I am currently making some changes in our portfolio by adding the Vanguard Total World ETF and thus more exposure outside of US. While researching I went to a popular forum where folks share (generally or by percentages) their retirement portfolio allocations. WOW was I surprised at the complexity of many of them! I kept thinking back to an old article I recall in which Jonathon shared that he would keep his simple with only about 3 broad index funds/ETF investments and that is more like what I was looking to do. For me anyway, it is confusing, unnecessary, and likely duplicative to have so many different funds/stocks etc.
Good article! We are close to the end of paying much for our 23 y.o. daughter and 26 y.o. son. Our son enlisted in the Army immediately out of high school and it was a huge positive experience that led to tremendous growth in maturity and responsibility. He was a changed kid when he got out! He went to college on VA Benes and did great! He starts his full time job this Monday and is currently staying in our basement apartment as the job is nearby. We want him to be able to save money as he starts out. We winter in Arizona so it is beneficial for him to be here this winter while we are away, and he can figure out where he wants to get his own place. We started his Roth IRA when he was 18 and make the contributions each year. Since we did not pay for his college we paid half to help him get his first nice vehicle. (I convinced him to wait until he was 25 so that his insurance would be less.) He has good money habits so I am happy to help him now and then.
Our girl graduated from college Dec 2024 and CAN now get a job but hasn't. With a fully funded 529 plan we paid her schooling and she did well, BUT she is traveling the world on her own dime (4 months solo in SE Asia this spring) and is a backpacking guide again this summer. That is not what she went to school for haha. She is very frugal and really makes her money go far, but I am hoping she enters the real working world this fall. She will be taking on all her expenses soon and that will be an eye opener for her. While I admire her adventurous spirit we will be helping less until she is making good faith efforts to make progress in her career (and no Roth for her yet).
Some great points made to help protect oneself from scams. I also listened to the 8 part podcast Scam Inc and was amazed at the stories. We all think we could never be that gullible, myself included. However a powerful takeaway is that awareness isn't just about knowledge—it's also about humility. When we acknowledge that anyone can be scammed, we stay more vigilant and less embarrassed to double-check, ask questions, or say no.
Recently my parents got caught up in a scam when they wanted to cancel their Amazon Prime membership. They are not comfortable doing this electronically so they found a phone number they believed was Amazon to initiate the request. Since they initiated the call they were not thinking about scams when they were told they had some unknown charges on the account and this person could help them out with that. My folks gave them a good deal of personal information before they started to suspect. Fortunately they caught it before they were out cash, but it has been a huge headache changing account information and getting new bank cards etc.
We have been with Vanguard for decades as well. We have a simple DIY portfolio with only a handful of funds to keep things simple. Recently Vanguard contacted me to provide feedback on the firm. I used to think Vanguard was the best but my feedback now had it about a 5 out of 10 for 'would I recommend them' due to other firms improving (I.e. Fidelity,Schwab etc) and VG not improving as much. The website is not as good as it used to be for DIYers, and now there is quite a bit of hard sell for their advising services which use an (albeit quite low) assets under management (AUM) model. I am a little put off by the constant selling up of these services that I do not believe I need and I wish their online tools were better. I am not leaving VG but I hope they are aware of some perceptions customers have of their 'slipping' against the competitors.
This is a beautiful story! Your father sounds like an amazing guy. I'm very glad I clicked on this story in the weekly email I get. It makes me want to do more with my Dad.
So True! We are currently remodeling our bathroom and overwhelmed by DOZENS of shades of white/grey for shower tiles and flooring! Good Grief. I have no flair for design and really dislike the whole remodeling process. Too many material options makes it even worse. Thank goodness for designers. In my volunteer role counseling on Medicare choices I have seen so many seniors confused by the ridiculous number of Advantage plans available. In addition the marketing of these plans can be deceptive and intense. The Medicare program is actually not that complicated but has been upended by the growth of Part C Advantage and so many plans that it IS confusing and difficult to understand.
Too many bad stories with ladders and heights! I recently paid to have our gutters cleaned,although husband thought he could do it. I would not let him take that risk. You made a wise call.
Great one! My kids are in the recent grad category and they are doing great with money as they get started and in high demand job fields. My biggest concern is thus this one - maturity as they consider marrying and hopefully a good match.
I dont generally do the asking about friends/others finances, but some think I know a fair amount about it so occasionally I am asked about investments/retirement topics. I am not inclined to go into much detail other than some very general things. Recently though I had a friend tell me that they were very concerned about the stock market and the state of our country and they thought they were going to pull all their money out (tax deferred accounts included). In this case I was far more nosey than normal. I probably spent 30 minutes asking for more details of their situation and what they were thinking. I told them to seek professional advice but I even went so far as to tell them to call me to talk more before they did something rash.
I get annoyed by people that do nothing but complain about how bad they have it or how they are getting screwed, and then tell me how someone else is getting so many benefits, free stuff etc etc. They really know nothing about anyone's situation but they can sure bitch about it. It is too exhausting and they are bitter people. I usually interrupt to explain how grateful I am for something simple like a great meal, or a good friend, and then try to move on.
Comments
I am currently making some changes in our portfolio by adding the Vanguard Total World ETF and thus more exposure outside of US. While researching I went to a popular forum where folks share (generally or by percentages) their retirement portfolio allocations. WOW was I surprised at the complexity of many of them! I kept thinking back to an old article I recall in which Jonathon shared that he would keep his simple with only about 3 broad index funds/ETF investments and that is more like what I was looking to do. For me anyway, it is confusing, unnecessary, and likely duplicative to have so many different funds/stocks etc.
