SOME NEWS STORIES are unusual in ways that it’s hard to know what to make of them. Such is the case with the recent collapse of a relatively unknown company called First Brands.
On the surface, it might seem like a mundane story. First Brands is an auto parts supplier, making commodity items like brake pads and windshield wipers. The company was founded in 2013 by a fellow named Patrick James, who built it up over the years by acquiring several other,

MOST PEOPLE THINK their retirement accounts are completely locked until age 59½ due to the 10% early withdrawal penalty, but that’s not really true. There are many ways to access your money earlier without the penalty, and knowing them can give you flexibility. Of course, you shouldn’t be touching your retirement accounts unless you’re ready to retire.
Here are some distributions that are not subject to the 10% penalty, per the IRS list:

Birth or adoption (up to $5,000 per child)
Series of substantially equal payments (72t)
First-time homebuyer (up to $10,000,

My absolute favorite things are the living and breathing things in my life; Chrissy, my kids, grandkids, friends, and even Sophie the wondercat. But this article is about the inanimate objects that make me happy, without breaking the bank.
Our house, at 1900 square feet, is neither tiny nor large. It is nice, easy to clean and big enough to host my favorite living things. We live on plat three. Plat four is under construction. Last week we took a drive to the new section.

My electric utility is using AI analysis of my usage patterns to determine how my home uses electricity. For example, identifying various appliances by their energy signature. For several months it has been providing me with a summary.
Is this useful?  Well, knowing this implies I can make changes if I choose to exercise some control.  For example, altering my cooling thermostat setting.  Of course, ambient, outdoor temperatures and amount of sunlight are a factor.  Or,

The first is adequately providing for a surviving spouse/partner. While this can be accomplished in different ways depending on circumstances, there is absolutely no excuse for leaving a survivor with financial stress, none.
For our part, Connie has survivor annuities from my pensions, Social Security, life insurance covering two years expenses, her own very small annuity, income from our investments and the portfolio itself.  
Needless to say, the age difference between partners is a factor in any strategy. 

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Educational and funny
 

It’s Halloween, l thought we could have a little scary story today…Booo👻
Mark stared into the glowing screen, watching the blood drain from his reflection. Twenty-three years feeding the warehouse beast, and the numbers whispered their cruel truth: $47,000. A ghost of what might have been.
The employer match had waited, an unopened door. But there were other hungers, other demons whispering of pleasures that couldn’t wait, of tomorrows that never arrived.
“Should’ve saved more,” he breathed into the frigid air,

While I am not too worried about arranging a maximally productive schedule in retirement, I am curious about what readers’ daily schedule looks like in retirement.
Mine so far is wake up when I wake up, sit outside with a hot cup of coffee as I run through my gratitudes, respond to emails, blog and do research for fun, eat lunch, do any household chores/projects, hike a few miles with my wife, read, eat supper, and then read/watch British mysteries on TV.  

I guess it’s one of those dreams, when retirement finally comes, buying a coastal property and living by the sea. It’s an appealing scenario, and a lot of people make the leap to live their best life at the coast. But if you’re thinking about it, have you considered the extra weather and environmental risks of living near the sea?
Although I don’t permanently live at the coast, I do have a vacation property within a few hundred feet of the sea.

From time to time, I run across a news story that has the form of an “old master painting hanging for years in a local place, discovered to be a lost work of some great painter, worth millions.”
I have been trying ever so slowly to throw away things I no longer use.  I realize that some stuff may have actual value.  I found the photographer of polar bears playing I bought for my son’s room has become quite distinguished–the last sale was $1475 on eBay.

When I was growing up in a loving but economically stretched household, birthdays and Christmas presents were nice. But what really rang my bell was a gift of cash. These sometimes materialised when an aunt or uncle couldn’t think of anything better. As a kid those crisp notes were full of potential, self-directed treats, a true treasure.
My parents were exclusively a cash using family; if there was ever any excess it ended up in a bank savings account or credit union.

If there were red down arrows on Facebook I would have received so many in the last week, their system would have crashed. I have taken on the seniors who failed to plan for their retirement and now blame the system for their situation along with those who think they should not pay property taxes for schools or any taxes at all once they reach age 65 – because they paid their dues plus those
Many say without a mortgage you should not pay property taxes,

Firstly, full credit to Kristine Hayes for this idea. I wish I could say that I thought of it on my own.
Kristine wrote about her buying and selling of houses that didn’t fit the accepted “rules of thumb” for personal finance. I was reflecting on my own financial path thus far, and ways in which we have strayed from the recommended path. Two in particular stick out.
All in equities
My wife and I were lucky to have good jobs straight out of university.

I’ve read  lots of articles about asset allocation, and how and when to rebalance a portfolio. One facet I that haven’t seen discussed often is how do couples execute their asset allocation and rebalancing when they both have similar accounts. My wife and I each have Vanguard accounts with Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, a joint brokerage account, and online joint banking accounts.
We treat all our accounts as one.  Our asset allocation has evolved over our working years,

I’m quite engaged with the Humble Dollar community and occasionally post articles on the forum. I’m also a keen reader of personal finance articles and books. Being a former business owner with a nearly 40-year-old degree in business and finance, I’m very interested in commentary and the goings-on in the business and finance world. But here’s the strange thing: I’m not massively engaged with my own retirement portfolio. I hardly ever think of it and rarely check its performance.