Quinny, typically I agree with you 💯% of the time. I think you miss an important point. People don't mind paying their fair share. The issue is the waste and grift which they see resulting in wasted $$. That's the rub. We have a pending amendment in Florida on the property tax issue. Ill vote for it, not because I think we should not be taxed, but a message needs to be sent that they should not treat residents as an unlimited piggy bank. Oink...
The verbal password to transact is a must. My identity has been stolen, so anyone can provide my social security number and other personal information. They can't provide the verbal password. As disconcerting as it is, this is our reality.
This post reminds me of what's really important. Wishing for a full recovery. As a parent, we all want our kids to be better than us. I'll never apologize for doing anything i can to make their lives easier, anything short of enabling bad behavior. Pulling for them all. Mike.
Great article, the calculations make things so clear. And, the traditional performed better because as you stated, you put more funds in. The real test is 20 years down the road when the balance has grown significantly and you need to withdraw money from all your accounts, your tax rate then determines if this is a good move or not. I love Roth accounts but this year I had to stop contributing to our Roth 401ks because we were paying a 38.8% premium to that because our income was high. I don't think I'll be paying that rate in retirement. Still, I'm happy that about 17% of our retirement assets are in Roth accounts. That plus conversions in few years should allow us great flexibility. It's not black and white and running the calcs helps make a good decision.
Heidi! Very timely post. Missus and me are in the same boat. We work for large companies with great health plans. We are 10 years out from qualifying for Medicare, but here we are contemplating early retirement. One of the things I have tossed around is this and it maybe something else you might keep in your tool box. We plan to retire at aged 57 and take COBRA because even with us paying full rates, it's gold standard health insurance and the full premiums would be comparable to a market place plan. At aged 57, we do get a small subsidy of about $4k per year towards health costs. Once COBRA at the current employer runs out, I might just take a role for 6-12 mos somewhere else, hop on their insurance, then do COBRA again for another 18 months. Then the missus can take a turn. This is hoping we can get hired, she's an RN, so that's in our favor. I could potentially take a job working retail at Home Depot or one of the chains and play the COBRA carousel. Just another path to consider. Of course it makes sense to compare ACA vs COBRA to see what make the most sense, but that's another option that most do not consider. Good luck and let us know how things go.
That strategy of tax loss harvesting and locking in losses intentionally can seem counter intuitive, but you are basically having the government subsidize your move from one equity which is under water or no longer suitable to a different one and using those losses to offset gains or even up to $3000 of ordinary income each year. I sued to think , I will just wait for it to come back... that is no longer my stance, if it is under water and there are better options, I sell at a loss, book the offset and move on. Waiting for the investment to even get back to par is a losing proposition in most cases.
Long time Employee Relations leader's (fortune 100 company) point of view. Take the comp. If you find another job don't tell them, they don't really want to know anyways. The language you described is standard in every severance agreement, in 25 plus years, I have yet to see it enforced. This isn't morally wrong or anything like that, it's how some attorney decided to write the agreement up because it sounds good on paper but they can't enforce it and don't care too. Enjoy the next stage in life.
I recognize that financial planning isn't a one size fits all strategy. I assume we all accept that reality. I'm no fan of annuities and my calculations say they are a bad deal for most. However, the peace of mind that it gives some cannot be underestimated. I'd never buy one because as Roth states, I can create my own income streams at a much lower cost while retainingcontrolof my money. Some people may think an annuity is beneficial to them and it's the job of the advisor to point out all the options available and help them chart the best course. All that said, I understand the point made by Roth but I have no issues if folks want annuities if it makes them sleep better at night.
One can only be miserable for so long until that becomes who you are
..Just a miserable curmudgeon. You will be miserable even when it recovers claiming it didn't do sa fast enough blah, blah. The more normal folks may even panic at first but will adjust as they realize the worse case scenario is still manageable. I'd like to think I'm not a perpetual curmudgeon and after some hand ringing I'd go on with life.
My parents are in their late 70s and we are in our mid fifties. I made our parents prepare wills and POAs. I told them I don't need to be guessing about their wishes and my job was to execute exactly as they wanted. My sister lives in England and she told them she trusts me to handle things. We both are ok financially and anything we inherit from our parents is gravy in the biscuit. I was clear with my parents that if they left me a mess to figure out, I'd let it all go the state, so have a freaking plan! Got the estate planning done post haste. Now, its a non issue.
Comments
Quinny, typically I agree with you 💯% of the time. I think you miss an important point. People don't mind paying their fair share. The issue is the waste and grift which they see resulting in wasted $$. That's the rub. We have a pending amendment in Florida on the property tax issue. Ill vote for it, not because I think we should not be taxed, but a message needs to be sent that they should not treat residents as an unlimited piggy bank. Oink...
