AUTHOR: Kevin Lynch on 1/22/2025 FIRST: mytimetotravel on 1/22 | RECENT: Charles Moser on 1/23
Comments
I like this site for lots of different calculators: calculator.net This one helps you determine how much your Social Security will be taxed: https://www.annuityadvantage.com/calculator/social-security-taxable-benefits-calculator/ This one is great for evaluating different withdrawals strategies: FICalc.app
I would include Cash, at least one 9 mm handgun with associated magazines, and a .556 AR or 9mm Carbine, again with associated magazines, our "Grey Metal Box" which is the box containing all our legal docs, passports, etc.) our Cats (if at all possible,) my wife's jewelry pouch (which is in the same safe as my guns, cash & grey box,) our Meds and our three "Go Bags." Last we would add a portable 2000 Watt Portable Solar Sowered Generator and a tote containing food and water for 2 weeks, and emergency lights, radios, a stove and cooking utensils. The "Go Bags" contain 3 days food & water, each, medical supplies, assorted emergency tools, etc. and sleeping bags, contained in backpacks. One of the three bags is for our animals. They are in the same room as the Safe. We would evacuate in our SUV, since it is the larger of our two vehicles and I would not want to separate in order to "save" my wife's 19 year old car. We lived in Florida when we were in our late 20s and early 30s, so we were aware of Hurricanes. We also lived in TX for 25 years, so tornados and hurricanes were both part of our weather. Planning for emergencies is not something new. We even have two suitcases with clothes, underwear, shoes, jackets, toiletries, etc. permanently packed. I just changed out the clothes in mine, recently, since I have lost @60 pounds in the last 16 months. (On purpose.) With the two rows of rear seats down in our Hyundai Palisades, the suitcases, tote, portable generator (inside an emp bag) gun cases, Go Bags and two cat carriers all fit in the rear of our vehicle. Like your reserve parachute...you are glad you have it and hope you don't need it.
I just read through the 49 responses already here, and I understand why these issues could, and do, cause some to worry. But to be honest, I don't really worry about any of it, other than the possibility of losing my health and/or experiencing severe dementia. As more than one HD member stated, I worry about things in my control, to there extent I worry at all. My attitude is that GOD is in control of my life and everything else. Me worrying will not help. I can eat better, exercise more, read and think to keep my mind as sharp as I can, manage my spending, invest wisely, provide for my wife, help my kids, give to causes I care about, and live my life. My estate planning documents are in order. Our income is primarily guaranteed, and our portfolio is not currently being used to provide income, so the current market volatility, while irritating, is not a real concern. My parents and parents in law are all deceased, 3 of my 4 siblings are deceased, 4 of my wife's 6 siblings are deceased, and I have no grandchildren to worry about. While I do have some concerns about the direction in which the USA is headed, unlike some HD members, I have awakened every day since November 6th with a smile on my face, firmly believing better days are here and ahead for our country. I am 74 and my wife is 70. Once in a while our bodies remind us we are getting older, but I don't think either of us "acts" old. (Our daughter turning 47 last Sunday was another reminder.) Realistically, because I am I better health (slightly), it is feasible to believe I may out live my wife. I am prepared, however, (financially and emotionally,) to go first. I am not concerned about loneliness, running out of money, the market crashing, being compelled to move, long term care costs (I have a great policy - and our portfolio and annuities LTC benefits can cover my wife), inflation, or family needs. Deteriorating Health and possibly a cut in Social Security Benefits would be the only real concerns for me...and I am acting to ameliorate one and the other is out of my control. May GOD Bless each and every one of you, and your families...and allow you to enjoy your retirements.
