At the school where I worked, no pension was offered. Instead, we could choose from various TIAA investments offered in our 403(b) retirement plan. A mandatory contribution of 5% was deducted from our gross salary, AND the school contributed another 8% (10% after we'd been there enough years). Plus we could make voluntary supplemental contributions to the plan. A few years before I retired, the school also began offering a Roth 403(b). Anyway, since these mandatory contributions were happening, planning for retirement in this way was just something normal we all did.
I'm old enough to do QCDs and prefer using them to a DAF. I don't need the anonymity that I gather some DAFs may provide, nor do I want to pay an annual administrative fee to the DAF provider. Being at a CCRC where a large medical deduction is available every year, I'm already itemizing deductions on my tax return anyway, so making donations via QCDs is the easiest and most tax-efficient for me.
DAF at Fidelity ... No fees Harold, I'm confused (apologies if I'm being dense): The Fidelity website says the DAF annual administrative fee is 0.6% on a balance up to $500k (and decreasing rates for higher account balances), plus there's the expense ratio of the underlying investments.
See Mark Bergman's 8/17/2025 HD Forum post "Is 4.7% the New 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate" summarizing what Bengen says in interviews about his 2025 book, "A Richer Retirement: Supercharging the 4% Rule to Spend More and Enjoy More."
Good article, informative and detailed. It sounds like the DAF fits well with your charitable-giving situation. With no close family and now retired and single, I am happy just taking fee-free QCDs (qualified charitable distributions) from my Vanguard tIRA to donate to the 501(c)(3) organizations on my list. Whatever extra flexibility a DAF has, I don't need. And I didn't want to have to pay a fee for a DAF to hold my money, although I know some folks mostly get around that by emptying the DAF soon after replenishing it.
I hear you, Mark! Before I went on a statin — I really, really wanted to make it to 75 without needing any prescription medication — I spent a year trying to lower my cholesterol level by adjusting my diet. It went down 40 points, which was not nearly enough, clearly indicating that I have familial high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia, FH; it's caused not by diet but by a defective gene preventing the liver from removing the "bad" cholesterol LDL, so at least I don't feel like I brought this upon myself). Anyway, shortly before turning 75 — sigh, so close! — I began taking the lowest-dose atorvastatin, and immediately the level dropped to normal. You said your cholesterol level is already low, so for you this would be preventive. If you take a daily vitamin as I do, that extra little pill is no big deal. Best wishes to you.
Comments
At the school where I worked, no pension was offered. Instead, we could choose from various TIAA investments offered in our 403(b) retirement plan. A mandatory contribution of 5% was deducted from our gross salary, AND the school contributed another 8% (10% after we'd been there enough years). Plus we could make voluntary supplemental contributions to the plan. A few years before I retired, the school also began offering a Roth 403(b). Anyway, since these mandatory contributions were happening, planning for retirement in this way was just something normal we all did.
Post: How did you avoid being in the 39%?
Link to comment from March 4, 2026
I'm old enough to do QCDs and prefer using them to a DAF. I don't need the anonymity that I gather some DAFs may provide, nor do I want to pay an annual administrative fee to the DAF provider. Being at a CCRC where a large medical deduction is available every year, I'm already itemizing deductions on my tax return anyway, so making donations via QCDs is the easiest and most tax-efficient for me.
Post: What is the best way to donate to charity in 2026?
Link to comment from March 4, 2026
DAF at Fidelity ... No fees Harold, I'm confused (apologies if I'm being dense): The Fidelity website says the DAF annual administrative fee is 0.6% on a balance up to $500k (and decreasing rates for higher account balances), plus there's the expense ratio of the underlying investments.
Post: Why I use a Donor-Advised Fund
Link to comment from March 4, 2026
See Mark Bergman's 8/17/2025 HD Forum post "Is 4.7% the New 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate" summarizing what Bengen says in interviews about his 2025 book, "A Richer Retirement: Supercharging the 4% Rule to Spend More and Enjoy More."
Post: A Rule of Thumb Is Not a Plan
Link to comment from February 27, 2026
Good article, informative and detailed. It sounds like the DAF fits well with your charitable-giving situation. With no close family and now retired and single, I am happy just taking fee-free QCDs (qualified charitable distributions) from my Vanguard tIRA to donate to the 501(c)(3) organizations on my list. Whatever extra flexibility a DAF has, I don't need. And I didn't want to have to pay a fee for a DAF to hold my money, although I know some folks mostly get around that by emptying the DAF soon after replenishing it.
Post: Why I use a Donor-Advised Fund
Link to comment from February 22, 2026
I hear you, Mark! Before I went on a statin — I really, really wanted to make it to 75 without needing any prescription medication — I spent a year trying to lower my cholesterol level by adjusting my diet. It went down 40 points, which was not nearly enough, clearly indicating that I have familial high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia, FH; it's caused not by diet but by a defective gene preventing the liver from removing the "bad" cholesterol LDL, so at least I don't feel like I brought this upon myself). Anyway, shortly before turning 75 — sigh, so close! — I began taking the lowest-dose atorvastatin, and immediately the level dropped to normal. You said your cholesterol level is already low, so for you this would be preventive. If you take a daily vitamin as I do, that extra little pill is no big deal. Best wishes to you.
Post: Joining the Club, Maybe?
Link to comment from February 20, 2026