Steve Skillman

Comments:

• My dad was in a morning coffee club - another name for a breakfast club - when the new-fangled cell phones were all the rage. The aging men would come in one by one and announce their presence by unceremoniously plopping their prized (and big at the time) cell phones on the table when they arrived. Dad was somewhat intimidated because he was the only one who did not have a cell phone. He brought his garage door opener instead.

  Post: My Breakfast Club

  Link to comment from August 4, 2024

• My father's memory lives on each year at RMD time, when his grandchildren receive ever-larger distributions from their inherited Roth IRAs. All this talk of optimism and immortality reminds me of the gentleman who wished to be buried in a copper-lined coffin, thinking it would help his arthritis.

  Post: Forget Me Not

  Link to comment from February 17, 2024

• I've often thought our local church member directory, in addition to pictures of old people and their contact information, should have brief bios of what those people did in their former professional lives. This would create easy "conversation starters" for seeking out those with similar interests. As I look out over our congregation, I realize everyone there has a wonderful story to tell. Arthur Brooks was a noted French horn player in Barcelona, I think, in an earlier life. That would be it for me.

  Post: Some Friendly Advice

  Link to comment from January 19, 2024

• I drive a 2001 Toyota Avalon. I call it my gold-digger repellent. That's not original, I think I heard it from Charlie Munger.

  Post: A Time to Spend

  Link to comment from January 13, 2024

• Instead of purchasing an annuity, I'm thinking of structuring an interest-only mortgage, with a balloon payment later, for a child who lives in a very pricey part of the country. This would take the place of my current allocation to Treasury bills. Win-win in my book. And keep the money where it belongs -- in the family -- even after my death. Details to be worked out later.

  Post: Happily Ever After

  Link to comment from December 16, 2023

• I'm just teasing, really. It's quite obvious that in your case lottery tickets are not the foundation for a secure life in retirement. But the subject of government-sponsored lotteries strikes a nerve with me. My observation is that in many cases those least able to afford the tickets are the ones buying in earnest. And they're buying in significant amounts. I take issue with the breathless TV news stories about the latest lottery jackpot amounts, and interviews with people about what they will do with $50 million or $100 million when they win. The on-site reporter's story is always followed by the anchors bantering about buying their own tickets before the deadline. I've written letters to the stations protesting all this - it's not news, it's advertising.

  Post: ’Tis the Stress Season

  Link to comment from December 13, 2023

• Lottery tickets? Wow, seems out of character...

  Post: ’Tis the Stress Season

  Link to comment from December 11, 2023

• It could always be worse... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OpEONvxs2o

  Post: Manpower in Action

  Link to comment from October 23, 2023

• I love your story, as I think of the my 22-year-old wonderful Toyota Avalon in my driveway. I'm reminded of the night before Thanksgiving several decades ago, when my two children were quite small. In those pre-Avalon days -- we were in our Plymouth Voyager -- our family was on Interstate 95 in Virginia, headed north to Fredericksburg. At about 9:30 I noticed my headlights were becoming dimmer by the minute, along with the dashboard lights inside the car. Instinct told me that that almost anything would be better than being stranded late at night on a busy interstate highway. I immediately took the next exit, not knowing exactly where I was headed. With tools in the car and my suspicion that a bad alternator was the problem, I was hoping for an all-night auto parts store, knowing it was quite unlikely. But lo and behold, a brightly lit store appeared, and the manager took me in and showed me what seemed like an entire wall filled with alternators. They had every alternator you could imagine, except for one that would fit my car. With the car still running, the manager directed us to a nearby motel, which seemed the best immediate option. At the motel I called my insurance agent in North Carolina for some advice. He promised to work on it, and to call me back. When he called back he had arranged for a car dealer friend in that area to bring me a replacement Voyager -- no charge -- the next morning. He would take care of getting the alternator replaced for me. We were then on our way for Thanksgiving dinner, and swapped vehicles a few days later on the way back. Priceless. People can be good.

  Post: Manpower in Action

  Link to comment from October 23, 2023

• I absolutely love this article and discussion. My affinity for used cars has most definitely contributed to our financial freedom. At this point, my 2001 Toyota Avalon with 238,000 miles is a source of great pride. My wife drives a 2015 Cadillac. I drive the beater. But my best story is about the Pontiac Phoenix I bought many years ago for $600. I sold it ten years later. For $600.

  Post: Getting From A to B

  Link to comment from August 18, 2023