Context matters in these situations. If you have a long time before you need the funds, it might be worth considering. However, you earmarked these funds as ‘emergency’ for a reason. What’s changed other than events that you have no control over?
With the market doing so well these past few years since Covid, we were really ‘ahead of the game’ in a good way. Recognizing that and recognizing the geo political volatility going on (the Ukraine war, the assassination attempts on candidate Trump), I felt we needed to lock in some gains and see where things were headed. We moved about 70% of our 401k’s into some conservative, capital preservation funds back in January. We kept our Roth’s, HSA and IRA’s in the market. I also moved my son’s 529 into the equivalent capital preservation. It turned out he was appointed to the Naval Academy, so we wouldn’t be drawing heavily from it for college expenses. But, we’re still moving the annual Roth IRA amount for him from that account. At his young age, it all goes into the market. The rest will be there after he graduates. I’m grateful it’s not being impacted. I wish I could say that I foresaw what’s currently happening, but it was just a feeling. I thought we might be due for a mild recession (the law of gravity , what goes up, must come down at some point). What motivated me more were the financial goals we hit. When you’ve won the game, stop playing….
There are many, but I’d say the first time we took our kids to Hawaii and walked out to a beautiful sunrise our first morning there with them - seeing a place like Hawaii through their young eyes was just magical. The surf, sun, gentle breeze and their energetic, happy voices.
Thank you Jonathan. I will continue to refer these four things as time goes by. As my last Saturday comment to your last Saturday article, I leave you with this Stephen King Quote, who I feel captures my feelings best -“The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are things you get ashamed of, because words make them smaller. When they were in your head they were limitless; but when they come out they seem to be no bigger than normal things. But that's not all. The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried; they are clues that could guide your enemies to a prize they would love to steal. It's hard and painful for you to talk about these things ... and then people just look at you strangely. They haven't understood what you've said at all, or why you almost cried while you were saying it"
our first house in Colorado - all we needed was a nice starter house; instead, we ended up purchasing a gigantic 5,000 sq ft home by the foot hills. The logic being we’d fill it with kids and never move, so why start small? We moved to Atlanta 18 months later. Oy vey!
not being aggressive enough to invest disposable income in an after tax portfolio early on - definite missed opportunity
I pre paid in full for an advanced it certificate course that I wound up having no interest in finishing - of course, no refunds
i probably became a little too conservative the last few years when the market peaked and wanted to take some money off the table
my wife and I always held on to our jobs, even after the kids were born ; our thinking was one of us was bound to be laid off, especially around 2008-2010, but it just didn’t happen. Don’t know if it’s a mistake, but knowing what I do now, one of us definitely could have stayed home; but, we were able to work remotely and had a nanny so the kids were always home and someone was at home, we were able to save more money for retirement and the kids’ 529 as a result
As I’m on the other side of 50, with my wife and I closing in on retirement, I have the perspective that a robust before and after tax portfolio brings. I have Jonathan and everyone here to partly thank for that. it wasn’t easy. Like some others, I grew up in a hardscrabble existence. We had no money for anything. What has stayed with me is the stress of a job loss that would spell doom in the form of being evicted and starting at yet another new school. After college, I had a Masters degree, but $36K in student loans and no financial savvy at that point. The good news was I was a tech guy entering the job market at the beginning of the 90s tech boom. I also had a subscription to the WSJ and the ‘Getting Going’ column filled with Jonathan’s practical writing. The loans would soon be retired. Budgeting , saving and investing came through trial and error, but we got there. The things that have stayed with me were the financial stress from my early teen years - experiencing not having any money and not knowing where the next job is coming for your family is incredibly stressful. The other guiding principal that stayed with me is around personal expenditure - I don’t mind spending money that has been budgeted to be spent, but I want something for my money - don’t waste it, get what you paid for. The rest of my principals came from Jonathan - understanding the value of index funds, the ‘tipping point’ that happens from regular investing and understanding that an ‘average working person’ can become wealthy/comfortable via regular budgeting, saving and investing. In other words, quit hoping to win the lottery - there’s no magic to it. Believe it or not, sometimes people need to actually be told this. Thank you for the impact you’ve had on my life and my kids’ lives Jonathan!
Tough subject. Everything you described has happened in marriages without autism. I’m a little leery of applying labels - we seem to do that very quickly in this day and age, followed by a prescription drug. While I’m sympathetic, I don’t know there’s a lot we can do about it. Ideally, We should always be kind and supportive when dealing with strangers and the people we come across. When it comes to choosing a partner to settle down with, I would advise getting to know them a little better and not rush into anything so you have a better idea of what you’re committing to.
Richard, Similar situation at my house as well. Except, I had parents prone to feeling sorry for themselves, finding solace in alcohol and ultimately neglecting their kids. It took me a while realize their low self esteem and neglectfulness were a result of how they were raised. When my son was born in my early thirties it brought on a wave of emotions that I had compartmentalized until that point. With help, I realized that If this was going to stop, I would have to stop it with my own family, otherwise it would just continue.
Yep, totally agree. Starting with the ‘Getting Going’ column in the WSJ to today, Jonathan always has a way of discussing personal finance in a way that was engaging, real and can be applied immediately. I never felt like I was being pitched something nor was he talking over my head. A couple of themes he highlighted that really stuck with me were -
Investing - how do you think an average person,I.e., me, becomes wealthy?
