That's something I'd never sign up for without extensive research, which I'm sure would dissuade me from signing up at all. What happens when the company decides its customers are eating into its profits and decides to shut down? As for the free dinner postcards, I throw away at least one a week, along with those stupid Fisher envelopes.
I had a few shares of company stock (RSUs) that vested last week. I sold them immediately and moved the cash to my Roth IRA. The stock had tripled in value since it was awarded, but it's all a shell game. The company looks good on the street because they're outsourcing to India and laying off thousands of expensive US employees. The quality of the service provided is declining rapidly. I'm curious to see how much the C-Suite crew can pump up the stock before they cash out and jump to their next company. Of course, now that I just got rid of it, they decided to divert 5% of last year's bonus to stock, so I'll have to look at it again for another three years. At least I'll be retired by the time it vests. I also have 9 shares of Lucid and 9 shares of Rivian, just because I like their vehicles and spent $100 on each company within my Roth IRA a while back.
You were lucky to survive that! We used to cross the border to shop in Enniskillen a few times a year. I remember having to turn off the headlights a good distance from the crossing, wend our way through concrete barriers, and stop while soldiers checked the car. One would use a red flashlight to look around the car while another stood with his Armalite rifle at the ready. Once, in December, someone left a car parked on the main shopping street with gift wrapped parcels in view. The army closed off the street, put barriers around the car, and blew it up with a controlled explosion. It turned out to be a false alarm - it wasn't a car bomb, just some clueless shopper parking where they shouldn't have.
I've always kept our retirement savings rate as high as possible. Those deductions are gone before we get our paychecks, so I don't miss them. I keep a spreadsheet with all our monthly bills on it. Some, like gas & electric, are set to the average monthly amount, not the highs we see in winter and summer. That tells me how much we need to pay all the bills in the first and last two weeks of the month. I also put money in an emergency fund and a vacation fund every month. After that, I'm good with spending what's left, which is more than enough to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.
Our investments were up by five times our contributions last year, but with a max of two years to go until retirement, I plan to keep contributing at our current rate until we're done. We have a 1.9% car loan and a 4% mortgage. I'd rather take my chances in the market than pay those off early. We have no other debt. I must say it doesn't feel real yet. I see the numbers go up, but it doesn't change our lifestyle at all, although I suppose I don't worry about unexpected car or household emergencies anymore.
My parents took us to Europe in 1981. We had a Renault 18 station wagon borrowed from my dad's workplace, filled to the brim with six of us plus all our camping gear. I remember driving south on the Autoroute du Soleil, temperature around 104F, all our windows open, and wondering why every other car had their windows closed. We had no idea they were driving air conditioned cars - we'd never heard of such a thing! Fun fact, when we got back home a month later and unloaded the car, the suspension was pretty shot. The car was still riding a few inches lower than when we got it :)
I have 451 days until I make the last of our daughter's college payments. I may work until the end of 2027, but that's about it. The calculators say we'd add at least another million to our investments if we worked until 67, but we'd lose all that time, and that's irreplaceable.
Our Federal tax rate as a percentage of AGI was 12.6% for 2025.
Including State taxes, the total tax burden was 15.04% of AGI. I can't complain about that. AGI calculation, for non-US peeps: How to calculate AGI
Start with Gross Income: Add up all your taxable income (wages, tips, business income, interest, dividends, capital gains, retirement distributions, etc.).
Subtract Adjustments: Deduct specific "above-the-line" adjustments, which can include:
Deductible IRA and SEP contributions
Student loan interest paid
Alimony paid (for agreements before 2019)
Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions
Educator expenses
Deductible part of self-employment tax
Self-employed health insurance premiums
Result is AGI: The final number is your AGI, which appears on Form 1040.
I'm with Mark on this one. I'm looking at expenses, not current income. At the moment, we save 36% of our gross income, and another 14% goes towards college fees. Once that goes away, our fixed monthly expenses would easily be covered by Social Security alone, so anything we pull from our portfolio would be for travel and other extras. I'm sure I could spend a current year's income plus SS if I had to (living the high life!), but it's certainly not necessary.
Comments
That's something I'd never sign up for without extensive research, which I'm sure would dissuade me from signing up at all. What happens when the company decides its customers are eating into its profits and decides to shut down? As for the free dinner postcards, I throw away at least one a week, along with those stupid Fisher envelopes.
