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david_that_guy

We were in the same situation and sold one of our cars two years ago. It really has never been a problem. On the very rare occasions when we both need transport at the same time I've ridden my bike, walked, or taken a bus. The garage I use for service is near a bus stop, so it's easy to get there. G...

david_that_guy

Earlier this year I bought an iPhone 8 new. They now cost $450 with no trade-in. It's an excellent phone and has all the features most people need at a great price. My plan is to stay 1 or 2 generations behind the latest and replace my phone every 3 to 4 years. iPhones are so good now that the impro...

david_that_guy

One more thing, you probably didn't notice much difference with the new grinder and beans because the cheapy grinders just hack the beans to bits. The more uniform the grind (which a good burr grinder can do), the better the flavor otherwise you get a mix of over and underextracted flavors in the c...

david_that_guy

I flew Norwegian Airline internationally this year and they checked the carry-on size (also 55cm) but not the weight in the US and checked both the size and the weight on the return flight. The weight limit was 10kg for everything carried on including the personal bag/item. They were very strict and...

david_that_guy

I started grinding my own coffee beans about 8 years ago and found that the coffee tasted better than any coffee I ever had made from pre-ground beans. I think all pre-ground coffee is stale. I've used all kinds of different beans and liked everything that was roasted within a month. I now wonder wh...

david_that_guy

My wife and I have spent about $7,000 a year on travel in our first 3 years of retirement (about 11% of total spending). That amount includes a total of 8 weeks in Europe over 3 years with many short domestic trips (within driving distance). We plan to increase that spending in the next few years si...

david_that_guy

On the TGV the overhead space is too small for a suitcase, even a carry-on. Even in first class, there's not enough space overhead. There are some luggage spaces in the middle of the car, not just at the ends. Be aware that the "traditional" TGV has been rebranded. The "traditional&qu...

david_that_guy

Here's a video tour of the highlights of the 1st arrondissement by American YouTuber Jay Swanson, who lives in Paris: https://youtu.be/6AJVXtd_jbE.

Even if you don't have time to visit the Louvre, you should walk around that area.

david_that_guy

It is a glorious time for language buffs. It certainly is. There's so much content in any language you wish to learn. My strategy has been to make French part of my normal life. Whenever I'm walking or doing chores I listen to French podcasts or French news. I read French blogs, newspapers, and nov...

david_that_guy

Unless your French is already quite good, movies and TV shows are too hard. I recommend starting with YouTube channels that are about learning French. There are many good ones. I suggest trying "Français Authentique," "innerFrench," "Francais avec Pierre," and "Hom...

david_that_guy

detroitbabu wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2019 12:20 pm I bought 3 in size 32 from Costco last month. May be your specific store ran out of that size.
Try Costco.com

I should have been more specific. I wear size 30 waist, and Costco does not sell that size online or in stores. I also checked the Greg Norman pants, and they are not made in size 30.

david_that_guy

I recently bought the Eddie Bauer Men's Horizon Guide Chino Pants, slim fit. They're very light, wind proof, good in the rain, dry quickly, and don't wrinkle (much). I haven't found any "wrinkle free" pants that are truly wrinkle free. I actually find the slim fit not quite slim enough, bu...

david_that_guy

My total federal taxes went up slightly ($338) with very close to the same income due to the SALT changes. In my case, the increase in the standard deduction almost completely made up for what I couldn't deduct, but not quite. It's still annoying to have even a slight increase when the overall tax c...

david_that_guy

I think that trying to speak correctly is a big mistake until you are speaking at an advanced level. You can "know" the grammar perfectly, but speaking requires that grammar to be automatic and intuitive. It takes a long time and a lot of practice (hundreds of hours of speaking) to get to ...

david_that_guy

In addition, coverage begins on the first day of the month you turn 65, so July 1st. I don't know if this applies in general because Massachusetts has a different system for supplemental insurance, but when my wife applied for a supplemental policy, she had to wait until the month she turned 65. She...

