Search found 190 matches

by victw
Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any advice on how to manaage cashflow when % of income is variable?
Replies: 39
Views: 1838

Re: Any advice on how to manaage cashflow when % of income is variable?

YNAB. You Need a Budget. You are spending money you don't have. YNAB is a tool that will help you learn to allocate the money you have. Is your wife on board? Does she realize the cash flow problem is causing you stress?

Vic
by victw
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alaska cruise recommendations
Replies: 27
Views: 2354

Re: Alaska cruise recommendations

Alaska is aboutthe ports and excursions- they can be DIY.
Alaska was our first cruise. I picked the boat/cruise before I knew better. It worked out but if/when I go again it will be about the ports/activities.

We went on Oceania. Nice. Not something we would do now.

Vic
by victw
Mon Dec 25, 2023 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pros and cons of synthetic fabrics, do any of them actually breathe, and which is best?
Replies: 28
Views: 2762

Re: Pros and cons of synthetic fabrics, do any of them actually breathe, and which is best?

Livesoft nailed this one. Having spent many years hiking in dry SoCal cotton was not a problem.
Cotton was not an option on our recent trip to wet New Zealand. First time I've ever used GoreTex and I'm super happy with having a rain jacket that did not wet thru.
Application matters.
by victw
Sun Dec 10, 2023 11:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How do you retirees monitor withdrawal rate (SWR) vs portfolio size?
Replies: 49
Views: 7805

Re: How do you retirees monitor withdrawal rate (SWR) vs portfolio size?

Appreciate this post. My first response was lost in internet world. We have been ER for three years. We have been mostly using a homemade spreadsheet that mostly agrees with my mental accounting. I have a lump thar accounts for SS for the next 11-16 years before we take it at age 70. The rest I apply 4% to. I update weekly. There is a lot missing which I mostly think causes us to understand. Using VPW we would spend about .3% more. Not sure about ABW. I would like to move us in that direction but SO is not on board. After reading responses 2 things are apparent. People responded with their methodologies and not necessarily the mechanics. I interpreted the OP to mean mechanics. I think this might be important because although the general con...
by victw
Fri Dec 08, 2023 1:59 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can I retire in 4 weeks?
Replies: 109
Views: 20150

Re: Can I retire in 4 weeks?

Also check on dates. Do you need to wait for vesting or getting an extra month's of insurance.
by victw
Fri Dec 08, 2023 1:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can I retire in 4 weeks?
Replies: 109
Views: 20150

Re: Can I retire in 4 weeks?

We are 3 years out and in our 50s.

2 things. Is this a peak? This is the Big Ern post I always think about when people post this question.
https://earlyretirementnow.com/2017/12/ ... nt-timing/

Second thing. Health insurance. We assumed it would be ACA. I think alot of attention is paid to the affordability of ACA. I know we did. But it socks. It's generally catastrophic coverage at best. Dig into the plans. Nationwide coverage for emergency room only. Dig deep beyond the affordability factor.

Best wishes.
Vic
by victw
Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help picking healthcare plan please
Replies: 9
Views: 1013

Re: Help picking healthcare plan please

neko06 wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:54 pm Yes I got quoted for COBRA at $850 :shock:
How does it compare to the ACA plans?
by victw
Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:39 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Optimization & can we retire in 2 years.
Replies: 12
Views: 3036

Re: Optimization & can we retire in 2 years.

We are 54 and 59 and have not worked for the past year. We will be rolling off cobra soon. You need to look at total cost per year and consider what happens when you are put of network. ACA can have low monthly costs but overall expensive. It's been disappointing to look at the options. Are you planning on traveling or pursuing any new activities? Although many people would say it could be done for less with travel and an active lifestyle I'd consider projected spend rate low.

Read BigErn. Try to avoid retiring at a peak.
Vic
by victw
Sat Aug 05, 2023 9:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Health/Medical Insurance outside of ACA coverage area
Replies: 42
Views: 5119

Re: Health/Medical Insurance outside of ACA coverage area

visualguy wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2023 4:26 pm Also, when people decide to retire, they should be aware of what they're giving up when switching away from the employer's insurance. It's worse than many realize.
So people are either tied to a job and/or a location. Frustrating.

We roll off of Cobra at the end of the year. I've been looking at ACA plans and had just reached the conclusion that being out of network would be a problem.

We are looking at Texas plans but can change our Domicile if it's necessary, but that isn't guaranteed to be a long term solution. Plans can change every year.

