Bill, I’m sorry to hear that your wife’s health has declined this year. It sounds like you are meeting that challenge with love and grace. I wish you both the best.
It’s fun, addicting and good for the planet! Glad to hear that you love it too, Carl! I’ve received far more compliments on my “new” clothes than I did when I bought retail.
The joy of my retirement schedule is that there is no schedule! The only consistent and predictable part of my day is my coffee first thing in the morning and a morning walk with my pup. Through trial and error, I have found that I prefer to be a sub for tennis or pickleball so I’m not anyone’s “regular” to be invited to play on certain days/times, though it often works out that I play one or both sports at least once a week. I also play cards with a group that I can request to be included when it appeals to me. I do resistance workouts with weights 3-4 days a week and yoga but not on any set schedule. And I love to go thrift store shopping if I need something but I seldom bring the same friend with me twice. The saying that variety is the spice of life is certainly true for me!
I look at our Fidelity accounts at least weekly for a couple of reasons. The first is because I’ve set a goal for this year and I’m getting close to reaching it. The goal is a big number in my opinion and I’m hoping that if/when I reach it, I might feel like I’ll be okay if I were suddenly on my own. It also might trigger me to move to a lower risk asset mix. The second reason is that we are using a fiduciary advisor and I’m tracking how our investments are doing compared to the hypothetical Yahoo portfolio I set up using 3 index funds. Unfortunately, the managed portfolio has been lagging behind in the last 4 months to a point where the difference is more than the fees we pay the advisory group. I’m waiting until January to decide what action to take. Also, like others here, I don’t have the set it and forget it mentality.
Dana, my daughter and SIL have a home with a fenced backyard, which at first appeared to be the perfect situation for their dog. He, however, does not want to go out there without them. And when forced to, often terrorizes the baby rabbits that insist on entering the yard. Once in a while, he even catches one which then causes them some emotional upheaval.
As I read through your post, Mr. Quinn, and the subsequent responses, a few things really resonated with me and I decided to be brave and share them. I’ve been a follower of HD for less than two years and have really benefitted from the articles AND responses to them by each of you who are a part of this thread. And because of my short timer status, some of the topics you may feel have been talked about enough are freshly relevant to me. Some of that is the timing of my changing life experiences and cycles. So what may seem old to you is suddenly of great interest to me. In fact, I have clicked on your names to see what you have written about in the past and have wondered if you still felt the same way about the topic in today’s environment. So I ask all of you to please keep writing, even if you just go back to an earlier article with an update on your thoughts. The second thing I wanted to share is that I realized that I have been feeling grief from Jonathan’s passing too even though I’m not a HD veteran like many of you. I found myself skipping several days of HD in a row when I used to check 1-2 times a day. It hit me that it made me sad to feel the absence of him. So now that I named my feelings, I’ve started to come back more regularly once again. Lastly, I was wondering if it might be helpful to those who feel like they have writer’s block if a post was put up soliciting topics of interest from HD readers. I’ll go first. I’m currently updating our trusts, wills, and directives, so I’m personally interested in hearing about revocable vs. irrevocable trusts, allowing for second marriages with separate children, etc. In summary, if you need to take a minute to regroup, fine. But please don’t stop writing.
I met a new friend for coffee the morning after writing my post about my massage. My experience was disturbing enough that I shared it with her, who then told me of her own experience which coincidentally had occurred that same day. She said she would not have said anything to me or possibly anyone if I hadn’t shared my story first. It is apparent that there is a more serious problem at play here. I feel this answers my own question of why I didn’t speak up and shut down the chatter. Had I done that, I may not have been disturbed enough to mention it to anyone and the seriousness of the situation may not have been uncovered. Things happen for a reason sometimes.
I don’t know why I didn’t ask him to stop talking. It’s still puzzling. I was disappointed in myself because I usually am a clear communicator. Like Jeff, I only go once a year or so, which made it even more of a disappointment all the way around.
Yesterday I indulged myself with a massage after an emotionally challenging month only to experience a chatty masseuse who shared his many wild conspiracy theories and political views. Your article was just the “palate cleanser” I needed from that this morning! Thank you, Cecelia.
Comments
Thank you and congratulations on your returns, David. I’ll take a look at Fidelity’s target date funds as a benchmark. I hadn’t thought of that.
Post: I don’t know. Or care. But I will at the end of April.
Link to comment from October 30, 2025
Bill, I’m sorry to hear that your wife’s health has declined this year. It sounds like you are meeting that challenge with love and grace. I wish you both the best.
