Bogleheads.org

TheTimeLord wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 8:01 am I was wondering how other people adjust their retirement expenses estimates over time. Late last year I started adjusting mine using the CPI REF # that is used for TIPS. What methods are other people using to keep their estimates fresh going forward?

Two ways among many:
1. Current year = actual. Forecast (future) years indexed by CPI. This is a broad brush forecast.

2. Build a budget (income statement) and forecast each line item. Some line items may not increase, or at a rate less than CPI. Some line items might increase more than CPI. This is a more granular way to forecast.

Suppose you desired a permanent increase in your equity allocation, expecting to improve long-term returns. Also suppose you had some rational economic concerns (potential recession looming, etc.). Would you avoid market timing and implement your new asset allocation immediately? If so, why? Or would you avoid increasing equities now, citing economic concerns and current availability of attractive fixed-income options? I know the standard Boglehead answer, but current economic condtions do raise concerns. I suppose there are always concerns, and I suppose it's futile to outguess the market's pricing ability. However it seems corporations may struggle in the near future (of course, I have no information the market hasn't already considered)...

This topic is timely for me as I recently noticed that my emergency fund at Ally Bank held in the OnLine Savings account has a current rate of 3.75% while my Ally Bank Money Market Account has a rate of 4.00%. This is the first time in years that the money market rate is higher than their online savings account rate. I questioned 2 different reps why the rates flip flopped and neither one could explain why. I told them I was concerned that I would not know if this rate switch would happen again and all they could say was to keep an eye on the rates on a regular basis. I was not particularly happy with their reply, but I immediately moved 99% of my online savings account funds into the money market account. Now I'm strongly considering a Va...

My husband and I have been debating purchasing a winter home for a year now. We have rented in different greater Phoenix areas for 5 winters and have settled on an area we like the most. We have decided that buying is going to be our best chance to get the home we are comfortable in and has the amenities we need to want to stay for another 10 years or so. Full time in this future home is always an option down the road. At this point we don't plan to do it until late this year or early next year. We see forecasts and have realtors telling us that home prices in this area could go down anywhere from 15% to 25% over the next year. We recognize that the current banking/interest/government situations could change all of this in a very short tim...

I generally keep cars a long time (until they either die or the repairs exceed the value saved by maintaining them). I was hoping to keep my current car (2007 Nissan Murano) until my kid was old enough to drive (eg. let them use it for local trips around town). We’ve used this car to learn basic repairs and maintenance over the years, so my kid is somewhat familiar with the car and engine. Unfortunately, I don’t trust this car for long trips anymore so will likely get a new (to me) car sooner than planned. The Murano needs some engine work and will likely be repaired and safe for driving, but I personally don’t want to take it on long trips. My kid doesn’t start driving until 2 more years. Given the price of the used car market, my choices...

I have a WF checking account, balance of $35k. After looking at nerd wallet, I googled WF bonuses, and they have a $525 bonus. Their fine print is very precise. "new savings account customers only". Also it says the money must be "new to the customer or new to Wells Fargo (deposited into the customer's new savings account directly from outside of Wells Fargo and Company and all affiliates" If I want the $525 bonus, I simply take $25k, move it into another account outside of WF and then x amount of days later move it into the savings account, correct? I guess I am just wondering if they are going to say "Hey this is not new money, because you withdrew $25k from your checking account." Or I guess I could withdra...

guyfromct wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:18 amI feel most “real” FIRE is either high income households with very high savings rates who want to retire decades early with a middle class standard of living or individuals who have successfully sold a small to mid sized business and walked away with mid seven figures or more.

You agree with FIRE in some instances, correct? In your view, it is "real".

FI and R are quantifiable.

E is relative. What is "early"? Earlier than peers? Before the minimum SS claiming age? Before one's parents did? Earlier than you, the guyfromct?

Your other comments are dramatic - 60 years of rice and beans. Really?

Regarding "bank accounts" and travel, Fidelity offers a cash management account (CMA) that functions in practical terms as any checking account does.

With a Fidelity CMA, paper check writing is possible, as are electronic transfers (EFT, bank wire, payroll/pension/SS deposit, automatic debit/bill pay) and fee-free ATM cards. ATM cards function 100% perfectly in western Europe, from where I write this post.

Fidelity offers a credit card with cash back rewards deposited into the CMA. I do not use the Fidelity credit card.