Uggh.
by victw
Tue Jul 25, 2023 10:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 'Bogleheads® on Investing' #60: Jonathan Clements on "My Money Journey"
Replies: 26
Views: 5269

Re: 'Bogleheads® on Investing' #60: Jonathan Clements on "My Money Journey"

livesoft wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2023 3:32 pm Thanks for this interview ... absolutely wonderful!
Jonathan Clements wrote:How are you going to take this nest egg that you've amassed over your lifetime and make sure that you have a rich retirement that is filled with friends and family that is devoted to things that you care deeply about? These are much more important questions than whether should switch from this total market index fund to that total market index fund to save one basis point.
And one answer is "Go backpacking with your friends and family!" :) :)
But where livesoft? The Sierras are pretty rough territory right now unless you've got a great skillset.
by victw
Sun Jun 25, 2023 10:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car market is insane right now!?
Replies: 33
Views: 5259

Re: Car market is insane right now!?

I did not read all the responses. Buying a used car is different from a new car. You need to get an inspection and handle the negotiations/money/title slightly differently. There are tons of guides to do this online. The car talk guys used to have a fantastic checklist you could take to a mechanic. There are also buying guides for a new car. You approach multiple dealers to get the best price. Did you test drive these cars? I would not get too attached to a particular year/model/trim without test driving. I once wanted a Toyota Matrix. Sat down it and it felt all wrong. Great car. But it didn't fit well. Best wishes. Best to learn the process now with your first purchase. I'm not sure it happens often enough to get good at it - but at least...
by victw
Tue Mar 21, 2023 5:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to snorkel, when? Snorkeling resources?
Replies: 56
Views: 4470

Where to snorkel, when? Snorkeling resources?

Hi all, It seems like a big question - but I'm looking for resources. We started snorkeling a few years ago and would like to do more. We took a trip to Belize in December and were surprised to learn that there is a little more to picking a snorkeling trip than I realized. In Belize, I did not realize there would not be any beach snorkeling, and we would have to plan for boat trips. Boat trips are great - I need to be able to budget for them. I've done some internet searches but haven't found a solid resource that describes locations, the best time of year, accessibility of beach snorkeling, boat trip required, etc. Can anyone recommend resources for snorkeling information? I will research places in detail. But a higher level view would be ...
by victw
Thu Nov 10, 2022 6:12 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Planning for Social Security after 2040
Replies: 114
Views: 9218

Re: Planning for Social Security after 2040

We retired last year. I projected our spend rate using a 25% cut. If it's fully funded we will get a nice bonus.

The other bonus we will get is when Medicare kicks in, that will be another bump.

I couldn't wrap my head around calculations that allow both to change but now that I type this I realize how much more we might be able to spend.

Vicki
by victw
Wed Oct 19, 2022 8:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Traveling to Spain - Covid Restrictions?
Replies: 28
Views: 2641

Re: Traveling to Spain - Covid Restrictions?

I would not crowdsource Covid restrictions. We are currently in Peru. Even the US Embassies' info on Peru was not up-to-date. I would find the source from Spain.

Peru is technically very restrictive - although a bit lax in practice. Although an outlier, the restrictions for getting into the country are not the same for moving around.

I know you asked about Spain - but I would recommend finding the official Spain sources for covid restrictions and looking to see if specific regions have any different requirements. You might also want to look at whether these restrictions might change (before more restrictive.)

Vic
by victw
Fri Sep 16, 2022 1:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to Stop Obsessing w/ FIRE (Specifically the "RE" Part) and Spend Money
Replies: 114
Views: 13882

Re: How to Stop Obsessing w/ FIRE (Specifically the "RE" Part) and Spend Money

YNAB has helped me tremendously - when thinking about how I want to spend money.
by victw
Mon Jun 13, 2022 10:49 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2022!
Replies: 393
Views: 71563

Re: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2022!

Ok. I was done last year - or maybe the year before (2020) when I left work to do the first bucket item. My husband went part-time last year and finished this spring. I keep looking at the market with a total pit in my stomach. Do I have a plan? Sortof. Never really wrote a full IPS. We have enough cash to get through November. We are not likely to do anything stupid. But daily 1% drops and trips to the grocery store with regular price increases. It's like you are catching it from both sides. The free fall thread used to be fun to read - but not so much anymore because there are no more 401k contributions DCAing into the market. I can't seem to find the BigERN post about retiring at peaks. We did sort of - retire at a peak - but not intenti...
by victw
Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Moab, Utah in April
Replies: 72
Views: 7433

Re: Moab, Utah in April

This is a fantastic thread. We are currently in Santa Fe and meandering our way to the Columbia River Gorge for the summer. Planning for a month in Utah starting on the Eastern side next week.