david_that_guy

I retired at 61 with an asset allocation of 60% stock / 40% bond. All of the bonds are in VBTLX (Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund) and VWIUX (Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund) in a taxable account. I also have 1 years core expenses in a money market fund as an emergency fund. I have n...

david_that_guy

80% US / 20% Intl

david_that_guy

I've also used the shadowing technique to improve my accent. If you google "shadowing technique" or search on YouTube, you'll find lots of examples. It basically involves repeating after native speaker audio as they're speaking as closely as you can, ideally only a word (or syllable) behin...

david_that_guy

Gabriel Wyner's book has a chapter on how to improve your accent, which you may find useful. He was an opera singer and was required to learn good pronunciation of a few languages.

david_that_guy

I decided to learn French after I retired. I've spent the last 2 years trying many different methods. I've figured out what works for me and I think it will work for a lot of people. I've gone from beginner to advanced intermediate (B2 in the European standard) and now have real conversations with m...

david_that_guy

Windsor Fund circa 1985. I held that fund until 2010, at which point I started to move to a Bogleheads 3 fund portfolio.

david_that_guy

The notion of trying to blend in better to avoid being the target of scammers is funny. I guarantee you there is not much an American can do to avoid standing out. It's just simple fact. We don't have access to the same brands of clothing that many Europeans wear. Our clothes are cut differently, e...

david_that_guy

I disagree with much of the above. Well, not acting like a jerk is good advice, but it's good advice in the US also. Your first paragraph simply stereotypes all American tourists as loud and obnoxious, compared to all those well-mannered non-US people. Clothing ... I'll wear shorts if it is hot and...

david_that_guy

I disagree with much of the above. Well, not acting like a jerk is good advice, but it's good advice in the US also. Your first paragraph simply stereotypes all American tourists as loud and obnoxious, compared to all those well-mannered non-US people. Clothing ... I'll wear shorts if it is hot and...

david_that_guy

I do think it's good advice to try not to look like an American tourist. Why? Because in popular tourist areas you will attract pickpockets and scam artists like flies to you know what. You're not trying to fool the locals, you're just trying not to stand out. What makes someone an obvious American ...

david_that_guy

My AA history is probably fairly common. I was 100% equities until the dot-com bust in 2001. I was 46 at the time. That event made me realize that 100% was too high for me, so I reduced my equities to 70%. Note that I waited a few years before selling equities so I didn't lock in all my losses but I...

david_that_guy

My wife applied for SS this year. Her benefit was $2.00 per month less than the estimate, but the estimate assumed she had continued working for another year, which she had not done. It seems to me that the estimate is very accurate. As others have pointed out, the estimate is based on your continui...

david_that_guy

If you want to see how to plan for retirement like an insurance company, see the blog on an actuarial approach to retirement planning: http://howmuchcaniaffordtospendinretirement.blogspot.com/ The actuaries who write the blog include spreadsheets so you can implement their method. They include recom...

david_that_guy

End of your current employer insurance is a qualifying event.

david_that_guy

Longdog is right. You can't just get on ACA unless you have a qualifying event. End of existing insurance (such as COBRA) is a qualifying event, having a child, getting a divorce. Otherwise you can only enroll once a year. That's specifically to prevent people from going without insurance and then g...

david_that_guy

French. In my first year of retirement, I wasn’t that serious. I spent about 30 minutes a day using various language apps. Then 10 months ago I decided to get serious and set a goal of being fluent. I spend 15 - 20 hours a week watching YouTube videos, documentaries, and listening to podcasts all in...

david_that_guy

Even if you love museums, you will find yourself getting overwhelmed. For example, the Louvre has 35,000 items on display. If you spent 30 seconds looking at each one, you would need 6 weeks (8 hours per day). This is also true of the Uffizi in Florence, Vatican Museum in Rome, National Gallery in L...

david_that_guy

In case it wasn't clear, my $18,000 in medical expenses with ACA included the fact that my wife and I are just over the ACA cliff. We couldn't get under the cliff because of dividends and capital gains. The capital gains are primarily due to tax inefficient investment choices I made years ago before...

