AUTHOR: DavidHLancaster on 6/10/2026 FIRST: R Quinn on 6/10 | RECENT: Mike Xavier on 6/11
Comments
I have touted my faith in Vanguard for decades to my wife. Hopefully I have a couple of decades left to manage our assets. After that the compounding fees will have less of an effect. Finally, and most importantly, since my wife has shown only a passing interest (most recently) I don’t think in her eighties she would want to be making a decision on a fee only advisor in her late eighties, and in that case Vanguard and their potential 5K is fee looks like a bargain.
I was going to say the same, but I will add for someone who has no interest in managing money a Vanguard personal advisor with their low fee would be worth every penny, and you would have to assume they would continue on a similar path as to what you are doing now. My wife has been told that the first monetary move after I die is to call Vanguard and set this up.
Supposedly, that is when they aren’t in recess, which seems to be all the time. Supposedly this time off is to have time to interact with their constituents so they understand our views, but yet… Per AI: In a typical year, Congress is in session for legislative work in Washington D.C. for only about 140–160 days, meaning members spend roughly 200 or more days out of session. House Session Days (2026): Scheduled for only 114–119 days. Senate Session Days (2026): Scheduled for approximately 149–158 days. Supposedly this time off is to have time to interact with their constituents so they understand our views, but yet… For reference a full time worker with two weeks of vacation works 240 days a year, and yet our congress understands what it’s like to be an average American.
Joan,
I did not see this post on the day it was posted, but it’s ironic that just before reading this I read a Morningstar article about bond issuances this year. The article states, “What’s more, Nguyen says Vanguard estimates that hyperscalers have this year only raised somewhere over half the funding they need. She added that AI-related investments could reach $800 billion, underscoring the scale of capital required The investment-grade bond market has traditionally been more heavily concentrated in financials. But Nguyen says this debt could push the tech sector to take up a bigger slice of the corporate bond market than the so-called big six financial companies This could impact how the overall investment-grade bond market behaves relative to the stock market, where returns are dominated by many of the same mega-cap tech stocks. “It’s definitely going to be more correlated,” Nguyen says. After my reading so far this am I have two thoughts: 1) I would caution that your bond portfolio may be acting more like stocks than a diversifier. 2) You only mention intermediate term bonds which puts you at interest rate risk. I am only just now showing a positive return from my intermediate term bond fund since the ‘22 swoon.
My wife didn’t want an engagement ring, but I insisted. I wanted it for the symbolism. Only a 1/5 karat, we bought it at a craft fair, we attended shortly after I proposed (nothing fancy). Married 44 years ago in August.
Dan, there is always a tax, but after five years you continue to pay only the minimum. My Tacoma I bought new in 2002 I owned for 18 years, mostly the years we were raising our children and paying for college. The plan I mentioned started creating a financial plan for retirement.
Per AI: Polls show 71% to 85% of Americans prefer raising taxes to cutting benefits. However, agreement drops sharply to just 23% when asked if they would personally pay higher taxes to close the shortfall. I teed it up for you Richard. Take out your driver and give it a wack😂
Comments
I have touted my faith in Vanguard for decades to my wife. Hopefully I have a couple of decades left to manage our assets. After that the compounding fees will have less of an effect. Finally, and most importantly, since my wife has shown only a passing interest (most recently) I don’t think in her eighties she would want to be making a decision on a fee only advisor in her late eighties, and in that case Vanguard and their potential 5K is fee looks like a bargain.
Post: What’s in your portfolio ?
Link to comment from June 16, 2026
Dan, The last sentence in your post describes us to a T.
Post: HD Reader’s Demographics
Link to comment from June 16, 2026
I was going to say the same, but I will add for someone who has no interest in managing money a Vanguard personal advisor with their low fee would be worth every penny, and you would have to assume they would continue on a similar path as to what you are doing now. My wife has been told that the first monetary move after I die is to call Vanguard and set this up.
Post: What’s in your portfolio ?
Link to comment from June 16, 2026
Supposedly, that is when they aren’t in recess, which seems to be all the time. Supposedly this time off is to have time to interact with their constituents so they understand our views, but yet… Per AI: In a typical year, Congress is in session for legislative work in Washington D.C. for only about 140–160 days, meaning members spend roughly 200 or more days out of session. House Session Days (2026): Scheduled for only 114–119 days. Senate Session Days (2026): Scheduled for approximately 149–158 days. Supposedly this time off is to have time to interact with their constituents so they understand our views, but yet… For reference a full time worker with two weeks of vacation works 240 days a year, and yet our congress understands what it’s like to be an average American.
Post: Fixing Social Security is not that hard, here’s how
Link to comment from June 16, 2026
Joan, I did not see this post on the day it was posted, but it’s ironic that just before reading this I read a Morningstar article about bond issuances this year. The article states, “What’s more, Nguyen says Vanguard estimates that hyperscalers have this year only raised somewhere over half the funding they need. She added that AI-related investments could reach $800 billion, underscoring the scale of capital required The investment-grade bond market has traditionally been more heavily concentrated in financials. But Nguyen says this debt could push the tech sector to take up a bigger slice of the corporate bond market than the so-called big six financial companies This could impact how the overall investment-grade bond market behaves relative to the stock market, where returns are dominated by many of the same mega-cap tech stocks. “It’s definitely going to be more correlated,” Nguyen says. After my reading so far this am I have two thoughts: 1) I would caution that your bond portfolio may be acting more like stocks than a diversifier. 2) You only mention intermediate term bonds which puts you at interest rate risk. I am only just now showing a positive return from my intermediate term bond fund since the ‘22 swoon.
Post: Can one “core” total bond ETF replace the complexity of your bond holdings?
Link to comment from June 15, 2026
My wife didn’t want an engagement ring, but I insisted. I wanted it for the symbolism. Only a 1/5 karat, we bought it at a craft fair, we attended shortly after I proposed (nothing fancy). Married 44 years ago in August.
Post: Gold and Diamonds
Link to comment from June 14, 2026
Hung, Sounds like the American dream is still alive. Good for you.
Post: Celebrating the Win
Link to comment from June 14, 2026
Dan, there is always a tax, but after five years you continue to pay only the minimum. My Tacoma I bought new in 2002 I owned for 18 years, mostly the years we were raising our children and paying for college. The plan I mentioned started creating a financial plan for retirement.
Post: …..taxes and you
Link to comment from June 14, 2026
Or maybe to smooth out the rate of change calculate the tax rate based on a three or five year rolling average.
Post: Fixing Social Security is not that hard, here’s how
Link to comment from June 14, 2026
Per AI: Polls show 71% to 85% of Americans prefer raising taxes to cutting benefits. However, agreement drops sharply to just 23% when asked if they would personally pay higher taxes to close the shortfall. I teed it up for you Richard. Take out your driver and give it a wack😂
Post: Just the facts about Social Security
Link to comment from June 13, 2026