Nice article Dan. I'm truly impressed by your career transitions. That takes some serious intestinal fortitude. Parts of your story reminded me of my father-in-law. He drove a truck from the age of 16 until he retired at 65. The long hours, time away from home, and physical grind he endured were quite inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Dana, Congratulations on your home purchase. Thanks for the 3 part series, I've enjoyed reading about your journey. I wish you lots of luck and happiness. We went through a home purchase/rental/sale journey over the last few years. Your honesty is inspiring and I think I'll take a crack at writing about it. I had some technical thoughts about loans and taxes, but, as always, Bill Perry covered it in his comment below.
Thanks Andrew for an excellent, thought-provoking article. I love your reminder about the purpose of money - "security, humility, and, when possible, compassion"
Nice piece Mark. My first article for HumbleDollar was about the need to think broader about personal financial planning than just investment management. In my circles most people thought that financial planning equaled investment management. My real world experience with family clearly demonstrated the need to be on top of all the facets of our financial lives. Many of us are comfortable, or partially comfortable, with taxes, estates, insurance, ... But many people aren't. If your wife's planner is providing help in areas that are challenging for you and her, that has at least some value.
David, you are correct. My statement wasn't very clear. I was trying to say that I only saw one client this year who had enough deductions to itemize and also met the conditions to get the additional $6,000 senior deduction. I guess I expected to see more clients in this category, but in reality very few of our clients itemize. Sorry for the confusion.
I have read that there are several proposed changes in the House to remove the 90% limitation, including the FAIR BET Act, the FULL HOUSE Act, and the WAGER Act. Stay tuned to see what, if anything, will be enacted.
Andrew, Thanks for sharing what must be a difficult story to tell. The last email response I received from Jonathan was 4 days after your sister died. At the time it felt so unfair, and it still does. Thanks for taking care of your Mom, your brother, and your sister's affairs. Clearly empathy, caring, and bravery run strong in your family.
Great article Howard. I finished my 8th year about 2 hours ago. It was a typically hectic last day. I have also experienced most if not all of what you observed. I was surprised I only had one client who was able to itemize and get the $6,000 senior deduction. For the second straight year we had an elderly widower as a client. He lived with his son and daughter-in-law. In both 2024 and 2025 he'd had over $80,000 in losses at an Atlantic City casino, against about $5,000 in winnings. He had a decent amount of income, including a number of dividends form a variety of individual stocks, but he was still negative net cash flow. He did not seem concerned, not was his daughter-in-law. I guess he was enjoying his retirement. Thanks for taking the time to help your community, and especially looking out for those most vulnerable in society.
Comments
Nice article Dan. I'm truly impressed by your career transitions. That takes some serious intestinal fortitude. Parts of your story reminded me of my father-in-law. He drove a truck from the age of 16 until he retired at 65. The long hours, time away from home, and physical grind he endured were quite inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Post: Around the Obstacles
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
Bill, you covered all of my technical thoughts, much more articulately than I ever could. The HD community is so lucky to have you.
Post: How it all pencils out–or at least, we hope so! (Our Big “Little” Move, Part 3)
Link to comment from April 23, 2026
Dana, Congratulations on your home purchase. Thanks for the 3 part series, I've enjoyed reading about your journey. I wish you lots of luck and happiness. We went through a home purchase/rental/sale journey over the last few years. Your honesty is inspiring and I think I'll take a crack at writing about it. I had some technical thoughts about loans and taxes, but, as always, Bill Perry covered it in his comment below.
Post: How it all pencils out–or at least, we hope so! (Our Big “Little” Move, Part 3)
Link to comment from April 23, 2026
Thanks Andrew for an excellent, thought-provoking article. I love your reminder about the purpose of money - "security, humility, and, when possible, compassion"
Post: What Bangladesh Taught Me About Enough
Link to comment from April 16, 2026
Nice piece Mark. My first article for HumbleDollar was about the need to think broader about personal financial planning than just investment management. In my circles most people thought that financial planning equaled investment management. My real world experience with family clearly demonstrated the need to be on top of all the facets of our financial lives. Many of us are comfortable, or partially comfortable, with taxes, estates, insurance, ... But many people aren't. If your wife's planner is providing help in areas that are challenging for you and her, that has at least some value.
Post: One Good Call?
Link to comment from April 14, 2026
David, you are correct. My statement wasn't very clear. I was trying to say that I only saw one client this year who had enough deductions to itemize and also met the conditions to get the additional $6,000 senior deduction. I guess I expected to see more clients in this category, but in reality very few of our clients itemize. Sorry for the confusion.
Post: Taxes Season 3
Link to comment from April 12, 2026
I have read that there are several proposed changes in the House to remove the 90% limitation, including the FAIR BET Act, the FULL HOUSE Act, and the WAGER Act. Stay tuned to see what, if anything, will be enacted.
Post: Taxes Season 3
Link to comment from April 12, 2026
Andrew, Thanks for sharing what must be a difficult story to tell. The last email response I received from Jonathan was 4 days after your sister died. At the time it felt so unfair, and it still does. Thanks for taking care of your Mom, your brother, and your sister's affairs. Clearly empathy, caring, and bravery run strong in your family.
Post: My sister’s will and what it taught me.
Link to comment from April 11, 2026
Great article Howard. I finished my 8th year about 2 hours ago. It was a typically hectic last day. I have also experienced most if not all of what you observed. I was surprised I only had one client who was able to itemize and get the $6,000 senior deduction. For the second straight year we had an elderly widower as a client. He lived with his son and daughter-in-law. In both 2024 and 2025 he'd had over $80,000 in losses at an Atlantic City casino, against about $5,000 in winnings. He had a decent amount of income, including a number of dividends form a variety of individual stocks, but he was still negative net cash flow. He did not seem concerned, not was his daughter-in-law. I guess he was enjoying his retirement. Thanks for taking the time to help your community, and especially looking out for those most vulnerable in society.
Post: Taxes Season 3
Link to comment from April 11, 2026
Here you go.
Post: Taxes Season 3
Link to comment from April 11, 2026