The only thing I am aware of that Fidelity does not offer is lending products.

I am entering semi-retirement. Roughly half my net worth is a military pension, the other half investments of which 25% are in U.S. Government securities (savings bonds, G-fund). I don't plan on withdrawing from my investments for at least 10 years, but have been looking at building a t-bill ladder with some extra cash. I will also slowly convert my G-fund position in the TSP into my Roth IRA over the next few years. The general advice here is for people to not concentrate their investments with their employer. Along the same lines, with my income from a government pension, should I be looking to diversify my investments away from U.S. Government securities? If so, what might that look like? Thanks in advance, o PS: I'm asking as a matter ...

Hello - I am 60 and three years into retirement. My retirement withdrawal strategy is to calculate four different withdrawal strategies (VDSM, 4% rule, Guyton Klinger, % of portfolio) and pick the lowest number returned for a given yr. I also WD less than the minimum amt calculated by the four strategies to be conservative for a long life expectancy. I will probably be criticized for this approach vs. sticking with a single WD strategy and happy to hear why, but that's not my question. Question is and sorry if I didn't see this before: As time goes on and I withdraw less than calculated WD$’s from my portfolio, can I change my WD% mid way through retirement or do I have to stick with a % at the start of retirement and leave it to attain th...

I'm trying to decide where to consolidate investments and cash management. I was initially sold on Schwab due to their superior customer service; but the more I read it seems like Fidelity offers a lot of little things that it does better than Schwab (fractional ETFs, auto-invest in MMF for idle cash, etc.). Besides customer service (which at the end of the day may be important enough to trump anything else) what does Schwab do better than Fidelity? Nothing that I could find. I was a Schwab user for the past 3 years, and for a 3 year period about 15 years ago. I just ACAT'd out of Schwab and now use Fidelity as a one stop shop, except for legacy 401ks. 100% of my working capital to manage living expenses, and all future investing is done w...

egri wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:57 am https://www.wsj.com/articles/retirement ... lead_pos12

Sparknotes version: some are doing ok, some are just scaping by, and plenty in between.

Seems reasonable: results can vary.

macobow wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:44 pm I have had this money market account for quite some time. Now it pays 1.87 APY. I want to put at least $10K into high yield savings. Considering current noise about banking turmoil..... what about UFB Direct preferred savings at 5.02 APY or Salem Five Direct E-one at 4.1 APY? Both are FDIC insured. Would this be a good move on my part or bad? I guess it's a no brainer but i'm not entirely sure.

Buy Treasuries (risk free) or a money market fund (low risk) such as FZDXX at Fidelity. Both pay more than 4%.

amateur_investor wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:19 am I guess a different way of framing my question is how should I account for my private company stock in terms of my overall stock-bond asset allocation. Let's say I want to be 75% stocks - 25% bonds, should I count the private company stock as part of the 75%?

Yes.

I often hear having an Emergency Fund discussed here and I maintained one my entire working career but now that I am "retired" I didn't think I had one anymore. Then I started thinking about some of the assets I was holding and it seems like a distinction without a difference. So is an emergency fund just an acceptable mental accounting device to allow you to group or allocate short term accessible liquid assets or is it something else? So please tell me what counts as an emergency fund and is a rose by any other name just as sweet? Buckets are meaningless to many. Buckets are important to some. I find buckets meaningless. Emergency funds count as any cash immediately available to offset a due obligation. This includes checking a...

LaramieWind wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:52 pm I'm 65, wife is 63. No debt. medium/high COL. Small home $275K. $2.2M in IRAs/401k/Annuity. No kids or dependents. Expenses running about $60K per year.

58% VOO-VTI
36% CDs
6% TIAA annuity

Home needs upgrade to both BRs, kitchen and 2 bedrooms. I can do most of the work myself for about $50K. Hate the town I live in so really would like move. Wife retired now, I'm still working but ready to go. Medical thru state so costs are reimbursed.

Not counting on S/S for this calculations.

Yes, you can retire. Your expenses are less than 4%, which is "a rule (of thumb)" to indicate retirability. <-- new word

When you start claiming SS your situation will improve further. Congratulations.

