I plan on using the years after retirement to do Roth conversions. Once that's done we may claim my wife's SS at age 67 and mine at 70, or just wait until we both hit 70. We'll see what makes sense as we get closer.
Besides the cost, do the guests even care about these things? My daughter works for a catering company as a side job, and told us about a Bar Mitvzah she worked a while back. She's pretty sure it cost at least $30,000, and probably more. They had monogrammed gifts, candy, and soft drinks for each guest, most of which were left behind after the party. They had every buffet station you could imagine, and most of the food never got eaten. All that for a thirteen-year-old. If someone had asked me whether I'd like a $30,000 party or have $30k invested and grow to more than $1MM by age 65, I probably wouldn't have had enough sense to go for the investment at that age, but still, it's crazy what people spend on these parties.
I must say I'd trust my 401(k) a lot more than a pension. I only qualified for a pension with one company, which I left 25 years ago. They offered a cash payout at some point, and I took it. My father had a great pension after working at his company for 25 years. After he retired, the company was bought by a much larger conglomerate, and their lawyers immediately tried to shred the pension plan. It ended up going to court, and my father retained his pension, but it was reduced from the previous amount (I don't have the details). At least with a 401(k), Roth IRA, etc, if I screw it up it's on me.
My favorite fire was always the one where we burned turf from my grandparents' farm. My grandfather would cut turf the old-fashioned way in the peat bog, stack it to dry, and have a shed full for the winter months.
This is a welcome change for me. Last time I was able to get into my Treasury Direct account was April 2024. It's been locked since then. I had a whopping $54.70 in there last time I checked, so calling them (the only option) to fix my account access wasn't even worth the hassle.
No chance here. I'd rather watch any sporting event at home on an 85" screen than pay those prices. I'd also prefer not to buy anything through Ticketmaster ever again.
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.
Comments
I plan on using the years after retirement to do Roth conversions. Once that's done we may claim my wife's SS at age 67 and mine at 70, or just wait until we both hit 70. We'll see what makes sense as we get closer.
Post: Americans are rushing to collect Social Security. The reason is disturbing
Link to comment from September 12, 2026
Besides the cost, do the guests even care about these things? My daughter works for a catering company as a side job, and told us about a Bar Mitvzah she worked a while back. She's pretty sure it cost at least $30,000, and probably more. They had monogrammed gifts, candy, and soft drinks for each guest, most of which were left behind after the party. They had every buffet station you could imagine, and most of the food never got eaten. All that for a thirteen-year-old. If someone had asked me whether I'd like a $30,000 party or have $30k invested and grow to more than $1MM by age 65, I probably wouldn't have had enough sense to go for the investment at that age, but still, it's crazy what people spend on these parties.
Post: A Wedding Too Far
Link to comment from September 8, 2026
I don't know the details. It was an Irish company taken over by a French company.
Post: A bleak picture for retirement in the future?
Link to comment from September 3, 2026
I must say I'd trust my 401(k) a lot more than a pension. I only qualified for a pension with one company, which I left 25 years ago. They offered a cash payout at some point, and I took it. My father had a great pension after working at his company for 25 years. After he retired, the company was bought by a much larger conglomerate, and their lawyers immediately tried to shred the pension plan. It ended up going to court, and my father retained his pension, but it was reduced from the previous amount (I don't have the details). At least with a 401(k), Roth IRA, etc, if I screw it up it's on me.
Post: A bleak picture for retirement in the future?
Link to comment from September 3, 2026
We get a dividend check from New Jersey Manufacturers (car and home insurance) once a year. I think it's usually around $125. Better than nothing!
Post: State Farm Dividend
Link to comment from September 3, 2026
My favorite fire was always the one where we burned turf from my grandparents' farm. My grandfather would cut turf the old-fashioned way in the peat bog, stack it to dry, and have a shed full for the winter months.
Post: Bad Maths, Good Fire.
Link to comment from August 31, 2026
The poor /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\
Post: If Retirement is Getting Close
Link to comment from August 19, 2026
This is a welcome change for me. Last time I was able to get into my Treasury Direct account was April 2024. It's been locked since then. I had a whopping $54.70 in there last time I checked, so calling them (the only option) to fix my account access wasn't even worth the hassle.
Post: TreasuryDirect changing login procedure to mandate ID.me later in 2026
Link to comment from August 18, 2026
No chance here. I'd rather watch any sporting event at home on an 85" screen than pay those prices. I'd also prefer not to buy anything through Ticketmaster ever again.
Post: FIFA Financials
Link to comment from July 20, 2026
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