Thanks Dan for that stat. I think I’m ready to start e-filing :)
(btw, why in the world would I have a down arrow down arrow on my comment above 🤔 … not directed at you, Dan, just a general question ;))
RQ,
You may have mentioned in previous articles/comments on HD, so I apologize if I missed it, but am curious do you do your own taxes and what software do you use? Also, curious if you e-file or not. I’m a longtime user of TurboTax and haven’t taken the plunge on e-filing (an embedded mistrust I can’t seem to shake 🤷♂️).
Kathy, I had a similar mortgage situation in the early 90s. Started with a 30-yr mortgage @10% ( putting only10% down required PMI :( ).
After two years rates came down, so refinanced to a 15-yr loan @7.5%.
Result was I knocked 13 years off the loan and got rid of PMI. In addition, the new P+I was the same as the P+I+PMI. An absolute no brainer :)!
Haha ‘long lost aunt’…
Wow, sorry to hear that. There are a few (several?) cliffs in the tax code that should’ve been addressed in last bill (IRMAA, child care). Curious if your situation was avoidable or was just an unfortunate case based on how your income(s) shook out?
Good article and good discussion. I heard this while listening to a Jesse Cramer podcast with Jeremy Keil (Longevity and Retirement | E127). Jeremy framed the struggle with being a saver, and then trying to become a spender like this: you’re not a saver, you’re not a spender; you are a planner - - - before retirement and after retirement. Jeremy continued…Planning before retirement your tool was saving. Planning after retirement your tool is spending. (We seem to be all planners, which is consistently on display in the many articles and thoughtful comments on HD.) Hopefully, this resonates with you all as it did me. I found it a nice framing and thought I would pass along.
Comments
Thanks Dan for that stat. I think I’m ready to start e-filing :) (btw, why in the world would I have a down arrow down arrow on my comment above 🤔 … not directed at you, Dan, just a general question ;))
Post: Checks and Balances
Link to comment from January 30, 2026
Ok, coming from you is reassuring. Thanks.
Post: Checks and Balances
Link to comment from January 29, 2026
RQ, You may have mentioned in previous articles/comments on HD, so I apologize if I missed it, but am curious do you do your own taxes and what software do you use? Also, curious if you e-file or not. I’m a longtime user of TurboTax and haven’t taken the plunge on e-filing (an embedded mistrust I can’t seem to shake 🤷♂️).
Post: Checks and Balances
Link to comment from January 29, 2026
Kathy, I had a similar mortgage situation in the early 90s. Started with a 30-yr mortgage @10% ( putting only10% down required PMI :( ). After two years rates came down, so refinanced to a 15-yr loan @7.5%. Result was I knocked 13 years off the loan and got rid of PMI. In addition, the new P+I was the same as the P+I+PMI. An absolute no brainer :)!
Post: The $8,000 Cost of Peace of Mind
Link to comment from January 29, 2026
Insightful, well written, Mark
Post: The $8,000 Cost of Peace of Mind
Link to comment from January 29, 2026
Haha ‘long lost aunt’… Wow, sorry to hear that. There are a few (several?) cliffs in the tax code that should’ve been addressed in last bill (IRMAA, child care). Curious if your situation was avoidable or was just an unfortunate case based on how your income(s) shook out?
Post: Social Security is not going bankrupt, but that is not the full story
Link to comment from January 29, 2026
i agree. We don’t need or want this on HD.
Post: Financial Happiness
Link to comment from January 28, 2026
Good article and good discussion. I heard this while listening to a Jesse Cramer podcast with Jeremy Keil (Longevity and Retirement | E127). Jeremy framed the struggle with being a saver, and then trying to become a spender like this: you’re not a saver, you’re not a spender; you are a planner - - - before retirement and after retirement. Jeremy continued…Planning before retirement your tool was saving. Planning after retirement your tool is spending. (We seem to be all planners, which is consistently on display in the many articles and thoughtful comments on HD.) Hopefully, this resonates with you all as it did me. I found it a nice framing and thought I would pass along.
Post: Spending Without Guilt: An Overlooked Retirement Skill
Link to comment from January 28, 2026
Would you care to expound on your guard rail method (percentages, timeframes, …)? Thanks in advance.
Post: Spending Without Guilt: An Overlooked Retirement Skill
Link to comment from January 28, 2026
Still hoping someone answers johny’s question(s) :). Also, posing this question…at a SWR of ~4%, does 60/40 imply that you have ~10 years covered?
Post: Considering a Lost Decade When Retirement Planning
Link to comment from January 28, 2026