Search found 29 matches

by buystoys
Sat Jun 04, 2022 5:56 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Did recent market down and inflation change your retirment plan?
Replies: 81
Views: 8197

Re: Did recent market down and inflation change your retirment plan?

We retired in late 2013. Our retirement AA is still comfortable and we're not changing anything.

Well, I might buy a three wheeler, which would be a major change to my life style. :)
by buystoys
Fri May 27, 2022 5:37 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirement dreams and reality
Replies: 107
Views: 24702

Re: Retirement dreams and reality

Our retirement was nothing like we had planned. DH and I married late in life and he had always planned on retiring in NY. His house was there, most of his family was there, and he'd lived there all his life. When we got married, I was fine with that plan, so just assumed we'd retire in NY. In 2013, a number of things happened that changed our plans. My family all lives in TX and dad's health began to deteriorate. Mom needed more help than my sister or brother could offer, so DH and I decided to move to TX. The plan was for me to be a SAHW and for DH to get a job. Unfortunately, DH's COPD became worse and he ended up on disability. So on to plan B. I'd get my back issues addressed and go back to work. That didn't happen either. My back had ...
by buystoys
Tue May 17, 2022 5:06 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Problems accessing Vanguards website with Chrome Browser
Replies: 2
Views: 493

Re: Problems accessing Vanguards website with Chrome Browser

I've had no problem using Firefox until this morning. I couldn't log in at all. I'll try disabling Malwarebytes and see if the helps. Thanks for the heads up!
by buystoys
Mon May 09, 2022 4:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: supporting aging parent
Replies: 12
Views: 1997

Re: supporting aging parent

Agree with the poster above. Do NOT co-mingle your funds. It will be a nightmare to unravel and if they need to go on Medicaid for long term care, your funds could go *poof* along with theirs.

Your parents will need to lower their expectations if they have not prepared themselves for retirement. You can't take care of them and yourself. Remember, the airlines always tell you to place your own mask before helping others. Rather than attempting to make assumptions about what they have and what their plans are, you need to have some conversations with them about what their finances really are and what they expect. Maybe they are prepared to downsize or move in order to fund their retirement. You don't know unless you ask.
by buystoys
Sat Apr 16, 2022 5:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Testing Assumptions: Are Expenses Truly Lower in Retirement?
Replies: 70
Views: 7004

Re: Testing Assumptions: Are Expenses Truly Lower in Retirement?

Our retirement expenses have been the same or a little more than they were pre-retirement. Some of that is driven by home remodeling we've been doing. We have a couple more major projects to do, then that will all be done. Our medical expenses the first five to six years were huge. We expected them, so we were able to cover them, but they were more than I initially projected. We spent ~45% of our income on medical costs one year. Fortunately our budget has quite a bit of discretionary spending in it so we were able to handle that large amount. We crunched all the numbers and it was a significant benefit for us to move from NY to TX. Our property taxes are about 1/4 of what we were paying, we pay no income tax, and the sales tax is about the...
by buystoys
Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do I keep ducks out of my pool?
Replies: 36
Views: 4358

Re: How do I keep ducks out of my pool?

stickman731 wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:29 am Not me specifically, however, my brother had the issue and just place a large pool float (flamingo) in his pool that alleviate his problem.

https://www.gofloats.com/products/gi-flamingo-02
We did this for many years when one of our neighbors had ducks. I don't know if it worked, but we never had them in our pool.
by buystoys
Fri Apr 01, 2022 6:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Often Do You Measure Your Net Worth?
Replies: 229
Views: 19750

Re: How Often Do You Measure Your Net Worth?

I look at our investments and banking every day to do a quick check that nothing is haywire.

I calculate our net worth at the end of every quarter.
by buystoys
Fri Mar 18, 2022 5:10 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How often do you check your portfolio ?
Replies: 84
Views: 5745

Re: How often do you check your portfolio ?

I check it most days out of curiosity and to keep track of any anomalies. I only rebalance once a year.
by buystoys
Sun Mar 13, 2022 7:02 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Prospect of Recession & the Passive Investor
Replies: 39
Views: 5824

Re: The Prospect of Recession & the Passive Investor

We're retired, so I do watch our investments. Maybe too much? We can pay our regular bills with our SSDI and DH's small pension. We keep about 5% of our portfolio in cash. The rest is invested 65% equities and 30% bonds. If we are in a downturn that uses all our cash bucket, I will take from the bonds bucket as a rebalancing exercise. I use our current annual withdrawal as the opportunity to rebalance. We could go a couple of years without taking a withdrawal if necessary. In fact, if we didn't do any of our home projects, we could likely go without a withdrawal for years. The prospect of a recession right now makes me a little uneasy as we're only eight years into retirement. I'd be more comfortable if we had passed the ten year SORR mark....
by buystoys
Tue Mar 01, 2022 5:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Landlords: best strategy to raise rents?
Replies: 44
Views: 6056

Re: Landlords: best strategy to raise rents?

We made the decision to keep good tenants rather than increase the rent to match what is going on locally. There was a need for a small increase to cover our increases in insurance and property taxes, but that should tide us over for a couple of years. We don't plan to increase again until those two items push us to do so.

