DavidHLancaster

Comments

• One little step at a time Linda!

  Post: The Intentional Spendthrift

  Link to comment from August 23, 2026

• Linda, If you have been frugal for that many decades, and money is really not an issue, and want to break the habit, maybe you could consider stoping the recording your spending. That may enable a reset. At this point I would be shocked if your habitual frugality after all these decades were not ingrained so you have nothing to worry about going forward.

  Post: The Intentional Spendthrift

  Link to comment from August 23, 2026

• I just read yesterday that August 31st is the 50th anniversary of the founding of Vanguard’s S and P 500 index fund originally derided as Bogle’s folly. A few facts: 1) Allan Roth has calculated that a $15,000 investment in that first index fund at its launch is worth more than $3.6 million today. 2) Vanguard has estimated that Bogle’s pushing of index funds has saved investors 570 billion dollars. 3) Vanguard now has 12.8 TRILLION global assets under management. That is more than all but eight countries’ total household wealth. Hmmm, quite a folly.

  Post: Federal debt

  Link to comment from August 22, 2026

• I had a conversation yesterday with someone in my gym. I commented on what a TV showed on a TV screen regarding the market performance that day. He said he had given up on the stock market. I asked him why. I told him how it had helped retire at 62. He said he was 77 years old and working part time. I asked him if this was for something to keep him busy or out of necessity. He said he was foolish when he was younger and didn’t consider his older self. He figured Social Security would be all that was necessary. I think he has plenty of company here in the US.

  Post: The Lottery of Birth

  Link to comment from August 22, 2026

• Yes, and when it comes to vacations we try to be somewhat conservative when booking flights and hotels, but definitely a class above what we spent when were saving for retirement. When we are on the trip now we don’t even look at prices of activities or restaurants. One time we received a ticket for speeding (electronic monitoring) after arriving home post a two week trip to Italy. After confirming it was legitimate I just paid. My wife was surprised I was so calm. My response? I wasn’t going to get upset and let it affect my memory of a trip I had waited early my entire lifetime. I just chalked up to a travel expense. BTW We unexpectedly decided to stay in a hotel for one night last weekend when celebrating my 50th high school reunion. We paid $99 plus tax at a Super 8 hotel, as in two weeks we leave for a two week trip to the UK where we are staying mostly in four star hotels. This event displayed two lessons: 1) We (that means I) can still be frugal. 2) Boy are we blessed we can stay at pretty upscale accommodations when we are on a planned vacation, or as in the UK, holiday. 😁 Addendum: Just this week changed out all the smoke detectors in our house, corrected a foundation drainage problem, and fixed a faulty monitor on our home water treatment system during a phone consult. So I still am following my philosophy of not paying someone to do something I can do myself. The lawn, that’s something that is getting close to a paying for a rider, or someone to perform.

  Post: The Intentional Spendthrift

  Link to comment from August 22, 2026

• “Suzie, for her part, still finds this transformation amusing. She’s married to a man who still has the suit from their wedding 37 years ago, yet now watches that same guy order a second brandy without so much as a glance at the menu price.” Did you notice a ruffle under the tablecloth after you couldn’t answer? That was Suzie performing a not subtle enough fist pump.

  Post: The Intentional Spendthrift

  Link to comment from August 22, 2026

• To me the most important number is not the ones discussed below it is these two: 1) 1 trillion dollars- which spent annually just on financing the debt last year- think of the programs that could finance, ah like Social Security and Medicare, no future cuts would be necessary 2) 14%- the percentage of the Federal government's “budget” that is the debt payments.

  Post: Federal debt

  Link to comment from August 21, 2026

• I have been saying for years that the only way the data breaches are going to be significantly reduced is if congress passes a law which imposes significant financial penalties, and maybe short jail sentences if gross negligence is found. I currently have three free identity monitors due to breaches, it seems the offending companies just provide this service and move on.

  Post: 1,800 data breaches in the first six months of 2026

  Link to comment from August 21, 2026

• I was purposefully only addressing Social Security funding. It is my understanding that a significant amount paid for Medicare services is paid out of the general fund, thusly it does affect the federal deficit.

  Post: The Federal Debt and Social Security Payments

  Link to comment from August 20, 2026

• Ah, Jack Bogle 🙏

  Post: Federal debt

  Link to comment from August 20, 2026