Am I missing something? Since when does raising children, the traditional role of wives and mothers, need to be "legitimized?" Have we as Americans been so propagandized by feminism and wokism to now feel the need to legitimize Motherhood? God help us!
David, I am 7 years older, it appears, but I understand your post, and I agree with you. Despite RQ's contention, those were and remain cuts. My biggest argument with RQ and company is the fact that we were forced into a deal, without any option to opt out...we played the game by their rules...and after the fact...some people think it's OK to move the goal posts, or change the deal when it's time to collect on promised benefits. No thank you! Anyone who thinks they are receiving too much should send a check to the IRS....and leave the rest of us alone. Want to change the deal...again? Change it for those under 50... and phase it in. And Oh Yeah...try not to crush small businesses as you do it.
I loved this short, but thought-provoking article. I am 2.5 years into retirement. During my first year (2024), my wife and I traveled to 5 states, doing the Airbnb thing, driving. Flying is too stressful and BS-laden for me today. We visited our two kids (one in TX and one in MD) and flew them and their spouses to us in NC. No grandkids, unfortunately. I did fly to a couple of events in 2024... the NRA Coinvention and the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder's Meeting. I have been to several NRA conventions, but it was my first & only time attending the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders' Meeting. It was an event unlike any other I have attended. The odd thing I am experiencing is the overwhelming desire to consider "opportunities." Examples are college teaching opportunities, professional training positions, and even chaplaincy opportunities in Hospitals, workplaces, and Hospices. I need to slap myself and remind myself that just because I can doesn't mean I should. I think it is the result of being a lifetime of overachievement, overambition, and success orientation, with a strong desire to serve. In 2025, I focused on earning my chaplaincy credentials and pursuing and completing seminary studies, culminating in my Doctor of Ministry Degree. Because of my age (I am 75), I wasn't eligible to become a permanent deacon in my church or a military chaplain, so I pursued the D. Min. as an alternative route to service. My dissertation was focused on Strengthening Christian Marriages, and today I am involved in premarital counseling within my parish. I am certified as a PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator and a Ramset Financial Master Coach. I will be putting on my first Online "Financial Peace University" for my parish later this fall. In addition, I am completing coursework to facilitate the "Faith & Money Matters" and "God, Marriage and Money" courses for Compass Catholic. Marriage. These are all part of the ministry and are all offered pro bono. I found my way to use my 58 years of financial services education and experience, along with my ministry education and over 35 years of serving various parishes in 9 different states throughout my working lifetime. My wife and I are blessed financially, and it is a wonderful feeling to be able to help people without needing to generate income to provide that help. I hope all HD readers are able to "matter" in their retirement, and feel they still have "purpose!"
My Irish paternal great-grandfather came in the 1850's and my German maternal great-grandfather came from Germany in the early 1860s. Like you, Nick, my grateful heart knows no bounds.
Thank GOD I never had to deal with this crap...and I never will. I am retired; I have ZERO IRMAA concerns, ZERO ACA concerns, and ZERO Income Tax concerns. It's all in the planning.
Mark…having spent decades in auto sales finance (the bank side, not the dealer side) I can assure you… the 4% number, NOT the 20% number…is the Right Answer. I have had to deal with this twice in the last 6 years. My bride’s car is a 2006 Chrysler touring convertible. She loves this car. It’s worth is probably less than $2000 however, in the past six years, I’ve put $1800 in a front end and $1500 and other repairs. Meanwhile, we haven’t had a car payment on her car since 2010, when it was paid in full. it has 79,000 miles on it and you should see the smile on her face when her top is down.
Well. Michael, the good news is the older you are when you purchase the annuity, the higher the payout, as a general rule. In addition, Annuities purchased with Roth Dollars are income tax-free.
