I spent 30 years working for a US megacorp: however, I joined the company in the UK. I was on the UK payroll for about six years, and therefore a very small part of my pension is paid by the UK company (with COLA). I was astounded, when I applied for Social Security, to find that the US government was going to reduce my benefit by the amount of my UK pension.
How did that make sense?

When I was working, I saved the maximum to my 401(k) account. So, I always kept up with the plan’s savings limits. If you haven’t heard, there are higher savings limits for 401(k) plans in 2025, plus a new “super catch-up” category. And it’s still early enough in the year for salaried workers to take advantage of them.
Thanks to an inflation adjustment, the maximum regular contribution to a 401(k) plan has increased by $500 to $23,500 in 2025.

Last year I earned $16.68 an hour – sort of. That’s more than the minimum wage in all but the District of Columbia and for California fast food workers who earn $20 and hour. Fast food workers are mostly part-time, I on the other hand are no time.
That hourly rate is my dividends and interest converted to a equivalent full-time employment. 🤑 I suspect capital gains would boost that a bit- or maybe not this year.

They say at 20 years of age you have the face that nature gave you.  At 40, you have the face life gave you and at 60, you have the face you deserve. This is a variation on a quote attributed to both George Orwell, author and essayist, and Coco Chanel, fashion maven. If this is true, it means  that our choices and attitudes leave an indelible mark on our character which ultimately surfaces in our physical appearance.

I’ve read with interest posts such as Jonathan’s Taking Center Stage and Those Who Follow, both which touched on the pluses and minuses of taking on a part-time job in retirement. The conversation in the comments for both of those posts was great, too. Below, I share my own recent experience of re-entering the job world at age 64.
In my past HD posts I have written how, in our mid-60s, my husband and I appeared to be gliding into retirement.

My wife & I are 80 years old and planning to move into an over 55 age community.
We will sell our current home to purchase a home in the new community, however, the difference between selling and purchasing will leave us with about $200,000 shortfall.
Our combined total investments are:
$2.5 million in our IRA
$1.4 million in our Roth accounts
$2.1 million in our taxable brokerage accounts
Which would be the best source(s) for us to take the money for our new home purchase concerning taxes and additional financial points you are aware of?

If you could offer your fellow readers one piece of advice that you’re confident would improve their life, what would it be?
To get us rolling, here’s my suggestion: Be generous with others—but do it when they aren’t expecting it. For instance, folks expect to receive gifts on their birthday, so any gifts you give likely won’t seem all that special. What if, instead, you present them with a gift out of the blue? The element of surprise has the potential to make the gift especially meaningful.

The S&P 500 Index peaked on this day after years of dot-com euphoria. Over the next two and a half years, it lost about half its value, and it took nearly five more years to recover. But the relief was what the Fed Chair might call “transitory” —just a couple of years later, the 2008 financial crisis hit, causing an even deeper crash.
Ignoring dividends, it took over a decade from the year 2000 for the S&P 500 Index to shake off the bears and take off.

The status of the Social Security and Medicare trusts is well known. I’m not going to rehash it here. Unfortunately, the amount of misinformation and false information about SS on social media is incredible and scary.
No serious effort at necessary reform has occurred since 1983 and certainly not now which is sad given fixing SS is not that hard or necessarily that painful.
One key question is how, if at all, should changes be allocated between current workers and current retirees.

IN 1774, AMSTERDAM businessman Abraham van Ketwich created a new type of investment. After raising money from a group of individuals, van Ketwich built a portfolio of bonds. He deposited the bonds in a metal box in his office, which three people then secured using three different locks.
Van Ketwich’s fund could be considered the world’s first index fund. How so? For starters, the bonds purchased were broadly diversified across industries and geography. Second,

Are we all on the same frugality page?
From what I found, frugal living involves  prioritizing needs over wants, spending less than earned, valuing quality, and embracing resourcefulness like DIY. Common practices include planning meals, buying used items, and seeking discounts.
I read that a cheap person focuses on price and a frugal person on value. Well, that doesn’t make sense. You could spend a lot of money achieving what you value – like a car or a cruise.

I know many folks look down on cruises, and I can understand why. The amount of food and booze that’s consumed is a wonder to behold, the casino is a smoke-filled den of desperation, and the behavior of fellow passengers can be a tad off-putting.
Still, Elaine and I have taken three cruises in the past four years, including one last week, and we thoroughly enjoyed all three. Why? Here are five reasons.
Few hassles.

https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/ed-slott-how-roth-iras-can-help-with-estate-planning?utm_source=eloqua&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AdvisorDigest&utm_content=None_62149&utm_id=32158

Our portfolio leans somewhat towards the conservative side.  Our overall target allocation is 45% equities, 45% bonds, and 10% cash.
When it comes to the allocation within bonds I have not seen much in the way of literature that recommends an allocation regarding types of bonds/durations.
Our current allocation in specific funds as a percentage of our entire portfolio is: 15% short term, 8.5% short term tips, and 16.5% intermediate (the rest of the bonds are in a target date fund).

Connie and I were discussing a purchase. “That’s expensive,” she said.  I finally said, “I don’t care what they cost.” A moment of silence. “What happened to you that you don’t care what something cost?” she said. I thought a moment and then said, “I’m old.”
Actually that’s true. Within reason, I no longer care. I don’t look at prices in the supermarket- but I do load digital coupons on my phone. It’s also true I am old.