Never send money to anyone, especially when the story does not jive. Be Alert. No need to answer your phone either, if it is important your fried will leave a message.
Thanks for the Excellent reminders, this should be discussed in high school and again in college. These words of Wisdom are great guides to not only financial life but personal life. Thank you Jonathan.
Ed, a very well thought out article. I have been there and done that, as I am 80 years old this year. Now looking backwards, the most important thing you have is a PLAN, my plan is working out just fine, and I used to be conservative that I would live to be 100 years old. That alone should make you comfortable. I made some calculations, and the difference between the S&P500 vs the VTSAX, VTIAX is about 1%, however investing $1000 one time for 55 years, amounted to $100,000 with the winner the S&P500. No one can predict the future, but those who plan for the future will come out on top.
Adam, I really enjoyed your discussion. I think it could happen in today's environment. However, I am only going to watch and enjoy the banter along the way. When I saw this, I could not get why anyone would think this was possible. To me, this is a little like all these coins around, but people do invest in them, and I think it is the under 30 crowd. They just may know something we never experienced.
WDH, one of the best summaries of Investing discussions where, time, diversifying and compounding are on your side. Stick with the best brokerage houses like Vanguard & Fidelity & Schwab, and pick indices that are low in cost. Spread the wealth, one of the best is the S&P 500 index, these include the biggest and most successful industrial stocks in the market. Save regularly, try to get all matching of money you can from your employer for your 401k, because you will need it in retirement. Good investing to all.
Loved your article Mark. My wish is to have an autonomous car soon, that is in a few years. My 2018 Lexus RX350, has adaptive cruise control, so much improved over the previous styles, and very useful, as it will track the car ahead, it slows it goes slower if it goes 70 MPH it will go up to that. Very useful at my age. At 80 years old, I know from my parents that driving at 90 is not the same and can be dangerous for most of us. So my thinking was to get a so called Level 3 driving capability car supposedly available in a few cars in 2027 and even more in 2028. Looking forward to this new age for cars
Great article R Quinn. You can spreadsheet, or AI it any way you like. The POINT is compounding is your friend. Being an Engineer and taking Engineering Economics allowed me in 1968 to understand I had to save something, so one day we could look to a comfortable retirement. Inflation of course is your enemy, and you must be balanced and reasonable in your estimates. Because of our discipline along with 3 children, we still found a way to save. When IRA's came, we somehow managed to always save so we could maximize our FREE money put in by the company. Yes, if you relied only on Social Security then, you will have to skimp in your retirement. It turns out our saving discipline has paid off handsomely, and at 76 we changed from saving and earning to spending, and if you are like us living in a CCRC, you will spend more than when you owned a home. At 80, we are fortunate to having a smooth road ahead. You need balance, saving, discipline and some good fortune to make it all work. If you spend, spend and pay 25% on your credit card balance, you will not be able to retire and enjoy it.
Comments
Excellent article, waiting for the REST of the story.
Post: Starting Up
Link to comment from May 9, 2026
Never send money to anyone, especially when the story does not jive. Be Alert. No need to answer your phone either, if it is important your fried will leave a message.
Post: New Face, old scam
Link to comment from May 9, 2026
Wonderful discussion. Mom's are the BEST. Happy Mother's Day to ALL/
Post: Sundry Memories of Mom
Link to comment from May 9, 2026
Thanks for the Excellent reminders, this should be discussed in high school and again in college. These words of Wisdom are great guides to not only financial life but personal life. Thank you Jonathan.
Post: Jonathan’s Advice for 2026 Graduates
Link to comment from May 9, 2026
Ed, a very well thought out article. I have been there and done that, as I am 80 years old this year. Now looking backwards, the most important thing you have is a PLAN, my plan is working out just fine, and I used to be conservative that I would live to be 100 years old. That alone should make you comfortable. I made some calculations, and the difference between the S&P500 vs the VTSAX, VTIAX is about 1%, however investing $1000 one time for 55 years, amounted to $100,000 with the winner the S&P500. No one can predict the future, but those who plan for the future will come out on top.
Post: Slow on the Draw
Link to comment from May 9, 2026
Adam, I really enjoyed your discussion. I think it could happen in today's environment. However, I am only going to watch and enjoy the banter along the way. When I saw this, I could not get why anyone would think this was possible. To me, this is a little like all these coins around, but people do invest in them, and I think it is the under 30 crowd. They just may know something we never experienced.
Post: Pricing the Impossible
Link to comment from May 9, 2026
WDH, one of the best summaries of Investing discussions where, time, diversifying and compounding are on your side. Stick with the best brokerage houses like Vanguard & Fidelity & Schwab, and pick indices that are low in cost. Spread the wealth, one of the best is the S&P 500 index, these include the biggest and most successful industrial stocks in the market. Save regularly, try to get all matching of money you can from your employer for your 401k, because you will need it in retirement. Good investing to all.
Post: Investing Fundamentals: A Simple Guide for Beginners
Link to comment from May 2, 2026
Thanks for this fine article, Andrew. In a word FAMILY.
Post: One World, One Kind of Work
Link to comment from May 2, 2026
Loved your article Mark. My wish is to have an autonomous car soon, that is in a few years. My 2018 Lexus RX350, has adaptive cruise control, so much improved over the previous styles, and very useful, as it will track the car ahead, it slows it goes slower if it goes 70 MPH it will go up to that. Very useful at my age. At 80 years old, I know from my parents that driving at 90 is not the same and can be dangerous for most of us. So my thinking was to get a so called Level 3 driving capability car supposedly available in a few cars in 2027 and even more in 2028. Looking forward to this new age for cars
Post: Ageing and the Open Road
Link to comment from May 2, 2026
Great article R Quinn. You can spreadsheet, or AI it any way you like. The POINT is compounding is your friend. Being an Engineer and taking Engineering Economics allowed me in 1968 to understand I had to save something, so one day we could look to a comfortable retirement. Inflation of course is your enemy, and you must be balanced and reasonable in your estimates. Because of our discipline along with 3 children, we still found a way to save. When IRA's came, we somehow managed to always save so we could maximize our FREE money put in by the company. Yes, if you relied only on Social Security then, you will have to skimp in your retirement. It turns out our saving discipline has paid off handsomely, and at 76 we changed from saving and earning to spending, and if you are like us living in a CCRC, you will spend more than when you owned a home. At 80, we are fortunate to having a smooth road ahead. You need balance, saving, discipline and some good fortune to make it all work. If you spend, spend and pay 25% on your credit card balance, you will not be able to retire and enjoy it.
Post: Is saving really that hard? Nope, not for the great majority of Americans.
Link to comment from May 2, 2026