Having a defined-benefit pension in retirement would have a major impact on whether annuities would be desirable for someone whose "pension" was a defined-contribution plan, like a 403 (b) or 401 (k).I actually had two pensions from two previous employers,both of whom offered me a cash-out offer shortly after I turned 55. One fromFord Motor Company. It was $296.00 per month with a 50% survivor's benefit. Thesecond was from Mitsubishi Motors of America. It was almost double at $597.00per month. It also had a 50% survivor's benefit. Together, they totaled@$114,600. I took the cashouts and deposited the funds into a rollover IRA.As I was approaching retirement (self-selected) at age 70, 2020 happened, and I put off retirement FOMY! As you know, the market in 2020 recovered, in record time, but it reminded me of a lesson I had been discussing with students academically, which I now understand in reality. The concept of the sequence-of-returns risk. It is not just an academic theory.My employment contract was renewed for an additional 5 years in 2021, so I figured, "Why not stay for another 12-18 months and stuff money into my 403b Roth account?' Then came 2022? Recovery wasn't quiteas fast, and the lesson from 2020 about the sequence-of-returns risk wasbrought home again.The good news is that in 2023, right before the late spring market drop, I bought a series of income rider annuities. Three of them were paid for with Roth money from my 403(b), establishing tax-free income for life, with joint-life survivor benefits and an LTC rider as well. The fourth one was paid for through a rollover from my rollover IRA.As 2023 was drawing to a close, I had built up what JL Collin refers to as “FU Money.” That gave me pause, and cause to reconsider my current situation, and I decided I would retire, for real, this time. After giving 90 days’ notice, I established my final work day as 1 January 2024. Why not 31 December 2023? Because that date took me into a new year, entitling me to one final Roth 403 (b) contribution to be matched by my employer. In addition, it gave me a final paycheck, an additional payment for 300 hours of unused vacation (maximum allowable), and a payment for a contract job completed just before YE 2023.Today, my wife and I are enjoying retirement, secure in the knowledge that our guaranteed income far exceeds our retirement expenses, for the next few years anyway, with minimal income tax due. In the words of Beldar Conehead, “Life on Earth is good.”
Comments
Am I missing something? Since when does raising children, the traditional role of wives and mothers, need to be "legitimized?" Have we as Americans been so propagandized by feminism and wokism to now feel the need to legitimize Motherhood? God help us!
Post: About that inflation in retirement
Link to comment from July 15, 2026
David, I am 7 years older, it appears, but I understand your post, and I agree with you. Despite RQ's contention, those were and remain cuts. My biggest argument with RQ and company is the fact that we were forced into a deal, without any option to opt out...we played the game by their rules...and after the fact...some people think it's OK to move the goal posts, or change the deal when it's time to collect on promised benefits. No thank you! Anyone who thinks they are receiving too much should send a check to the IRS....and leave the rest of us alone. Want to change the deal...again? Change it for those under 50... and phase it in. And Oh Yeah...try not to crush small businesses as you do it.
Post: About that inflation in retirement
Link to comment from July 13, 2026
I loved this short, but thought-provoking article. I am 2.5 years into retirement. During my first year (2024), my wife and I traveled to 5 states, doing the Airbnb thing, driving. Flying is too stressful and BS-laden for me today. We visited our two kids (one in TX and one in MD) and flew them and their spouses to us in NC. No grandkids, unfortunately. I did fly to a couple of events in 2024... the NRA Coinvention and the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder's Meeting. I have been to several NRA conventions, but it was my first & only time attending the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders' Meeting. It was an event unlike any other I have attended. The odd thing I am experiencing is the overwhelming desire to consider "opportunities." Examples are college teaching opportunities, professional training positions, and even chaplaincy opportunities in Hospitals, workplaces, and Hospices. I need to slap myself and remind myself that just because I can doesn't mean I should. I think it is the result of being a lifetime of overachievement, overambition, and success orientation, with a strong desire to serve. In 2025, I focused on earning my chaplaincy credentials and pursuing and completing seminary studies, culminating in my Doctor of Ministry Degree. Because of my age (I am 75), I wasn't eligible to become a permanent deacon in my church or a military chaplain, so I pursued the D. Min. as an alternative route to service. My dissertation was focused on Strengthening Christian Marriages, and today I am involved in premarital counseling within my parish. I am certified as a PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator and a Ramset Financial Master Coach. I will be putting on my first Online "Financial Peace University" for my parish later this fall. In addition, I am completing coursework to facilitate the "Faith & Money Matters" and "God, Marriage and Money" courses for Compass Catholic. Marriage. These are all part of the ministry and are all offered pro bono. I found my way to use my 58 years of financial services education and experience, along with my ministry education and over 35 years of serving various parishes in 9 different states throughout my working lifetime. My wife and I are blessed financially, and it is a wonderful feeling to be able to help people without needing to generate income to provide that help. I hope all HD readers are able to "matter" in their retirement, and feel they still have "purpose!"