It may be more benefit, financially, for us to increase the rent more. However, we have very good tenants, we like them and their kids, and want to keep them and provide them with a nice home. That is of more benefit in our eyes.
by buystoys
Tue Feb 22, 2022 5:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cannot co-manage bill pay with spouse using TD Bank. Alternatives?
Replies: 22
Views: 2456

Re: Cannot co-manage bill pay with spouse using TD Bank. Alternatives?

I don't know which bank will allow you to reach your objective, but I can tell you Chase will not. DH and I have the same issue. I just pay all the bills possible with credit cards and then pay the cards every month under my log in. DH doesn't pay any bills under his except his credit card with Chase. I usually pay that one too so we're not both trying to manage it.
by buystoys
Tue Feb 22, 2022 5:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What it means for married couple to 'share' finances
Replies: 164
Views: 14504

Re: What it means for married couple to 'share' finances

We got married later in life, the second marriage for each of us. That meant that we each had our own checking account, savings account, credit cards, and investments. DH didn't have as much as I did in IRA and Roth investments, but he did have a pension and a paid off house. I'd say we were probably pretty equal in net worth. For the first couple of years, we maintained our separate accounts. DH paid certain bills, I paid the remainder. It was fairly evenly split. We both worked. DH was union. He would make more when he worked, but he didn't work all year. Out annual total incomes were also fairly even. Neither of us spends a lot, so even though we had our "own" money, we talked about large purchases before making them. When we r...
by buystoys
Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mom is completely broke...
Replies: 106
Views: 18775

Re: Mom is completely broke...

As already mentioned, there are attorneys who specialize in SSDI. They do not charge a fee up front. When applying, make certain your mother gives her actual initial date of disability, not the current date. SSDI can go back a couple of years for payment. She may receive enough to pay a big portion, or all, of her credit card debt. If her SSDI is low enough, she may also qualify for SSI or partial SSI. The third thing to keep in mind is that her original date of disability will also determine when she is eligible for Medicare. There is a 24 month waiting period for eligibility. That can be partially or totally wiped out by a determination that her disability began earlier than she applied for benefits.
by buystoys
Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Report your rent increases - Is reported inflation correct
Replies: 67
Views: 7362

Re: Report your rent increases - Is reported inflation correct

We're about an hour outside of Dallas. We raised the rent for our tenants by $25 per month, from $975 to $1000. There's no planned increase for this year. We are primarily interested in keeping really good tenants and will hold their rent down as long as our taxes don't go up again. That increase drove our increase last year.
by buystoys
Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Which do you think is better and why Medicare Advantage or Medigap?
Replies: 206
Views: 21085

Re: Which do you think is better and why Medicare Advantage or Medigap?

As already stated, which is better is difficult to assess on a broad term. It all depends on the county you live in, what is available, what the provider network looks like, and how much you can afford. DH and I are on Medicare due to disability. We have no access to Medigap plans due to that and are both on Advantage plans. That's worked well for us as all our providers are in our network. We have regular doctor appointments, so it's nice to have no cost for them other than our deductible. We pay nothing for the Advantage plan. Keep in mind that changes can be made to both types of plans during the year. Last year, both stopped covering sedation during nerve blocks. That means that something that was a simple procedure is now very painful....
by buystoys
Thu Jan 20, 2022 6:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Do You Pay Taxes When Retired? Qrtly Or Once Every Year?
Replies: 69
Views: 6609

Re: How Do You Pay Taxes When Retired? Qrtly Or Once Every Year?

We pay a quarterly estimated tax. The past couple of years, we've overpayed due to costs of our rental decreasing our taxable income. This year, we plan to convert some of DH's IRA to a Roth, so I think our estimate from last year will cover us this year.
by buystoys
Thu Jan 20, 2022 6:52 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Planning for cognitive decline
Replies: 41
Views: 4261

Re: Planning for cognitive decline

We do not have children, so my niece has been tapped to take care of us should we decline. We have POAs, medical POAs, a will, and a document showing all our bills, investments, and what is on auto pay and what is not. I've also included our e-mail passwords so she could get in to see if bills are going through via e-mail confirmations. We've given her a copy of everything and update her regularly. If something happens to her, I don't know what we'll do. Our other nieces and nephews aren't very financially literate.
by buystoys
Fri Jan 14, 2022 7:11 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Close to 50? What’s Your Risk Tolerance?
Replies: 133
Views: 15214

Re: Close to 50? What’s Your Risk Tolerance?

