AUTHOR: luvtoride44afe9eb1e on 5/12/2025 FIRST: Fran Moore on 5/12/2025 | RECENT: luvtoride44afe9eb1e on 5/14/2025
Comments
Very nice post and appropriate thread to start today, Nick and all who have added to it. As a first generation American, I can appreciate the hardships and sacrifices that my grandparents made to flee oppressive regimes in Nazi Germany and Communist Hungary with my then young parents. Although not unique, this is the story of millions of us who have benefited from the opportunities provided here and who helped build the United States into the greatest country in the world (regardless of how the World Cup turns out).
Thank you to all of the forefathers and generations of Americans before us who had the vision of a country that could provide opportunities to all through hard work and shared values! Happy 4th and 250th to all of us!
Bravo on a great transition and thanks for the cool narrative/ summary. As a retired academic, maybe you could consider taking classes in subjects that interest you rather than what you taught.
I will be entering my 5th semester this fall of taking classes (audit/ non-matriculated basis) at a NJ state college under the NJ Senior Citizen Learning program. This underutilized (and not very well publicized) program allows seniors, age 65 and over to take up to 6 credits a semester tuition- free (we do pay some fees). I can enroll in any class on a space available basis on the first day of classes so we don’t take a spot for students who need the credits. Last semester I took a film class. Prior semesters I took Jazz, current political subjects and communications classes.
I really enjoy taking on-campus classes with current students and engaging in discussions and learning with them and the professors in subjects of interest rather than what I needed for my major. You should see if your state has a similar program.
Best of luck in year 2!
Dave, we’re with you. Both my wife and I receive pensions on the last day (hers) and the first day (mine) of the month. We also both collect Social Security and with our different birthdates we get them on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. Having these built in “paydays” is very reassuring to know that the income streams we were used to in our working years continue in retirement to cover our basic expenses.
Adam, another thought provoking article on investing and human behavior. All of these “tales” seem quite feasible and speak to the way we view investment wisdom. In the case of the Veblen effect, wouldn’t a luxury product need a reputation of the “value” it conveys before being pursued and coveted by consumers?
I agree that the road to success is structuring our portfolios to weather the fluctuations over time and asset class allocations. The difficulty comes in human nature to be patient and disciplined to follow that good advice.
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!
Comments
Very nice post and appropriate thread to start today, Nick and all who have added to it. As a first generation American, I can appreciate the hardships and sacrifices that my grandparents made to flee oppressive regimes in Nazi Germany and Communist Hungary with my then young parents. Although not unique, this is the story of millions of us who have benefited from the opportunities provided here and who helped build the United States into the greatest country in the world (regardless of how the World Cup turns out). Thank you to all of the forefathers and generations of Americans before us who had the vision of a country that could provide opportunities to all through hard work and shared values! Happy 4th and 250th to all of us!
Post: Happy 250th Birthday America
Link to comment from July 4, 2026
Bravo on a great transition and thanks for the cool narrative/ summary. As a retired academic, maybe you could consider taking classes in subjects that interest you rather than what you taught. I will be entering my 5th semester this fall of taking classes (audit/ non-matriculated basis) at a NJ state college under the NJ Senior Citizen Learning program. This underutilized (and not very well publicized) program allows seniors, age 65 and over to take up to 6 credits a semester tuition- free (we do pay some fees). I can enroll in any class on a space available basis on the first day of classes so we don’t take a spot for students who need the credits. Last semester I took a film class. Prior semesters I took Jazz, current political subjects and communications classes. I really enjoy taking on-campus classes with current students and engaging in discussions and learning with them and the professors in subjects of interest rather than what I needed for my major. You should see if your state has a similar program. Best of luck in year 2!
Post: Retirement, One Year On
Link to comment from July 2, 2026
Dave, we’re with you. Both my wife and I receive pensions on the last day (hers) and the first day (mine) of the month. We also both collect Social Security and with our different birthdates we get them on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. Having these built in “paydays” is very reassuring to know that the income streams we were used to in our working years continue in retirement to cover our basic expenses.
Post: Automatic Income stream? How important to you?
Link to comment from June 27, 2026
Adam, another thought provoking article on investing and human behavior. All of these “tales” seem quite feasible and speak to the way we view investment wisdom. In the case of the Veblen effect, wouldn’t a luxury product need a reputation of the “value” it conveys before being pursued and coveted by consumers? I agree that the road to success is structuring our portfolios to weather the fluctuations over time and asset class allocations. The difficulty comes in human nature to be patient and disciplined to follow that good advice.
Post: Investment Wisdom
Link to comment from June 27, 2026
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