eludom

Comments

• I think that pretty much nails it. I'm a planner (as you may have guessed): For my hikes tend to have plans B and C for things that matter (eating, shelter, etc). Pretty sure that's also a proxy for wanting control of the situation. My financial planning probably has the same motivation. The trick here I think is to internalize the "serenity prayer" (accept what you can not change, change what you can, know the difference). The accept part I think is the hardest for planners. "The best layed plans of mice and men..." Thanks for reminder, and may the "accept what you can not change" go well for you.

  Post: Not missing the point

  Link to comment from June 11, 2026

• Yeah, pretty sure I've left some money on the table as well. Counting everything I'm close to 2x my target of having a 5 year "floor". Even with that my stock allocation has drifted up to %65. The "extra" bonds could have been been in the market these past few years driving the total value even higher. But I'm OK letting the target allocation (mostly) drive the rebalancing decisions. I'm not timing market and the decisions make themselves. Enjoy your travels, your new home and, hopefully, peace of mind.

  Post: Not missing the point

  Link to comment from June 11, 2026

• Yup. 2.5 years into retirement I poked my head back into LinkedIn for the first time in a while. I remember many of the people fondly, but even some of my own career accomplishments (to say nothing of LinkedIn) are starting to ring hollow. I was surprised to hear the BeeGees at Jonathans service but in retrospect, it was perfect. Longfellow was one of my favorite wordsmiths, i keep coming back to his "a psalm of life": ..."Lives of great men all remind us    We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us    Footprints on the sands of time;"... and so often, that is done with words.

  Post: What Remains: Money and Me

  Link to comment from June 10, 2026

• "Send lawyers, guns and money"

  Post: Why Marlboro Gold is better Than Gold 

  Link to comment from March 13, 2026

• Likewise. Stay warm near "that state up north". Enjoy the trip across. This is an amazing country full of amazing people. Sometimes we loose sight of that.

  Post: Planning a Trip

  Link to comment from January 31, 2026

• I just drove Virginia to San Diego and back for new years. The algorithm I used was: who can I stop in on (relatives, old freinds). The technology was the paper Rand-McNally for large scale planning and Google maps for en-route tracking. On the map you can see things like "Hey, if I go this way I can stop at Philmont" or that city named in the Route 66 Lyrics. The "Road Kill Cafe" is unique. I was often not sure where I was spending the night. Would recommend the people routing algorithm. Made it all the way west with only one hotel. Earlier this year I ask AI to plan me a biking trip in Europe. In 5 minutes I had a complete itinerary for riding from Vienna to Budapest compete with bike rental companies, available tours, hotels and deviations to see sites along the Roman frontier. Travel agents don't stand a chance anymore.

  Post: Planning a Trip

  Link to comment from January 31, 2026

• Going into retirement a few years ago, I signed up for the Vanguard Personal Advisor Service. I was assigned an advisor who was OK, but he soon moved on and was replaced by someone more junior. At a point where I felt I needed a little higher touch to calm my nerves as I moved into the decumulation phase, the model seemed to be "we'll talk to you for 30 minutes once every six months" and answer questions. I was not impressed. I canceled and went the DIY route with a lot of help and advice here (thanks, all!) and planning via New Retirement/Boldin (would recommend). My rollover IRA (largest amount) is at Vanguard, taxable account at E*TRADE, and a small rollover from my last employer at Fidelity. Service at E*TRADE is fine/good. Based on positive feedback here, I may take a closer look at Fidelity.

  Post: Schwab or Vanguard?

  Link to comment from January 19, 2026

• I would have started reading HumbleDollar sooner.

  Post: If You Could Rewind 5 Years Before Retirement… What Would You Change?

  Link to comment from January 1, 2026

• Take care of yourself. Much as we all appreciate what Jonathan created here and want it to continue, it was his thing. Do what you need to do for yourself. Thanks.

  Post: Jonathan’s Service

  Link to comment from November 14, 2025

• Thanks for stepping up, Bogdan. This is undoubtedly a time of transition for all of us. That said, the site has felt somewhat rudderless recently. In the past, Jonathan was very active in the comments, and anyone could email him and expect a quick response. Currently, the website's contact information still directs people to email him. Updating some of the sites content might be in order. I may be viewing things a bit pessimistically due to limited information, but I submitted the HumbleDollar sitemap to archive.org yesterday to ensure that the content remains accessible, even if the site were to unexpectedly go offline. For those interested, archived content is available here: https://web.archive.org/web/20251112155108/https://humbledollar.com/ Can you provide reassurance that hosting bills are being paid? Who should we contact if we encounter any problems or concerns? Is there active monitoring and moderation of posts to ensure discussions remain respectful, constructive, and on-topic? Many of us value this site greatly. You're filling big shoes (thanks again). Some might be willing to volunteer their time and effort to help sustain it.

  Post: Jonathan’s Service

  Link to comment from November 13, 2025