I hold shares in a private company that's been waiting for quite some time for stock market conditions to improve in order to IPO. Separately, I have a significant (to me) amount invested in S&P 500 index funds. Coincidentally the amount of anticipated IPO windfall is roughly equivalent to my index fund portfolio. I am thinking of exchanging some of my index funds for a money market fund, the cost basis is roughly the same as current market price so selling won't create much of a tax liability. The thinking is that if the stock market bounces back, my private company shares would become liquid. Alternately, if the stock market declines further, causing the aforementioned IPO to be put on hold indefinitely, I would at least avoid losses...

I've followed this forum for around fifteen years and have learned so much here. So thanks for that up front. Having read many early retirement threads I have a good idea what to expect in response to my questions, but thought I'd add my situation to the mix in case I'm missing something situational... Here are the basics: 45 yrs old, LCOL area, intend to stay indefinitely Single, live with partner - no kids (won't change) Paid off house worth ~250k. Partner and I split the remaining living expenses. They intend to continue working another 10 years in a well-paying job, will be pension-eligible at that point. Partner probably has five figure savings. Investments: ~1.1 mil. in total investments (~50/50 split between equities and bonds/CDs) ...

bob60014 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:01 am In my research for trips to various locations in Europe it's somewhat of a common problem with some cards. Its especially true when attempting to make purchases while in the US from merchants in Europe with rail lines, museums and Iberia mentioned. It seems to relate to the security protocols that are in or not in place, with 3D Secure mentioned.

Agree with this. When I buy Deutsche Bahn train tickets from my phone, a two-factor authentication screen appears. When I do the same transaction on my laptop, the 2FA does not appear. Trains and fraud seem to be linked...

like2read wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:32 am In addition to suggestions above:

• It may be helpful to convert Vanguard mutual funds to their ETF equivalent before transfer. Vanguard can do this conversion tax free (taxable accounts). This would likely be a taxable event if you chose to convert once at Fidelity.

• Fidelity will transfer most mutual funds "in kind". It is best to confirm that all will transfer, and not be liquidated before moving. Ask Fidelity rep to confirm each.

My experience with this is that a Fidelity rep told me to ask the transferor if a (closed Fidelity) mutual fund could be transferred in-kind.

I think the fly in the ointment in my case is the closed-to-new-investors status of the fund I want to transfer to Fidelity.

I've followed this forum for around fifteen years and have learned so much here. So thanks for that up front. Having read many early retirement threads I have a good idea what to expect in response to my questions, but thought I'd add my situation to the mix in case I'm missing something situational... Here are the basics: 45 yrs old, LCOL area, intend to stay indefinitely Single, live with partner - no kids (won't change) Paid off house worth ~250k. Partner and I split the remaining living expenses. They intend to continue working another 10 years in a well-paying job, will be pension-eligible at that point. Partner probably has five figure savings. Investments: ~1.1 mil. in total investments (~50/50 split between equities and bonds/CDs) ...

Looking to purchase my family a new home. I have 130k equity in current home, and another 130k in savings. Bank is willing to finance 600k, but I still need to put 20% down. Either take 5.875% interest fixed for 36 months (30 yr am.), or 6.5% fixed 30 yr. Considering a 700k purchase, there are two scenarios that come to mind. What thoughts/considerations would you all explore: Scenario 1 - Accelerate Amortization: Finance 560k at 6.5%. 3.5/k mo payment. Immediately dump an additional 120k from savings to accelerate my amortization schedule 12.5 years. Now $1,200 of my payment is going toward principal rather than $500. Scenario 2 - Lower Financing: Finance 440k at 6.5%. 2.6k/mo payment. Scenario one gives you benefit of acquiring equity at...

chassis wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:47 pm I withdrew EUR 150 today in Germany and will report on any fees, if any, that are charged.

No fee charged. The money was converted at exactly the relevant exchange rate. If there is a small (eg 1%) fee it isn’t visible and I don’t care if it’s there or not.

Full satisfaction with Fidelity’s international ATM cash withdrawal feature. The procedure is no different in Germany than it is in the US.

"Hello" everyone. Long time reader, seldom poster. I would appreciate feedback regarding experiences of transferring IRA funds from Vanguard to Fidelity. I am considering this for the following reasons: 1. Institutional Diversification 2. Fidelity has "boots on the ground" (offices) here in Austin. Vanguard does not. 3. Eventually, I would like to purchase an SPIA with some, or all, my IRA funds. Vanguard no longer does annuities. Fidelity does. Are there any transactional costs? Are there any long-term additional costs? I would appreciate feedback (The good and the not so good experiences) from Bogelheads who have walked this path. I appreciate that there are already many threads on this subject. Regards WMK No cost to...

