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Hawkeye5

My home town is 14 miles from Pella. Good choice. Get a few Pella ring bologna and Dutch letters at Jarsmas Bakery. Has been mentioned but the Durham Museum in Omaha is well worth half a day. The UP museum in CB is also worth a visit as is the Boone and Scenic RR if you can find the time. Don't forg...

Hawkeye5

Automobile navigation system. After my retirement in May we've been on several road trips and the nav systems may be the best way to see the country, just tell it where you want to go! My wife and I have been on some great drives on our nations back-roads (even county roads in some cases) and seen s...

Hawkeye5

Gerst Haus or Woody's would be great!!

Hawkeye5

Count me in.

Hawkeye5

As 80% of my portfolio is Treasury's of one flavor or another, I have no fear of bonds. If the US defaults I'm toast, but as an about to be retired individual and having been inculcated for years (I was employed in the P&C Insurance industry) with the zero risk rate of return (US Treasury bonds)...

Hawkeye5

Ahh yes, I remember it well. I was young and knew that all stock trees would grow to the sky. Then Black Friday '87 arrived. Later, about the time I had lost my job, there was some disruption of some sort in the 1999 - 2000 time frame. Oh, and then some unfortunate situation back in 2007 or so (ther...

Hawkeye5

May 31, 2016. That has been my date for the past 18 months or more and all my preparations have used that date as D day.

Hawkeye5

Never give up! TIPS are an important component, in my opinion, of my retirement bond ladder. The plan is that the bond ladder will provide annual supplemental income during retirement and I have spaced some TIPS into the ladder at intervals, in addition to increasing the ladder amounts, to account f...

Hawkeye5

If the only criteria is price then just shop based on the cost. The Powers survey attempts to measure more than cost. Amica does not advertise much and they are a direct writer without local agents. Also keep in mind they are a mutual company and pay a dividend at the end of the policy which effecti...

Hawkeye5

Emotions cloud the decision. My wife and I are in the process of downsizing. She was reluctant at first but is set to go now that we have located a townhome in a nice area. I'm the opposite, as I was the one pushing to downsize but now that it has become a real possibility the whole process seems so...

Hawkeye5

Try J D Powers. They rate auto and homeowner insurance companies and I've found them to be reliable.

Hawkeye5

Older drivers pay higher rates, not as high as youthful operators, but higher none-the-less. Many companies start to trend rates upward around age 65 and every five years after. Aggregate accident data provides the actuarial justification for the higher rates for older drivers.

Hawkeye5

No one but my wife and I know the true net worth. Our adult children know only that they will not have to worry about mom or dad wanting to move in with them at some point. Our parents are gone and I would never even give an indication to my brother-in-law. I don't know my adult children's net worth...

Hawkeye5

Yes, I also find the details most interesting. While some may be trivia I do now know when Juicy Fruit, shredded wheat and the Farris Wheel were introduced and the story behind the Farris Wheel.

Hawkeye5

Just finished "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Historical fiction about the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893 (the White City) and the counter-point story of serial killer Dr. Holmes. Extensive research and foot notes. Most interesting. I've also read Isaac's Storm ...

Hawkeye5

I'll use Proraso or Musgo Real after shave balm in the winter, and I also use Gold Bond for some dry skin patches. Other than some sun block, that is all.

Hawkeye5

1. Thank your lucky stars you choose to join this forum. 2. Chill. Read, learn, and write a plan that both of you agree is the direction in which you want to proceed. Commit to the plan and don’t stray. 3. Ask questions. While we don’t all agree, most of the time there are very good suggestions offe...

Hawkeye5

Least: I purchased a Panama hat. I like to wear hats and have several, but this Panama was expensive at almost $400 (which is really not that expensive for a quality Panama). Most: Continued to fund my Liability Matching Portfolio bond ladder. I will be retiring in 18 months and the bond ladder has ...

Hawkeye5

Below is his recommended stock allocation: Asset Class Recommended % U.S. large blend 11% U.S. large value 11% U.S. small blend 11% U.S. small value 12% U.S. real estate 5% Interational large blend 9% Interational large value 9% Interational small blend 9% Interational small value 9% Interational re...

Hawkeye5

I dropped mine when I became eligible for Social Security at age 62, although I didn't start Social Security until Full Retirement Age at age 66. I felt I had the SS to back me up if necessary.

Hawkeye5

I agree, ogd. I guess ego requires he think the future is known to him. A trader, not an investor. Of course the problem is he must be correct in his timing twice, getting out at the top and back in at the bottom. While a person may do it successfully once, doing it successfully consistently is the ...

Hawkeye5

I will pass. I feel that TIPS are a bit expensive right now, and thirty years does not fit into my bond ladder anyway. Should I live to age 97 I'll be into my mutual funds for living expenses (more likely long term care).

Hawkeye5

Victoria, I'm pleased you brought the subject up as I also have given Road Scholar consideration for some retirement adventure and travel. If I live long enough to make the train trips I have planned I may well take some of their programs as there has been fly fishing offered in Montana and Maine in...

Hawkeye5

Keep working until 70? No thanks! I'm out of here at 68.
Having passed Full Retirement Age almost a year ago I continue to work, but I do want a retirement I can enjoy at least somewhat.

Hawkeye5

Staying the course but also adding additional TIPS to my retirement income bond ladder at auction today.

Hawkeye5

I continue to think the largest segment of "the herd" is standing on the sidelines. Having left the market at the beginning of the recession, they swore off stocks or are afraid to come back in. Most of the influx into index funds is coming from active management. Will it stay? Who knows?

