Between Thanksgiving and the New Year, I mourned the passing of five people in my life. All were born in the 1920s or ’30s—a generation that navigated world wars and technological revolutions, from the birth of air travel to the digital age. While they shared a history, each taught me a valuable lesson about how they enjoyed and suffered life in their own unique ways.
I recently came across an interview with 94-year-old author Judith Viorst on her tips for the “Final Fifth”

“The riskiness of an investment is not measured by beta but rather by the probability—the reasoned probability—of that investment causing its owner a loss of purchasing-power over his contemplated holding period. Assets can fluctuate greatly in price and not be risky as long as they are reasonably certain to deliver increased purchasing power over their holding period. And a non-fluctuating asset can be laden with risk.” — Warren Buffett, in his 2011 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letter.

New Year’s Eve is the ultimate reminder that the clock never stops. As we prepare to flip the calendar, it’s natural to look back at the year, and the decades, gone by. We often focus on what we want to change in the future, but rarely do we consider which part of the journey we’d actually like to keep.
Youth has many advantages—health, strength, vigor, and vitality. Everything feels possible, and you’re certain you know what’s right and wrong in the world.

“There’s been a lot of talk
about an AI bubble. From our
vantage point, we see something
very different.”
Jensen Huang, CEO Nvidia
 
“No company is going to be immune
(if the AI bubble bursts), including us.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO Google (now known as Alphabet)
 
Is the AI revolution a blessing or a curse, an enduring breakthrough or impending economic and cultural apocalypse?

Nothing like Christmas and the rolling of one year into the next for a little reflection. A chance to think a little more broadly than the daily minutia. And to catch up with friends and family that we haven’t seen for a while.
For me, this included a lot of us in our early fifties. I sensed a common theme in the discussions – everyone seems pretty sick of striving for a promotion or more money.

At the risk of red down arrows, enough complaining about IRMAA and writing about strategies to lower or avoid those premiums.
The median income for retirees age 65+ is $47,000 – $55,000 annually. 
The median HOUSEHOLD income at all ages is about $84,000
IRMAA premiums start at a single person income of $109,000.

If you are retired and required to pay IRMAA premiums, you are doing quite well. As the saying goes,

My wife Suzie has a particular look she reserves for my more idiotic ramblings. I noticed the look developing as I started to discuss the tax implications of my engaged daughter’s announcement for a possible wedding date. I’ve been married a long time and have developed a survival instinct. I closed my mouth and decided to listen with rapt attention as my daughter and future son-in-law explained their reasoning for the possible date for the big day…apparently February flowers are delightful.

I am on schedule to retire in 18 months, at the age of 65.  But I have decided to allocate our assets now.  The stock market indexes are near/at all-time highs, so why put it off?   Within all of our necessary accounts, we have put 5 years worth of projected expenses into cash/cash equivalents.  5 years of spending and taxes in my Traditional retirement accounts.  5 years of Medicare/medical expenses in our HSA accounts.  5 years of QCDs in my wife’s Traditional IRA for charitable giving. 

 
In some situations thousands of tax dollars can be saved by using the married filing separate filing status. However, doing so can trigger a larger income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA) to your Medicare premium.
For example, the monthly adjustment for a single taxpayer with modified adjusted gross income of $109,000 is $81.20 per month. A married taxpayer filing separately with the same income will have a monthly adjustment of $446.30. In that situation it will most likely be better to file a joint tax return and pay the extra income tax.

No one describes themselves as average at anything. We’re above-average drivers. Above-average parents. Above-average judges of character.
Statistically, that can’t be true—but it’s how we think.
Investing is no different. The average investor almost always believes they are above average. They read. They pay attention. They try to make smart decisions.
And yet, year after year, investors as a group earn returns that fall short of the market itself.
That raises a simple but uncomfortable question:
What’s the difference between earning the market’s average return and earning the return of the average investor?

This discussion (at least the first 2 points) recently came up on the Retirement and IRA Show podcast and I was curious how you all view it.
I suspect most of us view IRMAA on the cost side of the ledger, as either a tax or a fee that is applied, in cliff fashion, to that one extra dollar as defined by our federal government.
The discussion on the show opened my mind to the fact that Medicare has a base cost and unless you are making a ton of income,

I admit it, I am addicted to social media. I read Threads, X, Facebook and even TruthSocial every day. It is a bad, frustrating and depressing habit. 
There are those who say just ignore them, what is said does not matter in the real world. I wish that were true, but I think that widespread distribution of lies, and misinformation is very harmful to individuals and society. When I read an absolute falsehood about Social Security or Medicare and see hundreds of agreeing comments and thousands of likes,

Isn’t it great? We’ve had forum posts from five new contributors recently! It’s wonderful to see fresh voices joining the conversation. Keep it up into the new year, people—I’m loving the new perspectives you’re bringing!
Who else has a story or an idea to share? We’d love to hear from you!

I’m considering a Fixed Indexed Annuity (FIA) as a short-term parking spot for part of my money—only for 3 years with a guaranteed 6% return, not a lifetime annuity play. There is no management fee, only surrender fees if taken before the 3-year mark.
For those who’ve used an FIA this way (or evaluated it and passed), what were your results and your takeaways?
What should I watch most closely—surrender charges,

When did you retire (what age), and what was the deciding factor that made you retire at that time—finances, health, job satisfaction, family needs, benefits timing (pension/SS/healthcare), or simply “I was done”?
Looking back, was it the right age for you, and would you do it the same way again?
 
Jeff