retirement thanks

Discuss all general (i.e. non-personal) investing questions and issues, investing news, and theory.
Post Reply
User avatar
Topic Author
vectorizer
Posts: 512
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:52 pm

retirement thanks

Post by vectorizer »

I've been a member of this forum for almost 10 years, and for several years before that at the precursor Morningstar group. A frequent reader but a rare poster, I've learned a lot from the group. More than any one particular subject, this community has been most valuable to me to reinforce the general Boglehead attitudes of thrift, savings, low-cost index investing, and staying-the-course.

I retired from Vanguard a few weeks ago at age 58, and can testify that it wouldn't have been possible without all that information and reinforcement here. The two most significant financial behaviors I learned to be able to retire now were avoiding destructive moves:
  • Not reaching for a newer better house when I could have (enabling us to pay off our house a few years ago)
  • Not panicking during the Great Recession and keeping our stock/bond ratio the same (enabling us to participate in the subsequent stock run up)
To all the frequent and long-term posters here, and the tireless volunteers who created and maintain this group, I am and will be forever grateful for my early retirement. Thank you all.
dbltrbl
Posts: 900
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:52 am

Re: retirement thanks

Post by dbltrbl »

Congratulations.Enjoy the Retirement. :sharebeer
User avatar
k66
Posts: 504
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:36 pm

Re: retirement thanks

Post by k66 »

I will second the congratulations Vectorizer! You said that you retired from Vanguard though?
LOSER of the Boglehead Contest 2015 | lang may yer lum reek
The Wizard
Posts: 13356
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Reading, MA

Re: retirement thanks

Post by The Wizard »

k66 wrote:I will second the congratulations Vectorizer! You said that you retired from Vanguard though?
But, but Vanguard NEEDS more employees presently to man the phones!
Please, unretire and go back!
:)
Attempted new signature...
User avatar
Topic Author
vectorizer
Posts: 512
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:52 pm

Re: retirement thanks

Post by vectorizer »

k66 wrote:You said that you retired from Vanguard though?
Yes, I worked at Vanguard for almost 20 years, mostly web site security. Had to bite my lip quite a few times when comments were made here about Vanguard security.
Grt2bOutdoors
Posts: 25625
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: New York

Re: retirement thanks

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Congratulations! :sharebeer

Any chance you want to go back on a part-time basis? They need some help on the front-end answering phones. :wink:
"One should invest based on their need, ability and willingness to take risk - Larry Swedroe" Asking Portfolio Questions
Artisan
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2016 8:30 am

Re: retirement thanks

Post by Artisan »

Congratulations!

Enjoy.
HoosierJim
Posts: 987
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 7:11 pm

Re: retirement thanks

Post by HoosierJim »

Now that you are a civilian, what do you recommend for consumers' best practices for internet security regarding connecting to financial systems?

Congratulations on retirement.
User avatar
tennisplyr
Posts: 3703
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:53 pm
Location: Sarasota, FL

Re: retirement thanks

Post by tennisplyr »

Congrats and enjoy every moment!
“Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.” -Retired 13 years 😀
2015
Posts: 2906
Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:32 pm

Re: retirement thanks

Post by 2015 »

vectorizer wrote:
k66 wrote:You said that you retired from Vanguard though?
Yes, I worked at Vanguard for almost 20 years, mostly web site security. Had to bite my lip quite a few times when comments were made here about Vanguard security.
I'm glad you did, as it wouldn't have been worth your time, a lot of posters just like to complain. I have never ever ever had a single issue with Vanguard, not long wait call times, nothing handled incorrectly, nothing. So much so that I've often wondered if I'm dealing with a different company than what's been discussed here (i.e., what long wait lines do they keep talking about???? I always get through in 2-5 minutes max).

Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement. I for one deeply appreciate the contribution you've made in protecting my assets held with Vanguard.
User avatar
Topic Author
vectorizer
Posts: 512
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:52 pm

Re: retirement thanks

Post by vectorizer »

HoosierJim wrote:Now that you are a civilian, what do you recommend for consumers' best practices for internet security regarding connecting to financial systems?
Nothing you haven't heard before, this is just off the top of my head:
  • Sign up for email or text message notification of transactions
  • Check your account often, including every time you get a transaction notification, and immediately resolve anything you don't expect (this implies using your own recordkeeping like Quicken or GnuCash or Excel)
  • Use a long, complex, and truly random password completely different from all other passwords - which implies using a password manager (LastPass, PasswordSafe, etc.) to generate and protect your passwords
  • Use a second factor if available, such as SMS text messages or YubiKey from Vanguard
  • If at all possible, use a device (or at least a virtual machine) that is only used for financial work and nothing else
  • Never click on links in emails, never give out financial or personal info via an email or to a phone caller
  • Do not ignore browser warnings and errors when accessing financial sites; do not proceed to the site
  • Use a well-rated security product on all devices accessing the web
  • Update your web browser, your operating system, and your security product regularly
Last edited by vectorizer on Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Topic Author
vectorizer
Posts: 512
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:52 pm

Re: retirement thanks

Post by vectorizer »

2015 wrote: I for one deeply appreciate the contribution you've made in protecting my assets held with Vanguard.
Thank you, that's nice of you to say.
User avatar
FrugalInvestor
Posts: 6214
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:20 pm

Re: retirement thanks

Post by FrugalInvestor »

Thanks for the post vectorizor and for helping to keep us Vanguard customers secure.

Congratulations on your recent retirement! I hope all goes well for you and suspect that's pretty likely given your interest in the Bogleheads' philosophy.
Have a plan, stay the course and simplify. Then ignore the noise!
Post Reply