To add to the list of adjectives (purposeful, productive, useful, busy) we might need to feel we still have in retirement, I would add “mattering”. I can’t recall where I’ve read this but it really hit home for me. I’m 61 and planning to retire from a 30+ year engineering career next year. I’ve been fortunate to work with awesome partners on interesting projects with great clients, so I definitely feel like I’ve “mattered” in my career. In short, I’m equally excited and terrified about retirement. I’ve gone part-time as a transition and that’s been great. However I struggle to articulate how I will answer the inevitable “what do you do” question once I’m fully retired next year. Do I need another “job”, maybe buy some rental properties, ramp up volunteering, or just travel and visit friends and family? My wife will continue to work but it’s not a terribly demanding gig that she can do from anywhere and she loves it, so I wouldn’t encourage her to retire anytime soon. I know the retirement transition is different for everyone, and I’m grateful for the HD community to help me think about what it might look like for me.
Thanks for this - I pointed out this issue to my accountant (didn't review the draft return, just pointed out the potential issue), and got the following message back: I have reviewed all of your 1099 dividend holdings and compared that to what we deducted on the Schedule S of the NC return. While some of the US Treasury interest was deducted on Schedule S, it appears as though we missed some mainly from the Fidelity account. The difference is about $18k more US Treasury interest that can be deducted on the NC return and about $700 of NC tax savings. I'll take $700 anytime. Thanks again!
I agree that Vanguard Advisors seems like the clear winner in this scenario, but I will offer that there are good flat-fee advisors out there that can be comparable to Vanguard’s fees (at certain asset levels) and provide solid advice in line with the Humble Dollar ethos. We retained one that would be familiar to readers here, and have been very pleased so far. While we were in good shape thanks to great advice discerned over the years from Jonathan and others on this forum, our advisor is helping us navigate some tricky stuff as I approach retirement and start selling back company stock. He and his team would also provide good guidance should I pre-decease my wife, since I’ve been on point for our financial planning throughout our marriage, and that gives me great comfort.
Yes but Consumer Reports loves the Mazda Miata 😁 - that was the gift to ourselves once our kids were fully educated and gainfully employed. Ragtop, stick shift, and no regrets so far!
I don’t know about CFPs in Philly but I would consider engaging an advisor elsewhere if you find the right person / company. I live in NC and have a flat-fee advisor in MA, and we meet by Zoom - it works fine for us. We found our advisor through Humble Dollar (happens to be the new editor) and it’s worked out well so far.
No disrespect, but a three-ton tank is safe only for those in that vehicle - it’s a death-mobile in an impact with normal to smaller vehicles, an even worse for pedestrians and people on bikes.
Thanks for the thoughtful post. After thirty years of intense work with my firm, I started part time this week (not working Fridays). The decision to try part-time as a transition to retirement was informed in no small part by the discourse here on Humble Dollar. Too soon for me to provide any findings, but I was definitely not bored yesterday on my first Friday off. Thanks again!
My 22-year-old daughter in Denver just mentioned to me that she and her roommate had questions about retirement plans as they were signing up in their new jobs. They pulled out the book I had given my daughter (How to Think About Money) and found the answers they needed. I didn’t ask what the questions were because I knew they had better advice in their hands than anything I could provide. Jonathan, your impact goes way beyond the pages of HumbleDollar!
Another engineer here, and I have to agree with Braddo about the American size/weight arms race degrading safety nationwide. Trucks and SUV's also have increased hood heights (basically for cosmetic reasons) and this has been documented to increase pedestrian fatalities substantially. Unfortunately, pedestrians will continue to get hit every day, and the higher grills mean that their vital organs are being struck, turning minor injuries into fatalities.
