Oh how much more precious life feels each day upon reading this! You've still got the great sense of humor which i guess nothing will take away. Peace to you and your family. Jonathan. Mike.
I read the article and I didn't care for the slant that dividends are inherently bad. Anytime it is an all or nothing proposal, I get a bit turned off. The author does make some good points that we should be aware of if we choose to invest in dividend paying stocks. I am not big dividend investor. My portfolio is tailored towards growth but I do own some individual stocks that pay a dividend. Yes, I have been the victim of poor timing which led to less than optimal tax implications. For some investors, especially those in retirement getting the dividend check monthly sorts of automates some of their retirement income rather than having to sell equities which requires more intentionality. I could see the value of having some dividends being swept into a retiree spending bucket each month, alleviating the need to sell the underlying investment. To me it is about options, some of which are better than others. I am happy you called this out though, as it causes me to think more strategically about dividends and the role I want them to play, something that had never crossed my mind before. I am 54, and probably 4 years from partial retirement.
Hey Sharon, the only think I can add here is to be mindful of not accumulating too many accounts as you 'chase' that yield. Sometimes multiple banks have different attractive offers and it become a pain with so many accounts to track. For fixed income, the major brokerage houses like Fidelity have some nice options and things are more or less in one place,
Everyone talks about the 8% annual increase in Social Security benefits if you wait until 70 but what about the opportunity cost of the payments you forgo in the meantime? That’s potentially eight years of income left on the table. Sure, the checks are smaller if you start earlier, but they’re real, consistent, and can be invested, spent, or used to reduce financial stress. Factor that in, and the so-called “8% guarantee” starts to look less compelling. Especially when you consider the very real possibility of passing away in your early 70s at which point the higher benefit never pays off. I still haven’t seen a convincing argument that waiting until 70 is universally the best move. It only makes sense if you need to delay retirement and rely on the larger checks to make ends meet. Otherwise, the math and the life risk tell a different story.
Great analysis. The other thing is that you lose some flexibility to deploy cash above the withdrawals for other purposes. I still cant wrap my head around how this make sense for folks with a basic understanding of investments. I dont think they are for me, but I won't yell at someone who chooses to buy one.
I'm no economist so your mileage may very well vary. The problem is that see it is that it is all or nothing. Instead if tariffs were used more surgically to target certain industries with the intention of building a domestic infrastructure to support such industries meaning having a labor pool and factories etc., there could be a place for them. What we have now feels chaotic and poorly thought out. This will result in higher costs to consumers as already mentioned. Secondly a global economy has the characteristics where some are producers and others are consumers. The US is a consumer driven economy which is a good thing and speaks to our standards of living compared to many other countries. To make us a producer of items to balance some arbitrary trade number is illogical at best and maybe pure stupidity at worse.
We all have different opinions and Dick is back at stirring the HD pot again! The smart play here is it depends on your why and you better have good reason to support the decision. One that can be defended in a debate. This question cannot be answered correctly in a vacuum.
I cam relate. As a parent of three wonderful children one of which has some mental and emotional challenges which we have been working through since he was 16. He's now 23. It was a struggle to get him to finish college but we are literally in the final week of school and he will graduate with his bachelor's degree. Without our support, he'd likely not even be alive, much less be a graduate. He's working a better than entry level job while he figures out next steps. It is not easy, he's not focused, can be emotionally unstable and just difficult. Yet his loving , respectful and he does trust us. So I help him automate his investments and savings with the hope that with time this will be a distant memory and he'll be on his way. He is welcome to stay with us but I'm hopeful he'll move into his own place even if we need to provide a substantial down payment towards a place. There are no easy answers and it takes a toll. To all the parents struggling with this dilemma, I'd say to you 'have no regrets, do as much as you can without compromising your core values'. I don't want to look back and wonder could I have done more....I'll be at peace no matter the outcome knowing I've done the best i can and then some.
Comments
Oh how much more precious life feels each day upon reading this! You've still got the great sense of humor which i guess nothing will take away. Peace to you and your family. Jonathan. Mike.
