Bogleheads.org

Having spent most of my life making others (and their legacy) rich....Your goal is admirable.
All you need to do is make a lot and save a lot. Good luck.

burt

I’m a Boomer. All things considered (kids, Mom stayed home, no degree) Dad did better.
Us children had stability and security..…something which I miss now.

burt

I like this quote from Mr. Bernstein: "It's hard to cut back on risk and accept lower returns when your neighbors are getting rich." burt Show me your balance sheet, then we'll see if you truly are rich or is it just a mirage. In other words, show me the money. :moneybag ?? Not sure your ...

Rent is 16% of gross.

burt

I like this quote from Mr. Bernstein:

"It's hard to cut back on risk and accept lower returns when your neighbors are getting rich."



burt

60.

I had enough. Close to having enough.

burt

PaulW wrote:
find it hard to imagine the rigors of a full time job.

Paul

Ohhhhh I can imagine it. In fact I'm living it.........but not for long.
Monday is so bad, it even screws up Sunday.

burt

Good topic, which I've been pondering for a while. I plan to put 50% down on a retirement home and mortgage the remainder. Sounds like I should be buying the retirement home a few months prior to leaving the workforce. Will that plan work ?

burt

Democracy Now

http://www.democracynow.org/

burt

I'm also one of these guys who pays cash for cars, pays off any credit card bills every month and does all those other financially responsible things. But that is going to bite me on the butt on the HELOC, meaning that I will have to liquidate some mutual fund assets I'd prefer not to. I'm another ...

Us oldsters are paying dearly for the 2008-2009 crash. It ain't a tax but it sure feels like one. burt Why?...... If you didn't change your asset allocation, you should actually be ahead of the game. You would have bought stocks cheaper and they have recovered from the crash, so being a Bogelhead w...

Yes, I have regretted a promotion.

Got a promotion with only a bonus, no pay raise. Now being measured against higher level performers. Your ratings against peers has to go down.

There is a big salary overlap between pay grades.

Be careful.

burt

Taylor, this is a good article as it shows that the world has changed and that the old assumptions about retirement aren't true anymore. The current low interest rates makes it very hard to live off of a bond portfolio and it causes payments from immediate annuities to be lower. The lower returns f...

I remember playing golf with a EJ guy 20 years ago. Mid 30's living high.

Run...........Don't walk.


Burt

Retirement is and always has been my passion. For most of my working years I had fairly decent employment, except for the last few years when it was horrible. But retirement, not career advancement, was always the ultimate goal. Even during the job's most enjoyable years I always viewed as a means ...

Back in 2000 a co-worker sent me a link to Scott Burns. From there it snow balled. I found the Bogleheads forum. Bought recommended books. Did a 401k rollover to Vanguard. I'm convinced this forum has saved me many thousands of dollars, and will allow me to retire 3 years early. Thanks to all. burt

dhodson wrote:of course its legal. The rate is NOT guaranteed with 99% of LTCi policies.

Pay expensive premiums for 20 years until you can't afford the increase......then be forced to let the policy lapse just about the time you need it.
What a deal.

burt

This is legal ?

Kinda like mortgages with variable interest rates, and we know where that went.

burt

Dentist office called and said they needed my social security number for insurance purposes. That gave me the creeps. I froze my credit reports immediately thereafter.

burt

9/80 schedule is a big deal for me.
8 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours....doesn't matter. If I have to go into work, the day is already ruined.

burt

Although it impressed me at the time, I don't know how well its advice has held up (and I know the investment advice is flawed), but "Your Money or Your Life" is well worth a read for putting work in perspective. http://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Life-Transforming-Relationship/dp/014311576...

Seen this in my own family as well as watching The Living Dead at work in their 60's--tired, sick, and hanging on "just a few more years" (annually, it seems "just one more year) to either boost a pension, get to Medicare age, or to cover for unexpected life events or perhaps really ...

I've seen some "high number" people seriously--and terminally--whacked by terrible, debilitating, lingering illnesses. Their estates have largely evaporated. Lev Good point. A co-worker is considering whether to retire in the US or go back to his home country. His comment "Even with ...

" The 401k experiment has been a train wreck." Hasn't this view been expressed, more or less, by Bill Bernstein and J Bogle? Correct me if I'm wrong. Lev The 401K experiment has been the best thing for my household since sliced bread. The train wreck comment is in regards to the fact that...

Within the past few years I’ve noticed many articles talking about the “rewards” of working past 65. Fulfillment, sense of purpose, contributing, engagement, socialization, etc., etc. Baloney. Most people are working longer because they can’t afford to retire….period. The 401k experiment has been a ...

