Jeff Bond

Comments

• Ha. We religiously recycle paper, plastics, and glass. I have a special place for collecting spent spent batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and expired electronics. Did I mention that we compost? :)

  Post: Ambulatory Ambivalence

  Link to comment from March 2, 2026

• Sometime after I retired, I collected all the change I could find and took it to our credit union so I could feed it into the Coinstar kiosk and deposit the result to my money market account. Considering the heft of the bag and how long it had been collecting, I was surprised to find the total to be "only" $38.05. For some reason I thought all the change would be worth a lot more.

  Post: Loose Change

  Link to comment from March 2, 2026

• Dan - I did the same, but I was in my 50's. We split everything down the middle, but that meant I lost a lot of IRA/401(k) to a QDRO. It wasn't too late for me, either, but I had to start maxing-out my retirement savings and minimizing my expenditures. The thing is, I'm so much better off now marriage-wise, emotionally, financially, and socially.

  Post: It’s Never Too Late

  Link to comment from February 27, 2026

• Dan - I don't keep count, but I'm surprised by the number and variety of invitations we receive. Nothing hits the recycle bin quicker than one of those large envelopes from Fisher Investments!

  Post: Ambulatory Ambivalence

  Link to comment from February 23, 2026

• Kathy - if you're still on here. Please don't go. Your viewpoints are valid and welcome.

  Post: If you have done well, be proud.

  Link to comment from February 17, 2026

• Mark - thanks for sharing such a personal story, but also a success story. Congrats on navigating those times. My memory of that time is also gloomy. My employer was living hand-to-mouth, I was divorced and struggling with some of the issues related to suddenly finding myself single, with less family income, and maintaining connection with my 21 and 19 year old sons. My employer was acquired, which was a relief, but then there was concern about employee cutbacks. In the midst of the GFC, my (new) employer publicized that there would be no employee cutbacks beyond attrition, but they implemented a financial austerity program that meant no raises, severe travel limitations, multiple authorizations required for expenses, and so on. It was hard, but it was doable. During this time, my manager informed me I'd been promoted but would not receive a raise in salary until the financial fog had lifted. Gradually life relaxed a bit. The following year I met the woman I would eventually marry. Luckily, since then, it has been relatively smooth sailing. My wife retired in late 2019 and I retired in mid-2020, just as COVID hit ... but that's a different story.

  Post: Financial Trauma

  Link to comment from February 14, 2026

• I agree with Jack. She'll be upset at first, but will thank you later.

  Post: House Move and the Upcoming Hassle Factor 

  Link to comment from February 12, 2026

• Mark - your friend might use the "cash in the envelope approach". No credit card and no online purchases permitted. Tell him to put a set amount of cash for the month in an envelope and that's all he gets to spend. He has to record every transaction on the back of the envelope and count the leftover cash every night. The goal of this process is to increase cashflow awareness.

  Post: The Monthly Mystery of the Vanishing Paycheck

  Link to comment from February 11, 2026

• Chris - when I was younger, and my kids were very young, I would tell them that when they were independently wealthy I wanted an arrest-me-red Porsche 911 Turbo with a whale tale and a rollbar. They are not yet independently wealthy so I must be content with my self-purchased Subaru Forester. They last time I rode in a serious sports car, I had the same experience as you, as it was a struggle to extricate myself from the vehicle.

  Post: Choices, choices everywhere

  Link to comment from February 9, 2026

• Hey - thanks for posting this thought-provoking piece. My parents helped me by paying for some of my college expenses, and one time when I was in a pinch while buying a new home ande having difficulty selling the old home. I'm currently assisting one of my sons who is going through a divorce. He's simultaneously facing reduced household income and legal fees, along with unreasonable demands from his future ex-wife. I'm not really sure he makes the best financial decisions, but my goal is to get him to "the other side" of this process and see where we go from there. I've informed my other son. He's aware of he situation and has no problems with what I'm doing. Maybe I'm more sensitive to this because I went through a similar scenario with his mother, and my life turned out for the better. Every decision process like this is unique and subject to second-guessing. Rely on your instincts. I'm sure you'll make the right decisions.

  Post: Helping Adult Children

  Link to comment from February 8, 2026