Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
No one actually needs to use such weapons, just wave them about like Putin and the DPRK and Israel, it keeps the solicitors off the front porch.
Remember the furor when Russia was thinking about putting nukes in Cuba? Canada is much bigger and eve…
Hard to consider a nation with such a big "mortgage" as a truly healthy economy.
Hard to consider a nation that cares not for its populace health care as "shining".
Hard to consider a nation whose politicians embrace division, as operating efficien…
The Weight is a big favorite among my friends. A friend who plays guitar, and often sings folk songs, performs it frequently.
The documentary The Last Waltz is worth checking out. I have read that the lyrics of The Weight are rooted in Catholicism…
...Just a quick alert, here: Schwab SWVXX MMkt. interest offered is now down to 3.61%. Less attractive than before. ...
I will continue to tolerate the decline, while I watch for a swoon. Half of my cash reserves are in TBUX, which returned 5.37% in…
... My only "long-lasting" bucket is the one having 10 CEFs that was largely assembled in the March-April period. Have experimented with a few others - but found it pretty hard in most cases to replicate what a good fund manager does - even when e…
@WABAC
"the result of inheritances" Ah, so there is a rationale beyond step-up basis. And quite a good one.
Over the past 25 years, we have been the beneficiaries of a few small to moderate inheritances. I never really spent any of it on myself,…
@WABAC My bad. I was wondering about the rationale of leaving "taxables" to heirs vs IRA.
Is there any reason beside the advantages of step-up basis? Which is certainly reason enough.
Look it is GOP Senator Josh Hawley enjoying the peaceful gathering, while engaging in the 50-yard dash!
Should be viewed with the theme to Benny Hill playing.
Speaking of Miller, what sort of gasbag goes by "Stephen" with a "ph". And not simply "Steve".
Imagine "Stone Cold Stephen Austin", if you will. Sounds like the name of a mass muderer, who wears women's garments to nightly tea parties, with his de…
I must say quite the preponderance of evidence that it was neither a "good week", nor a good year.
So much evidence of incompetence, greed and betrayal.
@Observant1 Excellent work. No competent rebuttal is possible. Just sputters, and debate fa…
So the clown car occupants informed the oil companies before and after the operation BUT not the members of congress!? Do I got that right!?
Have they all been listening to their vinyl records backwards again?
Good point! Apparently he consulted th…
I would look to previous examples to anticipate how that might play out. Mainly leaving those already on (or close to) SS as is, Raising retirement ages, lowering monthly amounts for future recipients, elimination of COLA (perhaps). I suppose a big…
@jafink63 You can google that and find many resources and calculators. What most do not tell you is that the extra income from drawing early can be invested, or used to defer other withdrawals. It can be significant, but difficult to figure out. It…
@WABAC Because of step-up basis?
I'm with you, no mortgage, no car payments, no educational expense, no paying FICA or funding a 401K, no child-related expenses, all adds up to higher cash flow. Here, we also pay no tax on retirement income.
I think that @bee and @catch22 may have hit the nail on the head.
This should be easy to discern from a look at a 1099-SSA to check if Part-B is more than the base amount in any particular year. And a glance at 1099 income levels.
@yogibearbull …
One of Krug's links is to a Politico story that's a good summary of the various oily factors.
Included is this take on the invasion by "an industry executive" familiar with the admin's attempts at outreach to Big Oil:
“In preparation for regime …
Krug today:
...
But you know who doesn’t think there’s a lot of money to be made in Venezuela? Oil companies. They see a dilapidated infrastructure that would cost billions to repair. They don’t see a stable political environment above ground. And…
Ok, here is an interesting document that basically covers my scenario: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf
The relevant example:
"Let’s say you aren’t yet at full
retirement age at the beginning of the
year, but reach it in November 2026. You…
@Old_Joe
I believe that you can contact SS via your online Social security account, I assume that this is direct secure messaging. They will then have verification who they are communicating with, and all your relevant information.
Alternatively…
Whisky In the Jar. Love it.
..
I have this T-shirt. It gets many knowing glances.
https://www.tshirtpalace.com/products/dino-s-bar-grill-classic-rock-copy-t-shirt_dbg9988272-at?color=navy&size=L&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22599255962…
And the sooner that I file, the sooner my wife's benefit rises, due to spousal benefit. My spideysense says file ASAP.
M recollection is if you file to begin immediately, they set the actual benefit date to the month you receive your first check, …
The only reason I would delay SS is to keep income down while converting funds to a ROTH. This is a good point also.
No idea how this might figure into the any of this, but I will be getting about 1/2 a year's typical earnings in 2026, but contrib…
It is typically a few months from the time you apply for Social Security to the time SSA payments actually begin. You may be overthinking this for possibly 1-2 months earlier than your FRA. IMO, just aim for your FRA. People who want to take it earl…
Right, I should have said "reduce". Fixed. Thanks.
And wouldn't that statement still apply if I signed up right now? IOW, I would only be subject to the higher reduction threshold, as this is the year that I reach "full retirement age"?
Also, sa…
"If you will reach full retirement age in 2026, the limit on your earnings for the months before full retirement age is $65,160, we deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above this limit."
If I am reading this correctly, They will only reduce…
Thanks. I am exercising true patience and not adding anything at the present. In fact, I may be a seller of 10-12% equities, if we have a big week/month. I am adhering to the adage "return of principal being more important that return on principal".…