Comments
To add to the list of adjectives (purposeful, productive, useful, busy) we might need to feel we still have in retirement, I would add “mattering”. I can’t recall where I’ve read this but it really hit home for me. I’m 61 and planning to retire from a 30+ year engineering career next year. I’ve been fortunate to work with awesome partners on interesting projects with great clients, so I definitely feel like I’ve “mattered” in my career. In short, I’m equally excited and terrified about retirement. I’ve gone part-time as a transition and that’s been great. However I struggle to articulate how I will answer the inevitable “what do you do” question once I’m fully retired next year. Do I need another “job”, maybe buy some rental properties, ramp up volunteering, or just travel and visit friends and family? My wife will continue to work but it’s not a terribly demanding gig that she can do from anywhere and she loves it, so I wouldn’t encourage her to retire anytime soon. I know the retirement transition is different for everyone, and I’m grateful for the HD community to help me think about what it might look like for me.
Post: Haunted Head
Link to comment from July 11, 2026
Thanks for this - I pointed out this issue to my accountant (didn't review the draft return, just pointed out the potential issue), and got the following message back: I have reviewed all of your 1099 dividend holdings and compared that to what we deducted on the Schedule S of the NC return. While some of the US Treasury interest was deducted on Schedule S, it appears as though we missed some mainly from the Fidelity account. The difference is about $18k more US Treasury interest that can be deducted on the NC return and about $700 of NC tax savings. I'll take $700 anytime. Thanks again!
Post: Treasury Tax Reporting
Link to comment from March 30, 2026
I agree that Vanguard Advisors seems like the clear winner in this scenario, but I will offer that there are good flat-fee advisors out there that can be comparable to Vanguard’s fees (at certain asset levels) and provide solid advice in line with the Humble Dollar ethos. We retained one that would be familiar to readers here, and have been very pleased so far. While we were in good shape thanks to great advice discerned over the years from Jonathan and others on this forum, our advisor is helping us navigate some tricky stuff as I approach retirement and start selling back company stock. He and his team would also provide good guidance should I pre-decease my wife, since I’ve been on point for our financial planning throughout our marriage, and that gives me great comfort.
Post: The High Cost of Financial Advice: A Tale of Two Portfolios
Link to comment from July 12, 2025
Yes but Consumer Reports loves the Mazda Miata 😁 - that was the gift to ourselves once our kids were fully educated and gainfully employed. Ragtop, stick shift, and no regrets so far!
Post: Stepping In It
Link to comment from May 31, 2025
I don’t know about CFPs in Philly but I would consider engaging an advisor elsewhere if you find the right person / company. I live in NC and have a flat-fee advisor in MA, and we meet by Zoom - it works fine for us. We found our advisor through Humble Dollar (happens to be the new editor) and it’s worked out well so far.
Post: The Silent Compounding Cost of a 1% Fee
Link to comment from May 18, 2025
No disrespect, but a three-ton tank is safe only for those in that vehicle - it’s a death-mobile in an impact with normal to smaller vehicles, an even worse for pedestrians and people on bikes.
Post: Car talk- Quinn likes friendliness
Link to comment from April 20, 2025
Here's my SWAG:
Post: How’s Your Crystal Ball?
Link to comment from April 6, 2025
Thanks for the thoughtful post. After thirty years of intense work with my firm, I started part time this week (not working Fridays). The decision to try part-time as a transition to retirement was informed in no small part by the discourse here on Humble Dollar. Too soon for me to provide any findings, but I was definitely not bored yesterday on my first Friday off. Thanks again!
Post: Revising Retirement
Link to comment from January 4, 2025
My 22-year-old daughter in Denver just mentioned to me that she and her roommate had questions about retirement plans as they were signing up in their new jobs. They pulled out the book I had given my daughter (How to Think About Money) and found the answers they needed. I didn’t ask what the questions were because I knew they had better advice in their hands than anything I could provide. Jonathan, your impact goes way beyond the pages of HumbleDollar!
Post: No Regrets
Link to comment from September 7, 2024
Another engineer here, and I have to agree with Braddo about the American size/weight arms race degrading safety nationwide. Trucks and SUV's also have increased hood heights (basically for cosmetic reasons) and this has been documented to increase pedestrian fatalities substantially. Unfortunately, pedestrians will continue to get hit every day, and the higher grills mean that their vital organs are being struck, turning minor injuries into fatalities.
Post: Connor suffers from new car envy
Link to comment from August 4, 2024