From a self-interested viewpoint the only thing that matters is your personal fees. If others want to avail themselves of the more expensive fees of brokerage firms that is their business.
Reagan signed 1983 SS bill in April of 1983 when the program's actuaries said the program was 3 months away from being unable to pay full benefits. Congress is at least as ineffective now as it was then
Insurance companies generally do not make data on denied claims available to the public. However, an analysis based on federal health insurance marketplace data found the following health insurance denial rates by company:
I think you may simply have different notions of withdrawals. If you have an emergency it wouldn't be wrong to say that you had to withdraw monet from your emergency fund. And if you need to replenish your emergency fund you will need to "withdraw" funds from elsewhere.
You have to report gifts over $19,000 (Form 709) but the excess will only reduce your inheritance exclusion which is currently just under $14 million. There is no effect on your current taxes.
You are wrong. I suggest you read the following article by Bengen in which he both describes the problem with assuming constant average returns and his findings using actual historical data.
https://kyestates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Bengen1.pdf
The one exception is psychiatrists--only about 1/3 accept Medicare. When I needed a hand surgeon some time ago I checked out the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) because of its reputation and found that a few surgeons didn't take any insurance and that several were non-PAR providers. But overall I haven't had problems finding excellent physicians who take Medicare.
Benz and colleagues indicate that their estimates only apply to people starting retirement. However, these numbers aren’t meant to imply that people who are already retired should shift their spending up or down from year to year; rather, they represent our best estimate of the starting safe withdrawal rate for a person currently embarking on retirement. https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/whats-safe-retirement-withdrawal-rate-2026
Comments
Did you pay all after taking inflation into account?
Post: Do seniors deserve more … at the expense of younger citizens?
Link to comment from January 27, 2026
From a self-interested viewpoint the only thing that matters is your personal fees. If others want to avail themselves of the more expensive fees of brokerage firms that is their business.
Post: Brokerage profit drivers
Link to comment from January 27, 2026
You actually went a few days without criticizing others but I knew it wouldn't last.
Post: Money to burn?
Link to comment from January 26, 2026
Reagan signed 1983 SS bill in April of 1983 when the program's actuaries said the program was 3 months away from being unable to pay full benefits. Congress is at least as ineffective now as it was then
Post: Social Security is not going bankrupt, but that is not the full story
Link to comment from January 24, 2026
Insurance companies generally do not make data on denied claims available to the public. However, an analysis based on federal health insurance marketplace data found the following health insurance denial rates by company:
- UnitedHealthcare: 33%
- AvMed: 33%
- Sendero Health Plans: 28%
- Molina Healthcare: 26%
- Community First Insurance Plans: 26%
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care: 25%
- SummaCare: 25%
- Anthem: 23%
- Medica: 23%
- Aetna: 22%
- Cigna: 21%
- CareSource: 21%
- BlueCross BlueShield: 20%
https://www.wallaceinsurancelaw.com/health-insurance-denial-rates-by-company/Post: Overpaid?
Link to comment from January 19, 2026
I think you may simply have different notions of withdrawals. If you have an emergency it wouldn't be wrong to say that you had to withdraw monet from your emergency fund. And if you need to replenish your emergency fund you will need to "withdraw" funds from elsewhere.
Post: RMDs, account withdrawals, 4% simplified- MAYBE?
Link to comment from January 17, 2026
You have to report gifts over $19,000 (Form 709) but the excess will only reduce your inheritance exclusion which is currently just under $14 million. There is no effect on your current taxes.
Post: Tell me my error in thinking
Link to comment from January 17, 2026
You are wrong. I suggest you read the following article by Bengen in which he both describes the problem with assuming constant average returns and his findings using actual historical data. https://kyestates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Bengen1.pdf
Post: Considering a Lost Decade When Retirement Planning
Link to comment from January 15, 2026
The one exception is psychiatrists--only about 1/3 accept Medicare. When I needed a hand surgeon some time ago I checked out the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) because of its reputation and found that a few surgeons didn't take any insurance and that several were non-PAR providers. But overall I haven't had problems finding excellent physicians who take Medicare.
Post: How important is planning for Medicare premiums in retirement? VERY!
Link to comment from January 14, 2026
Benz and colleagues indicate that their estimates only apply to people starting retirement. However, these numbers aren’t meant to imply that people who are already retired should shift their spending up or down from year to year; rather, they represent our best estimate of the starting safe withdrawal rate for a person currently embarking on retirement. https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/whats-safe-retirement-withdrawal-rate-2026
Post: RMDs, account withdrawals, 4% simplified- MAYBE?
Link to comment from January 13, 2026