Hawkeye5

Tell your agent you want to file an uninsured motorist property damage claim.

Hawkeye5

I eat kimchi often and I have made my own, I also make kraut. I use a large jar with the lid sealed with a rubber ring and an air lock in the middle, somewhat like homebrewing beer in that the by-product gas bleeds off but air can not contaminate the product.

Hawkeye5

I had a problem setting up also, but I think it was related to the phone #. We no longer have a land line. I never have created an account online, I just went to the local office. I should take care of the online sign up, but a 30 minute wait time on hold is excessive. You will have to wait the full...

Hawkeye5

As you are confident the condo will sell quickly, I suggest a HELOC and then go shopping for a house. Use the HELOC for the downpayment and pay off the HELOC after the condo sells. If anything is left either pay down the loan on the new home or do some improvements.

Hawkeye5

The question for me is “Are DFA returns worth the additional expense both from the required investment advisor and the higher costs of the funds themselves?” While I really like what I read about DFA processes in their individual funds, I really don’t know the answer to the question for my situation...

Hawkeye5

Thank you for the report! Please keep us updated.

Rail travel is something I hope to engage in during retirement. Although the last lengthy trip I made was after high school graduation from central Iowa to California (pre-Amtrak) I still have memories of that long ago trip and some of the people.

Hawkeye5

The answer is that "it depends". If the facts are that your brother has "hit his number", meaning attainment of twenty to twenty five years of residual income, I think it prudent to accept lower interest yields and low price volatility rather than face a potential devastating los...

Hawkeye5

I've read all three. If memory serves The Investor's Manifesto is the most recent of the three and Four Pillars is a classic. I highly recommend all Bernstein's books.

Hawkeye5

I'm in the same spot, except my home is much more modest. I fully intend to downsize before retirement two years hence. As I have been able to secure 20-25 years of residual living expenses, that portion has been placed in T notes and bills in my traditional IRA. I would rather suffer the low yield ...

Hawkeye5

Do a Google search for Dr. William Bernstein's brochure "If You Can". May take an hour to read it and it will be one of the best hours you spend regarding investing. Pay attention to what he has to say regarding brokers. Also read "The Four Pillars of Investing" where he really l...

Hawkeye5

Sent to my children. No doubt they will think "here he goes again with the investment thing", but I sure wish someone had sent me something like this thirty years ago.

Hawkeye5

50/50 in my portfoilo. When I adjust for the net present value of SS and pension it is 22/78 at age 66.

Hawkeye5

Dutch, true if you are saving to purchase a couch or something of that nature and want to pay cash. Most, but not all, my sinking funds are for future payments at specific times. Property tax is an example. Paid once a year for a known amount so 1/12th goes into the sinking fund for property tax eac...

Hawkeye5

Walnuts, just a handful, and like Victoria I limit carbs.

Hawkeye5

I also use YNAB and just set up "sinking funds" under the savings category. These sinking funds provide money for anticipated or reoccurring expenses. I've a rainy day, home and car maintenance, medical, beef (I purchase half a beef a year), property tax, insurance deductible....you get th...

Hawkeye5

I am being extra cautious because I had not heard of Erie before. I don't remember signing anything like this with my previous insurance companies, allstate, progressive, gieco etc. Because none of those companies are reciprocals. Do a search on types of insurance companies legal structure. Erie an...

Hawkeye5

Any reciprocal exchange requires you appoint the attorney-in-fact and agree to the exchange with other subscribers. The name of the company is Erie Insurance Exchange. There is also an Erie Insurance Company which is a stock company and no subscriber agreement is required. Most insurance companies a...

Hawkeye5

I own VTABX in a traditional IRA as part of my bond allocation. I also own VTIAX as part of my stock allocation so I guess you could say I believe that having some exposure outside the US is a benefit, but what do we really know for sure?

Hawkeye5

I once owned a "fun" car, a '79 MG Midget. Fun to drive on back roads with the top down on a Sunday afternoon. I also enjoy working on cars. The car was sold after about three years as it just took up space in the garage 98% of the time. If you purchase, do so with the understanding that i...

Hawkeye5

Retirement planning is often understood to mean financial planning, but there is much more to consider. Those unfulfilled retirees didn't plan what to do with their time, and sitting in front of the tube eight hours a day is a ticket to an early grave. They may have no friends outside work, may not ...

Hawkeye5

I'm with Snowman. No amount of money is worth your happiness. Leave, travel around and give some serious thought to what it is that you really want to accomplish with your life. You're young and still have time to find that true calling that will make your life a joy to you and others. I'm going to ...

Hawkeye5

For those who prefer the Islay single malts, I might recommend Caol Ila. It is less well known over here, but quite enjoyable, and a little less intense than Laphroaig. I second Caol Ila, an excellent Islay single malt and perhaps my favorite Islay. If peet is not your thing, try Auchentoshan 12, a...

Hawkeye5

I've got to hand it to you, good job on the funds! As I started the thread I thought "what a mess". You've made a really great recovery with the fund side of your financial life. I would be concerned with the real estate/debt. Not that real estate is bad in and of itself, I just hate debt ...

Hawkeye5

Although I'm 66 and don't plan to retire for two more years my wife and I are moving out the clutter and accumulation from living in the same house for twenty four years and three children. Before my retirement I hope to have moved into smaller quarters, actually a condo, in a neighborhood we have a...

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