With the recent bank failures and the very very low interest I'm getting from Bank of America, I'm thinking that I need to make some changes. I searched through many of the posts for advice on transferring funds from my Bank of America Savings and Checking accounts over to a Fidelity Cash Management account. Has anyone done this? I'm treated pretty well at BoA as they pay virtually no interest on the over $400K I have sitting in my savings account or the $10K I have sitting in my checking account. I get a little perturbed every time I see a statement come in showing I've earn a whopping $2.33 in interest. And now, the Banking industry appears to be destabilizing so maybe now is the time to change to something else. But changing to somethin...

Does General Liability Insurance need to be continued in retirement phase for a Planner / Design Professional? At age 70, I only do occasional small projects, and I have kept a Professional Liability policy going. Claims can come through years later from a project completion. I do not have employees, and no clients visit my home office. Auto insurance is used for any auto issues, and Medical insurance for any incidents. Thank you for any input from Bogleheads. Which insurance covers the damage of your client’s property due to your fault? Unlikely and unintended but that’s what insurance deals with - unlikely events. For example let’s say your computer has malware that damaged your client’s IT system when you are at their site or via an ema...

Hi, first post here. I read and enjoyed the Boglehead's Guide to Investing many years ago and have been meaning to register here for quite some time. A recent issue has finally motivated me to do it! Anyway... I tried to buy tickets on Iberia (from the U.S to Spain), but the charges were repeatedly declined. I called the card issuer (big bank!) prior to this transaction and they told me that there should be no issues. I called Iberia and was told that their system was down, and that was the reason. I was advised to call back later in the day. I called back as advised and was told that the issue was my card. I called Big Bank again to inquire and they told me that they saw no attempt to charge the card. I am nowhere near my credit limit, an...

Redlee wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:16 am Vanguard and Fidelity are popular with Bogleheads and for good reason. But which firm would be in third place after them? If they closed tomorrow, where would you move to?

This would be for a "three fund" style portfolio of ETF's but with access to the most popular tax-loss-harvesting pairings. So access to those at low or no cost would be a priority.

The one that comes to mind is Charles Schwab. But is there something better?

Schwab

Shooting4Sixty wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 5:56 pm Are there any other metrics aside from expense ratio that I should use to better understand why none of the american funds are worth keeping?

Since they're all unique blends it seems hard to compare to any given index?

Return vs benchmarks (SP500, etc).

Saguaro National Park has good hiking and scenery. We hiked Wasson Peak or vicinity February a few years ago, don’t have the details at hand. It was good. Best in the cooler months.

erebusxc47 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 1:44 am My question is should I put some savings in a money market? And if so, how much in terms of monthly expenses?

Yes. 100% of your "cash" position.

Daily operative cash (Starbucks, cell phone bill, gasoline) and so-called "emergency fund" can be held in a single money market fund.

If you are with Fidelity, many of us recommend FZDXX if you can manage a $100k initial purchase. Subsequent purchases can be less than $100k and the balance does not need to be maintained at $100k.

... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324096404578356700271878018.html ... In the latest effort by private-equity firms to broaden their customer base, Carlyle Group LP is letting some people invest in its buyout funds with as little as $50,000. ... Historically, access to these funds has been limited to pension funds, endowments and individuals wealthy enough to commit millions of dollars for years at a time. ... Private-equity firms are seeking to tap into the collective wealth of individual investors as pension funds—the cash cow that for decades has filled their coffers—face an uncertain future. ... Some private-equity executives long to offer their funds to typical workers through 401(k) savings plans, calling access to th...

hoops777 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:01 pm TMobile and similar accounts that give a discount for autopay using a cc are changing the rules.

You now have to use a transfer from a bank to keep your discount.

I called Fidelity and the guy didn’t know the answer and he got back to me and said yes, it will work with bill pay.

I am not certain autopay is the same as billpay.

So does anyone have the cash mgmt account and know the answer?

I checked older threads and never saw this addressed.

Thanks

What are you trying to do, pay your cell phone bill from a Fidelity cash management account? Yes, this is possible.

