MarkP

Comments:

• I also found myself in France (Bordeaux) in 1983-84 and enjoyed 10 francs to the dollar. I was overwhelmed by consumer choice in wine and so had to create a heuristic - oldest bottle under 10 francs. C'est la vie. Thanks for your article.

  Post: French Connection

  Link to comment from April 15, 2024

• My experience in paying for my children’s college was different than yours. My wife and I funded 529s as much as possible and it did not have a big impact on the financial aid determination. Income had a much bigger impact than savings on financial aid eligibility. It resulted in about 1/3 savings, 1/3 loans, 1/3 current income. Both kids chose to go to private 4-year colleges and the final cost was surprisingly similar to our state’s public university due to differences in financial aid. I also think they experienced a much more diverse group of students at the out-of-state private schools than they would have gotten at our state school. It's worked out well for them. Of course it was a financial struggle during those years and we just had two children. All the best to you.

  Post: A Real Education

  Link to comment from March 7, 2024

• Loved your story about flexible financing.

  Post: Keeping It Together

  Link to comment from January 19, 2024

• “I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.” - John Quincy Adams

  Post: The Tree We Sit Under

  Link to comment from October 20, 2023

• I wish you the best in your pursuits. Let me suggest a physical challenge...riding your bike up Mt Evans in Colorado. https://www.bicyclerace.com/. I did this in 2019 to celebrate with a friend turning 60. It took me 5 hours up and 2 hours down. I trained on New England hills for about 6 weeks while working full-time so definitely doable. The top is spectacular.

  Post: Wishing My Life Away

  Link to comment from April 8, 2023

• Our thinking about purchases is eerily similar. I much prefer an annual subscription to one that hits my account monthly. One suggestion...my wife and I set up a travel account that we regularly contribute to and we each have a "fun" account that is also automatically funded. It's embarrassing how long it took us to set up these accounts because they've been such a stress reliever.

  Post: When to Spend

  Link to comment from April 5, 2023

• Do you limit the Roth conversion to what you can afford to pay in taxes from cash accounts? If not, what?

  Post: Juggling for Retirees

  Link to comment from January 21, 2023

• I suggest a marketing campaign focused on younger readers. While I often promote HD to my young-adult children, they often tell me that their friends need personal finance education.

  Post: A Difficult Year

  Link to comment from January 7, 2023

• I have mixed feelings about fuel prices. While the high prices hurt, they also spur at least some people to change their behavior in ways that reduce fuel consumption (e.g, more home insulation, heat pumps, fewer trips, purchase more efficient vehicle, etc.). It's almost too bad when gas prices become an afterthought.

  Post: Slowdown Ahead

  Link to comment from December 13, 2022

• I'm told that walking on an uneven surface is even better as it helps with maintaining good balance...so hiking trails are excellent places to walk if they're convenient to home.

  Post: Walking Man

  Link to comment from December 13, 2022