I am a fan of Bogle's book, "Enough." If your goal is riches, there will never be enough. If your goal is wealth, the definition will be totally subjective and personal. I favor the concept of enough. I am also reminded of the bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:9-10.“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
Andrew, I had to chuckle at the Starbucks reference in Naples, Italy. They truly are everywhere. Although I worked longer than many and retired at 73, I have come to realize you really can do more at 63 than at 73, and perhaps retiring a few years earlier would have been better. Not as much for me as for my wife. I turned 76 today, and my bride turned 72 last month. I am in slightly better health than she is, but I am much more mobile. She is having difficulty walking distances. Neither of us has had any major illnesses, and we are thankful for that. I have curtailed my traveling bug in favor of fostering and sheltering animals on our property, and I am certain I am receiving intercessory prayers from St. Francis on my behalf. I still hope to travel to Germany once more to visit the places I grew up in as a military dependent, and we shall see if that comes to pass. I don't really want to go alone, but I might have to, to fulfill that desire. Thnks for your article.
While teaching financial and retirement planning at the collegiate level for the last 15 years of my working career, primarily to financial services professionals pursuing professional designations, I coined the term "Trifecta of Grief." The "Trifecta of Grief" is comprised of the following three events
You lose your spouse.
You lose one of your two Social Security benefit checks, and in some cases, pension income is also affected negatively.
You are now taxed at the highest individual tax rate... as a single taxpayer.
The loss of a spouse is always emotionally devastating, but the additional losses of a financial nature tend to compound the emotional loss. All married couples will eventually experience this Trifecta of Grief, and even planning properly will not lessen the emotional pain, but it can help with the financial pain.
I am curious. How many people are knowingly "using unnecessary health care"? I certainly do not. My wife doesn't. My first reaction is to question who the "policy makers" are and what their agenda is. Medicare Supplement insurance exists because of the lack of coverage and the costs of traditional Medicare Parts A & B. Medicare Advantage plans appeal to some people because they believe they are less expensive and offer "free additional benefits." Neither statement is generally true in all instances.
Be careful taking advice from people on the internet. Sometimes people with good intentions say things that are factually untrue. Mr. Wright's comment falls into that category, since no one can state. unequivocally that Medicare Advantage can allow you to save $8,000 in premiums annually.
Andrew, Obviously, the gift of writing well was not confined within your family to only one member. This article is quite thoughtful and meaningful. One dramatic difference between time and money is that, unlike money, time cannot be saved for the future. As I approach my 76th birthday in a few weeks, I'm constantly reminded that while I have plenty of money, my time is limited. I agree with your comment about the best use of our time...sharing it with the people we love. I also believe time is best used, at any age, in the service of others, and in my retirement, that is what I try to do every day.
Mark: NOT a silly question at all. Your understanding is correct. Traditionally, property taxes fund education and other essential services. If I were recommending cutting funding, I would agree with your concerns. However, I suggest that a citizen who has paid property taxes for 20 years and is retiring should not have to live with the threat of losing their home because of property taxes. In Texas, where I lived for 25 years, a law permits homeowners to defer property taxes until the death of both spouses. Property taxes accrue and would be due if the home were sold or inherited. I am retired in North Carolina. No such law exists here. Despite RQ's contention that arguments against property taxes are "absurd," countless thoughtful minds hold differing opinions. Mine is one of them.
Thought-provoking and all great ideas. Here is one to consider adding... Thank God daily for all your many blessings, and pray that His grace and Mercy continue to surround you and those you love. Amen.
