AUTHOR: luvtoride44afe9eb1e on 5/12/2025 FIRST: Fran Moore on 5/12/2025 | RECENT: luvtoride44afe9eb1e on 5/14/2025
Comments
Javier, we value having a partner that understands our goals and aligns our investments with those goals and needs over appropriate time frames. It was initially for investment advice but has grown into more areas including estate planning, taxes and life insurance for our adult kids to protect them and their kids while providing another source of funds for us to tap into (cash value) if needed.
Once we found the “right” advisor we had no doubts and being comfortable with him and his firm give us great peace of mind leading up to and now in retirement.
Mike, very scary tale of your health issue. Could it be Vertigo related? Why do you have to wait over a month to see an ENT specialist?Now that’s scary!
Thanks for the reminder that health can be very fleeting and to live for and do the things you want to do TODAY!
All the best for a full and speedy recovery.
Dennis, a timely and important reality check for all of us. I think about how “fleeting” good health can be as I see friends and family who are experiencing health challenges all the time. It is one of the reasons why my wife and I who have both had health issues and are both members of the World Trade Center Health Program, live our lives to enjoy the time we can with family and friends WHILE we can! My wife often rolls her eyes when I mention the “Die with Zero” book philosophy that I embrace (espouse to anyone who will listen to me) but she realizes that things could change quickly and dramatically due to an unexpected health challenge as you’ve experienced and described.
I hope you have a complete and fast recovery and you’re able to read Jonathan’s new book which Adam just reviewed (or listen to the audiobook version) soon.
Adam, what a great review and recommendation for Jonathan’s book. I’m sure it will become one of the authoritative books on personal finance for all who are interested in the topic. I will be getting my copy today!
Now if I could just get my grown daughters and their husbands to read it, I’d buy 4 more copies immediately!
Thanks for the advance review and commentary!
We are fortunate to have a 2nd home at the Jersey shore, within a 75 minute drive (traffic allowing) of us and our daughters, SILs and 4 grandchildren’s homes. My DW and I spend most of the summer there (going back north mid-week when Dr appointments, etc are planned) and the kids come down just about every weekend during the summer and stay with us Friday- Sunday.
We belong to a great beach club right next door to our condo which has become a big part of our social life where we have a cabana on the beach (maybe one reason for so many friends 🤷🏻♂️😂).
We don’t travel ANYWHERE during the summer! We are truly blessed to have this place at this time with our family joining us (except when the older girls are at a dance competition early in the summer and at sleep away camp for 3 weeks during the summer).
There will of course be cookouts, concerts, surfing, fishing, bike riding, ice cream and all the fun summer stuff (did I mention adult beverages with our social group?).
We look forward to this time between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year and make very few plans. Now if the damn weather forecast would improve for this weekend in NJ (rain and temps around 60 degrees 🤦🏻♂️😢) we’d be all set!
And we have 1 friend who retired (involuntarily) 2 years ago who has been struggling in retirement. He just got a temporary job in his field and hopefully he will be better with that…but sure wouldn’t be for me!
Mark,
That’s a good way to put it. I have similar feelings all the time as I watch my adult kids and other similar families in that age group and wonder “how did WE ever manage to make it through those challenging times” and make it to “ the other side”?
I guess we did enough of the right things to be able to reach and enjoy a comfortable retirement…but man, it was hard to envision it at that time!
All of the above! Wife’s Pension on the last day of each month. My Pension on the first day of each month. Social Security on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. MYGA annuity payment on the 6th of the month, We are very fortunate to have these income streams in retirement and rarely need to tap into our other retirement accounts for spending other than certain large anticipated purchases or funding i.e.grandkids camp payments.
David, having recently completed my tax return, these reimbursements were not included in her 1099- R that we got for her pension. That said, it also doesn’t count as income for our NJ Stay, property tax benefit that we qualify for based on taxable income.
Comments
Javier, we value having a partner that understands our goals and aligns our investments with those goals and needs over appropriate time frames. It was initially for investment advice but has grown into more areas including estate planning, taxes and life insurance for our adult kids to protect them and their kids while providing another source of funds for us to tap into (cash value) if needed. Once we found the “right” advisor we had no doubts and being comfortable with him and his firm give us great peace of mind leading up to and now in retirement.