Don't get tangled up in words like bill pay and autopay.

nerdybynauture wrote: ↑Fri Jul 29, 2022 8:59 am Do you think dental insurance is worth buying?

No, it is an unsavory part of the household financial world.

Bronco Henry wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:49 pm Question: Can FZDXX be set as the Core Position in a Fidelity brokerage account so that new deposits or cash transfers into Fidelity automatically purchase FZDXX or do I manually need to purchase new shares of FZDXX after the deposit or cash transfer in received?

No. With respect, this question has been asked dozens of times in this thread.

You need to manually purchase FZDXX.

Hi everyone, I've been doing some research on Bogleheads and via Google on establishing a "hub and spoke" banking system. I've got the basics down - you pick a bank into which all of your deposits are made and then you send it out from there for better interest rates, investments, etc. I was wondering if those of you that use a "hub bank" could talk about the mechanics of how you use it and what the advantages are for you? I am considering setting up my existing Fidelity CMA as my "hub" but, to be honest, I'm struggling on the advantages of using one account or another for the hub. I have a few accounts and they're already inter-connected via ACH Transfer: Credit Union (great rate on credit card; decent checki...

I finally took the steps to transfer my e jones accounts to fidelity! I now have the following Traditional IRA/Rolledover Acct holdings to figure out what to do with. FUND NAME - % OF ACCT AWSHX AMERICAN WASHNTN MUTUAL INVESTRS CL A - 22% AGTHX AMERICAN GROWTH FUND OF AMERICA CLASS A - 18% SMCWX AMERICAN SMALL CAP WORLD CLASS A - 14% ABNDX AMERICAN BOND FUND OF AMERICA CLASS A - 13% ANWPX AMERICAN NEW PERSPECTIVE CLASS A - 13% CWGIX AMERICAN CAPITAL WORLD GRTH & INC A - 10% LGMAX LOOMIS SAYLES GLOBAL ALLOCATION CLASS A - 4% AHITX AMERICAN HIGH INCOME TRUST CLASS A - 4% NEWFX AMERICAN NEW WORLD FUND CLASS A - 2% This is the breakdown I got from Fidelity Domestic Stock 52% Foreign Stock 24% Bonds 17% Short Term 6% The last jones statemen...

settlement12 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 5:24 pm how do investment bankers get so rich?

By skillfully and in large quantities selling companies on behalf of their clients. Work fee + success fee = big money.

Always passive wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 11:15 am Given the present banking crisis I wonder, like I have in the past, whether it is prudent to have almost all of my investments (ETFs, single TIPs plus some cash) at Fidelity. I have worked with them for close to 30 years and I have been very pleased, but what if something happens to Fidelity?

There is an article at WSJ by the name
“Can Your Money Pass a Stress Test? Lessons From SVB’s Collapse”

Which brought back that question.

Once again (this has been discussed in the past) can I get some input on the question???

It’s not imprudent. Ignore headlines.

There is a “Fidelity as a one stop shop” thread on this site, it’s a good one. Have a read.

I'm having a hard time understanding how to participate in investing in real estate. I have excess cash available to plop down on a property and I also have a paid for home. We're in mid 40's and spouse would think that being a landlord is too much liability to bother with, I'm not one with my own property to do much myself and willingly pay others to deal with that mess and focus on my business that makes me more money. I myself fail to understand how investing in real estate (be that a property with a house or maybe even commercial or raw land) actually makes money for everyone. To me since I'd be trying to pay as much as possible with my own money, just seems like I'm loaning out my money in hopes it comes back to me in the form of rent...

Hi friends, We are early in the process of looking for a new home (and selling our old) and we currently do not have a real estate agent. For our last home we bought directly from the builder. We also had a bad experience selling a home in the past using a friend's referral. We didn't realize the agent was only part-time and just started out. Hoping to not make the same mistakes this time. A few questions: 1. What is your approach to finding a great real estate agent? Is there a measurable way vs just word of mouth? 2. There appears to be a sellers agent that comes up frequently in the area we are looking at. Is it recommended that we have them be our agent? For which, buyer or seller? Not both right? We live in the same area we want to bu...

I just ACAT'd out of Schwab, into Fidelity. Now I am 100% with Fidelity except for legacy 401ks. All daily tactical cash management is with Fidelity CMAs, plus taxable brokerage and an IRA.

Just ACAT’d out of Schwab. No complaints it was just redundant as an account type - I have a taxable brokerage account at Fidelity.