This is great info. Bogleheads travel threads are the best.

Vic
by victw
Mon Mar 28, 2022 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portable Gas Grill (for RV)?
Replies: 50
Views: 3666

Re: Portable Gas Grill (for RV)?

We just bought the weber traveler, it fits in our storage space. We are vegetarians, the q would be too small for us.

We weren't aware of the regulator/quick connect issue. We didn't realize that there is another version without a regulator so we ended up buying an adapter.

Vicki
by victw
Fri Mar 25, 2022 8:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can we retire now?
Replies: 31
Views: 3475

Re: Can we retire now?

I'm finding this thread to be confusing.
If your wife has a pension on 100k and your expenses are less 100k than I have to wonder why this is a question.

It wasn't clear whether your wife is currently collecting her pension. If you have 140k in income plus 100k in pension are your expenses really less than 100k.

I feel like there are other questions here besides do I have enough money or not.

Vic
by victw
Fri Mar 04, 2022 10:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Disaster! Need New Car / Telluride? Mine may be totaled :-(
Replies: 78
Views: 9579

Re: Disaster! Need New Car / Telluride? Mine may be totaled :-(

If you are wanting cargo capacity. And possibly to put dog crates - I would not assume the size will work for you. I would take the crates to a dealership - even if it's not the trim you want and try them out.

I'm thinking you want a ford transit connect or something with an open configuration to fit dog crates in.

Vicki
by victw
Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendations for early June trip launching from Vermont
Replies: 7
Views: 654

Recommendations for early June trip launching from Vermont

Hi all, The family will be converging in Bennington, VT for a graduation. We would like to spend a few days together before going our separate ways. Mother of the graduate would like Niagara Falls and lobster in Maine. I can't wrap my head around 5 hours to Niagara and then 10 back to the coast. I haven't spent a lot of time on the East Coast. So maybe this is more doable than I think? Also, half the group has been to Niagara Falls so I'm looking for other suggestions for a day or two in/near Vermont. The graduate is the youngest - the oldest in the group is 78. I'm also not sure if Niagara Falls would work because everyone says the Canadian side is the best and I'm not sure if it's possible to see the Canadian side with covid restrictions....
by victw
Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dark Chocolate heads Rejoice !!!
Replies: 198
Views: 31159

Re: Dark chocolate addicts: what do you eat?

I am not the connoisseur in the house. I have had success buying from Bar & Cocoa as gifts for my husband. They have an outstanding selection.
https://barandcocoa.com/

He is also thrilled that our home base - San Antonio has a small shop that makes excellent bars.

Vicki
by victw
Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Digital Nomads - is Belize an option?
Replies: 7
Views: 1221

Digital Nomads - is Belize an option?

Hi all,

We are 3/4s retired. My husband will work part-time through February (to be eligible for this year's full-time bonuses.) I thought it would be nice to end his career working from Belize, a country he has always wanted to visit. However, it seems like the reliability of wifi/internet might be challenging. Can you recommend a place and/or resources, an evaluation method for determining if the internet access is good and reliable?

I'm also open to other time zone-friendly places, Mexico? South America?

We've been on the road since September in the US and we have learned that it's not always as reliable as you would expect.

Thanks.
Vicki
by victw
Sun Aug 29, 2021 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Breaking "Poor" Mentality
Replies: 86
Views: 11470

Re: Breaking "Poor" Mentality

I use YNAB. If my goals are met its a lot easier to spend on wants.

Vic
by victw
Wed Jul 21, 2021 3:06 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2021!
Replies: 437
Views: 78297

Re: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2021!

Miriam2,

Please add me/us to the roll call. My husband gave notice today till the end of August. Wow.
I've been in grad school for the past year with no work responsibilities. I did not feel officially retired. Until we retired.

If they offered him a package, ie access to health care he will stay until February 2022. But right now the date is August 31st.

We are 52 and 57. And as with many - healthcare is our biggest worry. Looking forward to a lot of hikes and long walks.