Post: Ambulatory Ambivalence
Link to comment from February 23, 2026
I had a few shares of company stock (RSUs) that vested last week. I sold them immediately and moved the cash to my Roth IRA. The stock had tripled in value since it was awarded, but it's all a shell game. The company looks good on the street because they're outsourcing to India and laying off thousands of expensive US employees. The quality of the service provided is declining rapidly. I'm curious to see how much the C-Suite crew can pump up the stock before they cash out and jump to their next company. Of course, now that I just got rid of it, they decided to divert 5% of last year's bonus to stock, so I'll have to look at it again for another three years. At least I'll be retired by the time it vests. I also have 9 shares of Lucid and 9 shares of Rivian, just because I like their vehicles and spent $100 on each company within my Roth IRA a while back.
Post: A Very Sensible Conclusion
Link to comment from February 19, 2026
You were lucky to survive that! We used to cross the border to shop in Enniskillen a few times a year. I remember having to turn off the headlights a good distance from the crossing, wend our way through concrete barriers, and stop while soldiers checked the car. One would use a red flashlight to look around the car while another stood with his Armalite rifle at the ready. Once, in December, someone left a car parked on the main shopping street with gift wrapped parcels in view. The army closed off the street, put barriers around the car, and blew it up with a controlled explosion. It turned out to be a false alarm - it wasn't a car bomb, just some clueless shopper parking where they shouldn't have.
Post: If you have done well, be proud.
Link to comment from February 16, 2026
I've always kept our retirement savings rate as high as possible. Those deductions are gone before we get our paychecks, so I don't miss them. I keep a spreadsheet with all our monthly bills on it. Some, like gas & electric, are set to the average monthly amount, not the highs we see in winter and summer. That tells me how much we need to pay all the bills in the first and last two weeks of the month. I also put money in an emergency fund and a vacation fund every month. After that, I'm good with spending what's left, which is more than enough to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.
Post: My toe in the water again – with hesitation.
Link to comment from February 10, 2026
Our investments were up by five times our contributions last year, but with a max of two years to go until retirement, I plan to keep contributing at our current rate until we're done. We have a 1.9% car loan and a 4% mortgage. I'd rather take my chances in the market than pay those off early. We have no other debt. I must say it doesn't feel real yet. I see the numbers go up, but it doesn't change our lifestyle at all, although I suppose I don't worry about unexpected car or household emergencies anymore.
Post: Should You Stop Contributing To Your IRA?
Link to comment from February 10, 2026
Thanks for the info. I hadn't thought about state taxes. I just transferred my SPAXX investment to FDLXX.
Post: High Interest Savings Accounts vs Bond funds
Link to comment from February 8, 2026
My parents took us to Europe in 1981. We had a Renault 18 station wagon borrowed from my dad's workplace, filled to the brim with six of us plus all our camping gear. I remember driving south on the Autoroute du Soleil, temperature around 104F, all our windows open, and wondering why every other car had their windows closed. We had no idea they were driving air conditioned cars - we'd never heard of such a thing! Fun fact, when we got back home a month later and unloaded the car, the suspension was pretty shot. The car was still riding a few inches lower than when we got it :)
Post: Carpe diem – especially in retirement
Link to comment from February 4, 2026
I have 451 days until I make the last of our daughter's college payments. I may work until the end of 2027, but that's about it. The calculators say we'd add at least another million to our investments if we worked until 67, but we'd lose all that time, and that's irreplaceable.
Post: The Right Time to Retire Isn’t Always the Optimal Time
Link to comment from February 4, 2026
Our Federal tax rate as a percentage of AGI was 12.6% for 2025. Including State taxes, the total tax burden was 15.04% of AGI. I can't complain about that. AGI calculation, for non-US peeps: How to calculate AGI
Post: Your effective tax rate
Link to comment from January 31, 2026
I'm with Mark on this one. I'm looking at expenses, not current income. At the moment, we save 36% of our gross income, and another 14% goes towards college fees. Once that goes away, our fixed monthly expenses would easily be covered by Social Security alone, so anything we pull from our portfolio would be for travel and other extras. I'm sure I could spend a current year's income plus SS if I had to (living the high life!), but it's certainly not necessary.
Post: AI speaks out on retirement income replacement percentage
Link to comment from December 5, 2025