and each year, we determine whether the annual fees will be $125 or $100. And yes, we get complaints about the fees... I suspect being in the middle of the country rather on a coast is largely why there is such a difference and then there are likely some variance in services related to the costs. To the point of your post, those are all great reasons to consider relocating. Congrats on the quick sale!
Comments
And I will include the attribution statement you mentioned above.
Post: Investing Fundamentals: A Simple Guide for Beginners
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
William: this is a great primer for financial success! Simple, easy to follow, and straight to the point. I think I will provide copies to my 5 grandchildren. Super article!
Post: Investing Fundamentals: A Simple Guide for Beginners
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
Our situation exactly! Fortunate!
Post: Rethinking the “Right” Time for Social Security
Link to comment from April 23, 2026
Great post, Andrew! There is an ongoing debate here on Humble Dollar regarding Social Security benefits and how to balance that break-even point with what you called "when the future becomes uncertain": should a person take SS early so as to have the money earlier in retirement years when additional travel and etc. might cause higher expenses or should a person wait until 70 for the maximum benefit amount making it easier to afford potential higher medical expenses and/or leave an enhanced spousal benefit? I believe this is a very personal issue. I know how my wife and I fall on that continuum, and you have explained yours very well!
Post: Rethinking the “Right” Time for Social Security
Link to comment from April 23, 2026
Great article with actionable recommendations! Thanks!
Post: Tax Free Income Trap, Dealing With MAGI
Link to comment from April 21, 2026
Great examples of the slow path to financial security, Jeff! Thanks for sharing your story!
Post: A Life You Build
Link to comment from April 19, 2026
Richard: for many of our expense categories, yes, similar spending. However, our travel/vacation expenses are definitely higher in retirement than when we were working.
Post: Do retirees really struggle financially? Why and what to do?
Link to comment from April 17, 2026
Grat post, Andrew! I remember reading about the war Bangladesh was involved in during my junior high school years. Your post sure makes one thankful for some of those "basics" you described that others don't have. Great reminder about the basic purposes of money!
Post: What Bangladesh Taught Me About Enough
Link to comment from April 16, 2026
Those HOA fees you're moving away from are ridiculous! $9,048 per year??? I serve on the board for our little lake HOA (105 properties, all lakefront), and each year, we determine whether the annual fees will be $125 or $100. And yes, we get complaints about the fees... I suspect being in the middle of the country rather on a coast is largely why there is such a difference and then there are likely some variance in services related to the costs. To the point of your post, those are all great reasons to consider relocating. Congrats on the quick sale!
Post: Buying and Selling our Condo (Our Big “Little” Move, Part 2)
Link to comment from April 15, 2026
Yes, it is updated for 2026, until something changes... Glad you gave it a try. I also like the visualizations it shows.
Post: Tools/calculators for monthly retirement cash flow and tax estimation
Link to comment from April 12, 2026