THERE ARE TWO TYPES of mistake I make: those that are unintentional and those where I should have known what would happen.
After an unintentional mistake, I’m perplexed by what went wrong. I might say to myself “I’ll never do that again” or perhaps “what the heck just happened?” These are genuine mistakes, and I try to learn from them.
By contrast, stupid mistakes are those that I should have known would occur. No matter how many college degrees we have or how many years on the job,

The three phases of retirement are often classified as “go-go”, “slow-go” and “no-go”. 
In the earliest phase (the ‘go-go’ years), it’s assumed many retirees will choose to focus on those activities that require good health and stamina. Often mentioned is the idea that most of the travelling a retiree desires to do should be done during these earliest years. 
As someone who retired at 55, I stand a good chance of spending more time in the ‘go-go’ years than most.

Adam Grossman’s last article, “Self Defense” really got me thinking. How would I deal with spending in retirement if my income was like most folks – investments and Social Security. I know the answer – not well.
In our house, the last workday of the month is still referred to as “payday,” the day my pension arrives at our bank. There are no withdrawal decisions, no looking at investments and thinking about the next month’s withdrawal. 

We sat down this afternoon and did an end of the year sort of recap of this year and started working on our end of year net worth. I wasn’t sure how things would go, but so far my estimates of how much we would spend were pretty close to actual spending. I was especially happy that the balances in our regular bank stayed pretty constant from last year to this. And all our investments grew.

Having never posted on HumbleDollar, you might say I’m a member of the 24,000 HumbleDollar “silent majority.” When I first began receiving the newsletter- by luck or accident- I would skip around in it to see if it was worthwhile or worthy of hitting “unsubscribe.” With ensuing newsletters,  I began reading more comprehensively and even seeking out older posts and articles, many not strictly pertaining to finance, my original interest when subscribing.

ONE SPRING DAY IN 2022, an elderly woman entered Paris’s Picasso Museum to see a new exhibit. Among the items on display was a decorative blue jacket, which was positioned on a wall next to a portrait of Picasso.
The woman liked the look of the jacket, so she took it down from its hook, put it in her bag and quietly walked out the front door. Only later did the museum discover the theft,

I appreciated the HD community’s responses to my November 2024 post regarding the decision to use either Roth or HSA (health savings account) funds to bridge some of my income needs until I receive SS benefits at age 70.  You swayed me first to use my HSA funds. I have several years of medical receipts exceeding the low five-digit account balance, so they will carry me through most of the “bridge” period.
With that decision, I realized that I could also use my HSA funds to leverage a federal Savers tax credit on my 2026 tax return.

Old age has its many downsides, but there are a few perks when you hit the “Golden Oldies” era.
The first time I remember one applying to me was years ago when I stopped by Taco Bell to pick up a quick lunch. The counter guy asked if I wanted a drink and when I declined, with a wink and a smile he said, “They’re free for seniors.” I was about 55 at the time, so I went home with a burrito and a bruised ego.

I read an article recently and was shocked to learn that a small percentage of college students feel they deserve a B just for showing up for class. A survey seems to support this. In addition, many feel that effort, even without results, should be rewarded with good grades.
I once had an employee who had grand ideas about her own ability and ideas. One of her ideas involved controlling health care costs with wellness programs.

I’VE SPENT MUCH OF MY life trying to better understand the world, especially the financial world. But I wonder whether I should have spent more of that time trying to better understand myself.
Why do some financial situations scare us, while others leave us unperturbed? Why do we spend time and money in ways we later regret? Why do we find our bad habits so difficult to change? Why do we admire some folks,

The following is from one of the newsletters I used to send to my clients each year. It is not meant to be comprehensive but it may help the organized challenged people (OCP) among us.
Most of you are probably sick of reading this paragraph because I include it every year. If you are one of my organized peeps you can just skip this one.
Two things to do here. First is to look at the left side of last year’s tax folder (that’s where I attached all of their source documents) to get an idea of what you may need this year.

After inspecting the Hokusai exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum (excellent btw), my good friend and I retired to a nearby dive bar called Chez Charlie. For anonymity’s sake, let’s just call him “Chuck.”
It was there over a can of Hamm beer, Chuck and I discussed the finer points of Japanese asceticism (where do you keep all your stuff?), the Chiefs’ prospects for a three-peat (good, but hopeful that the playoff bye week will be very restorative) and that Chuck was unsure what to do with a recent inheritance.

As Jonathan and others have pointed out, I apparently think differently about retirement, investing, money and yes, budgets and spreadsheets. Based on some past articles on HD, I also think differently about children’s college, and spending priorities, even travel, but at this age it is what it is.
Rick Connor’s analogy between satellites and retirement planning amazed me. I doubt I could compare with the Wright brothers, perhaps not even a hot air balloon – remind me to tell the story about us riding in a balloon and crashing in the Arizona dessert. 

HumbleDollar’s eighth year is in the books—but it certainly wasn’t the year I expected.
In the weeks after my late May cancer diagnosis, I scaled back the newsletter from twice-weekly to weekly, while reducing the number of articles from a dozen each week to five or six. Meanwhile, I launched the Forum, so folks could post articles directly to the site, without any editing by me. In addition, I eliminated the site’s donation feature.

LIKE OTHER FOLLOWERS of HumbleDollar, I look forward to Jonathan’s Saturday articles. I have to admit that my interest has been heightened by his cancer diagnosis. Not many folks would have the courage to write about what’s going through their mind when they’re fighting for their life. We don’t often get this kind of insight into someone’s life.
Jonathan has probably received a lot of advice about treatment plans and the doctors he should see.