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I am a retired IT executive with 44 years of experience in IT. I am originally from Virginia and have lived in North Carolina the past 60 years. I am a widower who was married for 57 years to my late wife, Judy. We have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. I volunteer with my church and serve on the board of 2 retiree associations, one of which has more than 50,000 members. I still enjoy golf, travel and taking care of our home and 2 acres of land.
Comments
I retired at 66. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure. I was worried about having enough money to retire comfortably. In retrospect, I should have retired sooner. We would have had more than enough. As it is, our kids will get a great inheritance.
Post: No, it is not a scam
Link to comment from March 11, 2026
I spent 44 years in IT and most of that time was as the senior executive of large IT organizations. I saw a lot of change over the years, and I believe AI will be the most disruptive change I have seen. In my simple way of thinking, I believe it will result in much higher productivity which will require fewer workers. Will companies reduce their work force or redeploy unneeded workers to other tasks or projects. Probably some of both. What I have seen in the past is new jobs were required to better manage the new technology. Workers who embrace AI and learn how to use it effectively will have the edge in the work force. I have used AI for my own research and have been very impressed with its ability. I recently had a medical issue, and several tests were done. The tests showed a mixture of good and bad results which were confusing to me. I was unable to see the doctor for a while, so I used AI to analyze my results. I was very impressed with its analysis and conclusions. This was a complex medical issue, and AI gave me more detail about it than I will ever get from my doctor. It also framed questions I can ask the doctor to get the best response. The biggest challenge in large IT projects I oversaw was documenting and streamlining business processes, and automating as much of that as was practical. AI may help with that, but I still see that as mostly a people process. I could be wrong because I have been retired for 15 years. However, organizations are usually comforted by having a human expert guide them through complex business and technical matters.
Post: Is AI going to affect our investments
Link to comment from February 26, 2026
I have used qualified charitable deductions instead of DAFs. Both are very beneficial for tax savings. I am not as familiar with DAFs but David describe them well.
Post: Why I use a Donor-Advised Fund
Link to comment from February 22, 2026
I appreciate Dick's concern, but many people are set in their ways and unwilling to change, even though it is a better approach. I rarely offer unsolicited advice, but when I do, it usually falls on deaf ears.
Post: Do some seniors make life more difficult for themselves?
Link to comment from February 22, 2026
Perhaps AI can help you fit the article to song.
Post: Fifty Ways
Link to comment from February 20, 2026
Great idea. I have written my obit but it is way too long to pay the newspaper to print it. I really miss the days when there were long obits in the newspaper. Reading about people's lives, even though I did not know them, was so interesting.
Post: Fifty Ways
Link to comment from February 20, 2026
European companies have been negative on Microsoft, Google, Apple, et al for a long time. When I met with some around 2010 they were that way. I do not have any recent experience, but i doubt that has changed. I still believe in US companies. There may be one or two year blips, but long term I am bullish on USA.
Post: Sell America
Link to comment from February 15, 2026
I use my spreadsheet for tax planning to make sure I do any estimated tax payments. Also, it prevented me from submitting my TT return this year. I could see my AGI was too low in TT. Thanks to the help of TT phone support, the error was fixed and I submitted my return. Unlike in my working days, I have income coming from dividends, interest, SS, my pension and sometimes other sources. The spreadsheet is necessary to make sure I withhold enough money to avoid any interest penalties. FWIW, I make less income, but it is definitely more complicated.
Post: Yes, I am a NIIT wit
Link to comment from February 12, 2026
TT had a worksheet for that. It is not that complicated.
Post: 2025 Tax Return Time – Overview of Changes
Link to comment from February 12, 2026
Suzee. I was aware of things that affected me already. I just submitted my last MFJ return using TT as my wife passed in 2025. The only confusion was about how TT handled the transfer of her IRA to me. It took 3 tries, but I got a helpful lady that got that fixed. I have always done my taxes and I also do my son's return for his small business. Taxes have become so complicated that most people cannot do them on their own. My old accounting professor used to refer to the tax accountant's relief act of 19XX that in its quest for simplification would add hundreds of pages to the tax code and would assure tax accountants work for many years. It is even more true today. One piece of advice. If you donot already have an IP Pin, request one from the IRS. This will prevent bad actors from filing in your name.
Post: 2025 Tax Return Time – Overview of Changes
Link to comment from February 12, 2026