RQ: You are 6 years older than me, but we share a number of experiences. I too grew up in an apartment, called Military quarters. My dad was career military, so there were never any "layoffs" or plans closings in our lives. We even managed to miss the typical relocation every three years, typical of most military families, because when my father reenlisted every 3-6 years, he also opted for "current duty station." I lived in Germany from age 3 to age 15. I graduated High School in 1968 and joined the military. I did it to honor my older brother and my dad. I joined to become a helicopter pilot, but my vision precluded that dream. I served in the Signal Corp and served in Viet Nam from 1969-1970. My older brother PFC Justin M Lynch, was KIA n Viet Nam in 1965. His name is on Panel 3E Line 25 Position 1 of the Viet Nam Memorial in DC. Like you, I attended college while working full time. While in college, I worked at General Motors Acceptance...GM's auto financing arm. That led me to a 28 year career in finance, but unlike you, not for one firm. I started at GMAC, but also worked for Ford Motor Company Chrysler, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and back to Ford at the end of my first career. I had two additional career, including self employment as a Nationwide Insurance & Financial Services Agency Owner for almost 110 years and a 15 year career as a college professor...teaching...you guessed it Financial and Financial Services. All told, I worked and paid taxes for 57 years, before retiring in January 2024. Would I prefer to have been in one place, working for one firm, for 40-50 years? Not really, but it would have provided a much easier life. I had two purposes in my working lifetime...Provide for and Protect my family, and if that meant changing companies, and moving across country to do better financially, I did it. Like you, my wife worked very early in our marriage, for the first 2-3 years. After that, she was a stay at home mom, raising our two kids. We've lived in 9 different states and owned 9 different homes in our 50 years together so far. Our first home was a 3 BR 1 3/4 bath, with a Car Port. It was brick. We paid $19,000 for it in 1975 and I believe the mortgage was 11-12%. We built our retirement home in 2018 on 6 acres of wooded land, 2 acres of which are cleared and our home cost @360,000. It has no mortgage payment and we are totally debt free. My son served in the military for 4 years, serving in Iraq 2004-2005. He graduated from college in 2009. My daughter earned her Bachelor's in 2002 and her Master's in 2022. Both are married, but neither has provided us grandchildren. Neither child had student loans upon graduation. My son, as a result of numerous poor decisions and certain personality traits, has not been as financial successful as I had hoped for, as he was capable of being. I have learned however, you cannot care more about a person's situation than they do, and I will leave him to solve his issues. He is very fortunate to have a spouse who supports him and parents who have not abandoned him. My daughter is 180 Degree opposite. She and her husband are doing well, and if they take the financial advice I gave them, they should do just fine. I have seen the articles and all the examples of how hard Gen X and Millennials have it today, and some of those articles have validity. Most, however, compare apples and oranges, and display a "woe is me" mentality. They discuss "work life balance" and the difficulties they have in buying a home, etc. My first home was @1350 sq ft. It was not the McMansion many younger people think they deserve and "need." My first job paid $1.65 an hour. I served in the US Army, reaching the grade of Sp/5 E-5, and earned $255 a month, including combat pay, I didn't expect to start my first job out of college as a VP making $100K either. I don't want to come off as a "Boomer," the currently popular perforative for those in my age cohort, but there is something to say in favor of hard work, persistence, and managing expectations. The one area I do believe younger folks are at a disadvantage today is in relationships. The lack of traditional values, the acceptance of perversion being considered "normal," and the absolute abandonment of personal responsibility is absolutely not conducive for long lasting, successful marriages. Add to that the fact that 80% of marriages today are filed for by the woman, and family courts actually punish fathers as a matter of policy, and the future for the nuclear family looks very dark. Add to that the choice of close to 50% of younger couple, who are married, not to have children and you have to wonder about the future of the Social Security System itself. I find that sort of ironic, as well, since the same group worried that "...it won't be there for us..." is bringing to bear the circumstances making that a self fulfilling prophecy. So do our kids have it harder than we did? They believe they do, and as Henry Ford said, IF you can or you think you can't, You Are Right!"
Ken, Back in the mid 1990's I enjoyed being a part of Junior Achievement at my local high school. In the early 2000's I was part of Big Brothers/Big Sisters for three school years. I had three different young boys as my "littles." All three were hispanic males with single mothers. Invariably, some time during the school year I would get a call or a note from the boy's mothers thanking me for being a "Big." I retired in January 2024, and I haven't. yet gotten involved in my new community, but your post reminds me that even at 74, I still have a lot to give. I will look into that in Late August, when school starts up again. Reading tutors areaways in demand. I could certainly be a bus rider as well. Congrats on the happy retirement.
The words of wisdom from the person most responsible for the wealth MOST HD readers enjoy today:
STAY THE COURSE
I can't time the market. I don't know anyone who can time the market. I don't know anyone who knows anyone that can time the market.
