Christine Benz at Morningstar has published an update to the article. I think this is one of the better summaries on the internet.
It provides the steps and options available when determining an RMD. She lists the “key steps to take to improve your portfolio at the same time you’re meeting your obligations with the IRS.” She also discusses penalties for non-compliance and approaches to pruning and asset re-allocation.
Using Morningstar Style Box and sector exposure is suggested as a tool,

The purpose of this post is simply to illustrate that the world of retirement planning and living is vastly different than that of many, if not most, in the HumbleDollar community of writers and readers. No judgement intended.
While we debate, saving, budgets, annuities, investment and withdrawal strategies, the real world, doesn’t or can’t save or invest adequately let alone accumulate wealth. 
According to the Federal Reserve, the median retirement savings for individuals age 55-64 is $185,000 and the average $537,560.

I was in Cartagena yesterday, the beautiful Spanish deep water port city once contested by the Roman Empire and the other great power of the ancient world, Carthage of “Hanniball marching elephants through the Alps” fame. After visiting the ruins of a Roman theater, I was paying for an eagerly anticipated beer when a thought crossed my mind.
As always I had used my multi-currency prepaid debit card, the same one I’ve used in many different parts of the world.

I’ve been observing the traits and habits of people I would consider successful.  Not only with finances (that goes without saying here)  but with life in general. Here are some traits I’ve noticed:

Get up early
Exercise regularly, eat right, sleep well
Have an active social life (friends , family, etc)
Follow a daily routines
Keep their minds engaged, whether it be some work in retirement, reading ,doing puzzles, etc.
Have good financial habits.

What are some traits or habits that you have,

If you have young children or grandchildren, you may know the answer to this question.
How much do families spend on their children’s sports activities? 🏈🏒🥍⚾️⚽️
The answer is a lot, often thousands of dollars a year. I know that from experience in our family. My children each spend four thousand more or less for their children’s equipment, team fees, travel costs and in some cases lessons.  
And then there are the fund raisers each team conducts.

HUMBLEDOLLAR FOUNDER and longtime Wall Street Journal columnist Jonathan Clements passed away earlier this week. He was 62.
I reached out to several of Jonathan’s close friends and colleagues to ask for their remembrances. Taken together, they paint a picture of someone who was as beloved by his peers as he was by his readers.
As Jason Zweig put it, “I have just lost a friend, and so have you.”
Christine Benz,

WE LOST A brilliant mind and generous writer, Jonathan Clements, whose words guided thousands on life, finance, and happiness. Even as he faced the unimaginable, he continued sharing wisdom with clarity, humor, and humanity.
I wanted to take some time and dig into Jonathan’s earliest posts on HumbleDollar. Posts that even the most loyal readers may not have read. With that, I also summarized some main takeaways and learnings that can help us all better navigate our own complex lives.

In a prior post I explained that we were in the process of doing account transfers into Fidelity. As good fortune would have it, nearly all of our money was sitting in cash when Liberation Day caused the market to tank. 
My quandary was how to get back into the market. I asked what would you do; dollar cost average (DCA), or take the plunge. Replies were mixed. 
I bet on import taxes creating havoc for the balance of the year,

I recently read an article that really made me sit back, pause, and think. While I have no real way of validating this statistic, apparently I’m one of the wealthiest one percent of people in the entire world. This is according to findings by the asset manager UBS (formerly Credit Suisse) in their latest Global Wealth Report.
This blows my mind. I’m just a regular guy with no airs and graces about me, who likes a bit of “craic”

I realize we touched this topic before, but I just watched a YouTube video where the “expert” debunked the 4% rule. His criticism was simply that is not how people spend money. He said nobody lives on the percent they withdraw giving the example that if a person had $1,000,000 and took $40,000 they may need more money for unexpected spending. Thus they will take extra from the $1,000,000 
That’s like saying nobody can live on a pension or salary for that matter because they may need more money. 

My wife is the child of an Irish mother and a Punjabi father, a family dynamic that has taken on a much deeper meaning for me as I’ve gotten older. I can’t speak for the nearly one billion people on the Indian subcontinent or the vast diaspora of Indian families around the world, but the extended Punjabi family I’ve known for forty years makes family the bedrock of their lives.
I’ve essentially been adopted into their family and culture.

I hope I’m not overstepping here, but since I read the news yesterday, I’ve been thinking that it would be nice to have a thread in which we thank Jonathan for the various ways he touched our lives, whether it be as a writer or just a manager of our finances. I’m hoping it’s something his family might enjoy reading when they’re ready.
So here’s mine:
Unlike many of you who go back to Jonathan’s WSJ days,

https://ofdollarsanddata.com/why-the-5-rule-is-the-new-4-rule/
An additional take on Bergen’s new book and data, which I posted about 6-8 weeks ago.
Nothing for me to add except Nick is a smart guy,  and the table in the article is pretty compelling.

Being in Spain at the moment, I took the opportunity to use the excellent train network to travel and see my father-in-law, who has lived in the country full-time since retiring ten years ago.
He lives comfortably, if humbly, within his means. A UK state pension and a small personal retirement account to bolster it are all he requires. I don’t think I could live on his retirement income, and I don’t think he could have managed without the geoarbitrage he undertook to make it work.

If this post is appearing, it means I’ve succumbed to cancer or one of its side effects. Please don’t feel sad for me. I’ve had a life filled with love, great experiences and wonderful career opportunities. Despite my demise at a relatively young age, I consider myself beyond fortunate.
I’m hoping that, under the tree in front of our little Philadelphia rowhome, my wife Elaine will place a stone tablet inscribed with my name, and the year I was born and died.