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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
People I know consider Medicare a good deal for insurees. In fact, I know people in early 60s who are eagerly waiting to become 65 and qualify for Medicare. Per AI, people pay only 20% of Part B cost for doctors, tests and outpatient care. Part A for hospital stays covers costs up to 60 days after a $1700 deductible. That sounds like a really good deal.
Post: The reality of Social Security and Medicare- My real life experience.
Link to comment from May 6, 2026
Thanks Jim. This is an interesting angle for a scam. Who knows what the pitch would be, but you gave your wife some excellent advice.
Post: New Face, old scam
Link to comment from May 3, 2026
Spot on Adam. You are preaching to the choir on this forum. Thanks.
Post: Wall Street Trap
Link to comment from May 2, 2026
The IRS is the rare govt agency where adding more staff properly deployed can yield more revenue, more than enough to offset their cost. Cutting IRS staff and funding is a wrong headed thing to do, but why am I not surprised. Sorry that your dear mother has to endure this but reassure her that this will workout. I second the suggestion to contact your senator or congressman. They need to hear from real people about the consequences of cutting the IRS budget and they may get the IRS's attention in a way that you cannot.
Post: How Far Behind is the IRS?
Link to comment from April 30, 2026
Great story Dan. Transitioning from a beer truck driver to a tax preparer is an amazing story. You obviously had good people skills to make that change.
Post: Around the Obstacles
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
I think you did it right. A bird in the hand beats two in the bush, and with our crazy economy, you never know when things will turn for the worse. Congratulations.
Post: Buying and Selling our Condo (Our Big “Little” Move, Part 2)
Link to comment from April 16, 2026
Thanks for the post Howard and your volunteer tax work. That is a great service and your clients are fortunate to have you working for them.
Post: Taxes Season 3
Link to comment from April 14, 2026
Amen. Both of my wife's parents died intestate. Her sister was able to resolve issues with both of their estates for their home and assets. However, her father owned property in a rural county 100 miles away. My wife and her 6 siblings each owned a share of 42 acres in that county. One of her brothers agreed to give his share to my wife. We hired a local RE attorney to handle this. It became a tangled web because of their dying intestate. It took a considerable amount of time and expense for our attorney to resolve this, costing more than the value of the timber land she inherited. Another lesson about dying intestate.
Post: My sister’s will and what it taught me.
Link to comment from April 14, 2026
Interesting take on active management Mark. I have always felt that the holistic approach is where the value comes in for active mgmt advisors. Asset allocation, risk mgmt, tax planning and estate planning are all important. It is not just who performed best last year. Good ones can earn their keep but there are also a bunch who talk better than they perform. I think it is especially important to have an advisor for a spouse who has limited knowledge of financial mgmt. If you have a good one who is honest (easier said than done), they can do well for your spouse in your absence.
Post: One Good Call?
Link to comment from April 14, 2026
I considered an advisor a couple of years ago for the same reason. The first need is to get someone who is trustworthy. Not all advisors are and they may act that way with you but once you are gone, they may change their stripes. I found a trustworthy local company who met face to face with me and my wife. That was an important consideration because remote would never work for my wife. This company invested in a basket of high quality stocks and fixed income based upon your risk profile. They charged 80 basis points but also provided other services including having their CPA do your taxes and had a relationship with an estate planning firm. Overall, it had a lot of appeal but I could never get past their 80 basis point charge which would have cost us around $15k a year for a return that would probably not surpass my diversified, low cost index funds. This would have been an excellent approach for my wife if I passed first, and I suggested to her to pursue that if I died first. Sadly, she passed away last year. However, I think this firm would be a good choice for my son once I pass because they would provide discipline and expertise my son would need to manage his inheritance.
Post: Financial Planning
Link to comment from April 13, 2026