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Patrick Brennan

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    • Based on the list above, sounds like a form of insurance to me. Fine by me.

      Post: Scrap Social Security. I’ll invest what I pay in payroll taxes and do much better. SS is a scam. Really, asks RDQ

      Link to comment from February 15, 2025

    • Up until I was about 25 years old (1986) I spent every penny I made. At about that time my income began to exceed my lifestyle (decent car, decent 1 bedroom apt I furnished myself and, most importantly, golf clubs) so I was able to begin paying myself first via dollar cost averaging into equity mutual funds, etc., and the race was on. I hit my enough point and didn't care to spend my increasing disposable income on a whole lot more. I did buy a brand new 1987 Saab 900S when I had a perfectly good 1983 Toyota Celica ST, an indefeasible decision in many ways, but that Saab was one heck of a car. It lasted me until 2001. So, becoming a net saver wasn't all that hard for me because my circumstances were steadily improving.

      Post: Why Don’t Folks Save? By Jonathan Clements

      Link to comment from February 15, 2025

    • Both Heller and Vonnegut had been through WWII. Heller survived 60 combat missions as a B-25 bombardier, and Vonnegut was captured at the Battle of the Bulge and spent time as a POW. I suppose it's much easier to get to enough when you've survived those experiences.

      Post: Quinns visit to Mar-a-Lago

      Link to comment from February 15, 2025

    • I noticed in Boston people do this. They put still useful things out on the street and they disappear. Sort of a neat way to efficiently move items from those who don't want them to those who do.

      Post: My House Divided

      Link to comment from February 15, 2025

    • The crazy thing about indexing is that stocks get owned by the indexes simply because they exist. I've seen instances of companies that are frauds in plain sight, yet they were owned by the big firms like Vanguard, Fidelity, Black Rock, etc. because they had to own them. The founder of one of these frauds is still in jail. So, it's this mindless purchasing of company stock by index funds, regardless of what may be going on at the company, that has always seemed odd to me.

      Post: Blame Game

      Link to comment from February 9, 2025

    • Thanks John. Very helpful.

      Post: Trouble Ahead

      Link to comment from February 8, 2025

    • Our perception of time definitely speeds up as we grow older, a rather cruel thing. I remember time seemed in super slow motion when I was waiting to graduate from college. As a young boy, in church, it never could move fast enough. :) Now, it speeds by. Time is this inexorable dimension whose rate we can't control, yet we have some control over what we do with it. We talk about it like it's money. We talk about spending it, saving it, wasting it, even investing it. Why? I suppose because it has a great deal of value. As I soon hit 64 one thing is for sure--it's become very valuable to me and something I'm grateful for every day.

      Post: On My Own Time

      Link to comment from February 8, 2025

    • Since we went off the gold standard, so to speak, in 1971, the $ has been debased at about 7 to 8 percent annually. At a minimum, that's our hurdle rate if we don't want to fall behind. It's more than inflation as measured by the CPI. So yes, an iceberg in a very cold climate would be better.

      Post: Taking It Personally

      Link to comment from February 8, 2025

    • I was too chicken to put in more money other than my monthly dollar cost averaging into IRAs and college funds for my 4 kids.

      Post: Taking It Personally

      Link to comment from February 8, 2025

    • John, my kids, every year, seem to have a hard time deciding between Roth and Trad IRA contributions. Two of my boys max out their contributions every year and are tempted by the tax break on the Trad IRA. Would you recommend that, when in doubt, go Roth?

      Post: Trouble Ahead

      Link to comment from February 8, 2025

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