John "Jack" Bogle When I retired last year, our SS Benefits provided @$72,192 and our Annuities provided $36,582.92. This year SS provided $73,340...so we have @$109,922.92 in income. The annuities are 72% income tax free, since they were bought with Roth Dollars. Total Retirement expenses, not including Travel, are $62,000 including 10% charitable giving. RMDs for this year are an additional $15,430.97, but most of that will be QCDs. For the first time in many years, we got a refund from the IRS and State of NC. Total $7,344.00. From the market high of 2-19-25, our portfolio has "lost" $29,660.80. However, since we are not withdrawing from those funds, market volitility doesn't affect our income. This was the exact reason I bought the Indexed Annuities with income riders, the year before I retired. Since the greatest danger for new retirees is sequence of returns risk and the 2nd greatest risk is longevity risk, I solved both of those issues right up front. I put 45% of our portfolio in Annuities, guaranteeing our income, with 2/3rds of our total income it enjoying a COLA through the SS Benefits. Since our other income is 72% income tax free, this also lowered the amount of our SS Benefits subject to income taxes. The balance is in VTI and VXUS. Vanguard has forecasted greater returns for Non-domestic over the next 10 years as well, so I may do some rebalancing to increase my non-domestic exposure. Currently I am @85/15 US/Non-US. Market volatility "sucks, " but someone once said, "Volatility is the price you pay for market returns." Happy Retirement Folks!
Rick: I have an Amazon Credit card specifically to take advantage of the 5% rewards on EVERY PURCHASE from them. Like many people, I buy lots and lots from Amazon, and I have the Prime membership as well. Primary for the Video Service, but also for the free shipping. My bank offers Zelle which works great, but I also have a Venmo account, that is almost never used. I only got it to send money to my late sister's adult children, when she passed. I was her executor, and she didn't want them gaining access to her money to soon, so I managed it for her for 3 years, as I disbursed the funds. That's all done now.
Although I left Wells Fargo years back, we retired our Wells Fargo Active Cash credit cards. They pay 2% on every dollar spent, so there is no having to worry about what is covered at which rate. LIke many folks who use rewards cards, we typically charge anything and everything that we can, pay it off monthly, and enjoy the few thousand we get from them annually.
Dan: A few years back, I closed my account with Wells Fargo and opened accounts with Capital One. I also have a local back where I keep $2-2.5K, mainly just to have a place to get Notary Work done. All my investment accounts are at Vanguard. (VTI and VXUS) I use their PAS program, meaning I have an Assigned CFP Advisor. Cost is 30 basis points annually. I also have a Money Market Account with Vanguard as well, VNFXX, currently paying 3.7% Our Social Security Benefits are deposited in our Capital One account monthly. Capital One is one of those banks that makes deposit available 2 days earlier than the stated date...meaning that our SSA benefits are paid on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. They are, in fact, deposited 2 days earlier, at Capital One. I also have 4 annuities that deposit payments into our Capital One account monthly. Both the Capital One and the local bank accounts are tied into Vanguard, so I can do transfers without any issues. All our Estate Planning Documents are current, as they were updated when I retired last year. The one thing I did for my wife is what we call my "Final Love Letter." This is a 6 page document, that is updated once a quarter, or more often, if needed. This document lists every Bank Account, Credit Card, Investment Account, Insurance policy, Membership, etc...and every Screen Name, Password, you name it...and all the information that would be required to access any and all accounts we have, in the event that I did not wake up tomorrow! It has recommendations for her to consider, and the advisors/ attorneys/insurance agents, names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. It also directs her on how to dispose off my personal belongings, specifically my gun collection and all my related firearms materials. A number of those items are controlled by the ATF/NFA regulations, so they can't simply be given away. (Note: I highly recommend this idea to all HD readers. Your surviving spouse will love you more for it.) I gave serious consideration to transferring everything to Fidelity, as well, mainly to have access to a true Cash Management Account, have everything under one roof, and so I could drop Capital One, but I just don't respect them enough to "pull the trigger." I was with them years ago and it wasn't a good experience. In addition, I like the idea of the ownership of Vanguard vs. Fidelity. As you pointed out so well...breaking uo with your primary financial source is a giant PITA...and I suspect that it stops many people from doing it exactly for that reason.. As far as the Customer Services issues go, I have seen a marked improvement in Vanguard over the past year, but I never really had that many issues, since my advisor is top notch and is quite responsive. Good Luck with your move and happy finances!
