It was about 10 months ago I wrote my ‘first take’ on where 2019 Health Insurance premiums were likely to come in. It was good news and I was surprised to learn that our premiums were falling by $4K from the year before. I called it a ‘first take’, because I wasn’t sure the benefit would actually come through. Fortunately it has, as you can … Continue reading Health Insurance Rebate In The Mail
Kiplinger’s recent published an article that is getting a lot of buzz about their description of three different phases of retirement. They are proposing that retirees plan on spending more early – during your ‘Go-Go Years’ – versus later in retirement, when your energy & desire to be very active may decline. Calling the later two stages ‘Slow-Go’ and ‘Won’t-Go’, they propose people plan to … Continue reading Extra Spending For ‘Go-Go’ Years
I have written in the past about my interest in cryptocurrencies and their potential to be a more sound store of value than government currency. Recent geopolitical economic instability (tariffs, currency devaluation, Brexit) has resulted in BitCoin prices surging. BC has broken the $9K per coin mark in the last couple months – more than double what I paid when I jumped in with a … Continue reading Libra: A Big Step For Cryptos?
One topic I write very infrequently about is Social Security. As someone who retired before my 50th birthday, it has always been something that seems too far off. Recently at an update with our financial advisor, we talked a bit about the timeline that Social Security is structured around. 62 is the earliest age at which one can take a Social Security benefit and almost … Continue reading Keep Your Benefits Locked In Social Security?
I recently came across an interesting Federal Reserve report called ‘The Economic Well-Being Of US Households’. It’s a 50+ page annual study that explores all aspects of Americans’ financial well-being. The good news is that on almost all measures and for almost all groups of Americans, they are on a better financial footing than almost ever. In the retirement section, I was struck by a … Continue reading Forced Into Early Retirement?
When our son turned 21 last year, he cracked that it was probably the last ‘big birthday’ number he would be excited to reach. I asked “How about age 100?!” Reaching age 100 is a mark that most people would aspire to reach, but it is exceedingly rare. Only about 0.02% of Americans have reached that age, although a recent AIG study / ad campaign … Continue reading Saving To Live To 100?
Good old MegaCorp is having a tough old time. After some really strong performance over the last 18-24 months, they have gotten themselves into a bit of a knot lately. Yesterday, the company reported sales & profits dropped, they reduced full-year investor guidance (even though it’s only Q1), and are slashing 2,000 jobs around the world. I connected with a few former colleagues and it … Continue reading Another Knot At MegaCorp
Our taxes are complete and in the mail as of yesterday! I am so thankful because even though we use an accountant, getting our taxes done feels like a part-time job for the months of February and March. Related: Income Taxes Not A DIY Project This was the first year we got a good look at what our post-working tax rate might look like. Because … Continue reading More Favorable Retirement Tax Rate Revealed
Three years ago this very day, I blasted out of MegaCorp and into the sunshine of early retirement. I had the Beatles’ Revolution on the car stereo and I’m sure many colleagues thought it was more an April Fool’s Day prank than one of the most epic decisions of my life. That night, as a family we toasted the future with a bottle of Dom … Continue reading Third FIRE Anniversary (1) – April Fool’s Day
The media and politicians love to plant the seeds of discord between generations. Younger generations are alternately presented as either victims of the current power structure, and/or helplessly unprepared or unwilling to live in the “real world “. I have found that nothing is further from the truth. Younger generations tend to be smarter, more diligent, and better prepared for the futures than the generations … Continue reading Millennials May Prove To Be The Best Generation With Their Finances
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