We do not include our house. It costs a lot to have a house. Insurance and taxes this year are $30k. It needs constant repairs. The capital tied up in the house is inaccessable because even if we cashed out, we'd have to use the cash for housing. The cash tied up also can't be invested elsewhere. A loan against the equity would have a high interest rate.
My heirs, on the other hand, see the house as a pile of cash.
Where are annuities in the answers? Are we the only household with 25% in an annuity? Should Social Security be counted as an asset? I argue yes. (Although now a risky one...) Also, the answers don't include expected tax liabilities. Appreciated.assets in a Roth IRA are worth a lot more than in a taxable account. Estate planning has additional considerations...
If you have less than $250k, it's much easier to keep money in a high yield savings account. A few online banks (e.g. American Express, Ally, CapitalOne) have rates currently around 3.2% with Treasuries closer to 4%. But the savings accounts are effortless. As for inflation indexed securites, I've liked them since they were first issued, but you have to believe that the inflation rate adjustment is being calculated without too much downward manipulation by the gov't to save money on repayment.
Maybe the market has been stable because it has become an excessive storage of wealth and the owners of the wealth don't have any reason to withdraw it for use now. When they want to use the wealth for something else, then there will be trouble, because the stock market overall is priced higher than there is cash to cover the sales if people want out. Regarding the jobs report, the new jobs are mostly not good jobs. Wages keep dropping in relation to the value of the dollar and what the very wealthy are accumulating.
I was an executor of all four of my grandparents estates and helped my mom with my dad's estate and my wife with her dad's estate. All in NYS. In all but one case, due to a difficult family member, probate took less than nine months and we paid attorneys by the hour. We saved some money by my dealing with the financial institutions that didn't need to be prodded by a dunning letter on attorney's stationary. What made this possible was all the papers were in order and no one contested anything.
I agree with this sentiment, but with a quibble. We need to stop blaming Congress alone for spending as they always do and hold the executive branch accountable too.
Mandatory withdrawals are a problem. Let's say you have $350k in standard investment and bank accounts. Why should you have to withdraw anything from the $800k in retirement accounts? Just let it grow.
The match is precisely what got me into the 403(b) plan.
My supervisor told me the match was free money and I needed to arrange my finances to take it. I was hesitant because I was getting paid so little, which he acknowledged, but he was right. (He also helped me get two 10% raises the next and following years.)
He wasn't a perfect supervisor, but I must thank him for this advice. He's retiring this year, and I bet he has a really big 403(b) balance.
Comments
We do not include our house. It costs a lot to have a house. Insurance and taxes this year are $30k. It needs constant repairs. The capital tied up in the house is inaccessable because even if we cashed out, we'd have to use the cash for housing. The cash tied up also can't be invested elsewhere. A loan against the equity would have a high interest rate. My heirs, on the other hand, see the house as a pile of cash.
Post: What’s in your portfolio ?
Link to comment from June 20, 2026
Where are annuities in the answers? Are we the only household with 25% in an annuity? Should Social Security be counted as an asset? I argue yes. (Although now a risky one...) Also, the answers don't include expected tax liabilities. Appreciated.assets in a Roth IRA are worth a lot more than in a taxable account. Estate planning has additional considerations...
Post: What’s in your portfolio ?
Link to comment from June 20, 2026
If you have less than $250k, it's much easier to keep money in a high yield savings account. A few online banks (e.g. American Express, Ally, CapitalOne) have rates currently around 3.2% with Treasuries closer to 4%. But the savings accounts are effortless. As for inflation indexed securites, I've liked them since they were first issued, but you have to believe that the inflation rate adjustment is being calculated without too much downward manipulation by the gov't to save money on repayment.
Post: Beyond Bank Accounts
Link to comment from June 13, 2026
Maybe the market has been stable because it has become an excessive storage of wealth and the owners of the wealth don't have any reason to withdraw it for use now. When they want to use the wealth for something else, then there will be trouble, because the stock market overall is priced higher than there is cash to cover the sales if people want out. Regarding the jobs report, the new jobs are mostly not good jobs. Wages keep dropping in relation to the value of the dollar and what the very wealthy are accumulating.
Post: The Market’s Unpredictability
Link to comment from June 13, 2026
When I think of net worth and buckets, I look at what is taxable and what isn't. Anything taxable is discounted by the estimated tax rate.
Post: Bucket Strategy
Link to comment from June 7, 2026
I was an executor of all four of my grandparents estates and helped my mom with my dad's estate and my wife with her dad's estate. All in NYS. In all but one case, due to a difficult family member, probate took less than nine months and we paid attorneys by the hour. We saved some money by my dealing with the financial institutions that didn't need to be prodded by a dunning letter on attorney's stationary. What made this possible was all the papers were in order and no one contested anything.
Post: The Financial Stress a Simple Document Could Have Prevented
Link to comment from May 30, 2026
I agree with this sentiment, but with a quibble. We need to stop blaming Congress alone for spending as they always do and hold the executive branch accountable too.
Post: Should Retirees Get a Temporary Flat Tax Window on IRA and 401(k) Withdrawals?
Link to comment from May 23, 2026
Mandatory withdrawals are a problem. Let's say you have $350k in standard investment and bank accounts. Why should you have to withdraw anything from the $800k in retirement accounts? Just let it grow.
Post: Should Retirees Get a Temporary Flat Tax Window on IRA and 401(k) Withdrawals?
Link to comment from May 23, 2026
And the financial industry lobbyists who draft the legislation that Congress enacts.
Post: Time to scrap IRAs, 401k, 403b and all the rest
Link to comment from May 23, 2026
The match is precisely what got me into the 403(b) plan. My supervisor told me the match was free money and I needed to arrange my finances to take it. I was hesitant because I was getting paid so little, which he acknowledged, but he was right. (He also helped me get two 10% raises the next and following years.) He wasn't a perfect supervisor, but I must thank him for this advice. He's retiring this year, and I bet he has a really big 403(b) balance.
Post: Time to scrap IRAs, 401k, 403b and all the rest
Link to comment from May 23, 2026