In 2013(?) when our airline chose to follow the herd (meaning declare bankruptcy to shed itself of pension obligations), I was in a panic (airline pilots can't just throw out a resume and rejoin a corporate ladder equal to where they happened to be at their last gig. They start from the bottom all over again...but I digress). In my panic, I discovered the DGI (Dividend Growth Investing) crowd over at Seeking Alpha and haven't looked back. Yes, in a booming market you would be very successful in the S&P 500, more so than with a Blue Chip dividend portfolio. But we sleep very well with our dividends (now DHI, Dividend "Harvesting" Investments). Everything, including our 20-year Treasury ladder (roughly 40%), yields 3.84%, has an annual dividend growth of 4.2% over the last 5 years (beating inflation if I am not mistaken), and a portfolio Beta of just 0.63. We never have to sell a share to pay a bill. And the one time I took a profit (LLY), I regretted doing so. The "dividend machine" (#shares) was smaller, and LLY recovered, so we didn't participate as much in their latest rally. This isn't for everyone, but you certainly can come close (not chasing yield!!) with ETFs like SCHD, VYM, and FDVV. The best approach IMHO is a "both and". Focus on dividend growers, but don't chase yield. And have some growth-oriented stocks to fortify your portfolio (think VUG). Still diversify across the board (think VYMI or VIGI). The news says, "The market was down 300 points today!" I say, "Oh look! Another dividend!"
Bolden has an excellent projection tool for analyzing ROTH conversions. One feature that helped us decide not to convert was the time factor, which I feel Bolden handled quite well. Bob Berger is also a fan of Bolden, for what it's worth. https://www.boldin.com/
I always consider the "Flat Tax" argument to translate to: "Why does this have to be so complicated? The IRS knows what I made, just charge me my fair share." Seriously, why is it so complicated? Incentives? Penalties? And why, in this world of supercomputers and AI, does IRMAA still have a cliff(s)?
Entering mandatory retirement at 65, mortgage-free, we explored HELOC vs. HECM and eventually chose the latter after reading Wade Pfau's Reverse Mortgages.
Ben, A somewhat famous saying in the military is "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you..." (Also used by pilots referring to the FAA whose motto is "We're not happy until you're not happy!") (JK my buddies in the FAA...jusssst kidding....) Coming home with the grandkid to find you have an invader in broad daylight with your elderly mother walking into the house minutes earlier causing him to stop his ransacking and escape is not fun...not fun at all. I do like the dummy(alerting) password idea! Brilliant! Cheers
A while ago, as we formulated our post-retirement plan, I read that bear markets average 2 to 3 years. So we took the 3-year view and created a bucket for each: Year 1 Cash: This is our local checking (1/3)(lousy interest) and our Fidelity Bill Pay (2/3)(SPAXX). We live off of this.
Year 2: Is the one-year cash equivalent in Fidelity money markets that serve as our "sweep accounts" in various IRA's. I never let the sum of these go below the year-2 value.
Year 3: One year equivalent held in a T-Bill ladder.
(Year 2 and 3 are adjusted for 3% inflation) Everything else is fully invested in a 60/40 portfolio.
We previously held a small stake in the Prism ETF as part of a diversification strategy. I missed the prospectus comment that you could not withdraw all of your investment at once. Short version: it took several years to withdraw a less than $7500 initial stake in this fund. Never again.