Post: Elder Care—Not
Link to comment from July 28, 2025
Good article! We are close to the end of paying much for our 23 y.o. daughter and 26 y.o. son. Our son enlisted in the Army immediately out of high school and it was a huge positive experience that led to tremendous growth in maturity and responsibility. He was a changed kid when he got out! He went to college on VA Benes and did great! He starts his full time job this Monday and is currently staying in our basement apartment as the job is nearby. We want him to be able to save money as he starts out. We winter in Arizona so it is beneficial for him to be here this winter while we are away, and he can figure out where he wants to get his own place. We started his Roth IRA when he was 18 and make the contributions each year. Since we did not pay for his college we paid half to help him get his first nice vehicle. (I convinced him to wait until he was 25 so that his insurance would be less.) He has good money habits so I am happy to help him now and then. Our girl graduated from college Dec 2024 and CAN now get a job but hasn't. With a fully funded 529 plan we paid her schooling and she did well, BUT she is traveling the world on her own dime (4 months solo in SE Asia this spring) and is a backpacking guide again this summer. That is not what she went to school for haha. She is very frugal and really makes her money go far, but I am hoping she enters the real working world this fall. She will be taking on all her expenses soon and that will be an eye opener for her. While I admire her adventurous spirit we will be helping less until she is making good faith efforts to make progress in her career (and no Roth for her yet).
Post: Family Dynamics, Part 2: Supporting Adult Children
Link to comment from July 26, 2025
Some great points made to help protect oneself from scams. I also listened to the 8 part podcast Scam Inc and was amazed at the stories. We all think we could never be that gullible, myself included. However a powerful takeaway is that awareness isn't just about knowledge—it's also about humility. When we acknowledge that anyone can be scammed, we stay more vigilant and less embarrassed to double-check, ask questions, or say no. Recently my parents got caught up in a scam when they wanted to cancel their Amazon Prime membership. They are not comfortable doing this electronically so they found a phone number they believed was Amazon to initiate the request. Since they initiated the call they were not thinking about scams when they were told they had some unknown charges on the account and this person could help them out with that. My folks gave them a good deal of personal information before they started to suspect. Fortunately they caught it before they were out cash, but it has been a huge headache changing account information and getting new bank cards etc.
Post: Pig Butchering
Link to comment from July 20, 2025
We have been with Vanguard for decades as well. We have a simple DIY portfolio with only a handful of funds to keep things simple. Recently Vanguard contacted me to provide feedback on the firm. I used to think Vanguard was the best but my feedback now had it about a 5 out of 10 for 'would I recommend them' due to other firms improving (I.e. Fidelity,Schwab etc) and VG not improving as much. The website is not as good as it used to be for DIYers, and now there is quite a bit of hard sell for their advising services which use an (albeit quite low) assets under management (AUM) model. I am a little put off by the constant selling up of these services that I do not believe I need and I wish their online tools were better. I am not leaving VG but I hope they are aware of some perceptions customers have of their 'slipping' against the competitors.
Post: Vanguard Complaints?
Link to comment from July 20, 2025
This is a beautiful story! Your father sounds like an amazing guy. I'm very glad I clicked on this story in the weekly email I get. It makes me want to do more with my Dad.
Post: Building Memories by Edmund Marsh
Link to comment from June 24, 2025
So True! We are currently remodeling our bathroom and overwhelmed by DOZENS of shades of white/grey for shower tiles and flooring! Good Grief. I have no flair for design and really dislike the whole remodeling process. Too many material options makes it even worse. Thank goodness for designers. In my volunteer role counseling on Medicare choices I have seen so many seniors confused by the ridiculous number of Advantage plans available. In addition the marketing of these plans can be deceptive and intense. The Medicare program is actually not that complicated but has been upended by the growth of Part C Advantage and so many plans that it IS confusing and difficult to understand.
Post: Paradox of choice. What to do, what to do?
Link to comment from November 5, 2024
Too many bad stories with ladders and heights! I recently paid to have our gutters cleaned,although husband thought he could do it. I would not let him take that risk. You made a wise call.
Post: Home Maintenance Choices, Options, & Decisions
Link to comment from November 5, 2024
Great one! My kids are in the recent grad category and they are doing great with money as they get started and in high demand job fields. My biggest concern is thus this one - maturity as they consider marrying and hopefully a good match.
Post: What Financial/ Life advice would you give a 2024 college graduate?
Link to comment from June 30, 2024
I dont generally do the asking about friends/others finances, but some think I know a fair amount about it so occasionally I am asked about investments/retirement topics. I am not inclined to go into much detail other than some very general things. Recently though I had a friend tell me that they were very concerned about the stock market and the state of our country and they thought they were going to pull all their money out (tax deferred accounts included). In this case I was far more nosey than normal. I probably spent 30 minutes asking for more details of their situation and what they were thinking. I told them to seek professional advice but I even went so far as to tell them to call me to talk more before they did something rash.
Post: How Nosey Are You?
Link to comment from June 30, 2024
I get annoyed by people that do nothing but complain about how bad they have it or how they are getting screwed, and then tell me how someone else is getting so many benefits, free stuff etc etc. They really know nothing about anyone's situation but they can sure bitch about it. It is too exhausting and they are bitter people. I usually interrupt to explain how grateful I am for something simple like a great meal, or a good friend, and then try to move on.
Post: Monday is a good day for a rant. Let’s talk everything annoying. People, money, people
Link to comment from June 29, 2024