Thinking about your goals - when you’ve won the game, stop playing
Comments
Mike, before trying an IronMan you should check that you didn’t damage your heart when you lost a lot of muscle.
Post: The Comeback
Link to comment from April 9, 2025
Context matters in these situations. If you have a long time before you need the funds, it might be worth considering. However, you earmarked these funds as ‘emergency’ for a reason. What’s changed other than events that you have no control over?
Post: Safety Net or Gambling Chip? Wrestling with Wealth and Wisdom”
Link to comment from April 8, 2025
With the market doing so well these past few years since Covid, we were really ‘ahead of the game’ in a good way. Recognizing that and recognizing the geo political volatility going on (the Ukraine war, the assassination attempts on candidate Trump), I felt we needed to lock in some gains and see where things were headed. We moved about 70% of our 401k’s into some conservative, capital preservation funds back in January. We kept our Roth’s, HSA and IRA’s in the market. I also moved my son’s 529 into the equivalent capital preservation. It turned out he was appointed to the Naval Academy, so we wouldn’t be drawing heavily from it for college expenses. But, we’re still moving the annual Roth IRA amount for him from that account. At his young age, it all goes into the market. The rest will be there after he graduates. I’m grateful it’s not being impacted. I wish I could say that I foresaw what’s currently happening, but it was just a feeling. I thought we might be due for a mild recession (the law of gravity , what goes up, must come down at some point). What motivated me more were the financial goals we hit. When you’ve won the game, stop playing….
Post: Tariffs and our retirement assets
Link to comment from April 5, 2025
There are many, but I’d say the first time we took our kids to Hawaii and walked out to a beautiful sunrise our first morning there with them - seeing a place like Hawaii through their young eyes was just magical. The surf, sun, gentle breeze and their energetic, happy voices.
Post: Hitting Repeat by Jonathan Clements
Link to comment from April 4, 2025
Thank you Jonathan. I will continue to refer these four things as time goes by. As my last Saturday comment to your last Saturday article, I leave you with this Stephen King Quote, who I feel captures my feelings best -“The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are things you get ashamed of, because words make them smaller. When they were in your head they were limitless; but when they come out they seem to be no bigger than normal things. But that's not all. The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried; they are clues that could guide your enemies to a prize they would love to steal. It's hard and painful for you to talk about these things ... and then people just look at you strangely. They haven't understood what you've said at all, or why you almost cried while you were saying it"
Post: Four Thoughts
Link to comment from March 1, 2025
Here’s mine -
Post: My Mistakes by Jonathan Clements
Link to comment from February 21, 2025
As I’m on the other side of 50, with my wife and I closing in on retirement, I have the perspective that a robust before and after tax portfolio brings. I have Jonathan and everyone here to partly thank for that. it wasn’t easy. Like some others, I grew up in a hardscrabble existence. We had no money for anything. What has stayed with me is the stress of a job loss that would spell doom in the form of being evicted and starting at yet another new school. After college, I had a Masters degree, but $36K in student loans and no financial savvy at that point. The good news was I was a tech guy entering the job market at the beginning of the 90s tech boom. I also had a subscription to the WSJ and the ‘Getting Going’ column filled with Jonathan’s practical writing. The loans would soon be retired. Budgeting , saving and investing came through trial and error, but we got there. The things that have stayed with me were the financial stress from my early teen years - experiencing not having any money and not knowing where the next job is coming for your family is incredibly stressful. The other guiding principal that stayed with me is around personal expenditure - I don’t mind spending money that has been budgeted to be spent, but I want something for my money - don’t waste it, get what you paid for. The rest of my principals came from Jonathan - understanding the value of index funds, the ‘tipping point’ that happens from regular investing and understanding that an ‘average working person’ can become wealthy/comfortable via regular budgeting, saving and investing. In other words, quit hoping to win the lottery - there’s no magic to it. Believe it or not, sometimes people need to actually be told this. Thank you for the impact you’ve had on my life and my kids’ lives Jonathan!
Post: Mind Over Money
Link to comment from February 2, 2025
Tough subject. Everything you described has happened in marriages without autism. I’m a little leery of applying labels - we seem to do that very quickly in this day and age, followed by a prescription drug. While I’m sympathetic, I don’t know there’s a lot we can do about it. Ideally, We should always be kind and supportive when dealing with strangers and the people we come across. When it comes to choosing a partner to settle down with, I would advise getting to know them a little better and not rush into anything so you have a better idea of what you’re committing to.
Post: Adult Autism
Link to comment from October 30, 2024
Richard, Similar situation at my house as well. Except, I had parents prone to feeling sorry for themselves, finding solace in alcohol and ultimately neglecting their kids. It took me a while realize their low self esteem and neglectfulness were a result of how they were raised. When my son was born in my early thirties it brought on a wave of emotions that I had compartmentalized until that point. With help, I realized that If this was going to stop, I would have to stop it with my own family, otherwise it would just continue.
Post: Coming Home
Link to comment from October 23, 2024
Yep, totally agree. Starting with the ‘Getting Going’ column in the WSJ to today, Jonathan always has a way of discussing personal finance in a way that was engaging, real and can be applied immediately. I never felt like I was being pitched something nor was he talking over my head. A couple of themes he highlighted that really stuck with me were -
Post: Something About Harry
Link to comment from October 18, 2024