Comments
I like this site for lots of different calculators: calculator.net This one helps you determine how much your Social Security will be taxed: https://www.annuityadvantage.com/calculator/social-security-taxable-benefits-calculator/ This one is great for evaluating different withdrawals strategies: FICalc.app
Post: My Favorite Websites
Link to comment from March 15, 2025
I would include Cash, at least one 9 mm handgun with associated magazines, and a .556 AR or 9mm Carbine, again with associated magazines, our "Grey Metal Box" which is the box containing all our legal docs, passports, etc.) our Cats (if at all possible,) my wife's jewelry pouch (which is in the same safe as my guns, cash & grey box,) our Meds and our three "Go Bags." Last we would add a portable 2000 Watt Portable Solar Sowered Generator and a tote containing food and water for 2 weeks, and emergency lights, radios, a stove and cooking utensils. The "Go Bags" contain 3 days food & water, each, medical supplies, assorted emergency tools, etc. and sleeping bags, contained in backpacks. One of the three bags is for our animals. They are in the same room as the Safe. We would evacuate in our SUV, since it is the larger of our two vehicles and I would not want to separate in order to "save" my wife's 19 year old car. We lived in Florida when we were in our late 20s and early 30s, so we were aware of Hurricanes. We also lived in TX for 25 years, so tornados and hurricanes were both part of our weather. Planning for emergencies is not something new. We even have two suitcases with clothes, underwear, shoes, jackets, toiletries, etc. permanently packed. I just changed out the clothes in mine, recently, since I have lost @60 pounds in the last 16 months. (On purpose.) With the two rows of rear seats down in our Hyundai Palisades, the suitcases, tote, portable generator (inside an emp bag) gun cases, Go Bags and two cat carriers all fit in the rear of our vehicle. Like your reserve parachute...you are glad you have it and hope you don't need it.
Post: What Would You Take? By Dennis Friedman
Link to comment from March 15, 2025
I just read through the 49 responses already here, and I understand why these issues could, and do, cause some to worry. But to be honest, I don't really worry about any of it, other than the possibility of losing my health and/or experiencing severe dementia. As more than one HD member stated, I worry about things in my control, to there extent I worry at all. My attitude is that GOD is in control of my life and everything else. Me worrying will not help. I can eat better, exercise more, read and think to keep my mind as sharp as I can, manage my spending, invest wisely, provide for my wife, help my kids, give to causes I care about, and live my life. My estate planning documents are in order. Our income is primarily guaranteed, and our portfolio is not currently being used to provide income, so the current market volatility, while irritating, is not a real concern. My parents and parents in law are all deceased, 3 of my 4 siblings are deceased, 4 of my wife's 6 siblings are deceased, and I have no grandchildren to worry about. While I do have some concerns about the direction in which the USA is headed, unlike some HD members, I have awakened every day since November 6th with a smile on my face, firmly believing better days are here and ahead for our country. I am 74 and my wife is 70. Once in a while our bodies remind us we are getting older, but I don't think either of us "acts" old. (Our daughter turning 47 last Sunday was another reminder.) Realistically, because I am I better health (slightly), it is feasible to believe I may out live my wife. I am prepared, however, (financially and emotionally,) to go first. I am not concerned about loneliness, running out of money, the market crashing, being compelled to move, long term care costs (I have a great policy - and our portfolio and annuities LTC benefits can cover my wife), inflation, or family needs. Deteriorating Health and possibly a cut in Social Security Benefits would be the only real concerns for me...and I am acting to ameliorate one and the other is out of my control. May GOD Bless each and every one of you, and your families...and allow you to enjoy your retirements.
