Behavior

This morning I had a surprise email in my inbox. I’d won a competition on Monevator, a fantastic, high quality UK financial blog site. The prize was a rather dapper festive Christmas sweater. I politely declined because, well, have you seen those things?
But the competition premise has been rattling around in my head ever since. The challenge was writing a note to convince someone—specifically, the partner of the finance blogger—to pay attention to her money,

This is going to seem dark, but it’s not my intention to scare anyone, but I’ve had an through about our operational security as investors that I can’t shake.
We’re all already doing complex passwords and two-factor authentication, which I completely agree with.  Be as safe as you can.  But how can any of us fully protect against a home invasion type attack where we’re coerced by force to divulge passwords.  Allow me to explain.
Imagine the worst (Heaven forbid,

Hi all. Just wanted to share a quick update on my contact information, as we’ve created a dedicated email for me:
bogdan@humbledollar.com
Any email sent to this inbox will be automatically forwarded to my personal email, so I’ll see it without any delays. Feel free to send me anything you have, especially:

Any disruptive or offensive behavior that needs immediate attention
Any suggestions (e.g. how HumbleDollar can be a better site for our community)
Your articles you’d like to get featured
Any general feedback or ideas for improvement

Thank you for all your contributions,

I heard on the news this morning about the record sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The commentator then noted the sales were driven by the wealthy who saw their wealth grow as the result of the stock market and rising home prices.
I doubt the validity of those observations, but they make attractive news by reinforcing stereotypes.
First, it was not mostly the wealthy shopping, it was average Americans many of whom were willing to go into debt to “save money” on sales.

I was shredding very old paperwork a few weeks ago when I came across the brochure and policy documents for the very first retirement account I opened in the mid 1980s. It made me shudder looking at it and I was glad to shred the evidence of my past financial mistake.
I think I’ve been quite fortunate in life when it comes to making bad financial decisions. If I’m honest, I think it’s been a total of two missteps in the last forty years.

My wife and I received letters in the mail today from Conduent, and underneath this name Return to Kroll.
I was suspicious so Googled it. This is what I found:
In early 2025, Conduent experienced a cyberattack where hackers accessed their systems, stealing personal data (names, SSNs, medical info) of over 10 million people, impacting users of various state agencies and health insurers like BCBS.
This is the fourth such data breach affecting me in the past few years.

A just published article in the Harvard Gazette touches on many of the concerns brought up by HD posters and commenters in recent months. It consists of an interview with John Y. Campbell, an economics professor and co-author, with Tarun Ramadorai, of a new book: Fixed: Why Personal Finance is Broken and How to Make it Work for Everyone. The article treats why it is currently so hard to save for retirement, how the complexity of the financial system fosters inequality,

In a couple of weeks I’ll turn 85. As far as my financial acumen goes, I owe a lot to my Dad. Back in the 40’s he was already investing in the Market and he also did his own taxes as well as those of our neighbors where I grew up in the Bronx. He and my Mom managed to actually save some money even though he never made the big bucks. The secret was to live within your means and to spend your money wisely
With those lessons in mind,

My retirement has been wonderful so far. Honestly, sometimes I have to stop and remind myself how lucky I am. Rachel and I have our health and enjoy each other’s company, which is not always true when a couple retires. However, there are four things that concern me as I reach my mid-70s.
Feeling lonely. I tried calling Mark, my old high school friend, a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t heard from him. I tried again and got a message that his mailbox was full.

I’m very confused. I think this article is a good fit for HD, but I’m really not sure if anything I write is suitable anymore. Hopefully, I’m not offending anyone posting this piece to the forum.
 
I bumped into a guy I played with as a kid. He’s six foot six and built like a linebacker, but he looks old and worn out now—forty years in a hot tarmac crew hasn’t been kind. He asked me what I was doing these days.

From September 2023 to October 2024 I penned nine articles for HumbleDollar, all were all edited by Jonathan. With each article submitted, I asked Jonathan if he thought my stories fit in with HDs mission. You see, they provided scant financial advice, and leaned heavily on humorous things I picked up at places like my tax office or even the local watering holes where I used to sell beer. Still, Jonathan liked them because they leaned on the human side of money and relationships. 

I seem to fit the profile of a typical guy who had the good fortune of retiring in his late fifties. I spend a considerable amount of time doing physical activities: racket sports, cycling, running, hiking. I’m also a keen reader of history, science and financial content. I volunteer my time coaching sports development courses and volunteering at a local church youth group, lots of very fruitful and productive activities to be getting on with.
When you add in working in my large garden,

If you win a million dollars in a lottery, you will pay approximately $370,000 in federal taxes. An X post complained about the tax on such a windfall and said that we should tax billionaires the same way. 
Of course that is exactly what we do. Everyone is subject to the IRC and the same type of income is taxed the same way for all. I think billionaires get a bad rap. 
A 2021 study by economists from the Council of Economic Advisers and the Office of Management and Budget,

In my short time in this forum, I’ve noticed that we spend considerable time discussing both commendable and questionable decisions—our own and others’. Exploring these decisions humbly and methodically can be quite helpful. Models of behavior are one of the fundamental ways we learn ethics and good decision-making, and I’ve certainly gained wisdom from the stories many of you have shared.
This past Tuesday, while driving to CrossFit, I listened to a stimulating conversation on “The Rational Reminder Podcast”

Managing money may be simple, but it isn’t easy. Most of us struggle to save diligently, invest intelligently and figure out what will make us happy. HumbleDollar aims to help readers make rational financial decisions, especially when it comes to retirement. But we’re also acutely aware of the human side of money.
Those are Jonathan’s words. They are as close to HumbleDollars mission statement as I can find. This forum is Jonathan’s plan to perpetuate his dream.