Dave, I did this process a month ago and was able to complete it online. I received my first check very quickly, and they automatically took the Medicare premium from that check. I did have to call them afterwards to start my tax withholding from the amount, and as mentioned, they provide you with four options as to how much you want to withhold from each check. Painless and surprisingly straightforward.
Having paid 50 years into SS, I was happy to work until I reached 70 and then decide - what next? As it turned out I was let go in a downsizing at the age of 66. So after getting my head screwed on straight again I decided to retire. This personal experience left me with the thought that... Everyone should work as long as they have to in order to receive a secure retirement. After that, everyone should work as long as they want to. For each one of us it is different and I would not presume I know what is best for you or anyone else or the circumstances driving those decisions. I did what worked for me
Hard to imagine any trip being anything but magical. Here are my next two trips that I have booked, which may also provide some inspiration for an idea for you. They are both cruises as that has been an easy way to see many places without the need to worry about transportation, hotels, or dining.
Panama Canal Cruise - Miami, Bonaire, Curacao, Cartegana, Panama Canal, Panama City, Panama. 10 Days
Venice, Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Sorrento, Rome - 8 days
I have the trip booked. It's a Panama Canal Cruise that departs Miami and ends in Panama City, Panama, 10 Days Later. Along the way, it stops in Bonaire, Curacao, and Cartagena. The trip is on Seabourn with 600 other cruisers.
Having just looked at my portfolio YTD with the 1st Qtr in the books, I see that I have; SPY (S&P 500 ETF) -5.19% (60% Portfolio) BND (Intermediate Bond ETF) 1.79% (20% Portfolio) VEU (international Equity ETF) 6.29% (15% Portfolio) Cash 4% Annually (5% of Portfolio) For the last couple of years, I have wondered if having everything in equities would make me better off. Given the current environment, I sleep better with some diversification that seems to work to help balance it all out. Not sure there are any perfect answers - just ones that I can sleep with at night.
If I could pass along any advice, it would be to take time out for oneself. Being a better me is good for everyone in my life and once I started taking some time for myself, it was just amazing how it opened my relationships with others around me and became so much more meaningful. Be it exercise, a hobby, reading, a sport - just doing it for myself helped my outlook.,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. There are many ways to skin this cat but I am very much in the camp of keeping costs low and turnover minimal. I prefer the ETF camp over mutual funds and to keep the portfolio as simple as possible. My line-up is 55% SPY, 20% VEU, 20% BND, and 5% Cash and I use the 70/30 ratio as my comparative baseline - If I stay ahead of the 70/30 in the 1,3,5, and 10 years I am satisfied.
Same struggle here Ross. I am trying to decide on a new car and the $65K I will spend on what I want. In addition, I have planned a cruise that will take another $25K later this year. My current 2010 Audi Q5 has done well but has over 150,000 miles on it and is due for some costly repairs that will likely be close to $5K - so it is decision time. Please do not forget the additional insurance cost on the vehicle of choice as that will likely add a monthly amount that will stay with you for a while.
These are all good points but believe me when I say that if my wife got on an open forum to discuss our little arguments I will revert to an all-time classic for me - Happy Wife = Happy Life!
It seems, that living in the USA of 330M individuals we want a simple answer to a complicated problem. I admit I planned to work until 70 and could have easily accomplished that except I was let go in a downsizing at the age of 66. Not a good time to start looking for a 6 figure job. So I retired and fortunately like most of us here that was financially viable. But when it comes to working longer I would like to discuss two individuals that arguably have the most important and stressful jobs ever imagined. I will call them Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Both were in their 70's on taking on that very important job and we do not need to discuss their capabilities to do so but rather I would like to see what other job I would have liked to see them employed at. Would anyone here be thrilled to see either one in the cockpit on a flight you were about to take? How about showing up at a robbery with a gun in hand yelling Stop! Police? I shutter at the thought of running out of my burning house to have them show up with water hose in hand. Not sure what the thought would be if they showed up to start a roof replacement on my two-story house. We could raise the mandatory retirement age of the military to 65 and force them to stay that long to earn retirement. I suspect most of us lived lives in cushy mid-management or executive jobs sitting at our desks all day long in an air-conditioned building. I do think whatever Medicare or Social Security we have it should be very clear at the start of ones career to lay out the rules of the game and then never allow them to make changes for those that are in the game but only for new entrants into the game. Not a fan of any rules being changed once I am a player in that game. Once you know the rules and start the game - I would fully expect winners and losers. It is hard to make everyone a winner so not surprised there are whiners.
Comments
Dave, I did this process a month ago and was able to complete it online. I received my first check very quickly, and they automatically took the Medicare premium from that check. I did have to call them afterwards to start my tax withholding from the amount, and as mentioned, they provide you with four options as to how much you want to withhold from each check. Painless and surprisingly straightforward.
