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50% sounds high to me, unless you're making many multiples of 6 figures. I'm trying to save aggressively as I'm close to retirement, but this still only amounts to about 1/3 of gross income (including my employer's 401k match).

Check out the Guest House that's run by the Community Church of New York (http://www.ccny.org/guesthouseoffpark). It's located on 35th Street between Park and Madison (Murray Hill section of Manhattan). It might be one of the best bargains in Manhattan, and one that's in a safe neighborhood. This G...

The latest gathering of my summary tables and charts may be seen at: · http://www.flickr.com/photos/ghost_of_artaud/sets/72157625479558116/ . . . . I'll probably keep posting these updates on a quarterly basis. Please feel free to forward this message to those you think might have an interest in th...

If a former NJ resident has officially moved to another state, but continues to own real estate in NJ (say as rental property), which state's estate law applies? Will NJ estate taxes still apply to the real estate located in NJ? If the new state has an estate tax, it will tax the entire estate, exc...

[H]ow do folks generally handle state estate taxes smartly ? This can be a very significant tax, and probably the reason folks flock from NJ to Floida for retirement as an example of avoiding estate tax? If a former NJ resident has officially moved to another state, but continues to own real estate...

Is the information in this FEDweek'FERS Retirement Planning Guide more than what one would find on the OPM website? I notice that the 2013 FEDweek FERS Retirement Planning Guide costs about $14.00 I like the FEDweek guide and having a book that I can mark up, underline, tab pages, and refer back to...

VF: This is the most important question. As I understand it, I could separate (stop working) now and postpone receiving the annuity until some later date. During the intervening years I could use some other insurance. At the time when I start receiving the annuity, I will also be able to re-enroll ...

Worse still, the article underestimates the PV by a factor of THREE! 2. Second, Social Security is inflation adjusted. Inflation indexed SPIAs cost about 60% more than fixed amount ones. That make the total more like $720,000. . There is a big debate on whether inflation adjusted SPIA's are fairly ...

I've been seriously thinking of using SPIAs to address this issue, especially as I have no kids. While I don't really need one (will have a pension and SS @ 70), buying an additional inflation-adjusted SPIA might help me worry less and make it easier for me to spend the money I've saved, espeially e...

I think 4% works well. I retired in 2007. I went all in to the market in 2008. Stocks proceeded to drop 50%+ (so I lost half my money). Fast forward to today - and I'm even - and that includes living. I withdrew 4% each year. So here we are with one of the worst stock market crashes happening right...

I had to file late last year, and did not get the I bonds I requested, despite including the appropriate form (Form 8888). I'm not sure whether the late filing was a factor, but plan to file on time this year and try again. By the way, rather than sending in $5,000 with an extension request, you can...

Rusa, yes, you have the Bogleheads' permission to retire from Biglaw at the end of this year - or tomorrow morning, if you prefer. Congratulations!

TSR, I've had the same questions. Regarding the I Fund, as hoppy's charts show, adding emerging markets and international small cap probably won't make that much difference over the long run as they would only be a very small part of your total portfolio. I did add them to my Roth and taxable accoun...

Khh, Larry and Browser, thanks for the discussion of 5-year CD ladders. I can see how this would allow retirees to keep a few years of cash on hand, while still retaining some protection against inflation. This is another strategy I may use. This alone probably wouldn't work for me though, as I'm ho...

Thanks for the very thoughtful responses. I didn’t realized what a central role real estate plays in hedging against inflation, or that, as docneil88 notes, real estate accounts for 42% of the consumer price index (CPI). I may already be more hedged against inflation than I realized. I have an inter...

I don't own any TIPS and am a novice on bond issues, but am trying to learn. I thought this article by Walter Updergrave seemed to provide a clear, simple explaination of TIPS and the role they play. http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/01/pf/expert/investing-tips-inflation.moneymag/index.html Basically, th...

What in the world does that story have to do with one possibly have a 100% stock retirement portfolio. I only speak for myself, but my retirement portfolio is not for now, not for 5 years from now, not even a decade, maybe not even 2 decades. It depends on how soon you plan to retire. I'm hoping to...

Bogleheads: My Grandfather, Christopher Coombs, was one of the principals of the United Founders Corporation which was the dominating investment trust (now called a mutual fund company) during the Roaring Twenties. He was a multi-millionaire. We moved into his Miami mansion in 1930 after my dad's r...

Bonds do provide important protection, especially against sudden major declines, but they're not as safe as we might like to think, especially with today's yields on government bonds offering returns below inflation. A recent Morningstar video noted: In this yield environment, bonds may be moving fr...

Don't even you feel that the last decade of emerging markets probably has just a bit of frothiness to it? No, no, no, I wouldn't act on that feeling, but doesn't the idea of a) over weighting emerging markets b) now strike you as a little questionable? . . . to answer your question on the terms it ...

