My spreadsheet shows that our combined federal and state taxes last year (not counting property taxes) was 15.12% of our W-2 wages and only 12.02% of gross wages.
Fun fact, our Costco garlic powder has a best before date of January 2016, and we're about 80% of the way through it. Still tastes fine after all these years.
I've been working through different scenarios in the Boldin software, and the best option (for us) seems to be to go ahead with Roth conversions in the next few years, take the ACA and IRMAA hit for a while, but then drastically reduce RMDs and income taxes in the future.
I came to the US at age 24 with $1200 and a dream, and have never regretted it for a moment. It's highly unlikely that I would have had the same opportunities in my home country. I'm looking forward to retiring next year and doing some slow travel around the US and Canada.
No MGs for sale in the US, mainly due to US regulations concerning Chinese EVs and technology. Polestar just got canceled here too. Their appeal to continue selling cars in the US was turned down. I saw a review of the Rivian R2 today, and that looks like a nice car. If I wait a few years, I'm sure I can pick one up for half the original retail price, but right now my fifteen-year-old Lexus with 80k miles is just ticking along nicely, so I have no excuse to get rid of it.
Nice to see the money going to good use. I wonder what his total estate was? If he gave you 12k, and hardly knew you, it must have been substantial. On the Guiness issue, there was a kid in my class back in 1979 who was prescribed a glass of Guiness every day, at the age of fourteen. His parents owned a bar, so that was handy!
Ever since Dollar Tree opened near us, that's the only place I shop for cards. Apparently a lot of other people do the same, because the local Hallmark Store shut its doors for good a couple of years ago.
I was investing a small percentage of my income in company stock as part of my 401(k) investment every month for a few years. I signed up for a six-month free trial with Voya to manage my account, just to see what changes they might make. The only change they made was to sell the company stock and move the money into an index fund I already had, which I thought was pretty funny. The company stock has gone from around $40 when I got rid of it to $144 today, so it would have been a decent investment, but being such a small allocation it wouldn't have made any real difference to my net worth.
I don't like the idea of having my money locked up in an annuity. My Boldin software says we can spend a certain amount every month without worrying about it, so that's what I plan to go by. There's also Social Security to consider, and for me, that's my annuity. Once we claim SS, that will cover all our monthly expenses, so anything drawn from investments can be spent without worrying about it.
A couple of window units would be perfect, but I know most Irish homes have windows that are designed to keep the rain out when open, and are not the US-style sash windows that open vertically. If you search for "portable ac units Ireland" you'll see standalone units for under a thousand euros. That's probably the best option.
Comments
My spreadsheet shows that our combined federal and state taxes last year (not counting property taxes) was 15.12% of our W-2 wages and only 12.02% of gross wages.
Post: A taxing situation, but is it reality?
Link to comment from July 10, 2026
Fun fact, our Costco garlic powder has a best before date of January 2016, and we're about 80% of the way through it. Still tastes fine after all these years.
Post: Frittering away Frugality
Link to comment from July 8, 2026
I've been working through different scenarios in the Boldin software, and the best option (for us) seems to be to go ahead with Roth conversions in the next few years, take the ACA and IRMAA hit for a while, but then drastically reduce RMDs and income taxes in the future.
Post: A $30,000 Mistake
Link to comment from July 4, 2026
I came to the US at age 24 with $1200 and a dream, and have never regretted it for a moment. It's highly unlikely that I would have had the same opportunities in my home country. I'm looking forward to retiring next year and doing some slow travel around the US and Canada.
Post: Happy 250th Birthday America
Link to comment from July 3, 2026
No MGs for sale in the US, mainly due to US regulations concerning Chinese EVs and technology. Polestar just got canceled here too. Their appeal to continue selling cars in the US was turned down. I saw a review of the Rivian R2 today, and that looks like a nice car. If I wait a few years, I'm sure I can pick one up for half the original retail price, but right now my fifteen-year-old Lexus with 80k miles is just ticking along nicely, so I have no excuse to get rid of it.
Post: Tempted by the Shiny and New: Another HD Car Post
Link to comment from July 3, 2026
Nice to see the money going to good use. I wonder what his total estate was? If he gave you 12k, and hardly knew you, it must have been substantial. On the Guiness issue, there was a kid in my class back in 1979 who was prescribed a glass of Guiness every day, at the age of fourteen. His parents owned a bar, so that was handy!
Post: Disposing of Questionable Assets
Link to comment from July 2, 2026
Ever since Dollar Tree opened near us, that's the only place I shop for cards. Apparently a lot of other people do the same, because the local Hallmark Store shut its doors for good a couple of years ago.
Post: Exercising true frugality
Link to comment from July 1, 2026
I was investing a small percentage of my income in company stock as part of my 401(k) investment every month for a few years. I signed up for a six-month free trial with Voya to manage my account, just to see what changes they might make. The only change they made was to sell the company stock and move the money into an index fund I already had, which I thought was pretty funny. The company stock has gone from around $40 when I got rid of it to $144 today, so it would have been a decent investment, but being such a small allocation it wouldn't have made any real difference to my net worth.
Post: Independence Day
Link to comment from June 30, 2026
I don't like the idea of having my money locked up in an annuity. My Boldin software says we can spend a certain amount every month without worrying about it, so that's what I plan to go by. There's also Social Security to consider, and for me, that's my annuity. Once we claim SS, that will cover all our monthly expenses, so anything drawn from investments can be spent without worrying about it.
Post: Automatic Income stream? How important to you?
Link to comment from June 26, 2026
A couple of window units would be perfect, but I know most Irish homes have windows that are designed to keep the rain out when open, and are not the US-style sash windows that open vertically. If you search for "portable ac units Ireland" you'll see standalone units for under a thousand euros. That's probably the best option.
Post: The Price of a Cool Pillow
Link to comment from June 25, 2026