Mark Hirsch

Comments:

• We live in an area that snowbirds flock to. There are still a few local realtors that manage vacation rentals. They are the best bet if you can find one in the area you’re interested in. Reservations are made as early as a year in advance as their inventory will be more limited than on-line firms. Hope this helps.

  Post: Headache for Rent

  Link to comment from April 17, 2024

• Mike. A big factor in deciding whether to pay off the house is the phase of life that you're in. As a retiree I'm happy without a mortgage regardless of the interest rate. Before I retired I had no incentive to pay my mortgage down or off.

  Post: Longtime Worry

  Link to comment from December 29, 2023

• I'm about half way through a book called "The Fourth Turning is Here" by Neil Howe. It addresses cycles that our civilization has and continues to experience. It's not written from an economics or personal finance perspective; it's a take on history and how frequently cycles repeat themselves and in what ways. There's a good deal of overlap between the book and the bullet points that Ken has listed with regard to seeing how things are and may play out.

  Post: Longtime Worry

  Link to comment from December 29, 2023

• Food and home goods in two ways. A higher cost for the same item is the first way that we all notice. Shrink-flation is the second way. For instance, my wife uses a body wash made by Dove. The container used to hold 34 ounces and cost $8.99. Now the container costs $9.99 and the is a significantly smaller 30.6 ounces.

  Post: Where do you see signs of inflation?

  Link to comment from November 18, 2023

• Early in her career, my wife worked at S&P. An analyst whispered a tip to her one day about a new company called Apple. She didn’t have any money to invest and thought the company name was silly (these were the “Big Apple” days in NYC.) She Never took it seriously and we’ve laughed about lost chances over the years.

  Post: Money Shame

  Link to comment from July 6, 2023

• Humana. This is my first (and last) year with Humana. They have barraged me with sales pitches for their Mail-to-home drug plan. I was completely surprised that you didn’t get a pitch for their plan when you called about pricing. Or you decided not to mention it. I have to wonder about big price jumps through a company that offers a competing service.

  Post: A Less Bitter Pill

  Link to comment from June 10, 2023

• Through my ex employer, I was able to use a service called Via Benefits to cull through the myriad options available when I became Medicare eligible at no cost to myself. This service looked at the options available in my state for Medigap and Advantage plans as well as Part D options. Their recommendations were specific as to companies and plans and clearly presented pros, cons and costs. The analysis included information specific to my current health, family history and medications I was taking at the time. An extremely valuable service. By the way, they don’t sell any policies; they are fee only. I found this to be a terrific benefit for the long run. The recommendation, in mycase, was traditional Medicare, a Medigap policy that includes benefits like gym membership, and a Part D qualified plan through a private insurer.

  Post: Time to Decide

  Link to comment from June 1, 2023

• Sorry. That part was supposed to be amusing. When we retired we sat down with both of our sons to discuss finances and the future. We wanted to let them know they wouldn’t have to take care of us later in life. And at the same time, advise that while there should be something left when we’re both gone, that it wouldn’t be enough to change their lives.

  Post: Eyeing the Future

  Link to comment from May 27, 2023

• I’m more the audience you expected. My wife and I have been comfortably retired for 11years. Our comfort is due primarily to a traditional pension; combined with social security and some dividend income. We travel more than a bit and don’t feel financially constrained. But. We won’t have a million to leave to each child, let alone half a million to each grandchild. Given our stable (so far) group long term care policies and our excellent retirement medical benefits, we expect the portfolio to remain much as it is now until our deaths. There should be something around a million in total left to pass on, but we have advised our two sons that if there’s anything left, we probably messed up. In the meantime we help each of them along the way on occasion and expect that their careers will continue to develop and that the eventual inheritance will simply be icing on their cakes.

  Post: Eyeing the Future

  Link to comment from May 27, 2023

• I, for one, greatly appreciate the “boring” stuff. I’ve learned from a number of writers, including you, that I will be better for diversifying, keeping fees low and not chasing much, if anything. That’s been a good path in both up and down markets. Thanks for helping me keep my head up and looking to the future instead of getting caught up in the vibe of the moment.

  Post: News You Can’t Use

  Link to comment from October 29, 2022