Post: Social Security Personal Update
Link to comment from June 13, 2025
Having paid 50 years into SS, I was happy to work until I reached 70 and then decide - what next? As it turned out I was let go in a downsizing at the age of 66. So after getting my head screwed on straight again I decided to retire. This personal experience left me with the thought that... Everyone should work as long as they have to in order to receive a secure retirement. After that, everyone should work as long as they want to. For each one of us it is different and I would not presume I know what is best for you or anyone else or the circumstances driving those decisions. I did what worked for me
Post: Change Lanes, Expand Your Wheelhouse, Learn Some New Tricks
Link to comment from June 11, 2025
Hard to imagine any trip being anything but magical. Here are my next two trips that I have booked, which may also provide some inspiration for an idea for you. They are both cruises as that has been an easy way to see many places without the need to worry about transportation, hotels, or dining.
- Panama Canal Cruise - Miami, Bonaire, Curacao, Cartegana, Panama Canal, Panama City, Panama. 10 Days
- Venice, Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Sorrento, Rome - 8 days
Safe Travels!Post: Trips in your “go go” years?
Link to comment from June 11, 2025
I have the trip booked. It's a Panama Canal Cruise that departs Miami and ends in Panama City, Panama, 10 Days Later. Along the way, it stops in Bonaire, Curacao, and Cartagena. The trip is on Seabourn with 600 other cruisers.
Post: Where Next? What Next?
Link to comment from April 3, 2025
Having just looked at my portfolio YTD with the 1st Qtr in the books, I see that I have; SPY (S&P 500 ETF) -5.19% (60% Portfolio) BND (Intermediate Bond ETF) 1.79% (20% Portfolio) VEU (international Equity ETF) 6.29% (15% Portfolio) Cash 4% Annually (5% of Portfolio) For the last couple of years, I have wondered if having everything in equities would make me better off. Given the current environment, I sleep better with some diversification that seems to work to help balance it all out. Not sure there are any perfect answers - just ones that I can sleep with at night.
Post: Seeking Certainty
Link to comment from March 30, 2025
If I could pass along any advice, it would be to take time out for oneself. Being a better me is good for everyone in my life and once I started taking some time for myself, it was just amazing how it opened my relationships with others around me and became so much more meaningful. Be it exercise, a hobby, reading, a sport - just doing it for myself helped my outlook.,
Post: Help Wanted
Link to comment from March 25, 2025
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. There are many ways to skin this cat but I am very much in the camp of keeping costs low and turnover minimal. I prefer the ETF camp over mutual funds and to keep the portfolio as simple as possible. My line-up is 55% SPY, 20% VEU, 20% BND, and 5% Cash and I use the 70/30 ratio as my comparative baseline - If I stay ahead of the 70/30 in the 1,3,5, and 10 years I am satisfied.
Post: Index Three Ways
Link to comment from March 22, 2025
Same struggle here Ross. I am trying to decide on a new car and the $65K I will spend on what I want. In addition, I have planned a cruise that will take another $25K later this year. My current 2010 Audi Q5 has done well but has over 150,000 miles on it and is due for some costly repairs that will likely be close to $5K - so it is decision time. Please do not forget the additional insurance cost on the vehicle of choice as that will likely add a monthly amount that will stay with you for a while.
Post: When to spend money
Link to comment from March 10, 2025
These are all good points but believe me when I say that if my wife got on an open forum to discuss our little arguments I will revert to an all-time classic for me - Happy Wife = Happy Life!
Post: Replacing the Replacement
Link to comment from March 6, 2025
It seems, that living in the USA of 330M individuals we want a simple answer to a complicated problem. I admit I planned to work until 70 and could have easily accomplished that except I was let go in a downsizing at the age of 66. Not a good time to start looking for a 6 figure job. So I retired and fortunately like most of us here that was financially viable. But when it comes to working longer I would like to discuss two individuals that arguably have the most important and stressful jobs ever imagined. I will call them Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Both were in their 70's on taking on that very important job and we do not need to discuss their capabilities to do so but rather I would like to see what other job I would have liked to see them employed at. Would anyone here be thrilled to see either one in the cockpit on a flight you were about to take? How about showing up at a robbery with a gun in hand yelling Stop! Police? I shutter at the thought of running out of my burning house to have them show up with water hose in hand. Not sure what the thought would be if they showed up to start a roof replacement on my two-story house. We could raise the mandatory retirement age of the military to 65 and force them to stay that long to earn retirement. I suspect most of us lived lives in cushy mid-management or executive jobs sitting at our desks all day long in an air-conditioned building. I do think whatever Medicare or Social Security we have it should be very clear at the start of ones career to lay out the rules of the game and then never allow them to make changes for those that are in the game but only for new entrants into the game. Not a fan of any rules being changed once I am a player in that game. Once you know the rules and start the game - I would fully expect winners and losers. It is hard to make everyone a winner so not surprised there are whiners.
Post: Solve This Problem
Link to comment from March 2, 2025