I don't know the percentage of people who are NOT retired here (I am 52 and still run my business), but I think with advisors YMMV, and paying a percentage of assets makes absolutely no sense to me. I'd rather take that money each year and do bucket list trips. I keep a portfolio of 30 dividend growth stocks, DRIP those, and some cash to invest as new opportunities arise. I don't think it's all that hard. If a company has been increasing dividends for over 50 years, it seems like a good bet they will be around for a while and doing the same thing. Yes, companies fall off the list, but a couple of times a year I just check-in and ensure my investment thesis still holds. Last I checked, people will be brushing their teeth, using deodorant, blowing their noses, and wiping their butts for the foreseeable future. :) I know a lot of people in the comments mentioned the YouTube guys. Toby Mathis and Ari Taublieb are pretty good as well. Good luck all.
This discussion is making my head hurt and making me want to just take the 10% penalty on all my IRA and 401K money right now, dump it into my dividend growth portfolio and just pay the 15-20% on the dividends above 85K (married) and just move on with my life. lol
The FIRE stuff is nonsense and just a way to click-bait people on various platforms to make money. There are tons and tons of people out there retiring in their late 40s/early 50s with well-diversified savings/investments just living their lives. They aren't trying to show off or make passive income from their accomplishments. The people at HD are just doing it for fun and out of a sense of community interest.
A spreadsheet just helps you see where the money is going, can go, and how long it might last given certain variables. I have a "this is what your life costs per day" sheet and it allows me to stay calm when the waters get choppy. It doesn't control my spending, but if there's is a 300-500 dollar surplus per day on top of overestimated buckets of spending, I think it's pretty safe to pay a buddy's green fees, buy beers for the boys, or take the extra road trip. RQ has obviously done this without a spreadsheet, but some of us are data nerds and I find this approach feeds the beast.
Many of the classic dividend growth stocks / dividend kings will provide 2-3% yields (with MO providing over 6%), and are experiencing capital appreciation as well, which is why the current yields are low. Think about it, the current yield is the current cash dividend/current price. If you buy at $100/share, and the current yield is 1%, then if both the share price and dividend payments IN DOLLARS AND CENTS go up 10%, the current yield on any given day is 1%. When you come back 7 years later and look at the share price and it's doubled, and your dividend has doubled, you are richer. Getting caught up in current yield is a fool's game. If Company XYZ increases their dividend payments by 10%, you got a 10% raise. People claw and battle at their jobs to get 5% raises, yet there are companies out there massively growing their dividends every year. Since 2008, I've followed a dividend growth strategy and it's been awesome, so I never worry about valuations. I just keep reinvesting dividends. If stocks crash in the short term, I win because I buy more shares with those increased dollars. If Company XYZ has increased dividends through the worst world events since 1960-70, I'm confident they will continue to do so.
I used Android for years and battled huge stability issues across various vendors of phones. I switched to an iPhone as the pandemic started and the thing just works. It's bulletproof. I am not trapped in anything. I pay my $29/month for service and it just works. I use Windows on a PC I made myself and a Lenovo laptop and the iCloud app syncs everything perfectly. You saying it signals "sheep" is like an Apple fanboy saying Android signals "loser." It doesn't get you anywhere.
Dick, I think you just hit on the answer to your own question as to why people get upset about taxes. "Still to high, on the plus side most of these taxes go to the schools." The schools are TERRIBLE and GETTING WORSE NOT BETTER. I have 24 and 22 year-old sons who went to both private and public schools, and the public schools were not very good, and we pay $12K a year for a 2800 sq foot house in the burbs in Seattle-metro area. When you pay the huge gas taxes for "the roads" and they are filled with potholes and take a cast of thousands to hang a traffic light, it tends to lead you to think you're getting the short end of the stick. I'm not fighting against your point, I am pointing to your own words as the answer to your own question.
Just relax man. If you can afford everything you need, have a few nice things, and go on a nice trip or two, you're doing it right. I know you're writing and money and retirement, but it just feels like you're grasping for material.
I've got a spreadsheet the estimates my cost of living per day, and it includes huge allowances for vacations, home improvement, and just about anything else I can envision. If you have that, you can divide by the 40 hours a week to get to the number. It's a fun exercise.
It's all about decisions and choices. One guy sits in his apartment and plays Overwatch for 12 hours. A different guy is bartending at night as a second job and has a "stop and chat" with a dude ordering a gin and tonic who gives him some ideas to explore. While eating a Trader Joe's pre-packaged salad at his desk duing lunchtime, he starts Googling about the ideas the bar guy sparked in him. His co-workers are at Chipotle talking about cat videos on Tik Tok. I've seen it time and time again, and I've lived it. Go Google "Francisco's Money Speech" to learn about money, wealth, and envy.
Comments
I don't know the percentage of people who are NOT retired here (I am 52 and still run my business), but I think with advisors YMMV, and paying a percentage of assets makes absolutely no sense to me. I'd rather take that money each year and do bucket list trips. I keep a portfolio of 30 dividend growth stocks, DRIP those, and some cash to invest as new opportunities arise. I don't think it's all that hard. If a company has been increasing dividends for over 50 years, it seems like a good bet they will be around for a while and doing the same thing. Yes, companies fall off the list, but a couple of times a year I just check-in and ensure my investment thesis still holds. Last I checked, people will be brushing their teeth, using deodorant, blowing their noses, and wiping their butts for the foreseeable future. :) I know a lot of people in the comments mentioned the YouTube guys. Toby Mathis and Ari Taublieb are pretty good as well. Good luck all.