I've never had a "dream" home, but I've had some "restless night" homes.


burt

I've been with Credit Unions over the past 25 years.
I've always felt that the big banks were ripping me off.
2008 reinforced my thoughts.

burt

This thread is interesting, or maybe depressing. Net worth polls on this board indicate that the Bogleheads are in general pretty well off. Good jobs, hard work, diligent saving, live below their means, sensible investments. The Bogleheads are a very small segment of the population. If the Boglehead...

I moved from near NYC to TX. Some immediate impacts: 1. Much higher salary. 2. No more state income tax. 3. House prices less than half for the same thing. 4. Prop taxes about the same for the same house. 1-3 above improved "cash flow" tremendously. Also many other advantages. No regrets....

"In the long run we're all dead" - Stock Index Versus Bond Index Fund Allocations, Creating Your Own Pension as a response to stock index volatility? Although predicting the future is impossible, I'd rather err on the side of caution, and have to invest more dollars over time, than to be ...

Robert Reich - Aftershock

Ohhhhh My, how things have changed over the past 40 years.
I thought Leave It to Beaver was real based on my observations of the young family next door (60's).
Don't think I want to win this race to the bottom.

burt

There will be a whole generation, if not more, forced to live very, very frugally. I do wonder what this will mean for the future economy and especially the housing market. Living on SS and limited savings would make it hard to maintain a house, especially with occasional major repairs needed, like...

My condolences. We are all just an event or two from real financial problems. Even if we are healthy and have medical insurance - medical expenses are a big worry. I'm in good financial shape and have medical insurance. My adult daughter is covered by COBRA for another 6 months. I tell her that if ...

My condolences. We are all just an event or two from real financial problems. Even if we are healthy and have medical insurance - medical expenses are a big worry. I'm in good financial shape and have medical insurance. My adult daughter is covered by COBRA for another 6 months. I tell her that if ...

Sky's the limit.
Wondering why it's legal.

burt

Is there anyway you can get out of this camping trip ?

burt

bungalow10 wrote:Living significantly below our means.

Bravo ! Good plan.

burt

snyder66 wrote:I am 42, work and a landscape foreman, and, I am tired.

A lot of us are tired. It's a long road. Good luck finding something that is bearable.

burt

An analysis should be done of wealth/net worth that does NOT include one's home. I find it ridiculous that homes can be considered as assets... they are consumption items. Do you calculate the price of your car, your electronic gadgets as part of your net worth? What? :confused A car or electronic ...

Keep saving vigorously, until you hit the amount needed to maintain your desired standard of living. Maybe that's age 50 or 55 ?
Now you have options. Retire early or if your job is bearable, keep working and enjoy the gravy.

burt

Todays WSJ had an article claiming the desire for larger homes is coming back! The RE market in my neighborhood is an example. More teardowns and putting up much larger homes in their place. Same in my area. Teardowns replaced with 4500 sq. ft. monsters. Property tax, maintenance, utilities. And I ...

I agree, save yourself first. A current situation I'm aware of: 68 year old single woman who is responsible for loans used to put her son through an Ivy league grad school. The woman is still trying to work full time. Currently functioning physically and mentally at 50% at best. What energy she has ...

I remember sitting around the kitchen table with my parents and grandparents. I was getting ready to purchase my first home (1982) with an interest rate of 13%. My grandfather said "my house was paid for when they pounded the first nail". I've always remembered that.

burt

floatingdoc wrote:Buy less house, save more, retire early.

Very good.

I might add: Buy less car, no debt.

burt

Money. However, hell or high water age 60 is it.

burt

Jake46 wrote:Moved from Houston to a place with four seasons, clean air & clean water.

Yes, we'll be moving from Houston in a few years. I'm only down here for work. Will most likely end up in Michigan, near family. Will be looking for a small home/town home, no maintenance, energy efficient.

burt

In my experience there's a reason companies are willing to pay a recruiter to fill a job opening. The skill set could be very rare and hard to find or....it's a bad job in a less than desirable location. Good luck.

burt

birdy wrote: I am 57years old and too young to just "retire", besides my husband says if he has to keep working then I have to work also!!

birdy

A person asked me why my wife doesn't work. My reply "no sense in both of us being miserable."

Good luck on your future endeavors.

burt

Smart and educated is only part of the answer. I'm working to get members on my team to just show up at work. Are you the day shift manager like Chad Vader? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wGR4-SeuJ0 I'm trying to take it one step at a time. Once they get "need to show up", then we can pr...

Valuethinker wrote:
Getting a grip on the costs of treating those in the last phases of life will be the key to the whole healthcare imbroglio. And also the most difficult thing to do.

+1
Seems like I remember reading that a large percentage of US health care costs are spent during the last 6 months of life.

burt