Current ages 58/65. At 50, I was 100% equities. Then events happened and DH and I ended up retiring early on disability. Our AA was adjusted to 65/30/5 when that happened. We're in a fortunate position. All our needs and many of our wants can be covered with our SSDI and DH's small pension. We currently withdraw less than 3% from his IRA and use those funds for home projects. We only have a couple more projects to do, so we'll likely just do Roth conversions after that.
by buystoys
Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What % of your Gross income is your house payment ? (HCOL)
Replies: 114
Views: 9857

Re: What % of your Gross income is your house payment ? (HCOL)

Onlineid3089 wrote: Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:36 am
buystoys wrote: Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:40 am Less than 1% of gross income. LCOL area. Price is about $150-$200/sq ft in this area. We have a low mortgage and do pay extra on it monthly.
Less than 1% of gross income with a mortgage? Good on you for what must be a very high income :beer

Our house is paid off, so with no mortgage ours is just taxes and insurance and that comes to about 1.4% of gross.
Not really high income as much as a really low mortgage. It's less than our grocery bill every month. :)
by buystoys
Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What % of your Gross income is your house payment ? (HCOL)
Replies: 114
Views: 9857

Re: What % of your Gross income is your house payment ? (HCOL)

Less than 1% of gross income. LCOL area. Price is about $150-$200/sq ft in this area. We have a low mortgage and do pay extra on it monthly.
by buystoys
Mon Jul 26, 2021 6:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How do you calculate how many X expenses you have?
Replies: 51
Views: 4575

Re: How do you calculate how many X expenses you have?

I tracked our expenses for many years prior to retirement. For ease of use, I used those same numbers for the first couple of years after retirement. We were spending about the same, but the categories were different. I adjusted our budget based on the actuals for the first couple of years. We've underspent our budget most years since retirement, but I don't tighten it up as we don't need to. We still "make" more than we spend.
by buystoys
Sun Jul 11, 2021 6:16 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Turning 27: Time to Reduce Equities?
Replies: 98
Views: 9580

Re: Turning 27: Time to Reduce Equities?

We were 100% equities until an unanticipated early retirement. We have been fortunate that the markets have done so well the past eight years. We are now 65/30/5.
by buystoys
Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How/why do you budget when you can afford to pay more?
Replies: 80
Views: 7945

Re: How/why do you budget when you can afford to pay more?

Our budget isn't so tight we can't splurge a little bit and still stay within the total for the year. I tend to watch the YTD numbers more than the monthly numbers as our spending tends to be lumpy and I budget it smoothly. There's no way for me to tell from year to year which months certain expenses will fall, such as putting up a new fence this year. It was in the budget, but we got a good deal to start a month earlier than planned. So one month was horribly over but it reconciled the next month. DH loves to bargain shop, so if we do end up spending a little more on something, he still feels good about it as he got the best possible deal. This pretty much describes my thinking as well. I am only in my first year of FIRE however. We're ro...
by buystoys
Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How/why do you budget when you can afford to pay more?
Replies: 80
Views: 7945

Re: How/why do you budget when you can afford to pay more?

Our budget isn't so tight we can't splurge a little bit and still stay within the total for the year. I tend to watch the YTD numbers more than the monthly numbers as our spending tends to be lumpy and I budget it smoothly. There's no way for me to tell from year to year which months certain expenses will fall, such as putting up a new fence this year. It was in the budget, but we got a good deal to start a month earlier than planned. So one month was horribly over but it reconciled the next month.

DH loves to bargain shop, so if we do end up spending a little more on something, he still feels good about it as he got the best possible deal.
by buystoys
Thu Jun 24, 2021 6:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement withdrawal mechanics
Replies: 42
Views: 10985

Re: Retirement withdrawal mechanics

We withdraw from DH's IRA once a year as a rebalance exercise. We're trying to bring his IRA down as much as possible over the next few years to reduce RMDs. When we have it to a certain point, we will start withdrawing from my IRA. So far, this plan hasn't really worked like I wanted it to due to the market increases. We'll stay the course, though.
by buystoys
Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any experience with the Sleep Number bed?
Replies: 42
Views: 7788

Re: Any experience with the Sleep Number bed?

I need a very firm mattress due to my back. DH needs a softer mattress. Our sleep number bed addresses that very well. We love it and will purchase another one when this one dies. We've had it for 13 years so far and it's still going strong. My parents also have one and theirs lasted almost 20 years before they needed to replace it.
by buystoys
Wed Jun 09, 2021 5:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: So now you're dead -- how does your executor find all your accounts & bills?
Replies: 184
Views: 41547

Re: So now you're dead -- how does your executor find all your accounts & bills?

I have it all in a spread sheet along with my answers to commonly asked questions for validation. I send it to DH and my executrix every time I update it.
by buystoys
Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Does anybody discount their net worth on account of Fed driven all time market highs ?
Replies: 76
Views: 6720

Re: Does anybody discount their net worth on account of Fed driven all time market highs ?

If I'm using a "forecasting" program, I use a decreased amount for SS beginning in 2030. While I suspect corrections will be made to the program so it doesn't get a haircut, I'm more comfortable planning with a lower number.

I don't use my SS in my net worth calculations. I only look at what I have in investments, savings, cash, and liabilities today to come up with that number.
by buystoys
Mon May 24, 2021 7:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good Modern Science Fiction
Replies: 766
Views: 150960

Re: Good Modern Science Fiction

I'm a big fan of Anne McCaffrey. All her Pern books are good and they can stand alone if you don't want to collect the large set. I also like Mercedes Lackey. Her Heralds of Valdemar books are awesome! I'm currently reading her Bardic Series and enjoying it tremendously.