Post: What Worries You? By Jonathan Clements
Link to comment from March 15, 2025
RQ: You are 6 years older than me, but we share a number of experiences. I too grew up in an apartment, called Military quarters. My dad was career military, so there were never any "layoffs" or plans closings in our lives. We even managed to miss the typical relocation every three years, typical of most military families, because when my father reenlisted every 3-6 years, he also opted for "current duty station." I lived in Germany from age 3 to age 15. I graduated High School in 1968 and joined the military. I did it to honor my older brother and my dad. I joined to become a helicopter pilot, but my vision precluded that dream. I served in the Signal Corp and served in Viet Nam from 1969-1970. My older brother PFC Justin M Lynch, was KIA n Viet Nam in 1965. His name is on Panel 3E Line 25 Position 1 of the Viet Nam Memorial in DC. Like you, I attended college while working full time. While in college, I worked at General Motors Acceptance...GM's auto financing arm. That led me to a 28 year career in finance, but unlike you, not for one firm. I started at GMAC, but also worked for Ford Motor Company Chrysler, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and back to Ford at the end of my first career. I had two additional career, including self employment as a Nationwide Insurance & Financial Services Agency Owner for almost 110 years and a 15 year career as a college professor...teaching...you guessed it Financial and Financial Services. All told, I worked and paid taxes for 57 years, before retiring in January 2024. Would I prefer to have been in one place, working for one firm, for 40-50 years? Not really, but it would have provided a much easier life. I had two purposes in my working lifetime...Provide for and Protect my family, and if that meant changing companies, and moving across country to do better financially, I did it. Like you, my wife worked very early in our marriage, for the first 2-3 years. After that, she was a stay at home mom, raising our two kids. We've lived in 9 different states and owned 9 different homes in our 50 years together so far. Our first home was a 3 BR 1 3/4 bath, with a Car Port. It was brick. We paid $19,000 for it in 1975 and I believe the mortgage was 11-12%. We built our retirement home in 2018 on 6 acres of wooded land, 2 acres of which are cleared and our home cost @360,000. It has no mortgage payment and we are totally debt free. My son served in the military for 4 years, serving in Iraq 2004-2005. He graduated from college in 2009. My daughter earned her Bachelor's in 2002 and her Master's in 2022. Both are married, but neither has provided us grandchildren. Neither child had student loans upon graduation. My son, as a result of numerous poor decisions and certain personality traits, has not been as financial successful as I had hoped for, as he was capable of being. I have learned however, you cannot care more about a person's situation than they do, and I will leave him to solve his issues. He is very fortunate to have a spouse who supports him and parents who have not abandoned him. My daughter is 180 Degree opposite. She and her husband are doing well, and if they take the financial advice I gave them, they should do just fine. I have seen the articles and all the examples of how hard Gen X and Millennials have it today, and some of those articles have validity. Most, however, compare apples and oranges, and display a "woe is me" mentality. They discuss "work life balance" and the difficulties they have in buying a home, etc. My first home was @1350 sq ft. It was not the McMansion many younger people think they deserve and "need." My first job paid $1.65 an hour. I served in the US Army, reaching the grade of Sp/5 E-5, and earned $255 a month, including combat pay, I didn't expect to start my first job out of college as a VP making $100K either. I don't want to come off as a "Boomer," the currently popular perforative for those in my age cohort, but there is something to say in favor of hard work, persistence, and managing expectations. The one area I do believe younger folks are at a disadvantage today is in relationships. The lack of traditional values, the acceptance of perversion being considered "normal," and the absolute abandonment of personal responsibility is absolutely not conducive for long lasting, successful marriages. Add to that the fact that 80% of marriages today are filed for by the woman, and family courts actually punish fathers as a matter of policy, and the future for the nuclear family looks very dark. Add to that the choice of close to 50% of younger couple, who are married, not to have children and you have to wonder about the future of the Social Security System itself. I find that sort of ironic, as well, since the same group worried that "...it won't be there for us..." is bringing to bear the circumstances making that a self fulfilling prophecy. So do our kids have it harder than we did? They believe they do, and as Henry Ford said, IF you can or you think you can't, You Are Right!"
Post: An 80 year old reflects. Are things that much harder today than when he was building a life, marriage and career? RDQ
Link to comment from March 10, 2025
Ken, Back in the mid 1990's I enjoyed being a part of Junior Achievement at my local high school. In the early 2000's I was part of Big Brothers/Big Sisters for three school years. I had three different young boys as my "littles." All three were hispanic males with single mothers. Invariably, some time during the school year I would get a call or a note from the boy's mothers thanking me for being a "Big." I retired in January 2024, and I haven't. yet gotten involved in my new community, but your post reminds me that even at 74, I still have a lot to give. I will look into that in Late August, when school starts up again. Reading tutors areaways in demand. I could certainly be a bus rider as well. Congrats on the happy retirement.
Post: Life After Retirement by Ken Cutler
Link to comment from March 10, 2025
The words of wisdom from the person most responsible for the wealth MOST HD readers enjoy today:
- STAY THE COURSE
- I can't time the market. I don't know anyone who can time the market. I don't know anyone who knows anyone that can time the market.
