Well written article, but not for me. Remember when everyone was building Nuclear Bomb shelters, what a waste of time. If you think gold bars will get you through, think again, just who is going to be buying them and how do you split them! If we have a level 2 or 3 it will be total chaos. Best you can do is have shelter, with some reasonable level of supplies, and cash. Look we lived through Y2K, and we will get through the next software glitch. My belief is have some cash for when things go South. Costco sells a lot of shiny gold, and now silver too, and they make money doing it.
You hit the nail on the head, there is no one number that fits ALL. But the 4% number is a good all around number to think about. Retirement is all good, if you saved properly for the 40 years before it, which apparently most people do not or can not do. Then they will struggle. At 80 years old, I take out as much as I can to not incur higher taxes.
Very interesting, but without thinking, Inflation is what kills portfolios. Just think of the last third of life, inflation is likely to more than double! and maybe 2.5 to 3 times. So my take is and what I do, is put 85% of all my money in the S&P 500, and 15% cash to tide me over when the market goes down. When the market has a hiccup like last April or a down trend like the early 2000's, you have to be disciplined and sell NOTHING. Be patient and wait out the storm. By the way, that dark period 2000 to 2013, does end, and thanks for the period 2014 to 2026!
Meaningful article, Edmund. I was getting out of the hospital after being there for 30 days and a bone marrow transplant given to myself, called autologous. The therapist stated exactly "Walk,Walk,Walk,Walk,Walk,Walk."
I got the message and been walking 2 to 4 miles a day ever since. Apparently for people 65, 75 and 80 walking is one of the best exercises you can do. It is WD40 for joints, good for balance, good brain health, and good sleeping. It's free and requires no equipment, but YOU. Good walking to all.
Excellent article Adam. Stay the course, be patient, invest constantly. History says diversify and all will be well. The key is feed that IRA, every month. Word to the wise, many of us spend more in retirement not less.
All will work out.
Thanks for your timely article. I have made the decision to wait it out, in other words my strategy to hold about 70% in the S&P, 15% in stocks and 15% in Cash at about 3.5% interest rate will work for me. My take is no one knows what the world market is going to do or the USA market. Those 500 S&P companies got me to a good place, and I plan to ride it out for my lifetime which, with much more good health, about 20 more years. Not worried at all that the Trillion Dollar companies will remain relevant for a long time.
Keep these thought provoking articles coming. I try to figure out my taxes a couple of times a year, in maybe August and again in November. I work to minimize taxes, maximize deductions, and watching the Social Security maximums, where one dollar can triggers thousands more in payments. That jigsaw puzzles needs a lot of attention. For my own tax situation along with my wife MFJ, I developed a spreadsheet comparing the last two years and all the puzzles pieces to put in place, it is exhausting and only sometimes works they way you like it too.
AI will help us all, but we have to insure it works mostly on what I call the Right things. No one can predict the market, right, so I say no one can predict AI. Sure there will be BIG changes, we all just saw what Dorsey is doing at Block Inc. shrinking the workforce by 1000's. Somehow life will go on and we will absorb AI into the workplace. Remember, people thought email would replace mail, paper copers would not be needed with PDF's etc. I do worry about the National Debt for our Grandchildren. Life keeps going on, but we all have to learn to accept more and more change. The question is will Life be better!
Excellent info, if you like ladders for finance. I think it is too much work so I find investing in an internet bank like Ally, Marcus or Synchrony is much simpler and offers similar safeguards. The current rates are as high as 4%. This works for me.
Comments
Sorry Mark, but Gold, Silver, Tobacco etc are useless, unless you like to save gold, and smoke. Amen.
Post: Why Marlboro Gold is better Than Gold
Link to comment from March 14, 2026
Well written article, but not for me. Remember when everyone was building Nuclear Bomb shelters, what a waste of time. If you think gold bars will get you through, think again, just who is going to be buying them and how do you split them! If we have a level 2 or 3 it will be total chaos. Best you can do is have shelter, with some reasonable level of supplies, and cash. Look we lived through Y2K, and we will get through the next software glitch. My belief is have some cash for when things go South. Costco sells a lot of shiny gold, and now silver too, and they make money doing it.
