Many of my extended family members were functioning alcoholics, and seeing them in action put me off alcohol completely - I've never had a drink in my life. My father worked for a well known distiller, and to this day gets a case of their products every Christmas. We always had a lot of alcohol in the house, but my parents didn't drink back then. They got into wine in their old age, but I don't see myself going down that road either.
Are you claiming the $6500 property tax rebate? That's something we'll be signing up for as soon as my wife turns 65. Our property tax is $13,887 at the moment. https://www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/staynj/index.shtml
I'm with you on this one. I bought a pair of sunglasses I love back in 2012 or '13, and kept my eye out for a second pair at a discount. I checked ebay one day in early 2018 and found eight pairs for a total of $160. The MSRP was around $300 a pair. The seller was selling as a lot, so I bought them all. I still haven't needed them - my original pair is still fine - but I love knowing I have a lifetime supply, just in case! As for sneakers, I used to go through a pair every eight months or so when we had a dog. He was a fast walker, and I walked around 18 miles a week with him. The local shoe warehouse had a closing down sale, and I bought three pairs of sneakers at $20 each back in 2019. The dog died in 2020, so I still have two pairs of untouched sneakers sitting in my closet. I've also bought some really nice leather jackets on sites like The Real Real and paid around 10% of original MSRP for items that looked brand new. I like my bargains.
I just rebalanced to 75% stocks/25% bonds last Monday. We're about two years out from retirement, so even thought I'm tempted to let it ride at my previous 90% stock allocation, I'm following Bill Bengen's research and going with 75%. Our investments are up 406% (including contributions) since I started a spreadsheet at the end of 2016.
Our daughter got into Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, and cross country running. We were lucky to get away with a TKD uniform once a year, whatever she got for wrestling (I forget) and a few pairs of running shoes. I was grateful for that when I'd see the neighbor's kids decked out for ice hockey, football (both American and Soccer), and golf. I would never have forced my daughter into sports, but when she found sports she liked, we encouraged her to work at them. As Mr. Lancaster said, it helped develop a lot of like skills. She was in wrestling for her last two years of high school, was made Team Manager, and ended up being the team mentor and taxi driver for the younger kids. Now she's into power lifting and MMA while in college. Don't mess with her!
After reading his new book and running all our numbers through Maxifi and Boldin, we seem to be perfectly fine retiring in the next few years. I'm happy to go with 5%. The software says we'll be able to spend more than that until we start taking Social Security at age 70, so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, I always tell my wife that in the worst case scenario, there's always geo-arbitrage :) There are plenty of cheaper places to live than the US if it comes to that.
So true. One of my cherished memories is sitting on a boulder on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, basking in the sun while reading a book and enjoying the view, with no one else around. It's an expensive place to live now, but Reno is just down the hill, and much more affordable :)
I recently read Bill Bengen's new book, and currently have 75% in stocks and 25% in DIPSX, which is all US Treasury Bonds and Notes. I figure if he's happy with up to 75% in stocks, that's good with me. I'm leaving it as-is until we retire and can move my 401(k) to Fidelity. We plan on waiting until 70 to claim Social Security, which will more than cover our needs at that point.
Comments
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Post: Digital Lockout: A Cautionary Tale
Link to comment from October 17, 2025
Many of my extended family members were functioning alcoholics, and seeing them in action put me off alcohol completely - I've never had a drink in my life. My father worked for a well known distiller, and to this day gets a case of their products every Christmas. We always had a lot of alcohol in the house, but my parents didn't drink back then. They got into wine in their old age, but I don't see myself going down that road either.
Post: Drinking and finances
Link to comment from October 16, 2025
Are you claiming the $6500 property tax rebate? That's something we'll be signing up for as soon as my wife turns 65. Our property tax is $13,887 at the moment. https://www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/staynj/index.shtml
Post: Why I worry about money. How about you?
Link to comment from October 15, 2025
I'm with you on this one. I bought a pair of sunglasses I love back in 2012 or '13, and kept my eye out for a second pair at a discount. I checked ebay one day in early 2018 and found eight pairs for a total of $160. The MSRP was around $300 a pair. The seller was selling as a lot, so I bought them all. I still haven't needed them - my original pair is still fine - but I love knowing I have a lifetime supply, just in case! As for sneakers, I used to go through a pair every eight months or so when we had a dog. He was a fast walker, and I walked around 18 miles a week with him. The local shoe warehouse had a closing down sale, and I bought three pairs of sneakers at $20 each back in 2019. The dog died in 2020, so I still have two pairs of untouched sneakers sitting in my closet. I've also bought some really nice leather jackets on sites like The Real Real and paid around 10% of original MSRP for items that looked brand new. I like my bargains.
Post: Six T-Shirts and a Car: My Spending Philosophy.
Link to comment from October 8, 2025
Injuries can happen in most sports and activities. All you can do is have proper form and hope for the best.
Post: Throw, hit or kick … it all add$ up
Link to comment from September 27, 2025
I just rebalanced to 75% stocks/25% bonds last Monday. We're about two years out from retirement, so even thought I'm tempted to let it ride at my previous 90% stock allocation, I'm following Bill Bengen's research and going with 75%. Our investments are up 406% (including contributions) since I started a spreadsheet at the end of 2016.
Post: Told Ya So Big Dummy
Link to comment from September 27, 2025
Our daughter got into Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, and cross country running. We were lucky to get away with a TKD uniform once a year, whatever she got for wrestling (I forget) and a few pairs of running shoes. I was grateful for that when I'd see the neighbor's kids decked out for ice hockey, football (both American and Soccer), and golf. I would never have forced my daughter into sports, but when she found sports she liked, we encouraged her to work at them. As Mr. Lancaster said, it helped develop a lot of like skills. She was in wrestling for her last two years of high school, was made Team Manager, and ended up being the team mentor and taxi driver for the younger kids. Now she's into power lifting and MMA while in college. Don't mess with her!
Post: Throw, hit or kick … it all add$ up
Link to comment from September 27, 2025
After reading his new book and running all our numbers through Maxifi and Boldin, we seem to be perfectly fine retiring in the next few years. I'm happy to go with 5%. The software says we'll be able to spend more than that until we start taking Social Security at age 70, so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, I always tell my wife that in the worst case scenario, there's always geo-arbitrage :) There are plenty of cheaper places to live than the US if it comes to that.
Post: Nick Maggiulli’s take on Bergen’s 4.7 or 5% Withdrawal Rate
Link to comment from September 24, 2025
So true. One of my cherished memories is sitting on a boulder on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, basking in the sun while reading a book and enjoying the view, with no one else around. It's an expensive place to live now, but Reno is just down the hill, and much more affordable :)
Post: Success Has Many Flavours
Link to comment from September 23, 2025
I recently read Bill Bengen's new book, and currently have 75% in stocks and 25% in DIPSX, which is all US Treasury Bonds and Notes. I figure if he's happy with up to 75% in stocks, that's good with me. I'm leaving it as-is until we retire and can move my 401(k) to Fidelity. We plan on waiting until 70 to claim Social Security, which will more than cover our needs at that point.
Post: Not Staying the Course
Link to comment from September 20, 2025