Post: How do Couples Rebalance with Multiple Accounts
Link to comment from October 30, 2025
It’s fun, addicting and good for the planet! Glad to hear that you love it too, Carl! I’ve received far more compliments on my “new” clothes than I did when I bought retail.
Post: What does your daily schedule look like?
Link to comment from October 30, 2025
The joy of my retirement schedule is that there is no schedule! The only consistent and predictable part of my day is my coffee first thing in the morning and a morning walk with my pup. Through trial and error, I have found that I prefer to be a sub for tennis or pickleball so I’m not anyone’s “regular” to be invited to play on certain days/times, though it often works out that I play one or both sports at least once a week. I also play cards with a group that I can request to be included when it appeals to me. I do resistance workouts with weights 3-4 days a week and yoga but not on any set schedule. And I love to go thrift store shopping if I need something but I seldom bring the same friend with me twice. The saying that variety is the spice of life is certainly true for me!
Post: What does your daily schedule look like?
Link to comment from October 30, 2025
I look at our Fidelity accounts at least weekly for a couple of reasons. The first is because I’ve set a goal for this year and I’m getting close to reaching it. The goal is a big number in my opinion and I’m hoping that if/when I reach it, I might feel like I’ll be okay if I were suddenly on my own. It also might trigger me to move to a lower risk asset mix. The second reason is that we are using a fiduciary advisor and I’m tracking how our investments are doing compared to the hypothetical Yahoo portfolio I set up using 3 index funds. Unfortunately, the managed portfolio has been lagging behind in the last 4 months to a point where the difference is more than the fees we pay the advisory group. I’m waiting until January to decide what action to take. Also, like others here, I don’t have the set it and forget it mentality.
Post: I don’t know. Or care. But I will at the end of April.
Link to comment from October 28, 2025
Dana, my daughter and SIL have a home with a fenced backyard, which at first appeared to be the perfect situation for their dog. He, however, does not want to go out there without them. And when forced to, often terrorizes the baby rabbits that insist on entering the yard. Once in a while, he even catches one which then causes them some emotional upheaval.
Post: Money Pit
Link to comment from October 22, 2025
As I read through your post, Mr. Quinn, and the subsequent responses, a few things really resonated with me and I decided to be brave and share them. I’ve been a follower of HD for less than two years and have really benefitted from the articles AND responses to them by each of you who are a part of this thread. And because of my short timer status, some of the topics you may feel have been talked about enough are freshly relevant to me. Some of that is the timing of my changing life experiences and cycles. So what may seem old to you is suddenly of great interest to me. In fact, I have clicked on your names to see what you have written about in the past and have wondered if you still felt the same way about the topic in today’s environment. So I ask all of you to please keep writing, even if you just go back to an earlier article with an update on your thoughts. The second thing I wanted to share is that I realized that I have been feeling grief from Jonathan’s passing too even though I’m not a HD veteran like many of you. I found myself skipping several days of HD in a row when I used to check 1-2 times a day. It hit me that it made me sad to feel the absence of him. So now that I named my feelings, I’ve started to come back more regularly once again. Lastly, I was wondering if it might be helpful to those who feel like they have writer’s block if a post was put up soliciting topics of interest from HD readers. I’ll go first. I’m currently updating our trusts, wills, and directives, so I’m personally interested in hearing about revocable vs. irrevocable trusts, allowing for second marriages with separate children, etc. In summary, if you need to take a minute to regroup, fine. But please don’t stop writing.
Post: Where are all the HD writers?
Link to comment from October 21, 2025
I met a new friend for coffee the morning after writing my post about my massage. My experience was disturbing enough that I shared it with her, who then told me of her own experience which coincidentally had occurred that same day. She said she would not have said anything to me or possibly anyone if I hadn’t shared my story first. It is apparent that there is a more serious problem at play here. I feel this answers my own question of why I didn’t speak up and shut down the chatter. Had I done that, I may not have been disturbed enough to mention it to anyone and the seriousness of the situation may not have been uncovered. Things happen for a reason sometimes.
Post: Never Working a Day in My Life
Link to comment from September 7, 2025
I don’t know why I didn’t ask him to stop talking. It’s still puzzling. I was disappointed in myself because I usually am a clear communicator. Like Jeff, I only go once a year or so, which made it even more of a disappointment all the way around.
Post: Never Working a Day in My Life
Link to comment from September 5, 2025
Yesterday I indulged myself with a massage after an emotionally challenging month only to experience a chatty masseuse who shared his many wild conspiracy theories and political views. Your article was just the “palate cleanser” I needed from that this morning! Thank you, Cecelia.
Post: Never Working a Day in My Life
Link to comment from September 5, 2025