Several months ago, I wrote of my wife’s and my decision to simplify our financial lives by reducing our investments to the bare minimum. Our thinking is in the same vein as our editor’s, and a number of others in the HumbleDollar community, judging from my recollection of reader comments.
Now, I know that many others have a different opinion of where to place their money, and that’s okay. I’m not implying they’re wrong.

My grandmother immigrated to America from Kilkee, county Clare, Ireland.  I always wanted to learn more about her life there, but she spoke very little of it. It seems she decided to just let go of hungry Ireland and cast her lot in her new country.
Because of family struggles she had to return to Ireland, but was able to return to the land she now loved and fully embraced.  My grandmother loved patriotic poems. I offer an excerpt from her favorite;

SOME THINGS YOU HAVE to do yourself.
A 2017 study concluded that spending money on time-saving services is correlated with greater life satisfaction. A subsequent article confirmed the finding. Rich or poor, we can boost our happiness by having others do undesirable tasks.
These studies confirm what HumbleDollar readers already know: Wealth is a tool that, if used wisely, can increase our life’s satisfaction. Pay a yard service to mow the lawn.

THE OTHER DAY, WHEN my son and I were out on our daily trash pickup walk, I found a $5 bill. No one was around, so I didn’t know who dropped it. It was just lying there.
I picked it up and put it in my wallet with all my other “pocket money.” This is money I use whenever credit cards aren’t allowed. The $5 bill slipped in next to the other $5 bills.

In an hour or so we are off to the hospital for Connie’s surgery. Frankly, I’m nervous. All surgery has some risk, but more so if you are 85. I asked the doctor to remember that while he sees an 85 year old patient, to me she is my 25 year old bride.
As if medical issues were not enough to stress you, the unbelievable paperwork, regulations, duplication of information is beyond frustrating. Medical offices can’t share info because of privacy rules.

On Sunday, Elaine and I decided to try a new-to-us Italian restaurant in Philadelphia’s Old City. The restaurant is BYOB, which is always appealing to thrifty me. But it’s also cash only.
No problem, I thought. I bank with Chase, and a quick Google search turned up an ATM near the restaurant. But when we got to the ATM, a sign indicated you couldn’t access it on Sundays. The next closest Chase ATM was nine blocks away—which was tempting,

I SENT HUMBLEDOLLAR’S editor an email saying I was taking some time off from writing for the site. I really didn’t think I was going to write again. It wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy it. Rather, I thought I didn’t have anything to say that I hadn’t already said. But when I read Jonathan’s June 15 article, I was inspired to write about friendship.
Although I’ve never met Jonathan in person, he feels like a dear friend who I’ve known for many years.

Travel is one of the hot topics in retirement planning and one of the big budget items for many. That’s a good thing. In our early years retired we spent $20,000 a year on travel. It was money well spent. I hope to spend more.
I get into “discussions” with a woman on Facebook mostly about immigration.  As part of that I tried to explain what I have learned about people, how they live and why for generations they have wanted to come to America.

For over 30 years, I have collect quotes. It’s a great hobby since it is easy to start or stop, the cost is minimal, and I value the message whether related to investing, retirement, or daily life.
My collection includes about 1,300 quotes from 775 people. Some of the most interesting quotes represent that person’s sole contribution, while others, such as Mark Twain, are quite prolific. The contributors include politicians, philosophers, business leaders, sport celebrities, actors,

MY WIFE AND I HAD intended to live in our single-family home for the rest of our lives. We remodeled several times so we could age in place, and we were confident we were all set for the future.
We knew life could change in an instant. We just didn’t think it would happen to us. My wife fell at home four years ago and suffered a traumatic brain injury. After six months in hospitals and rehab,

IN YIDDISH, CHUTZPAH  means audacity. Larry Ellison, the flamboyant founder and ex-CEO of Oracle, is the embodiment of chutzpah. I want to share a real estate caper that took place during my making-it stage when the river of my ambition was flowing swiftly and perhaps recklessly. The gambit called upon all the chutzpah I could muster. It worked famously, a highlight of family lore and my ambivalent career as a small residential property investor.

I’m not big on aphorisms—at least when talking to others. But there are certain things I say to myself all the time. Like what? Here are four mantras that I repeat to myself on an almost daily basis:
“First, do what you have to do, then do what you want to do.” This is my vegetables-first approach to the day. I have an ongoing to-do list that I typically revise each evening. When I look at that list in the morning,

We have all heard of the 4% rule. We know the S&P index has return an average annual return of  10.26% since 1957. Even considering inflation and sequence of returns, how is it possible to run out of retirement funds sticking to the 4% strategy and using cash during downturns. In fact, isn’t more likely assets will grow?

BEFORE 2022, OUR investments were held by multiple financial firms, more by chance than choice. Fidelity Investments was the 401(k) recordkeeper. My two individual stocks were held by separate transfer agents. My brokerage account was with Alight Financial. My two annuities and a small IRA were with RiverSource. It was a mess.

Each had different processes, websites with different functionality, and customer service that ranged from nonexistent to annoying. In one case, I couldn’t take a required minimum distribution online.

WE ALL HAVE NEEDS and wants. It’s easy to know our needs because we’re constantly dealing with them: buying groceries, paying rent, getting gas for the car. Our wants, by contrast, are only limited by our imagination.
Our wants are easier to satisfy if they’re close to our current needs. You drive an older Honda Accord. Want a new Honda Accord? Not too difficult. Want a red Ferrari? That’s a different story. Your usual car budget won’t pay for a Ferrari.