Post: What I think about taxes- all kinds of taxes
Link to comment from September 22, 2026
The verbal password to transact is a must. My identity has been stolen, so anyone can provide my social security number and other personal information. They can't provide the verbal password. As disconcerting as it is, this is our reality.
Post: Two Fraudulent Attempts to Withdraw Funds in Two Days
Link to comment from September 22, 2026
This post reminds me of what's really important. Wishing for a full recovery. As a parent, we all want our kids to be better than us. I'll never apologize for doing anything i can to make their lives easier, anything short of enabling bad behavior. Pulling for them all. Mike.
Post: What would you do if you received this text from your child as I did this morning?Â
Link to comment from September 17, 2026
Great article, the calculations make things so clear. And, the traditional performed better because as you stated, you put more funds in. The real test is 20 years down the road when the balance has grown significantly and you need to withdraw money from all your accounts, your tax rate then determines if this is a good move or not. I love Roth accounts but this year I had to stop contributing to our Roth 401ks because we were paying a 38.8% premium to that because our income was high. I don't think I'll be paying that rate in retirement. Still, I'm happy that about 17% of our retirement assets are in Roth accounts. That plus conversions in few years should allow us great flexibility. It's not black and white and running the calcs helps make a good decision.
Post: Traditional or Roth
Link to comment from August 29, 2026
Heidi! Very timely post. Missus and me are in the same boat. We work for large companies with great health plans. We are 10 years out from qualifying for Medicare, but here we are contemplating early retirement. One of the things I have tossed around is this and it maybe something else you might keep in your tool box. We plan to retire at aged 57 and take COBRA because even with us paying full rates, it's gold standard health insurance and the full premiums would be comparable to a market place plan. At aged 57, we do get a small subsidy of about $4k per year towards health costs. Once COBRA at the current employer runs out, I might just take a role for 6-12 mos somewhere else, hop on their insurance, then do COBRA again for another 18 months. Then the missus can take a turn. This is hoping we can get hired, she's an RN, so that's in our favor. I could potentially take a job working retail at Home Depot or one of the chains and play the COBRA carousel. Just another path to consider. Of course it makes sense to compare ACA vs COBRA to see what make the most sense, but that's another option that most do not consider. Good luck and let us know how things go.
Post: COBRA insurance: No need to fear the bite
Link to comment from August 18, 2026
That strategy of tax loss harvesting and locking in losses intentionally can seem counter intuitive, but you are basically having the government subsidize your move from one equity which is under water or no longer suitable to a different one and using those losses to offset gains or even up to $3000 of ordinary income each year. I sued to think , I will just wait for it to come back... that is no longer my stance, if it is under water and there are better options, I sell at a loss, book the offset and move on. Waiting for the investment to even get back to par is a losing proposition in most cases.
Post: Taking a Loss?
Link to comment from July 29, 2026
Long time Employee Relations leader's (fortune 100 company) point of view. Take the comp. If you find another job don't tell them, they don't really want to know anyways. The language you described is standard in every severance agreement, in 25 plus years, I have yet to see it enforced. This isn't morally wrong or anything like that, it's how some attorney decided to write the agreement up because it sounds good on paper but they can't enforce it and don't care too. Enjoy the next stage in life.
Post: Fear of the Unknown…
Link to comment from July 23, 2026
I recognize that financial planning isn't a one size fits all strategy. I assume we all accept that reality. I'm no fan of annuities and my calculations say they are a bad deal for most. However, the peace of mind that it gives some cannot be underestimated. I'd never buy one because as Roth states, I can create my own income streams at a much lower cost while retainingcontrolof my money. Some people may think an annuity is beneficial to them and it's the job of the advisor to point out all the options available and help them chart the best course. All that said, I understand the point made by Roth but I have no issues if folks want annuities if it makes them sleep better at night.
Post: Better Alternatives to Buying an Annuity
Link to comment from June 11, 2026
One can only be miserable for so long until that becomes who you are ..Just a miserable curmudgeon. You will be miserable even when it recovers claiming it didn't do sa fast enough blah, blah. The more normal folks may even panic at first but will adjust as they realize the worse case scenario is still manageable. I'd like to think I'm not a perpetual curmudgeon and after some hand ringing I'd go on with life.
Post: Would You Be Miserable?
Link to comment from June 9, 2026
My parents are in their late 70s and we are in our mid fifties. I made our parents prepare wills and POAs. I told them I don't need to be guessing about their wishes and my job was to execute exactly as they wanted. My sister lives in England and she told them she trusts me to handle things. We both are ok financially and anything we inherit from our parents is gravy in the biscuit. I was clear with my parents that if they left me a mess to figure out, I'd let it all go the state, so have a freaking plan! Got the estate planning done post haste. Now, its a non issue.
Post: Time to share our financial info with children?
Link to comment from June 8, 2026