kristinehayes2014

Comments

• Thank you Marjorie for this exceptionally thoughtful--and kind--post. I hope you are doing well.

  Post: The Ties That Bind

  Link to comment from July 22, 2025

• This post, along with Quinn's recent "Dear Dickie" post, both make me cringe. I have never had my nails done. I buy my clothes at Costco. I cut my own hair. I haven't worn make-up in years. Will I need more money over my lifetime than a man? Perhaps. My grandmother lived to be 101 and my overall health at this point in my own life is very good. But virtually all of the retirement calculators and tools I've ever used take life expectancy into account. I'll eventually convert a portion of my retirement funds into an annuity. In the fine print, it explicitly mentions there are differences in payouts based on gender.

  Post: A Very Politically Incorrect Ramble With a Potentially Real Point: Is Your Retirement Calculator Sexist?

  Link to comment from July 22, 2025

• I've never had a need to investigate 529 accounts so I don't know the answer to this question: If one or more of your grandchildren decide to go into a paid apprenticeship program (like electricians do), or the military, are they still able to access the money? Or is it strictly limited to the payment of college-related expenses?

  Post: Die With Zero? Hell No

  Link to comment from July 19, 2025

• In Canada, euthanasia is the fifth leading cause of death.

  Post: A major Medicare benefit just vanished

  Link to comment from July 13, 2025

• I guess my take away from it is that there is a lot of information about me out there, but it's all stuff I put out into cyberspace myself. If Gemini had made up a bunch of stuff about me I might be more worried.

  Post: A spooky and alarming thing relating to the two AI articles posted

  Link to comment from July 12, 2025

• I just used the prompt, "tell me about Kristine Hayes, who writes for HumbleDollar.com". Everything that came back was clearly just drawn directly from all the articles I've written over the years. The summary it wrote about me doesn't amaze me but the fact that it could do it in about five seconds sure does. I do like that it calls me a 'well-regarded' contributor. From Google Gemini: Kristine Hayes (sometimes credited as Kristine Hayes Nibler) is a regular and well-regarded contributor to the HumbleDollar.com website, which focuses on practical personal finance and retirement advice.1 Here's what we can glean about her:

  • Retirement: She retired on May 27, 2022, which was her 55th birthday.2 This makes her retirement journey a frequent and central theme in many of her articles, as she shares her experiences and lessons learned from early retirement.
  • Professional Background: She had a long career, spending 24 years at a small liberal arts college, primarily as a departmental manager.3 Before that, she was a public employee for 3.5 years, vesting in a state pension. Her background in academia and her experience with various employee benefits often inform her financial insights.4 She also has a background in journalism (her college major initially) and later pursued biology.
  • Financial Philosophy: Her writing emphasizes frugality, living within one's means, consistent saving, and the importance of generous benefit packages over just a high salary. She values experiences over possessions and highlights how meticulous financial tracking and planning helped her achieve early retirement, though she also acknowledges the role of luck and timing. She focuses on a "simple but successful financial life."
  • Personal Life & Interests:
  • She and her husband (who retired in 2018) now reside in Arizona (having moved from Portland, Oregon, in 2019/2022).
  • She is a passionate dog owner and trainer, enjoying competitive pistol shooting and spending time with her (currently four) dogs.5 Her love for animals and dog training is a recurring motif in her essays, often drawing parallels between dog training principles and financial discipline.
  • She describes herself as an introvert and prefers reading and writing, finding solace in nature.6
  • She's written extensively about adapting to retirement, managing free time, and the transition from a demanding work schedule.
  Kristine Hayes' articles on HumbleDollar.com are known for their personal reflections, practical advice, and relatable stories, making complex financial concepts accessible and engaging for readers. She often uses her own life experiences, including childhood lessons from growing up on a farm and her journey to early retirement, to illustrate her financial principles.

  Post: A spooky and alarming thing relating to the two AI articles posted

  Link to comment from July 11, 2025

• I'm so sorry to read about your recent loss. Prayers to you and your family during this difficult time.

  Post: Extra Innings

  Link to comment from July 10, 2025

• High fructose corn syrup was the worst thing to happen to food.

  Post: A major Medicare benefit just vanished

  Link to comment from July 7, 2025

• I think food availability and (lack of) physical activity are the likely culprits. Look at photos from the early 1900's. You are far more likely to see people who look malnourished than over-nourished. There was no high-fructose corn syrup in those days and people moved all day long. What was true back then still holds true today. Expend more calories than you take in and you will lose weight. Expend fewer calories than you take in and you will gain weight.

  Post: A major Medicare benefit just vanished

  Link to comment from July 7, 2025

• I've often thought if they re-allocated the money spent on weight-loss drugs into providing education about how to achieve real, long-term weight-loss solutions (eat less, eat healthier, exercise daily), it would be a better way to spend the money.

  Post: A major Medicare benefit just vanished

  Link to comment from July 7, 2025