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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
How much time does it take to do all this? It seems like it would take an inordinate amount of time to organize and track everything. I do auto payments and deposits. I also have a tax Excel spreadsheet that I use to estimate my current year taxes. I use this to do estimated tax payments, Roth conversion planning, QCDs, etc. I use Fidelity for all investments. I had CDs at different CUs, but have consolidated all of that as they matured. I have a limited number of low cost index funds/etfs. I do not obsess over having the perfect fortfolio, just one that is good enough. I also have a letter of final instructions which is quite detailed with all my business, banking and investment accounts plus everything else my executor will need. I originally did that for my wife, but she passed away last year, so it is now for my kids. I have all my estate documents. All of this has taken time to setup, but it does not require much time to manage.
Post: Simplify Everything
Link to comment from March 31, 2026
I was aware of IRMAA but my wife and I did not have to worry about it MFJ. She passed away in 2025 and I will hit the first threshhold premium for 2026. No way to avoid it. MFS is exactly half of MFJ. I guess I should not complain but I wonder how may people are surprised about this.
Post: Debriefing
Link to comment from March 29, 2026
I have worked for private sector and public sector, and have had to lay people off in both numerous times. Never pleasant but most people saw it coming. The worst situation is when someone does not see it coming. Empathy and kindness help but it was never easy.
Post: America Doesn’t Just Do Layoffs. It’s Fallen in Love With Them
Link to comment from March 18, 2026
We all get the same amount of time every day. Not having time is a lame excuse. Those people have chosen to use their time differently and have prioritized time for exercise very low. Harsh, maybe, but it is my opinion.
Post: Frugal Fitness
Link to comment from March 15, 2026
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