Post: Haunted Head
Link to comment from July 12, 2026
John: I didn't see any comments regarding prior years' tax due equaling ZERO...because you received a refund? 100% of Zero is Zero. Comment please?
Post: Don’t Let a Roth Conversion Trigger a Penalty
Link to comment from July 11, 2026
My Irish paternal great-grandfather came in the 1850's and my German maternal great-grandfather came from Germany in the early 1860s. Like you, Nick, my grateful heart knows no bounds.
Post: Happy 250th Birthday America
Link to comment from July 7, 2026
Thank GOD I never had to deal with this crap...and I never will. I am retired; I have ZERO IRMAA concerns, ZERO ACA concerns, and ZERO Income Tax concerns. It's all in the planning.
Post: A $30,000 Mistake
Link to comment from July 7, 2026
Mark…having spent decades in auto sales finance (the bank side, not the dealer side) I can assure you… the 4% number, NOT the 20% number…is the Right Answer. I have had to deal with this twice in the last 6 years. My bride’s car is a 2006 Chrysler touring convertible. She loves this car. It’s worth is probably less than $2000 however, in the past six years, I’ve put $1800 in a front end and $1500 and other repairs. Meanwhile, we haven’t had a car payment on her car since 2010, when it was paid in full. it has 79,000 miles on it and you should see the smile on her face when her top is down.
Post: Tempted by the Shiny and New: Another HD Car Post
Link to comment from July 5, 2026
Well. Michael, the good news is the older you are when you purchase the annuity, the higher the payout, as a general rule. In addition, Annuities purchased with Roth Dollars are income tax-free.
Post: Automatic Income stream? How important to you?
Link to comment from June 28, 2026
Having a defined-benefit pension in retirement would have a major impact on whether annuities would be desirable for someone whose "pension" was a defined-contribution plan, like a 403 (b) or 401 (k). I actually had two pensions from two previous employers, both of whom offered me a cash-out offer shortly after I turned 55. One from Ford Motor Company. It was $296.00 per month with a 50% survivor's benefit. Thesecond was from Mitsubishi Motors of America. It was almost double at $597.00per month. It also had a 50% survivor's benefit. Together, they totaled@$114,600. I took the cashouts and deposited the funds into a rollover IRA. As I was approaching retirement (self-selected) at age 70, 2020 happened, and I put off retirement FOMY! As you know, the market in 2020 recovered, in record time, but it reminded me of a lesson I had been discussing with students academically, which I now understand in reality. The concept of the sequence-of-returns risk. It is not just an academic theory. My employment contract was renewed for an additional 5 years in 2021, so I figured, "Why not stay for another 12-18 months and stuff money into my 403b Roth account?' Then came 2022? Recovery wasn't quite as fast, and the lesson from 2020 about the sequence-of-returns risk was brought home again. The good news is that in 2023, right before the late spring market drop, I bought a series of income rider annuities. Three of them were paid for with Roth money from my 403(b), establishing tax-free income for life, with joint-life survivor benefits and an LTC rider as well. The fourth one was paid for through a rollover from my rollover IRA. As 2023 was drawing to a close, I had built up what JL Collin refers to as “FU Money.” That gave me pause, and cause to reconsider my current situation, and I decided I would retire, for real, this time. After giving 90 days’ notice, I established my final work day as 1 January 2024. Why not 31 December 2023? Because that date took me into a new year, entitling me to one final Roth 403 (b) contribution to be matched by my employer. In addition, it gave me a final paycheck, an additional payment for 300 hours of unused vacation (maximum allowable), and a payment for a contract job completed just before YE 2023. Today, my wife and I are enjoying retirement, secure in the knowledge that our guaranteed income far exceeds our retirement expenses, for the next few years anyway, with minimal income tax due. In the words of Beldar Conehead, “Life on Earth is good.”
Post: Automatic Income stream? How important to you?
Link to comment from June 28, 2026
Post: Automatic Income stream? How important to you?
Link to comment from June 28, 2026