I hate change.  When Schwab acquired TD Ameritrade where I had my brokerage account, I knew at some point I would have to use the Schwab platform.  Well it happened a month and a half ago.  I am not thrilled by Schwab but it’s not as bad as I feared.  Anyone go through this?

I’m curious what you wish someone had told you when you were in your 40s – doesn’t have to be career or even financial advice.  Thanks.

My question is which would be better to use to pay down debt a 401k withdrawal (sell stocks) which would raise taxes (SS) at years end significantly a 0% credit card balance transfer (cost 3-5% annually) or a 9.3% home equity loan that hopefully the interest rate goes down next year.  I enjoy reading all your stories about finances and life. thank you.

What is the general opinion of TIPS in this current environment ?

Below is a copy of a review I left on trust pilot. It’s hardly any consolation that I was not the only person to experience their deceptive tactics. See link below: (https://www.trustpilot.com/review/troweprice.com)
This review is in response to T.Rowe Price’s (TRP) concerted efforts to prevent me from getting access to my parents assets after their passing. As an executor and trustee I had full and legal rights to these funds. My estate attorney was “quite frankly ASTOUNDED” by their refusal to share information with me in spite of my status of trustee.

Target date funds (TDFs) have similar risk until they approach their target date, which is intended to be your retirement date — typically age 65.  Risk at the target date ranges from 20% risky assets to 90% risky assets, with most in the 90% group. There are 2 groups — safe and risky.
So what is the “right” level of risk for those near retirement? Academics have addressed this question extensively, and their answer is “very safe”,

First a question and then the backstory.
Mid-60’s and nearing retirement with 80% domestic allocation of stocks (60% domestic/40% international) in tech heavy QQQ. Sold 20% of my shares yesterday, and now have $200k+ to reinvest. Tax basis is 13% of the current market price. Long term capital gain rate of 15% applies, plus 3.8% NIIT. Gain is $192.5k.
How would you reinvest the sales proceeds to slowly sell off this concentrated QQQ position in a taxable account?

I have a small employer that I have set up with a Simple IRA directly with Vanguard.  Now Vanguard is farming out their Simple and 401K business to a firm called Ascensus.  We are going to move the Simple business to Fidelity. The employees tend to not take a detailed understanding of finance and we look for simple fund of funds approach.  I have always been a fan of FBALX Fidelity and retirement date funds are always a choice.

My mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s. It’s very advanced, and over the last year, her husband (my husband’s stepfather) has been unable to keep handling her care on his own. We would help, but they live 400 miles away from us, and we’re still working.
His plan was to move them into a senior living community (just a 55+ community, not a CCRC), remodel the unit, and hire in-home caregivers as needed. He even added an extra bed and bath to their new unit so a caregiver could live in or sleep over.

I am 60 and my wife is 61, both in good health.  Like most everyone, we want to stay in our home as long as possible.  Long term care (LTC) is expensive and restrictive.  However, there’s an option local to us in Lancaster PA from a very reputable and long-standing Continuous Care Retirement Community.  They have a program called SmartLife (SmartLife VIA Willow Valley – Central PA’s True Life Plan at Home Program (smartlifewv.org)) where you pay a one-time up-front fee and then a monthly charge,

My SO had a fixed indexed annuity out of the penalty phase and wanted to earn a better interest rate than the 2.5% rate it had earned over the last 10 years.  She did a 1035 exchange into a Multi Year Guaranteed Annuity ladder for 3-5 years at roughly 5.85%. This is a taxable (non deferred) account that will shelter the money from taxes for the length of the annuity.  She will not need lifetime income as her current guaranteed income floor is more than sufficient to cover expenses. 

One of my relatives lived on a pension of $23 a month. Of course that was his military pension in 1866. That’s $491 in 2024 – that’s poverty level for sure. 
In retirement I do a great deal of reading, listening to and viewing opinions and strategies about retirement. Having managed pension and 401k plans for decades, I can’t let go. 
One thing I know for sure, views about retirement are as diverse as each individual.

I recently heard a fascinating discussion about millionaires.  A financial advisor was speaking to an audience and made the comment that billionaires have jets and millionaires have two used Toyota Camrys in the garage.  His point was that millionaires become millionaires by living below their means and that most millionaires whom he has met live modestly.
He went on to say that there are an estimated 24 million people in the United States who are millionaires. 

OVER THE PAST SEVEN years, HumbleDollar has become my professional life’s passion. Cancer means I have maybe another year in me—and then it’ll be up to you. My hope: The site will have a life beyond me.
On the site’s homepage, just below the latest articles, you’ll find a new feature dubbed Forum. Will HumbleDollar have a lively future, rather than fading into a dusty collection of old articles? That all depends on whether readers and writers embrace the Forum,

For the last five or so years, I’ve held a disproportionately large position in the Vanguard World Stock Index ETF (VT). This fund has given me “coverage” of the global markets, including a 40% stake in international stocks. Originally, I congratulated myself on my cleverness. After all, VT is monstrously diversified and dirt cheap and, besides, foreign markets were deemed sorely undervalued by the market cognoscenti.
But were they really? As of now, my shrewd little maneuver has left my portfolio performing embarrassingly below the return of the “simpleminded” and home-biased—but inordinately domestic tech/heavy—S&P index funds.