Vicki
by victw
Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: World Cruise Recommendations
Replies: 38
Views: 3320

Re: World Cruise Recommendations

What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days. Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days. I also would like to do a RTW cruise but have only done one cruise. Because cruise ports can be so far from the desired locations and only spend a limited amount of time in one location I'm looking to piece cruises together. This will likely mean different cruise lines and different lengths. And might not be very practical. My first cruise was purchased impulsively and I still have a fare amo...
by victw
Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Van conversion insurance
Replies: 2
Views: 498

Van conversion insurance

Hi all, We are in the process of converting our Ford Transit. This is a simple conversion. Bed. Solar and mega fridge. Might add water tanks later. But no shower or toilet. The solar with battery and fridge are a chunk of money and I'm trying to determine how to insure the vehicle properly. I talked to the insurance company (USAA) and the phone rep thought they fell under "custom equipment," with a max coverage of $ 5,000 and no way to increase the coverage. I know when people fully convert they change the title on the vehicle to have it classified as an RV. But without the shower and toilet I don't think we would be classified as an RV. My conversation with the phone rep was frustrating as I'm not sure to call what I'm looking fo...
by victw
Thu May 13, 2021 9:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rugged laptop options?
Replies: 31
Views: 2652

Re: Rugged laptop options?

I paid more for the last laptop. It was a grand. But I was paying for a larger monitor - 17, a better chip and more memory.

I'm not coding for a living anymore so I don't need any of those things.

I will take a second look at the ThinkPads.

Appreciate any other thoughts. I'm curious about the 2 in 1s and 365s. Seems like they would have a different hinge mechanism. But possibly not better since they seem designed for a different crowd.

We are not Costco members. I do have family members that are.

Vic
by victw
Thu May 13, 2021 8:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I See no Path Forward Financially
Replies: 101
Views: 14694

Re: I See no Path Forward Financially

If it hasn't been mentioned before I recommend YNAB. Even if you don't buy the product all of their videos and information is free.

Vic
by victw
Wed May 12, 2021 11:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rugged laptop options?
Replies: 31
Views: 2652

Rugged laptop options?

EDIT for update: The hinge was not broken. It was disconnected from the plastic backing. I found a few youtube videos that used JB Weld to glue down the piece that is held in by the screws that had stripped. We glued it last night. Hopefully, it holds. Vic I have a broken hinge on an otherwise perfectly good laptop. It's 3 years old, has extra memory, and a large SSD drive. The hinge mechanism is broken. I've been quoted 165 for the part and 100 to fix. Doesn't seem worth the price. The problem is - this is my second hinge failure. The previous laptop lasted about the same - 3 years. Is it possible to buy a laptop that will not have hinge failure? It seems to be a common problem. What do I look for? I'd like to stay in the 600 range. I don'...
by victw
Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I was investing in Roth IRA but now recently was made aware of girlfriend's ~$50k debt. Help?
Replies: 59
Views: 5336

Re: I was investing in Roth IRA but now recently was made aware of girlfriend's ~$50k debt. Help?

The same way she shared her debt. I would send her a link to YNAB.

But a continued conversation about finances has to start at some point.

You will also want to look at why your were willing to ignore it.

Vic
by victw
Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What Were Your Regrets after Retiring? (serious question)
Replies: 334
Views: 57340

Re: What Were Your Regrets after Retiring? (serious question)

Golf maniac wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:14 pm
It is really about how your approach this wonderful new part of your life. From a financial standpoint we have a budget that we pretty much stay in line with the numbers. The one exception has been travel. We underestimated the cost by about 30%. When we get older travel may slow down but right now we are really enjoying our retirement. Best of luck on your journey.

Also, I had offers to do consulting, but after about a year I didn’t want to screw up my schedule so it was easy to turn them down.
Wondering what increased the travel budget. More time on the road? More expensive trips?

We are planning to do a lot of travel.

Vic
by victw
Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Resources for Texas domicile questions? Nomads? Full Time RVers?
Replies: 2
Views: 347

Resources for Texas domicile questions? Nomads? Full Time RVers?

Hi all, We are planning on going Nomadic for a couple of years. Keeping one vehicle in the states for summer fun/travel and the rest of the year abroad. We currently live in CA. Rent - no house. We have family in Texas and regularly visit at least once a year. So with no income tax, it seems like a good choice for residency/domicile. We have found some info on-line with escapees.com. We would use their mail service. But we would rather use a family member's residence as our physical address for getting drivers license and vehicle registration. Q1) I'm trying to get more information on what exactly would be needed for determining residency. I assume there might be some nomadic or full-time RVer sites that might be helpful. The escapees site ...
by victw
Sat Mar 21, 2020 11:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Late to the Game--"Catch up" opportunity?
Replies: 16
Views: 1726

Re: Late to the Game--"Catch up" opportunity?