RQ... Like millions of Americans, I do not object to paying taxes to support the necessary needs of civil society, like defense, infrastructure, and education. etc. But I, and millions of Americans, vociferously object to waste, fraud, and abuse at all levels of government. Think Minnesota Somali Fraud and California bullet train...roads to nowhere...and countless congressional pork barrel projects too numerous to mention. We also object to "temporary taxes" that never seem to end...think Toll Roads, for example. Some of your points are valid, but not unlike many of your posts, this post is one-sided. What irritates me the most about the subject of taxes is people who constantly repeat moronic left-wing talking points about "taxing the rich." Whenever you ask one of these mental midgets "how much is their fair share," you never get a coherent answer. You know that the top 10% "the rich" pay overwhelmingly more taxes than the entirety of the bottom 50%. In 2023, the latest figures I could find, the top 10% of Americans paid 70.5% of all US Income Taxces. The bottom 50% paid a whopping 3.3%. One comment on property taxes... In the United States, one NEVER truly owns their land or their home, because as long as the government, at any level, can confiscate your land or home for taxes, overwhich you, as the consumer, have absolutely no control, and overwhich the government is exercising unlimited taxing authority, the government owns your land or home. I have no problem limiting property tax collection for a fixed period; for example, for as long as the land's owner maintains continuous ownership, limit property tax collection to 20 years. After 20 years, property should be exempt from further taxation until it is sold or passed to someone OUTSIDE OF THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY. Lastly, meaningless comments about how much tax Musk, Bezos, Buffett, Zuckerberg, et al. pay are nothing more than jealousy and envy. As President Trump told Hillary Clinton in the presidential debates years ago, he uses the tax laws as Congress has written them, just like all the Democrat millionaire donors she received her campaign funds from. If she doesn't like that, she needs to complain to Congress...but of course she doesn't and never has. For most of my life, I happily paid income taxes, secure in the knowledge that every single tax dollar I paid in directly benefited my family... because my father, stepfather, and father-in-law were all military men, either on active duty or in retirement. Not a single tax dollar of mine was wasted, fraudulently spent, or abused. All my tax dollars went directly to their active duty pay or retirement checks. As they passed away, and their wives passed away, all that changed for me. Since my stepfather's death in 2018, unfortunately, my tax dollars have fallen into the waste, fraud, and abuse category. Since 2020, however, Social Security and medicare benefits have softened that blow, as my wife and I began collecting our hard earned and well deserved benefits. I still pay taxes on 85% of my Social Security benefits, but through careful tax and retirement planning, I enjoy significant retirement income and pay taxes in the 10% or 12% bracket, depending on Roth Conversions.
Comments
I am a fan of Bogle's book, "Enough." If your goal is riches, there will never be enough. If your goal is wealth, the definition will be totally subjective and personal. I favor the concept of enough. I am also reminded of the bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:9-10.“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
Post: Rich or Wealthy?
Link to comment from October 9, 2026
I am also a fan of Morgan Housel's work and J.L. Collins' "Simple Path to Wealth."
Post: FINANCIAL MISTAKES
Link to comment from October 9, 2026
Andrew, I had to chuckle at the Starbucks reference in Naples, Italy. They truly are everywhere. Although I worked longer than many and retired at 73, I have come to realize you really can do more at 63 than at 73, and perhaps retiring a few years earlier would have been better. Not as much for me as for my wife. I turned 76 today, and my bride turned 72 last month. I am in slightly better health than she is, but I am much more mobile. She is having difficulty walking distances. Neither of us has had any major illnesses, and we are thankful for that. I have curtailed my traveling bug in favor of fostering and sheltering animals on our property, and I am certain I am receiving intercessory prayers from St. Francis on my behalf. I still hope to travel to Germany once more to visit the places I grew up in as a military dependent, and we shall see if that comes to pass. I don't really want to go alone, but I might have to, to fulfill that desire. Thnks for your article.
Post: Room For Happiness
Link to comment from October 9, 2026
While teaching financial and retirement planning at the collegiate level for the last 15 years of my working career, primarily to financial services professionals pursuing professional designations, I coined the term "Trifecta of Grief." The "Trifecta of Grief" is comprised of the following three events
- You lose your spouse.
- You lose one of your two Social Security benefit checks, and in some cases, pension income is also affected negatively.
- You are now taxed at the highest individual tax rate... as a single taxpayer.
The loss of a spouse is always emotionally devastating, but the additional losses of a financial nature tend to compound the emotional loss. All married couples will eventually experience this Trifecta of Grief, and even planning properly will not lessen the emotional pain, but it can help with the financial pain.Post: Widow’s Penalty Redux
Link to comment from September 27, 2026
I am curious. How many people are knowingly "using unnecessary health care"? I certainly do not. My wife doesn't. My first reaction is to question who the "policy makers" are and what their agenda is. Medicare Supplement insurance exists because of the lack of coverage and the costs of traditional Medicare Parts A & B. Medicare Advantage plans appeal to some people because they believe they are less expensive and offer "free additional benefits." Neither statement is generally true in all instances.
Post: Keep an eye on Medigap policies
Link to comment from September 27, 2026
Be careful taking advice from people on the internet. Sometimes people with good intentions say things that are factually untrue. Mr. Wright's comment falls into that category, since no one can state. unequivocally that Medicare Advantage can allow you to save $8,000 in premiums annually.
