Harold well said. I have taken care of all investments since I was 18 years old. At 80, my best investments except for Apple stock, has been the index VOO, the S&P 500. So happy my education, and reading investment books, along with Humble Dollar helped get me to a good place.
Excellent article R Quinn. Always a good idea to think about inflation, the killer of all investments. For me the only way to beat it, is to invest in the S&P 500. Fortunately for me, that has worked out very well over the last 60 years, and I plan to keep it that way. The S&P has nicely beat inflation over those many years.
Mark excellent article. However, I choose to ditch ALL bonds about 30 years ago and take the Buffett outlook. I switched to 85% Equities and 15% cash to tide me over on the lean years. Overall I have been all Smiles ever since.
Excellent article Andrew. I eased into retirement, less and less work hours from 55 on. Decided to keep my foot in the door until age 78, when I officially retired. My blessing was at age 48 my company decided to downsize me. Best thing that ever happened to me in work life. You just cannot plan everything.
And my investments increased nicely in the last 4 years, and it is difficult to spend more than what is coming in. I guess I am a slow learner, but very blessed.
Excellent question. I was downsized at age 48. A friend ask me to join his company which competed with my previous employer, the catch no salary, only commission. Decided to take the opportunity, and it worked out great. So went from 50 hours a week, to 30 hours, then at 65 more like 20, and then down to 5 hours a week. As you can see I really liked what I was doing selling inkjet ink and parts, and finally at 78 decided to fully retire. The nice part about it all, is I worked from home since 1994 and because of the internet could work from cruise ships or anywhere in the world. It was the best downsizing ever.
Thanks Bogdan for another important article. It seems no matter how well I think I know the rule, it always has nuances. You for sure have helped many understand how to keep taxes to a minimum. Nice work.
Another excellent article, Adam. Nice to know I made the right decisions, and you confirmed that my spouse will get the higher Social Security amount if I pass away first.
I enjoy all your articles, Adam. Thanks and please keep contributing. I have learned that the INDEX is the answer. After about 20 years, I found my average of all the ups and downs of buying individual stocks, I was right at the S&P500 amount, and very happy it was not less. I am with Buffett, on that index and have 85% of my portfolio in stocks at Vanguard, VOO.
I eased into retirement. At 60 I worked about 5 hours a day, then gradually to less than an hour a day at 78. The key, I really liked what I was doing, and then they call that fun, not work. So my suggestion, get a part time job for now, in something you really like, even if it is working in a hardware store! Enjoy every minute, because time ticks on.
I must be frugal. We meet at the Meeting room of a CCRC, one guy makes coffee, the other brings a few Pepsi's, and ice. We play one hand of poker with 4 decks for $5, and there are 3 winners, high, low and the guy who gets the joker. All the socializing you want for $5, but you could win $55! The Birthday boy is supposed to bring cookies or the like. Great FUN, and always something to learn, this week it was Route 66.
Comments
Harold well said. I have taken care of all investments since I was 18 years old. At 80, my best investments except for Apple stock, has been the index VOO, the S&P 500. So happy my education, and reading investment books, along with Humble Dollar helped get me to a good place.
Post: Today in Financial History
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
Excellent article R Quinn. Always a good idea to think about inflation, the killer of all investments. For me the only way to beat it, is to invest in the S&P 500. Fortunately for me, that has worked out very well over the last 60 years, and I plan to keep it that way. The S&P has nicely beat inflation over those many years.
Post: Inflation, prices, COLAs, retirement and the last 16 years
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
Mark excellent article. However, I choose to ditch ALL bonds about 30 years ago and take the Buffett outlook. I switched to 85% Equities and 15% cash to tide me over on the lean years. Overall I have been all Smiles ever since.
Post: Taking a Loss?
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
Excellent article Andrew. I eased into retirement, less and less work hours from 55 on. Decided to keep my foot in the door until age 78, when I officially retired. My blessing was at age 48 my company decided to downsize me. Best thing that ever happened to me in work life. You just cannot plan everything. And my investments increased nicely in the last 4 years, and it is difficult to spend more than what is coming in. I guess I am a slow learner, but very blessed.
Post: What I Retired To
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
Excellent question. I was downsized at age 48. A friend ask me to join his company which competed with my previous employer, the catch no salary, only commission. Decided to take the opportunity, and it worked out great. So went from 50 hours a week, to 30 hours, then at 65 more like 20, and then down to 5 hours a week. As you can see I really liked what I was doing selling inkjet ink and parts, and finally at 78 decided to fully retire. The nice part about it all, is I worked from home since 1994 and because of the internet could work from cruise ships or anywhere in the world. It was the best downsizing ever.
Post: How Did You Find Paid Work After Retiring from Your Primary Career?
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
Thanks Bogdan for another important article. It seems no matter how well I think I know the rule, it always has nuances. You for sure have helped many understand how to keep taxes to a minimum. Nice work.
Post: $400,000 Mistake
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
Another excellent article, Adam. Nice to know I made the right decisions, and you confirmed that my spouse will get the higher Social Security amount if I pass away first.
Post: Social Security
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
I enjoy all your articles, Adam. Thanks and please keep contributing. I have learned that the INDEX is the answer. After about 20 years, I found my average of all the ups and downs of buying individual stocks, I was right at the S&P500 amount, and very happy it was not less. I am with Buffett, on that index and have 85% of my portfolio in stocks at Vanguard, VOO.
Post: Market Indicators
Link to comment from July 25, 2026
I eased into retirement. At 60 I worked about 5 hours a day, then gradually to less than an hour a day at 78. The key, I really liked what I was doing, and then they call that fun, not work. So my suggestion, get a part time job for now, in something you really like, even if it is working in a hardware store! Enjoy every minute, because time ticks on.
Post: Fear of the Unknown…
Link to comment from July 25, 2026
I must be frugal. We meet at the Meeting room of a CCRC, one guy makes coffee, the other brings a few Pepsi's, and ice. We play one hand of poker with 4 decks for $5, and there are 3 winners, high, low and the guy who gets the joker. All the socializing you want for $5, but you could win $55! The Birthday boy is supposed to bring cookies or the like. Great FUN, and always something to learn, this week it was Route 66.
Post: One Person’s Luxury, Another’s Necessity
Link to comment from July 25, 2026