david_that_guy

I kept track of my expenses closely for the last 5 years of my working life and used those as the basis for retirement expenses. They changed very little during that period of time. I subtracted the obvious things like commuting related expenses. As you surmised, medical and dental are the hard ones...

david_that_guy

Interesting because I'm very close to your age but haven't gotten any medicare solicitations yet. My wife, who recently turned 65, has been bombarded for about a year. I'm fairly sure it started when she turned 64. More stuff to recycle in my future. Fortunately, not that many phone calls.

david_that_guy

I flew AA to Paris from Boston last Spring. The plane was very old and needed to be retired, and the food was the worst I've ever had on an airplane, which is really saying something bad. However, the fare was incredibly low (regular economy not basic $435 per person). If it weren't for the price, I...

david_that_guy

I am 63 and have been a serious cyclist for 37 years, including 10 years of racing. I have broken my collarbone twice and broken ribs several times. Unfortunately, crashes are an inevitable part of cycling. No matter how careful you are, there will be patches of sand or potholes or cracks in the pav...

david_that_guy

Even short term estimates can be way off. I retired 2 years ago at age 61 and my wife retired 3 years ago at 61. Before retiring I estimated our health care costs (pre medicare) based on ACA policy costs plus our previous 3 years out of pocket medical expenses. I added 10% per year to cover increase...

david_that_guy

Ages 63/64 and both retired for 2 years. My wife and I downsized to one car after 1 year of retirement. We live in a suburb without much public transportation, but it hasn't been a problem. I ride my bike everywhere. In fact, one of the reasons I wanted to get rid of my car was so I would not be abl...

david_that_guy

I've bought 2 refurbished Apple Macbooks from Apple and so far they have been as good as new. Both are 2015 models. I've owned one almost a year and the other about 5 months. I've been buying only Apple hardware for 12 years. It is more expensive but I've found the durability far better than any oth...

david_that_guy

I've been thinking of financing my next car purchase just to improve my credit score. Since I paid cash for my last 3 cars and paid off my mortgage more than 10 years ago, I have not had any loans for a long time. The credit score report always notes a lack of loans. I was thinking to pay mostly cas...

david_that_guy

In my area, the median house is about $560,000. Even with 20% down, mortgage plus property taxes will be a hefty percentage for any family when the median household income in the same area is $68,000. That assumes, of course, that someone with that median income could qualify for such a mortgage. Ev...

david_that_guy

I told my manager I was resigning because I was considering looking for another job after taking the summer off. Since my company has no retirement benefits there was no practical difference. After the summer, I decided not to look for a job. So, by my "mental accounting" I resigned and th...

david_that_guy

I used an FA about 6 years ago and paid her $500 for a retirement plan (5 years before my retirement 1 year ago). She asked a lot of detailed questions about our (my wife and my) spending and investments and retirement goals and came up with a recommended budget, asset allocation, investments and a ...

david_that_guy

61 in 2016.

I was a software engineer and really enjoyed my job until the last few years. I might have kept working if I hadn't had to spend most of my time in meetings and office politics.

david_that_guy

I've only been retired for 15.5 months, so it's a bit early to make a judgement, but so far our core expenses have been the same as they were our last few years of working. I budgeted more for international travel, so that was an expected additional expense, and we've kept within that budget so far....

david_that_guy

I think every 3 months is too inconvenient.

david_that_guy

To avoid identity theft, I plan to change my name, birth date, social security number, and address every six months.

david_that_guy

What I struggle with now is the dichotomy between need to take risk and ability/willingness to take risk. Since I worked an "extra" 3 years before retiring and my wife and I are very frugal, I could change my AA to 30/70 and still be fine. I find the idea that once you have won the game, y...

david_that_guy

pre 2008 my asset allocation was 75/25 stocks/bonds. In hindsight, this was too high for me when I was 5 years from retirement. I had been at that AA for around 20 years post 2008 I changed my asset allocation to 35/65. This was my over-reaction. early 2010 I changed my asset allocation to 50/50 whe...

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