Point made and taken. We sometime lose sight of how good we really have it. Let gratitude be the word of the day, not just for the economic wealth we enjoy, but for physical health that many of us still enjoy, even if it may not be 'perfect' health.
It is sad that the saying ' the good die young' applies here. To Jonathan's family my sincere condolences to you. May he soar on the wings of angels. RIP 🙏.
But we must not forget that is why the bucket strategy exists. Having the 3-4 years of expenses set in short term liquidity will be the mouth guard that quiets the teeth gnashing.
Hey, we all have one. Similar boat as you and quite vexing. Trying to not get triggered by their lack purpose and overall drifting isn't easy. Daily prayer and hope that the light bulb will come on one day is where we are currently. It could be worse, I guess.
Bill, you are spot on. We had to work with the plan admin to modify the systems in order to be compliant here at work. The one that gave me the biggest headache was the so called super catch up! when I broke it down it really only allows the participant between age 60-63 to save an additional $11250 over the three years and then back to the regular catch up. I don't get the point of doing this. When I put the $11k in my calculator assuming a rate of return of 8%, it grew to $43k. but at that point I am 83 years old. I just don't see the point of this.
Dick, all the key points are spot on. It really starts with estimating what your retirement spending will be. Once that’s clear, I look at it as “backing into your number” based on the calculations you outlined. In that context, working a bit longer and delaying Social Security can make a lot of sense if savings are on the lower side.
The one area I think is worth highlighting — and you didn’t touch on is part-time work. Even something like 15 hours a week can make a huge difference in stretching retirement dollars.
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,
Comments
Point made and taken. We sometime lose sight of how good we really have it. Let gratitude be the word of the day, not just for the economic wealth we enjoy, but for physical health that many of us still enjoy, even if it may not be 'perfect' health.
Post: The 1% Club: Our Unnoticed Wealth
Link to comment from September 26, 2025
It is sad that the saying ' the good die young' applies here. To Jonathan's family my sincere condolences to you. May he soar on the wings of angels. RIP 🙏.
Post: Farewell Friends
Link to comment from September 22, 2025
But we must not forget that is why the bucket strategy exists. Having the 3-4 years of expenses set in short term liquidity will be the mouth guard that quiets the teeth gnashing.
Post: The Gnashing of Teeth
Link to comment from September 21, 2025
Hey, we all have one. Similar boat as you and quite vexing. Trying to not get triggered by their lack purpose and overall drifting isn't easy. Daily prayer and hope that the light bulb will come on one day is where we are currently. It could be worse, I guess.
Post: The Catch-22 of Success: How Our Achievements Shape Our Children’s Choices
Link to comment from September 18, 2025
Bill, you are spot on. We had to work with the plan admin to modify the systems in order to be compliant here at work. The one that gave me the biggest headache was the so called super catch up! when I broke it down it really only allows the participant between age 60-63 to save an additional $11250 over the three years and then back to the regular catch up. I don't get the point of doing this. When I put the $11k in my calculator assuming a rate of return of 8%, it grew to $43k. but at that point I am 83 years old. I just don't see the point of this.
Post: Final Secure 2.0 regulations regarding catch up contributions
Link to comment from September 17, 2025
Dick, all the key points are spot on. It really starts with estimating what your retirement spending will be. Once that’s clear, I look at it as “backing into your number” based on the calculations you outlined. In that context, working a bit longer and delaying Social Security can make a lot of sense if savings are on the lower side. The one area I think is worth highlighting — and you didn’t touch on is part-time work. Even something like 15 hours a week can make a huge difference in stretching retirement dollars.
Post: There is no magic number – and it sure isn’t $1 million
Link to comment from September 11, 2025
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