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.
Thanks for your timely input. I still need to spend time investigating CCRCs, which you helped put back on my to-do list. My spouse and I turn 69 this year and have not spent much time contemplating moving out of our home. You also hit a very timely subject with checking in on the past that has been bothering me lately. I am working on my Ancestry Tree at Ancestry.com and have most of it worked out. At issue is that I am one of 52 1st Cousins on my paternal side of the family. If I am honest with myself, other than my two brothers, I have no clue as to the status of the remaining 49. Many have passed on. Mostly without me even knowing about it. I have thought about reaching out to see if I can find and communicate with whatever family remains and struggle to get the excitement or energy to do so. I am left to ponder my next step...
My pets are a big part of my retirement lifestyle. They have their ups and downs like most other things we get into at retirement I guess. I have two Shiba Inu's (very stubborn dogs) and a very devious pound cat They all get together fairly well and they certainly bring a lot of joy to my wife and me. The dogs provide me with the necessity as well as the ability to take two long walks a day - I am not sure I would do that without them. Having them does come with a cost. I do budget my life fairly detailed and we spend right at $350 per month for pets. In addition, when we want to travel I seem to spend another $200 per day while gone for Pet care at a luxury pet spa and resort. I add that to my vacation costs when budgeting. I must say that these pets of mine do entertain me for about 4 hours per day and I have the time to devote to them so all in all a great way to spend retirement.
My experience is the same. I am much happier with the known costs of original Medicare with a Plan G Supplemental. I spend right at $1000 per month total for my spouse and me in addition to the approximate $500 annually we have in co-pays for Plan G and Part D prescription is included in that amount. I do have some IRMAA at the first tier to consider but based on our income there does not seem to be an easy way to eliminate that tax. My pain is the lack of a good Dental, Vision, and Hearing plan. It Seems like I spend a considerable amount there per year for two cleanings each and a set of eyeglasses each and it is looking like I will lay out at least $1000 this year for hearing aids. I am happy with my Original Medicare but if anyone knows of a good way to navigate Dental, Vision, and Hearing please let me know
Comments
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 by Jonathan Clements
Link to comment from March 2, 2025
Thanks for your timely input. I still need to spend time investigating CCRCs, which you helped put back on my to-do list. My spouse and I turn 69 this year and have not spent much time contemplating moving out of our home. You also hit a very timely subject with checking in on the past that has been bothering me lately. I am working on my Ancestry Tree at Ancestry.com and have most of it worked out. At issue is that I am one of 52 1st Cousins on my paternal side of the family. If I am honest with myself, other than my two brothers, I have no clue as to the status of the remaining 49. Many have passed on. Mostly without me even knowing about it. I have thought about reaching out to see if I can find and communicate with whatever family remains and struggle to get the excitement or energy to do so. I am left to ponder my next step...
Post: As Evening Approaches
Link to comment from February 15, 2025
My pets are a big part of my retirement lifestyle. They have their ups and downs like most other things we get into at retirement I guess. I have two Shiba Inu's (very stubborn dogs) and a very devious pound cat They all get together fairly well and they certainly bring a lot of joy to my wife and me. The dogs provide me with the necessity as well as the ability to take two long walks a day - I am not sure I would do that without them. Having them does come with a cost. I do budget my life fairly detailed and we spend right at $350 per month for pets. In addition, when we want to travel I seem to spend another $200 per day while gone for Pet care at a luxury pet spa and resort. I add that to my vacation costs when budgeting. I must say that these pets of mine do entertain me for about 4 hours per day and I have the time to devote to them so all in all a great way to spend retirement.
Post: Retirement Pets by Ken Cutler
Link to comment from October 26, 2024
My experience is the same. I am much happier with the known costs of original Medicare with a Plan G Supplemental. I spend right at $1000 per month total for my spouse and me in addition to the approximate $500 annually we have in co-pays for Plan G and Part D prescription is included in that amount. I do have some IRMAA at the first tier to consider but based on our income there does not seem to be an easy way to eliminate that tax. My pain is the lack of a good Dental, Vision, and Hearing plan. It Seems like I spend a considerable amount there per year for two cleanings each and a set of eyeglasses each and it is looking like I will lay out at least $1000 this year for hearing aids. I am happy with my Original Medicare but if anyone knows of a good way to navigate Dental, Vision, and Hearing please let me know
Post: Prefer the Original
Link to comment from October 26, 2024