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Andrew Norris

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    • A painting by Jack B Yeats (brother of William Butler Yeats) in a shop in Dublin in the late 80's before he was "known". The $1,000 price was steep but in retrospect I could have managed it. Now it is in the millions. The painting was/is one I could relate to - a beach I spent summers at as a child. And it is a good painting ... it is not the money that I regret but the possibility of having a painting I could relate to but that was slightly out of my reach.

      Post: Hardly Missed

      Link to comment from November 30, 2024

    • Very good points, especially the reminder about Japan. Thank you! Mutual funds are the way to go for foreign stocks as I have learned the hard way. International stocks can fail for reasons we'd never expect of US ones. My biggest lesson involved Gazprom and Norilsk, low PE, high dividend stable Russian stocks. Both cratered when Russia invaded Ukraine, leaving foreign holders high and dry (but not Russians!) Fortunately, those were small plays compared with the approx 10% in Vanguard's VWILX and TIAA's QCGLIX, both global funds.

      Post: Stuck at Home

      Link to comment from November 24, 2024

    • Great article - thank you! Comment re Roth conversion timing. I've been doing it for last few years, just trying to stay within the tax bracket we'd be in otherwise, and so far so good. However, I have been lazy in delaying the conversion until the end of the year (December). In retrospect, I should be doing them earlier in the year. 2024 is a great example: had I done the conversion in January I would have the 15% or more the market has gone up as a tax free gain. By delaying until December I am paying tax on the gain, essentially.

      Post: A Taxing Retirement

      Link to comment from November 17, 2024

    • Sorry to hear of the complications from cancer - pulmonary embolisms are a non-trivial matter. I had a PE incident in 2013 - caused by a sprained ankle in tennis (same as Venus Williams, a much better player!) that ended up two weeks later as clots in the lungs. We had planned to go to France for a 3 month visit to a university but the doc prohibited flying. My wife booked us on the Queen Mary from NYC to Southampton, which was marvelous. An unexpected bonus from the PE.

      Post: Eyeing the End by Jonathan Clements

      Link to comment from October 26, 2024

    • There have been a few but not many end of life self chronicles; one that springs to mind is Christopher Hitchens not so long ago. Perhaps more typical is the spouse's story, and I'm in that category. My wife is in at-home hospice,dependent on 24-7 care for all ADLs. I keep friends and relatives up-to-date on how it is going. Paying for this and trying to plan for my overdue retirement - delayed so I continue to get a paycheck that helps with the expenses - is a story in itself, but one that is not uncommon, as I know from dementia carers groups.

      Post: Eyeing the End by Jonathan Clements

      Link to comment from October 26, 2024

    • re #4 sometimes spending on your home can be a good investment. Hopefully the house is worth more because of it. That is a good feeling in the long run

      Post: My Spending Rules

      Link to comment from September 28, 2024

    • I only learned of Jonathan through a recent article in the NYT . I wish I had known of him earlier! I am also 68, having moved to the US from Ireland in 1978, and have been lucky in that both my and my wife's careers were successful, to the extent that even though she is now in home hospice I can cover the considerable expenses. Due to her situation, and the fact that she was the finance wiz, I have had a sort of parallel path to Jonathan's, but far less stressful: simplifying accounts, explaining to the two children the various accounts, and preparing everything for the inevitable. Apart from the nature/nurture/etc luck that we have had, I also point to the fact that we were the first generation to ride the 401(k) / IRA wave that began in the '80s, around the start of our careers. We rode the wave, maxing contributions, never buying a new car, frugal but enjoying life (Europe every summer). On a side note, after learning about Jonathan I did some research - he lived in Metuchen NJ, not far from me. He (or someone with his name) competed in a 5k there some 20+ years ago, with an impressive time of sub 7 minute miles! I might have been in a 5k with him somewhere in central NJ but was certainly not in his league. I still do races, but sub 10 minute/mile is my goal now.

      Post: Feeling Lucky by Jonathan Clements

      Link to comment from July 27, 2024

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