Seeing recent threads on more and more precise ways to model historical stock returns, and a few posts re: how dramatically to bet this or that corner of the stock market, I figured this thread was worth a bump. Yobria, thanks for the bump on this thread. The chart is great - I've never seen anythi...

I overweight emerging markets, and they would be 50% of my international holdings if there weren't a cost difference. I pay 0.12% on Tax-Managed International with 100% qualified dividends, 20% on Emerging Markets Index with 60% qualified dividends, 0.28% on FTSE All-World Ex-US Small-Cap with 60% ...

Thanks to everyone for the great discussion. After reading these posts and the referenced articles and links, I think I'll resist temptation and stick to my original plan of getting emerging markets up to market weight (25% of international), or possibly up to 33%, but not more than that. My interna...

I’ve been buying the Vanguard Emerging Market Stock Index Fund (VEMAX) in my taxable and Roth accounts to complement the developed markets index available in my 401k. (My 401k, the federal TSP, does not have a total international fund). I was originally planning to add EM at market weight, and I’m a...

stan1 wrote: I went 50/50 a year ago, I think what I'll do at this point is develop a model to give me an indicator based on F Fund share price that tells me when to move back to 100% G Fund without sacrificing most of the gains over the past year. Essentially calculate a "stop loss" pric...

I've been wondering about this issue as well, and posted this as one of the question I'd like to see asked at the upcoming Bogleheads conference. Re: YOUR QUESTIONS FOR THE EXPERTS AT BOGLEHEADS 11 by Investor2 » Sun Sep 16, 2012 1:00 am Federal and military employees have access to the Thrift Savin...

Federal and military employees have access to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) G Fund, which has some unique characteristics. Given the current environment, how should retirees or near retirees use the G Fund when constructing their bond allocation? Should they put 100% of their bond allocation in the ...

Federal and military employees have access to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) G Fund, which has some unique characteristics. Given the current environment, how should retirees or near retirees use the G Fund when constructing their bond allocation? Should they put 100% of their bond allocation in the ...

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I love audible and have used it for years - I probably have over 100 audiobooks purchased from them and available in my Audible Library. They have a vast selection and several membership plans that let you purchase their books at a discount. The cheapest option for heavy users is the Platinum Plan, ...

I think you will find that, in your situation, a short-term bond fund is a more practical investment for your parent because money can be withdrawn at any time and in any amount without penalty--unlike a CD. Taylor, yes, this sounds like what we need. I've looked at the Vanguard short term bond fun...

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. We'll look into a Vanguard short term bond fund (and possibly FDIC insured bank CDs). * Taxes must be considered. If the stocks have large capital gains it may be better not to sell because capital gains are eliminated at death. * Regardless of the above,...

Thanks for your input! We don't need to generate income from the 200k right now, as current income needs are fully covered. Just trying to figure out an appropriate, safe place to "park" this (relatively) large amount of funds so that they're available to help cover LTC costs likely to ari...

Sole surviving parent is 90 and has early stage dementia, but is otherwise still in good shape. Has annual income from SS and annuities of about 50k per year plus 5 years of LTC insurance, which combined should almost cover the cost of 24/7 care at home or in a good facility, if/when this becomes ne...

Great topic, I've been wondering about this as well. Many large cities have nice, walkable neighborhoods where you can get by perfectly fine without a car, including NYC, Washington DC, San Francisco and Boston/Cambridge. But this does mean living in an urban area. Sanibel Island, FL is a bikers par...

She is 71 years old and in below average health due an autoimmune disease (I mention this only because it is reasonable to expect that she won't be able to live independently within the next 5-10 years) You should talk to an experienced elder law attorney in the state where your mother lives and do...

Based on your description of yourself, if you went to 40 or 50% bonds now and saw stocks increase 40% while bonds fall 15% it could be setting you up for buying high and chasing stocks. I think you should definitely stick with gradual moves towards bonds. Yes, you have a good point. Others are also...

I hold about 95% of my bond allocation in the G Fund. I may add a TIPS fund when my portfolio grows. Just wondering, what is the advantage of adding TIPS to G fund? They seem similar to me since both are U.S. government securites that are designed to provide some inflation protection. I've seen oth...

I hold about 95% of my bond allocation in the G Fund. I may add a TIPS fund when my portfolio grows. Just wondering, what is the advantage of adding TIPS to G fund? They seem similar to me since both are U.S. government securites that are designed to provide some inflation protection. I've seen oth...

Thanks for all the very helpful comments! Once you stop working/contributing and begin to live off your retirement, the chances for continued growth of your retirement account are severely limited by the market. The purpose of bonds in your portfolio is to add stability to your investments... to hel...

I’ve been 100% stocks for many years, but will need to start moving into bonds soon as I'm getting close to retirement. I’m extremely reluctant to do this now given the current outlook for bonds, but don’t see much alternative. I’m in my mid-50s and thinking of retiring in about 4 years (late 50s). ...