Post: Why I Own Gold Bars
Link to comment from March 14, 2026
You hit the nail on the head, there is no one number that fits ALL. But the 4% number is a good all around number to think about. Retirement is all good, if you saved properly for the 40 years before it, which apparently most people do not or can not do. Then they will struggle. At 80 years old, I take out as much as I can to not incur higher taxes.
Post: Forget the 4% rule.
Link to comment from March 14, 2026
Very interesting, but without thinking, Inflation is what kills portfolios. Just think of the last third of life, inflation is likely to more than double! and maybe 2.5 to 3 times. So my take is and what I do, is put 85% of all my money in the S&P 500, and 15% cash to tide me over when the market goes down. When the market has a hiccup like last April or a down trend like the early 2000's, you have to be disciplined and sell NOTHING. Be patient and wait out the storm. By the way, that dark period 2000 to 2013, does end, and thanks for the period 2014 to 2026!
Post: What, Me Worry?
Link to comment from March 14, 2026
Meaningful article, Edmund. I was getting out of the hospital after being there for 30 days and a bone marrow transplant given to myself, called autologous. The therapist stated exactly "Walk,Walk,Walk,Walk,Walk,Walk." I got the message and been walking 2 to 4 miles a day ever since. Apparently for people 65, 75 and 80 walking is one of the best exercises you can do. It is WD40 for joints, good for balance, good brain health, and good sleeping. It's free and requires no equipment, but YOU. Good walking to all.
Post: Frugal Fitness
Link to comment from March 14, 2026
Excellent article Adam. Stay the course, be patient, invest constantly. History says diversify and all will be well. The key is feed that IRA, every month. Word to the wise, many of us spend more in retirement not less. All will work out.
Post: Economic Trends
Link to comment from March 14, 2026
Thanks for your timely article. I have made the decision to wait it out, in other words my strategy to hold about 70% in the S&P, 15% in stocks and 15% in Cash at about 3.5% interest rate will work for me. My take is no one knows what the world market is going to do or the USA market. Those 500 S&P companies got me to a good place, and I plan to ride it out for my lifetime which, with much more good health, about 20 more years. Not worried at all that the Trillion Dollar companies will remain relevant for a long time.
Post: Sector Fund by Stealth
Link to comment from March 7, 2026
Keep these thought provoking articles coming. I try to figure out my taxes a couple of times a year, in maybe August and again in November. I work to minimize taxes, maximize deductions, and watching the Social Security maximums, where one dollar can triggers thousands more in payments. That jigsaw puzzles needs a lot of attention. For my own tax situation along with my wife MFJ, I developed a spreadsheet comparing the last two years and all the puzzles pieces to put in place, it is exhausting and only sometimes works they way you like it too.
Post: Tax Smart Retirement
Link to comment from March 7, 2026
AI will help us all, but we have to insure it works mostly on what I call the Right things. No one can predict the market, right, so I say no one can predict AI. Sure there will be BIG changes, we all just saw what Dorsey is doing at Block Inc. shrinking the workforce by 1000's. Somehow life will go on and we will absorb AI into the workplace. Remember, people thought email would replace mail, paper copers would not be needed with PDF's etc. I do worry about the National Debt for our Grandchildren. Life keeps going on, but we all have to learn to accept more and more change. The question is will Life be better!
Post: Is AI going to affect our investments
Link to comment from March 1, 2026
Excellent info, if you like ladders for finance. I think it is too much work so I find investing in an internet bank like Ally, Marcus or Synchrony is much simpler and offers similar safeguards. The current rates are as high as 4%. This works for me.
Post: New to building a CD or Bond Ladder?
Link to comment from March 1, 2026