John "Jack" Bogle When I retired last year, our SS Benefits provided @$72,192 and our Annuities provided $36,582.92. This year SS provided $73,340...so we have @$109,922.92 in income. The annuities are 72% income tax free, since they were bought with Roth Dollars. Total Retirement expenses, not including Travel, are $62,000 including 10% charitable giving. RMDs for this year are an additional $15,430.97, but most of that will be QCDs. For the first time in many years, we got a refund from the IRS and State of NC. Total $7,344.00. From the market high of 2-19-25, our portfolio has "lost" $29,660.80. However, since we are not withdrawing from those funds, market volitility doesn't affect our income. This was the exact reason I bought the Indexed Annuities with income riders, the year before I retired. Since the greatest danger for new retirees is sequence of returns risk and the 2nd greatest risk is longevity risk, I solved both of those issues right up front. I put 45% of our portfolio in Annuities, guaranteeing our income, with 2/3rds of our total income it enjoying a COLA through the SS Benefits. Since our other income is 72% income tax free, this also lowered the amount of our SS Benefits subject to income taxes. The balance is in VTI and VXUS. Vanguard has forecasted greater returns for Non-domestic over the next 10 years as well, so I may do some rebalancing to increase my non-domestic exposure. Currently I am @85/15 US/Non-US. Market volatility "sucks, " but someone once said, "Volatility is the price you pay for market returns." Happy Retirement Folks!Post: Jonathan, help
Link to comment from March 8, 2025
I only use Zelle with my children, to send them Money from time to time. I have had zero issues.
Post: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Link to comment from March 8, 2025
Rick: I have an Amazon Credit card specifically to take advantage of the 5% rewards on EVERY PURCHASE from them. Like many people, I buy lots and lots from Amazon, and I have the Prime membership as well. Primary for the Video Service, but also for the free shipping. My bank offers Zelle which works great, but I also have a Venmo account, that is almost never used. I only got it to send money to my late sister's adult children, when she passed. I was her executor, and she didn't want them gaining access to her money to soon, so I managed it for her for 3 years, as I disbursed the funds. That's all done now.
Post: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Link to comment from March 8, 2025
Although I left Wells Fargo years back, we retired our Wells Fargo Active Cash credit cards. They pay 2% on every dollar spent, so there is no having to worry about what is covered at which rate. LIke many folks who use rewards cards, we typically charge anything and everything that we can, pay it off monthly, and enjoy the few thousand we get from them annually.
Post: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Link to comment from March 8, 2025
Dan: A few years back, I closed my account with Wells Fargo and opened accounts with Capital One. I also have a local back where I keep $2-2.5K, mainly just to have a place to get Notary Work done. All my investment accounts are at Vanguard. (VTI and VXUS) I use their PAS program, meaning I have an Assigned CFP Advisor. Cost is 30 basis points annually. I also have a Money Market Account with Vanguard as well, VNFXX, currently paying 3.7% Our Social Security Benefits are deposited in our Capital One account monthly. Capital One is one of those banks that makes deposit available 2 days earlier than the stated date...meaning that our SSA benefits are paid on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. They are, in fact, deposited 2 days earlier, at Capital One. I also have 4 annuities that deposit payments into our Capital One account monthly. Both the Capital One and the local bank accounts are tied into Vanguard, so I can do transfers without any issues. All our Estate Planning Documents are current, as they were updated when I retired last year. The one thing I did for my wife is what we call my "Final Love Letter." This is a 6 page document, that is updated once a quarter, or more often, if needed. This document lists every Bank Account, Credit Card, Investment Account, Insurance policy, Membership, etc...and every Screen Name, Password, you name it...and all the information that would be required to access any and all accounts we have, in the event that I did not wake up tomorrow! It has recommendations for her to consider, and the advisors/ attorneys/insurance agents, names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. It also directs her on how to dispose off my personal belongings, specifically my gun collection and all my related firearms materials. A number of those items are controlled by the ATF/NFA regulations, so they can't simply be given away. (Note: I highly recommend this idea to all HD readers. Your surviving spouse will love you more for it.) I gave serious consideration to transferring everything to Fidelity, as well, mainly to have access to a true Cash Management Account, have everything under one roof, and so I could drop Capital One, but I just don't respect them enough to "pull the trigger." I was with them years ago and it wasn't a good experience. In addition, I like the idea of the ownership of Vanguard vs. Fidelity. As you pointed out so well...breaking uo with your primary financial source is a giant PITA...and I suspect that it stops many people from doing it exactly for that reason.. As far as the Customer Services issues go, I have seen a marked improvement in Vanguard over the past year, but I never really had that many issues, since my advisor is top notch and is quite responsive. Good Luck with your move and happy finances!
Post: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Link to comment from March 8, 2025