Post: Health Update
Link to comment from September 1, 2025
I read the article and I didn't care for the slant that dividends are inherently bad. Anytime it is an all or nothing proposal, I get a bit turned off. The author does make some good points that we should be aware of if we choose to invest in dividend paying stocks. I am not big dividend investor. My portfolio is tailored towards growth but I do own some individual stocks that pay a dividend. Yes, I have been the victim of poor timing which led to less than optimal tax implications. For some investors, especially those in retirement getting the dividend check monthly sorts of automates some of their retirement income rather than having to sell equities which requires more intentionality. I could see the value of having some dividends being swept into a retiree spending bucket each month, alleviating the need to sell the underlying investment. To me it is about options, some of which are better than others. I am happy you called this out though, as it causes me to think more strategically about dividends and the role I want them to play, something that had never crossed my mind before. I am 54, and probably 4 years from partial retirement.
Post: Dividends Part II – At least
Link to comment from August 24, 2025
Hey Sharon, the only think I can add here is to be mindful of not accumulating too many accounts as you 'chase' that yield. Sometimes multiple banks have different attractive offers and it become a pain with so many accounts to track. For fixed income, the major brokerage houses like Fidelity have some nice options and things are more or less in one place,
Post: Online Banks
Link to comment from August 24, 2025
I could do worse....
Post: Rehashing the age 70 thing. Tell Dear Dickie what is it that he doesn’t get about SS at age 70?
Link to comment from August 21, 2025
Everyone talks about the 8% annual increase in Social Security benefits if you wait until 70 but what about the opportunity cost of the payments you forgo in the meantime? That’s potentially eight years of income left on the table. Sure, the checks are smaller if you start earlier, but they’re real, consistent, and can be invested, spent, or used to reduce financial stress. Factor that in, and the so-called “8% guarantee” starts to look less compelling. Especially when you consider the very real possibility of passing away in your early 70s at which point the higher benefit never pays off. I still haven’t seen a convincing argument that waiting until 70 is universally the best move. It only makes sense if you need to delay retirement and rely on the larger checks to make ends meet. Otherwise, the math and the life risk tell a different story.
Post: Rehashing the age 70 thing. Tell Dear Dickie what is it that he doesn’t get about SS at age 70?
Link to comment from August 21, 2025
Great analysis. The other thing is that you lose some flexibility to deploy cash above the withdrawals for other purposes. I still cant wrap my head around how this make sense for folks with a basic understanding of investments. I dont think they are for me, but I won't yell at someone who chooses to buy one.
Post: Outliving Your Money? Let’s Do the Math on Annuities
Link to comment from August 14, 2025
I'm no economist so your mileage may very well vary. The problem is that see it is that it is all or nothing. Instead if tariffs were used more surgically to target certain industries with the intention of building a domestic infrastructure to support such industries meaning having a labor pool and factories etc., there could be a place for them. What we have now feels chaotic and poorly thought out. This will result in higher costs to consumers as already mentioned. Secondly a global economy has the characteristics where some are producers and others are consumers. The US is a consumer driven economy which is a good thing and speaks to our standards of living compared to many other countries. To make us a producer of items to balance some arbitrary trade number is illogical at best and maybe pure stupidity at worse.
Post: Tariffs and PPP (People Purchasing Power)
Link to comment from August 13, 2025
Think about it, they want to keep your money, so they make it difficult as possible to transfer the funds somewhere else. Stickiness and Greediness.
Post: In Short-Term Limbo
Link to comment from July 24, 2025
We all have different opinions and Dick is back at stirring the HD pot again! The smart play here is it depends on your why and you better have good reason to support the decision. One that can be defended in a debate. This question cannot be answered correctly in a vacuum.
Post: Help! Why is the total lifetime accumulated Social Security benefit more important than the monthly amount?
Link to comment from July 24, 2025
I cam relate. As a parent of three wonderful children one of which has some mental and emotional challenges which we have been working through since he was 16. He's now 23. It was a struggle to get him to finish college but we are literally in the final week of school and he will graduate with his bachelor's degree. Without our support, he'd likely not even be alive, much less be a graduate. He's working a better than entry level job while he figures out next steps. It is not easy, he's not focused, can be emotionally unstable and just difficult. Yet his loving , respectful and he does trust us. So I help him automate his investments and savings with the hope that with time this will be a distant memory and he'll be on his way. He is welcome to stay with us but I'm hopeful he'll move into his own place even if we need to provide a substantial down payment towards a place. There are no easy answers and it takes a toll. To all the parents struggling with this dilemma, I'd say to you 'have no regrets, do as much as you can without compromising your core values'. I don't want to look back and wonder could I have done more....I'll be at peace no matter the outcome knowing I've done the best i can and then some.
Post: Family Dynamics, Part 2: Supporting Adult Children
Link to comment from July 23, 2025