I recommend YNAB. Not a backwards budgeting - but a forward looking tool.

I skimmed the posts. But what percentage of your income are you saving? It's really about savings. SS will not replace a high percentage of your income. With nothing saved that's what you will be living on. :shock:

Get focused on the savings. Your asset allocation is not the primary driver at this point.

Vic
by victw
Thu Mar 19, 2020 11:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Unprepared for Potential Great Depression Part 2
Replies: 257
Views: 32298

Re: Unprepared for Potential Great Depression Part 2

nedsaid wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 10:58 pm Oh my gosh, people jumping out of windows here on the Bogleheads. I think talk of a Great Depression is waaaaaaaaaaaaay early.
Yep. I'm wondering how many people have calculated their income if they had to withdraw at this point. We could certainly live on a SWR of 4% even with the market down.

OP - How much has your projected income really changed?

Vic
by victw
Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How can bogleheads help during this crisis?
Replies: 20
Views: 1622

Re: How can bogleheads help during this crisis?

I signed up to donate blood. I'm not eligible for another two weeks.

Local NPR station has somewhat suspended their spring pledge drive. I'm considering donating - I usually do the fall drives but thought I might split it up and do half now.

Hope we see some more ideas.

Vic
by victw
Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where to park cash if we go to negative interest rates
Replies: 45
Views: 6000

Re: Where to park cash if we go to negative interest rates

I don't want to derail the question. But technically if you factor in inflation - aren't we already negative?

Vic
by victw
Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:23 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: So what does shutting down the US economy for a few months look like?
Replies: 200
Views: 17538

Re: So what does shutting down the US economy for a few months look like?

REI is closing stores for the next two weeks. They intend to keep paying their employees.
Do we have a list of other companies closing - Apple is the only other one I know.

Target looked like they might actually be bringing extra work to restock - but that was only an observation.
Groceries stores in the area are changing hours to handle restocking. I assume that means that employees are still on the payrolls.

Seems like in some areas we will need more workers.

Vic
by victw
Wed Mar 11, 2020 6:37 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Any 50+ year olds buying?
Replies: 53
Views: 4907

Re: Any 50+ year olds buying?

I've made some small buys. All of them too soon. We were about 55/45 before the recent losses. Just slightly over 3.5% SWR - depending on your perspective.

What's amazing is that even with a 20% drop our projected annual income doesn't change that much.

I'd like to buy more but my husband wants a 30% loss before we buy. Based on my little nibbles so far - he's the smarter of the two of us.

Vicki
by victw
Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:54 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Where is Livesoft!?
Replies: 147
Views: 33016

Re: Where is Livesoft!?

retiringwhen wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:22 am
blackburnian wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:10 am FYI, Friday Feb 28th wasn't an official Livesoft RBD: "A Friday cannot be a bona fide RBD" viewtopic.php?t=184463

I think Livesoft is watching and waiting and will chime in at some point--after gathering lots of data on the behavioral errors that all of us are making. I miss his commentary and advice.
I built an RBD alert google-sheet that encodes all of his rules and applies them to the S&P500 (somewhat configurable). When my work gives me a break, I may put it up for public viewing.
retiringwhen,

I would love to see this. I tried something like this with some much simpler rules - but I think I missed the mark.

Vic
by victw
Mon Feb 24, 2020 2:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Assuming you were going to buy a cargo van (new vs carmax)...
Replies: 43
Views: 3422

Re: Assuming you were going to buy a cargo van (new vs carmax)...

Guess I could call a few dealers, would you recommend doing the costco auto program (I think its fixed pricing below msrp) or going in and haggling? Neither. If you are buying new here is a post that I did about my online new car buying experience. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=239526&p=3746230 There is also a years long thread about buying new cars online. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=124638 One of the keys is to do try this when you know what you want and are ready to buy. It will vary but in my experience only about a third of dealerships will be willing to really deal online so it helps if you are within a reasonable distance from a large city with lots of dealerships. You can get you...
by victw
Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: May semi- FIRE - how to access retirement accounts
Replies: 14
Views: 973

Re: May semi- FIRE - how to access retirement accounts

Does a ROTH conversion ladder not answer this question?
https://rootofgood.com/roth-ira-convers ... etirement/

I don't think it does. But I'm not sure I'm understanding the dilemma.