Post: Beyond fees, is using a financial advisor, advisable? If you do or don’t why?
Link to comment from July 13, 2025
This discussion is making my head hurt and making me want to just take the 10% penalty on all my IRA and 401K money right now, dump it into my dividend growth portfolio and just pay the 15-20% on the dividends above 85K (married) and just move on with my life. lol
Post: Securing Lower Taxes
Link to comment from July 11, 2025
The FIRE stuff is nonsense and just a way to click-bait people on various platforms to make money. There are tons and tons of people out there retiring in their late 40s/early 50s with well-diversified savings/investments just living their lives. They aren't trying to show off or make passive income from their accomplishments. The people at HD are just doing it for fun and out of a sense of community interest.
Post: Going too far with FIRE: The downside of being in the financial advice business – RDQ
Link to comment from June 2, 2025
A spreadsheet just helps you see where the money is going, can go, and how long it might last given certain variables. I have a "this is what your life costs per day" sheet and it allows me to stay calm when the waters get choppy. It doesn't control my spending, but if there's is a 300-500 dollar surplus per day on top of overestimated buckets of spending, I think it's pretty safe to pay a buddy's green fees, buy beers for the boys, or take the extra road trip. RQ has obviously done this without a spreadsheet, but some of us are data nerds and I find this approach feeds the beast.
Post: Is it possible to achieve financial well being without a plan or even a spreadsheet?
Link to comment from May 27, 2025
Many of the classic dividend growth stocks / dividend kings will provide 2-3% yields (with MO providing over 6%), and are experiencing capital appreciation as well, which is why the current yields are low. Think about it, the current yield is the current cash dividend/current price. If you buy at $100/share, and the current yield is 1%, then if both the share price and dividend payments IN DOLLARS AND CENTS go up 10%, the current yield on any given day is 1%. When you come back 7 years later and look at the share price and it's doubled, and your dividend has doubled, you are richer. Getting caught up in current yield is a fool's game. If Company XYZ increases their dividend payments by 10%, you got a 10% raise. People claw and battle at their jobs to get 5% raises, yet there are companies out there massively growing their dividends every year. Since 2008, I've followed a dividend growth strategy and it's been awesome, so I never worry about valuations. I just keep reinvesting dividends. If stocks crash in the short term, I win because I buy more shares with those increased dollars. If Company XYZ has increased dividends through the worst world events since 1960-70, I'm confident they will continue to do so.
Post: Ignore Valuations? By Jonathan Clements
Link to comment from May 21, 2025
I used Android for years and battled huge stability issues across various vendors of phones. I switched to an iPhone as the pandemic started and the thing just works. It's bulletproof. I am not trapped in anything. I pay my $29/month for service and it just works. I use Windows on a PC I made myself and a Lenovo laptop and the iCloud app syncs everything perfectly. You saying it signals "sheep" is like an Apple fanboy saying Android signals "loser." It doesn't get you anywhere.
Post: The Opposite of HumbleDollar
Link to comment from May 7, 2025
Dick, I think you just hit on the answer to your own question as to why people get upset about taxes. "Still to high, on the plus side most of these taxes go to the schools." The schools are TERRIBLE and GETTING WORSE NOT BETTER. I have 24 and 22 year-old sons who went to both private and public schools, and the public schools were not very good, and we pay $12K a year for a 2800 sq foot house in the burbs in Seattle-metro area. When you pay the huge gas taxes for "the roads" and they are filled with potholes and take a cast of thousands to hang a traffic light, it tends to lead you to think you're getting the short end of the stick. I'm not fighting against your point, I am pointing to your own words as the answer to your own question.
Post: Ida M Fuller, Social Security, EVs, taxes and a 340 million person society-Quinn rambles on, but with a purpose
Link to comment from April 15, 2025
Just relax man. If you can afford everything you need, have a few nice things, and go on a nice trip or two, you're doing it right. I know you're writing and money and retirement, but it just feels like you're grasping for material.
Post: I don’t feel comfortable being “wealthy”
Link to comment from April 1, 2025
I've got a spreadsheet the estimates my cost of living per day, and it includes huge allowances for vacations, home improvement, and just about anything else I can envision. If you have that, you can divide by the 40 hours a week to get to the number. It's a fun exercise.
Post: Quinn’s grand new way to plan for a secure retirement. It’s called the McDonalds strategy
Link to comment from March 26, 2025
It's all about decisions and choices. One guy sits in his apartment and plays Overwatch for 12 hours. A different guy is bartending at night as a second job and has a "stop and chat" with a dude ordering a gin and tonic who gives him some ideas to explore. While eating a Trader Joe's pre-packaged salad at his desk duing lunchtime, he starts Googling about the ideas the bar guy sparked in him. His co-workers are at Chipotle talking about cat videos on Tik Tok. I've seen it time and time again, and I've lived it. Go Google "Francisco's Money Speech" to learn about money, wealth, and envy.
Post: Care to join me on my yacht cruising the Mediterranean? Do you envy the super wealthy? RDQ
Link to comment from March 22, 2025