Post: The Quiet Failure of Good Advice
Link to comment from June 3, 2026
Librarian just emailed me. They ordered a copy of the book for circulation! Should be here within the week.
Post: Money and Me
Link to comment from June 2, 2026
Mike, very scary tale of your health issue. Could it be Vertigo related? Why do you have to wait over a month to see an ENT specialist?Now that’s scary! Thanks for the reminder that health can be very fleeting and to live for and do the things you want to do TODAY! All the best for a full and speedy recovery.
Post: Money and Me
Link to comment from June 2, 2026
Dennis, a timely and important reality check for all of us. I think about how “fleeting” good health can be as I see friends and family who are experiencing health challenges all the time. It is one of the reasons why my wife and I who have both had health issues and are both members of the World Trade Center Health Program, live our lives to enjoy the time we can with family and friends WHILE we can! My wife often rolls her eyes when I mention the “Die with Zero” book philosophy that I embrace (espouse to anyone who will listen to me) but she realizes that things could change quickly and dramatically due to an unexpected health challenge as you’ve experienced and described. I hope you have a complete and fast recovery and you’re able to read Jonathan’s new book which Adam just reviewed (or listen to the audiobook version) soon.
Post: The Humbling Side of Aging
Link to comment from May 30, 2026
Adam, what a great review and recommendation for Jonathan’s book. I’m sure it will become one of the authoritative books on personal finance for all who are interested in the topic. I will be getting my copy today! Now if I could just get my grown daughters and their husbands to read it, I’d buy 4 more copies immediately! Thanks for the advance review and commentary!
Post: Money and Me
Link to comment from May 30, 2026
We are fortunate to have a 2nd home at the Jersey shore, within a 75 minute drive (traffic allowing) of us and our daughters, SILs and 4 grandchildren’s homes. My DW and I spend most of the summer there (going back north mid-week when Dr appointments, etc are planned) and the kids come down just about every weekend during the summer and stay with us Friday- Sunday. We belong to a great beach club right next door to our condo which has become a big part of our social life where we have a cabana on the beach (maybe one reason for so many friends 🤷🏻♂️😂). We don’t travel ANYWHERE during the summer! We are truly blessed to have this place at this time with our family joining us (except when the older girls are at a dance competition early in the summer and at sleep away camp for 3 weeks during the summer). There will of course be cookouts, concerts, surfing, fishing, bike riding, ice cream and all the fun summer stuff (did I mention adult beverages with our social group?). We look forward to this time between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year and make very few plans. Now if the damn weather forecast would improve for this weekend in NJ (rain and temps around 60 degrees 🤦🏻♂️😢) we’d be all set!
Post: Lifetime Supply
Link to comment from May 21, 2026
And we have 1 friend who retired (involuntarily) 2 years ago who has been struggling in retirement. He just got a temporary job in his field and hopefully he will be better with that…but sure wouldn’t be for me!
Post: The Mirrored Funnel
Link to comment from May 10, 2026
Mark, That’s a good way to put it. I have similar feelings all the time as I watch my adult kids and other similar families in that age group and wonder “how did WE ever manage to make it through those challenging times” and make it to “ the other side”? I guess we did enough of the right things to be able to reach and enjoy a comfortable retirement…but man, it was hard to envision it at that time!
Post: The Mirrored Funnel
Link to comment from May 10, 2026
All of the above! Wife’s Pension on the last day of each month. My Pension on the first day of each month. Social Security on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. MYGA annuity payment on the 6th of the month, We are very fortunate to have these income streams in retirement and rarely need to tap into our other retirement accounts for spending other than certain large anticipated purchases or funding i.e.grandkids camp payments.
Post: The never ending payday
Link to comment from May 10, 2026
David, having recently completed my tax return, these reimbursements were not included in her 1099- R that we got for her pension. That said, it also doesn’t count as income for our NJ Stay, property tax benefit that we qualify for based on taxable income.
Post: The reality of Social Security and Medicare- My real life experience.
Link to comment from May 6, 2026