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David Sayler

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    • It is the deep risks as explained by William Bernstein that are so hard to protect against. You are absolutely correct, that it is usually the unanticipated events that harm us the most.

      Post: The Risks We Miss

      Link to comment from July 13, 2024

    • I'll add the Alpine Loop to one of our next trips to Colorado! Thanks for the tip!

      Post: Better Together

      Link to comment from December 22, 2023

    • I absolutely agree that there is much more to FP than asset management. And for people who need a push to remind them to take care of those other aspects, a FP is useful. I just never felt like I needed to retain one at the cost of 1% AUM.

      Post: Getting Rolled

      Link to comment from December 18, 2023

    • I purposely picked what I thought was a high number as an hourly rate. Assuming half the cost goes to overhead (rent, assistant, software, etc) - that leaves half ($250/hr) as earnings. Assuming the planner can bill 2,000 hours a year (50 weeks x 20 hours/week), that is an income of $500,000 per year.

      Post: Getting Rolled

      Link to comment from December 18, 2023

    • I'd not heard of this. Good to keep in mind!

      Post: Roll This Way

      Link to comment from August 28, 2023

    • I really appreciate the nuclear industry. It has been a fascinating history. I interviewed with Babcock and Wilcox shortly after TMI. They offered a nice salary and a company car. But nobody was sure how long they would be around. I looked elsewhere.

      Post: Going Nuclear

      Link to comment from August 25, 2023

    • Agreed. Although I think there was a pretty strong correlation between amount of OT and the divorce rate.

      Post: The Company You Keep

      Link to comment from July 18, 2023

    • Lesson Learned? We were on a cruise with our young sons. There wasn't much going on, so my wife suggested we play Bingo. I bought each son a $2 card and told them that they could keep whatever they won - figuring that I was teaching them how gambling doesn't pay. They promptly won a $100, which they split between them!

      Post: Two Dollars to Win

      Link to comment from June 12, 2023

    • IF there are any cost savings from the garden, it is only because it keeps me from going to the farmers market and buying more than I need because it all looks so go. I view the garden as exercise and therapy.

      Post: New Kid on the Job

      Link to comment from January 3, 2023

    • I'mwith you. My dog is a great big cost - but well worth every penny.

      Post: Puppy Love

      Link to comment from October 18, 2022

    Articles

    Wrong Number

    Kenyon Sayler   |  May 21, 2024

    WE BOUGHT A SAILBOAT and trailer in 2008 for our son for his 15th birthday. At the time, he was too young to own a boat, so I registered it in my name.
    Fast forward 15 years, and we finally got around to transferring the title to our son. Transferring the boat was quick and easy. Transferring the trailer was not.
    Cars, trucks, boats and trailers all have unique vehicle identification numbers, or VINs.

    Stretching Myself

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Jan 8, 2024

    THE HEADLINES SCREAM that retirees should learn a new skill to stave off dementia. Start playing a musical instrument. Learn a new language.
    The reality: Gender in languages baffles me. I can’t carry a tune. I have no rhythm. Which is why you’ll find me on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons in a repurposed warehouse learning tai chi. I was drawn to tai chi since it’s a form of meditation, and I’m aware of meditation’s medical and mental health benefits.

    Better Together

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Dec 22, 2023

    RETIREMENT PLANNING is about much more than money. As regular readers of HumbleDollar know, getting the social aspects right is just as important—and perhaps more so—than nailing the financial issues. 
    In 2019, before we retired, we took a trip to the desert southwest, a region we love. It was our first visit to Canyonlands National Park in Utah. I was captivated by the beauty of the rock formations, canyons and mesas. The most striking memory was the path of cottonwood trees,

    Getting Rolled

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Dec 18, 2023

    THE SECURITIES AND Exchange Commission recently proposed that registered financial advisors be compelled to act as fiduciaries when recommending rolling over 401(k) money to an IRA. Whether this rule gets adopted or not, plenty of advisors are eager to help investors with the issue.
    Indeed, as I approached retirement, a number of advisors contacted me about rolling over my 401(k). Of course, these advisors also offered to manage my funds for a fee, usually around 1% a year of assets.

    Predictably Wrong

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Dec 7, 2023

    I DON’T USUALLY FOLLOW the NFL. But this year, I’ve made an exception—because the current season offers a valuable lesson not just for football fans, but also for investors.
    Teams devote huge amounts of time, energy and money to determining who’s the best quarterback for their team. Yet, this year, three quarterbacks are leading their teams when most experts, who get paid to evaluate talent, didn’t give them much of a chance.
    Brock Purdy leads the San Francisco 49ers.

    Path to Retirement

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Nov 17, 2023

    SOME FRIENDS WERE recently discussing their investment performance. I couldn’t contribute to the conversation—because I have no idea what our investment returns have been.
    The fact is, I don’t find performance information all that valuable, plus it’s relatively hard to calculate since you have to account for both price changes and dividend or interest payments. To be sure, investment returns are useful if you’re looking to determine whether a mutual fund manager is adding returns in excess of a benchmark index,

    Any Seat Will Do

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Aug 4, 2023

    WHEN OUR CHILDREN were little, we had season tickets to the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis. We started taking our older child, and then brought his brother along when he was old enough to enjoy the show. We had tickets in the front row of the balcony.
    Before my youngest son’s first show, he looked over the balcony railing at all of the people below. He asked why we were clear up here, when there were all of those people below us.

    Missing the Action

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Jul 21, 2023

    INVESTORS ARE OFTEN told that it’s impossible to consistently time the market. To do so successfully requires you to make two correct decisions: when to get out of stocks—and when to get back in.
    In 2022, J.P. Morgan published a study showing that a lump sum invested in the S&P 500 over the 20 years through 2020 would have earned an annualized return of 5.2% if you’d missed the 10 best days, versus 9.4% if you’d stayed invested throughout the period.

    The Company You Keep

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Jul 18, 2023

    AFTER ENRON’S COLLAPSE in 2001, there were numerous articles about employees who had most of their money in the company’s stock and how they’d lost it all. Taking that message to heart, I’ve endeavored to keep our holdings of my company’s stock below 10% of our net worth. I must confess, however, that in good times it’s crept up to 15%—and in bad times it’s fallen to zero.
    I can’t claim any particular insights or novel thoughts on how to manage company stock.

    Yes, They Give a Damn

    Kenyon Sayler   |  Jun 5, 2023

    HOME DEPOT COFOUNDER Bernie Marcus made headlines late last year with his claim that capitalism may not survive because “nobody works, nobody gives a damn.” I respectfully disagree. While Marcus has one example—people not wanting to work or work hard enough at the stores he founded—I believe America has a terrific future based on four observations:

    I was a Boy Scouts leader for 16 years. I like to think that Scouts teach leadership and independence.

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