Comments
In 2013(?) when our airline chose to follow the herd (meaning declare bankruptcy to shed itself of pension obligations), I was in a panic (airline pilots can't just throw out a resume and rejoin a corporate ladder equal to where they happened to be at their last gig. They start from the bottom all over again...but I digress). In my panic, I discovered the DGI (Dividend Growth Investing) crowd over at Seeking Alpha and haven't looked back. Yes, in a booming market you would be very successful in the S&P 500, more so than with a Blue Chip dividend portfolio. But we sleep very well with our dividends (now DHI, Dividend "Harvesting" Investments). Everything, including our 20-year Treasury ladder (roughly 40%), yields 3.84%, has an annual dividend growth of 4.2% over the last 5 years (beating inflation if I am not mistaken), and a portfolio Beta of just 0.63. We never have to sell a share to pay a bill. And the one time I took a profit (LLY), I regretted doing so. The "dividend machine" (#shares) was smaller, and LLY recovered, so we didn't participate as much in their latest rally. This isn't for everyone, but you certainly can come close (not chasing yield!!) with ETFs like SCHD, VYM, and FDVV. The best approach IMHO is a "both and". Focus on dividend growers, but don't chase yield. And have some growth-oriented stocks to fortify your portfolio (think VUG). Still diversify across the board (think VYMI or VIGI). The news says, "The market was down 300 points today!" I say, "Oh look! Another dividend!"
Post: I will still take the dividends
Link to comment from September 19, 2026
Bolden has an excellent projection tool for analyzing ROTH conversions. One feature that helped us decide not to convert was the time factor, which I feel Bolden handled quite well. Bob Berger is also a fan of Bolden, for what it's worth. https://www.boldin.com/
Post: Roth Conversions and Taxes
Link to comment from August 8, 2026
HECM Reverse Mortgages: How to use Reverse Mortgages to Secure Your Retirement (The Retirement Researcher Guide Series) By Dr. Wade Pfau They are no longer a late-night TV nightmare Depending on your age, assets, home value, mortgage, etc. you might just want to let your appreciating home "pay for itself".
Post: Leverage
Link to comment from June 20, 2026
I always consider the "Flat Tax" argument to translate to: "Why does this have to be so complicated? The IRS knows what I made, just charge me my fair share." Seriously, why is it so complicated? Incentives? Penalties? And why, in this world of supercomputers and AI, does IRMAA still have a cliff(s)?
Post: …..taxes and you
Link to comment from June 13, 2026
Interesting idea, but I'd prefer they take a chainsaw to the tax codes and start there.
Post: Time to scrap IRAs, 401k, 403b and all the rest
Link to comment from May 23, 2026
Entering mandatory retirement at 65, mortgage-free, we explored HELOC vs. HECM and eventually chose the latter after reading Wade Pfau's Reverse Mortgages.
Post: Advice I give to anyone who’ll listen!
Link to comment from January 31, 2026
Agree 100%. Others to consider: XCEM, Exp 0.16, Yield 3.25 TTM EMXC, Exp 0.25, Yield 2.82 TTM XC, Exp 0.32, Yield 1.68 TTM Lowest cost: VEXC, Exp 0.07, Yield 0.00 (at present)
Post: China Market Risk
Link to comment from January 17, 2026
Ben, A somewhat famous saying in the military is "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you..." (Also used by pilots referring to the FAA whose motto is "We're not happy until you're not happy!") (JK my buddies in the FAA...jusssst kidding....) Coming home with the grandkid to find you have an invader in broad daylight with your elderly mother walking into the house minutes earlier causing him to stop his ransacking and escape is not fun...not fun at all. I do like the dummy(alerting) password idea! Brilliant! Cheers
Post: Can we be completely safe?
Link to comment from December 20, 2025
A while ago, as we formulated our post-retirement plan, I read that bear markets average 2 to 3 years. So we took the 3-year view and created a bucket for each: Year 1 Cash: This is our local checking (1/3)(lousy interest) and our Fidelity Bill Pay (2/3)(SPAXX). We live off of this. Year 2: Is the one-year cash equivalent in Fidelity money markets that serve as our "sweep accounts" in various IRA's. I never let the sum of these go below the year-2 value. Year 3: One year equivalent held in a T-Bill ladder. (Year 2 and 3 are adjusted for 3% inflation) Everything else is fully invested in a 60/40 portfolio.
Post: Where to Keep Cash
Link to comment from December 6, 2025
We previously held a small stake in the Prism ETF as part of a diversification strategy. I missed the prospectus comment that you could not withdraw all of your investment at once. Short version: it took several years to withdraw a less than $7500 initial stake in this fund. Never again.
Post: Private Equity Traps
Link to comment from November 15, 2025