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Jeff moved to Raleigh in 1971 to attend North Carolina State University and never left. He retired in 2020 after 43 years in various engineering roles. Jeff’s the proud father of two sons and, in 2013, expanded his family with a new wife and two stepdaughters. Today, he’s “Grandpa” four times over. In retirement, Jeff works on home projects, volunteers, reads, gardens, and rides his bike or goes to the gym almost every day. He's written several Humble Dollar articles that can be found here.
Whole Life Insurance Worked for Me
25 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 1/22/2025
FIRST: Rick Connor on 1/22/2025 | RECENT: Langston Holland on 2/1
Choosing the right executor/trustee
5 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 12/10/2025
FIRST: Nick Politakis on 12/10/2025 | RECENT: jan Ohara on 12/11/2025
Another HD Post About Cars
64 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 5/27/2025
FIRST: Rick Connor on 5/27/2025 | RECENT: stelea99 on 6/21/2025
How Did You Announced Your Retirement?
32 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 8/13/2024
FIRST: R Quinn on 8/13/2024 | RECENT: R Quinn on 5/1/2025
Where and When Do You Spend?
48 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 3/2/2025
FIRST: Edmund Marsh on 3/3/2025 | RECENT: Jeff Bond on 3/8/2025
Home Maintenance Choices, Options, & Decisions
35 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 11/5/2024
FIRST: Dan Smith on 11/5/2024 | RECENT: Jeff Bond on 11/11/2024
DST Transitioning
11 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 11/9/2024
FIRST: mytimetotravel on 11/9/2024 | RECENT: mytimetotravel on 11/10/2024
Long-Term Care? Who Has It?
45 replies
AUTHOR: Jeff Bond on 8/10/2024
FIRST: Ken Cutler on 8/10/2024 | RECENT: Linda Grady on 9/10/2024
MY WIFE AND I purchased a 1942 bungalow when we got married in 2013. It met many of our criteria: price, location, spacious backyard, access to greenways and more. But the place also had drawbacks—including the one described below.
The entryway to the house included a climb up seven steps to a stoop. The stoop was small, large enough for only one person to stand while opening the storm door. The only protection from the weather was an old canvas awning.
MY RETIREMENT IN July 2020 came at a stressful time. I was recovering from knee replacement surgery and we were in the midst of the pandemic. Luckily, I had physical therapy goals to meet, and I’d already purchased a huge supply of reading material. TV, music and my laptop were also there to distract me. In addition, my wife had retired eight months before, so we had each other for company.
As the pandemic stretched on,
AS AN ENGINEER and a believer in keeping things running, I haven’t owned many automobiles during my lifetime. Instead, my focus has been on extending each one’s longevity.
Among the maintenance and repairs I’ve undertaken: oil changes, spark plug and wire replacements, carburetor cleaning and adjustment, belt and hose replacements, distributor and timing settings, brake replacements (disk and drum), master and slave brake cylinder repairs, clutch adjustment, alternator repair, radiator repair, heater core repair,
I BEGAN MY CAREER as a part-time employee for an engineering consulting firm. At the time, I was working on my master’s degree in mechanical engineering. I shifted to full-time when I’d wrapped up my coursework but before completing my research and oral defense.
Over the next four years, I finished that degree and passed the national exam to become a registered professional engineer. I also got married, and bought a dog, a second car and a house.
AS A KID, I WAS usually one of the last chosen for pickup games, be it softball, basketball or football. My athletic prowess was limited to being the fastest kid in my neighborhood, but it seems I lived in a slow neighborhood. I had moderate success on a local swim team, but again found that success didn’t translate to surrounding communities.
Into my teen years, I was plagued by allergies and asthma. It wasn’t until the late 1970s,
MOM AND DAD WERE products of the Great Depression. I feel like it affected every single day of their lives. Despite their difficult upbringing, they made good financial decisions that allowed them to live comfortably. Part of it was because Dad worked for the same company for almost 42 years. His pension paid him more than I earned in my first job as an engineer.
When Mom died in August 2004, she was almost 84.
WHEN I FIRST CAME across HumbleDollar, I just lurked on the website, convinced that everyone knew more about investing and personal finance than me. After a while, I started making occasional comments.
Finally, I’m ready to share some of my financial stories. My first topic relates to my misadventures with real estate limited partnerships. Note that all references here are to my then-wife, not my current wife.
I was in my first job as an engineer.
Comments
Congrats. Sounds like your timing was perfect. I hope the move goes well.
Post: Buying and Selling our Condo (Our Big “Little” Move, Part 2)
Link to comment from April 15, 2026
urbie - that's a great answer and approach. My wife and I are in our second marriages. We have kids, but not together. We keep finances separate, but unlike you we do maintain a joint account for bill paying. We have wills and trusts to manage our future demise (I will likely be the first to croak) to take care of each other and our kids.
Post: One Good Call?
Link to comment from April 14, 2026
Andrew, my condolences. I'm familiar with this process and the turmoil that can occur. I wrote this HD article summarizing my experiences.
Post: My sister’s will and what it taught me.
Link to comment from April 13, 2026
The same for me. My Malinois-Huskey mix was my family while I recovered from my divorce. Freya was there for me when I needed her. The best dog I ever had.
Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
Link to comment from April 13, 2026
I've walked through a casino, but never spent a nickel in one. I was once in a casino in Monaco and was told I needed to pay 10 Euro to go past a particular doorway, so I left. Like Edmund, I squeeze the last line of toothpaste from the tube, pound that container of sunscreen for the last few squirts, and do my own repairs (when I can). But I bought a new car with cash last summer because I wanted the new safety features and better economy at the gas pump. Sometimes, after filling my tank, I'll pass a gas station selling cheaper gas and berate myself for missing out on a savings of 60 cents. We're all wired differently, and I'm often surprised when people describe a decision process that is absolutely at odds with how I do things. It keeps life interesting!
Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
Link to comment from April 12, 2026
Regrets? Yes, of course. Some are huge and others are inconsequential. Can I do anything about them? Nope! The best I can do is move on with the lessons learned. Experience is a great teacher. I'm glad you are happy with the end result of your choices. I am, too.
Post: The Opportunity Cost of Waiting
Link to comment from April 9, 2026
Andrew - thanks for sharing your thoughts on HD. I'm sure everyone agrees that additional messages from you would be welcomed by the HD readers.
Post: Carrying Humble Dollar Forward
Link to comment from April 7, 2026
The Zoom-Out suggestion is golden. I occasionally look at what has happened to my accounts since I retired, and then some dates that are relevant to me, but no one else. Examples include when my divorce became final and when I started my last job. In all cases, I've benefitted from the set-it-and-forget-it approach to investing. It's really not unlike Kathy's "benign neglect", but I look at everything more frequently than she does.
Post: Recency Bias (or: You’re Running Buggy Software)
Link to comment from April 7, 2026
Congrats, Dana! I look forward to hearing more stories as you settle into the new home. I know that having contractors in the house while you live there can be a challenge - so look forward to hearing about how it goes. Maybe I'll write about that sometime, too.
Post: A Big Little Move (by Dana/DrLefty)
Link to comment from March 30, 2026
Mark - this brings to mind a quote from the famous British statistician and mathematician George E.P. Box. I've provided this quote in HD responses before, but it is relevant again. Considering your business plan as a model: "Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful".
Post: Doubt the Forecast
Link to comment from March 29, 2026