Post: Keep an eye on Medigap policies
Link to comment from September 27, 2026
Andrew, Obviously, the gift of writing well was not confined within your family to only one member. This article is quite thoughtful and meaningful. One dramatic difference between time and money is that, unlike money, time cannot be saved for the future. As I approach my 76th birthday in a few weeks, I'm constantly reminded that while I have plenty of money, my time is limited. I agree with your comment about the best use of our time...sharing it with the people we love. I also believe time is best used, at any age, in the service of others, and in my retirement, that is what I try to do every day.
Post: Time Is Priceless
Link to comment from September 23, 2026
Mark: NOT a silly question at all. Your understanding is correct. Traditionally, property taxes fund education and other essential services. If I were recommending cutting funding, I would agree with your concerns. However, I suggest that a citizen who has paid property taxes for 20 years and is retiring should not have to live with the threat of losing their home because of property taxes. In Texas, where I lived for 25 years, a law permits homeowners to defer property taxes until the death of both spouses. Property taxes accrue and would be due if the home were sold or inherited. I am retired in North Carolina. No such law exists here. Despite RQ's contention that arguments against property taxes are "absurd," countless thoughtful minds hold differing opinions. Mine is one of them.
Post: What I think about taxes- all kinds of taxes
Link to comment from September 23, 2026
Thought-provoking and all great ideas. Here is one to consider adding... Thank God daily for all your many blessings, and pray that His grace and Mercy continue to surround you and those you love. Amen.
Post: 15 Tasks for Today
Link to comment from September 22, 2026
RQ... Like millions of Americans, I do not object to paying taxes to support the necessary needs of civil society, like defense, infrastructure, and education. etc. But I, and millions of Americans, vociferously object to waste, fraud, and abuse at all levels of government. Think Minnesota Somali Fraud and California bullet train...roads to nowhere...and countless congressional pork barrel projects too numerous to mention. We also object to "temporary taxes" that never seem to end...think Toll Roads, for example. Some of your points are valid, but not unlike many of your posts, this post is one-sided. What irritates me the most about the subject of taxes is people who constantly repeat moronic left-wing talking points about "taxing the rich." Whenever you ask one of these mental midgets "how much is their fair share," you never get a coherent answer. You know that the top 10% "the rich" pay overwhelmingly more taxes than the entirety of the bottom 50%. In 2023, the latest figures I could find, the top 10% of Americans paid 70.5% of all US Income Taxces. The bottom 50% paid a whopping 3.3%. One comment on property taxes... In the United States, one NEVER truly owns their land or their home, because as long as the government, at any level, can confiscate your land or home for taxes, overwhich you, as the consumer, have absolutely no control, and overwhich the government is exercising unlimited taxing authority, the government owns your land or home. I have no problem limiting property tax collection for a fixed period; for example, for as long as the land's owner maintains continuous ownership, limit property tax collection to 20 years. After 20 years, property should be exempt from further taxation until it is sold or passed to someone OUTSIDE OF THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY. Lastly, meaningless comments about how much tax Musk, Bezos, Buffett, Zuckerberg, et al. pay are nothing more than jealousy and envy. As President Trump told Hillary Clinton in the presidential debates years ago, he uses the tax laws as Congress has written them, just like all the Democrat millionaire donors she received her campaign funds from. If she doesn't like that, she needs to complain to Congress...but of course she doesn't and never has. For most of my life, I happily paid income taxes, secure in the knowledge that every single tax dollar I paid in directly benefited my family... because my father, stepfather, and father-in-law were all military men, either on active duty or in retirement. Not a single tax dollar of mine was wasted, fraudulently spent, or abused. All my tax dollars went directly to their active duty pay or retirement checks. As they passed away, and their wives passed away, all that changed for me. Since my stepfather's death in 2018, unfortunately, my tax dollars have fallen into the waste, fraud, and abuse category. Since 2020, however, Social Security and medicare benefits have softened that blow, as my wife and I began collecting our hard earned and well deserved benefits. I still pay taxes on 85% of my Social Security benefits, but through careful tax and retirement planning, I enjoy significant retirement income and pay taxes in the 10% or 12% bracket, depending on Roth Conversions.
Post: What I think about taxes- all kinds of taxes
Link to comment from September 22, 2026