No regrets so far and don’t expect any.

I feel like I'm cheating on my Boglehead family by even thinking about this subject but... I'm considering investing in PE, JF Lehman and Associates fund VI. This will be less than 1% of my portfolio, part of my play money, and for AA I'll consider it small cap value. You old folks like me may remember that JF Lehman was secretary of the Navy under Reagan. His funds invest in small companies in the defense industry and have had good performance in the past. I'd love to hear experiences and opinions from those who have invested in PE generally and with Lehman particularly, and I'd also like locate further information for my edification. Thanks! Go for it. Do your due diligence and buy it if it meets your portfolio requirements and risk tole...

TwstdSista wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 6:14 pm

YoungSisyphus wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 6:00 pm Well today I finally became eligible to purchase FZDXX in my CMA, woohoo!

Question for those that have FZDXX as their core position, I understand you can hold the fund if I see $100k, but can you buy more of it when you have less than $100k?

I plan to spend $30k of the $100k on ibonds in May, and am wondering if I can continue to purchase FZDXX with paychecks if I only have $70k in the fund at the time. Thanks

Yes. I have way less than $100k in FZDXX and I regularly purchase more in small increments.

Yes.

Please be aware that FZDXX is not a core position. You need to make additional purchases manually should you desire to do so.

Hi all. DW is in a very difficult situation we're trying to navigate. She's mid-career, and part of the senior leadership team of her department (not a department head, or C-level). She's been at her company for a little over 2.5 years. It's been a long, hard journey that in hindsight, was not as advertised and this company was not a good fit. Live and learn, that part is ok. We make wrong turns in our career, and she's been looking for a new job since the end of last year. However, the combination of new executive leadership about 6 months ago (including her department head) and a series of situations over the past few months events have made it debilitating (and I don't use that word lightly) for her to go to work each day. Without getti...

Hello all, I’ve absolutely loved browsing this forum and learning about personal finance. I would appreciate an honest review of our monthly budget. I am self employed, wife is pension eligible at 60. Current ages 31/35. Family of 5. Late start to retirement saving due to extended education, prior income of less than half, saving for down payment for home and well, 3 kiddos. Iras currently about 40k. Monthly gross income: 16,000-17,000 (varies) Saving: 1600 Pension contributions: 150 529: 400 Taxes: 3650 Housing: 3090 (mortgage/property tax) Childcare: 1450 Insurance: home/ auto (265), malpractice(225), life (60)550 Student loans 1200 Car:475 (car payment and saving for next car) Gas: 350 Utilities 270 Cell phones 130 Groceries: 800 Eating...

Not really a high earner, but thread specified over $100k so I'll comment based on that. 2 year degree at a low cost community college for ultrasound tech. Wife also has low cost 2 year degree for medical lab tech. After getting a couple/few years experience, we both started traveling, like travel nursing but for our professions. Our pay can vary quite a bit depending on which contracts we choose to take, but we are currently making combined $6400/week, with unpaid time off. So if we work 44 weeks i.e. 8 weeks vacation, we make ~$280,000, or about $140k each. However, this doesn't paint an accurate picture as we have extremely low federal tax liability. Last year was about $7500 which went to zero with an EV purchase. This year will be zer...

Not really a high earner, but thread specified over $100k so I'll comment based on that. 2 year degree at a low cost community college for ultrasound tech. Wife also has low cost 2 year degree for medical lab tech. After getting a couple/few years experience, we both started traveling, like travel nursing but for our professions. Our pay can vary quite a bit depending on which contracts we choose to take, but we are currently making combined $6400/week, with unpaid time off. So if we work 44 weeks i.e. 8 weeks vacation, we make ~$280,000, or about $140k each. However, this doesn't paint an accurate picture as we have extremely low federal tax liability. Last year was about $7500 which went to zero with an EV purchase. This year will be zer...

Reporting on foreign ATM fees: none (that I have seen)

I withdrew EUR 100 from a mainstream regional (German) bank 3 weeks ago in Germany, and the transaction appears in the CMA transaction history. The transaction amount is $106.30, exactly the exchange rate at the time. No fees. I will keep checking to see if Fidelity eventually gets around to charging a fee, but after 3 weeks I think it's finished.

I withdrew EUR 150 today in Germany and will report on any fees, if any, that are charged.