SEPP does not have to be on the full balance. But I don't think I partial would help in this case.

Assume you don't have a 401k that allows withdrawals at age 55. You would have to stay employed until 55.

Vic
by victw
Wed Feb 05, 2020 10:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Well, I am market timing due to coronavirus... Wish me luck.
Replies: 1439
Views: 158449

Re: Well, I am market timing... Wish me luck.

CnC wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:46 am

I was 75/25 I am now 50/50. I have set a timer to get back in the market by the end of March. I figure that if this does cause a sell off I will be able to buy back in at a nice discount. If it doesn't, I'll buy back in and lose 1-2%.
Why a timer?
Did you consider other options? Some kind of value averaging?
Do you have alerts. Buy orders in place given a particular price or percentage?

Your post comes off as trollish. But it would be interesting to have a conversation about dynamic asset allocation.

Vic
by victw
Thu Jan 30, 2020 10:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Early retirement - Long term "successes"
Replies: 75
Views: 8758

Re: Early retirement - Long term "successes"

His basic plan was to save 500k and live off 50/day (3.7 SWR). So much for FIREing being a new idea like some people think:) I did some rudimentary math on this one. Using 1984 as a start - inflation adjusting - the same $50 a day today would be $ 125. Rounding up it would take $ 1.3 million to cover that at 3.7 SWR. I wonder how many people (couples) feel like they could live on $ 125 day? And how quickly could people accumulate 1.3 million. I like the Terhorst writings. But as far as I can tell they have spent a lot of time in less expensive areas. Like many nomadic FIREs. I would not want my travel to be limited in FIRE. Sorry I am confusing them with Bill and Akaisha Kaderli. They started at age 38. And yep they have some income. https...
by victw
Mon Jan 27, 2020 9:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Budget with high standard deviation—yet another party I to which I have arrived late!!
Replies: 12
Views: 1775

Re: Budget with high standard deviation—yet another party I to which I have arrived late!!

Another YNAB user.
You might check them out even if you don't buy. They are all over those lumpy expenses.
The educational materials are great.

Vic
by victw
Fri Jan 03, 2020 10:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 401k catch-up contributions does the max have to be met first?
Replies: 4
Views: 657

Re: 401k catch-up contributions does the max have to be met first?

HR and I both found this. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/401k-plan-catch-up-contribution-eligibility She still maintains that I would have to max the 19500. Before I could do a catch up contribution. But we are capped at 20%. So an individual would have to make at least 97,500 under our plan before they could do the catch-up. This does not seem right. Under the same article from the IRS is an example for a plan-imposed limit. Example - plan-imposed limit. Tom is a participant in a 401(k) plan that permits catch-up contributions and limits elective deferrals to 10% of a participant’s compensation. He is age 52 and is a catch-up eligible participant. For the 2018 plan year, his compensation was $100,000. He deferred $16,000 to the plan....
by victw
Thu Jan 02, 2020 1:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 401k catch-up contributions does the max have to be met first?
Replies: 4
Views: 657

401k catch-up contributions does the max have to be met first?

Hi all, I received this email from my company. In order to ensure accuracy in your payroll deductions for 2020, we have removed any 401(k) Catch Up deductions for the start of this new year. Your regular contributions will continue to occur, as note below. Once you get close to reaching the IRS new limit of $19,500 and if you decide to continue contributions under the IRS “Catch-Up” new limit of $6,500, please send me your email request and I will process accordingly. Here's some more info. The plan only allows 20% to be deferred. Last year I was able to do them concurrently. (I aim to save 33% of my income. And I start with the 401k first.) Even though I was allowed to do them concurrently. It was confusing as we cannot enter the catch-up ...
by victw
Wed Nov 13, 2019 5:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Forgotten Expenses in Retirement--Travel
Replies: 32
Views: 3192

Re: Forgotten Expenses in Retirement--Travel

Since we have been renters in HCOL area. We are going to downsize to storage unit. Put everything in storage and start nomadic travel around the world. The expense to have a place plus extensive travel would mean saving a lot more money->working more years. We will move to lower cost of living area - probably about the time medicare kicks in. If we don't get with bad SOR then we should still have extra for maintaining a small home/condo and continue travels with a home base.

If we decide we don't like the nomadic lifestyle. We will establish home base and I will likely go back to work so that I can continue to travel.

Expect to pull the plug within the next 2 years.
Vic