Some of the most common questions I receive relate to the timing of RMDs. They’re each small enough topics that they don’t merit articles individually, so here they are as a brief collection instead. RMD Starting Age Due to legislation over the last several years, the starting age for RMDs based on year of birth is now as follows: 1950 or earlier: 72 (or 70.5 for anybody who turned 70.5 prior to 2020) 1951-1959: 73 […]

When you think about holidays, it’s easy to focus on the destination: the beach, the food, the adventures waiting when you arrive. But sometimes, the journey itself can be just as magical. Choosing a luxury way to travel can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary, whether it’s sailing on turquoise waters, gliding through the skies, … The post Sail, Fly, Ride: The Ultimate Guide to a Luxury Journey appeared first on The Thrifty Issue.

In part I, we agreed on the fact that life is hard. Whether you have perfect looks, a stacked bank account, live in a mansion, and drive a fancy car, you still have to deal with the bad things that we humans experience. Death, loss, illness, criticism, failure, inner turmoil, insecurity, you name it. Those things will come for all of us at some point in our lives. It’s not a matter of if but […]

What will you focus on this week? Things we focus on become important to us and the more important something is to us, for example, getting out of debt, the more likely we are to stick with our goals and plans and achieve success. This week get goal focused. Continue Reading The post Monday Money Tip-Your Main Focus appeared first on My Worthy Penny.

Navigating the Journey to Financial Freedom A healthy relationship with money is essential for financial stability and peace of mind. By being mindful of how you spend and manage your finances, you can cultivate habits that enhance your life and secure your future. Here are some key strategies to help you achieve a healthier financial relationship. Spend Mindfully for a Fulfilled Life Mindful spending means investing in things that truly enrich your life, steering clear […]

Hey everyone! Are you getting nervous about the stock market like me? I’ve been getting more worried recently. The stock market keeps climbing while regular people struggle to pay the bills. The AI stocks are driving the market to the moon. This feels similar to the dot com bubble 25 years ago. (Wow, has it really been that long?) Back then, everyone and their mother were dumping money into any dot com company. Stocks went ballistic for a while, but the bubble inevitably popped. I’m pretty sure AI stocks are on the same trajectory. However, nobody knows when the bubble will pop. It could take 2-3 years before we see a burst. But when the market crashes, it’ll be huge. Are you ready to see your net worth cut in half? That’s what happened after the dot com bubble popped. I’m too old to relive that kind of hit to our portfolio. Back then, I was young and made a good income. I panicked a bit and sold off some stocks, but I got back into the stock market. The big lesson I learned was you need to keep investing through the bear market. Eventually, the stock market will recover and DCA (dollar cost average) will give your investment a huge boost. The situation is very different now. Mrs. RB40 and I are both retired. We are in the withdrawal phase. This time, we won’t have the income to power through a stock market crash. We’ll have to be smarter when the AI bubble collapses. That’s why I sold off some US stocks and diversified into bonds, cash, and international stocks. I am more conservative with our investment. We still need to stay invested because our retirement could last 40+ years. I feel pretty comfortable for now. We can survive a stock market crash without selling a lot of US stocks. However, AI stocks continue to inflate and we have a lot of paper gains. I have NVDA, META, GOOG, and a huge amount in the SP500 index fund. I want to let it ride, but I want to cash out some chips too. Is it time to start converting some of that paper gains to tangible assets? Tangible assets The stock market is a great place to invest your money, but it feels like Monopoly money. Let’s do a little research and see what kind of tangible assets we invest in.   Real estate Real estate is the classic alternative to the stock market. Land and buildings usually increase in value over time. Many lucky homeowners are sitting on a ton of gains. In fact, housing is often the largest asset for American homeowners. Investing in a rental is also a good way to diversify. We have a duplex and a condo. These rentals have done well over the years. However, I don’t want to be a landlord forever. It’s too much work and responsibility. In a few years, I’d like to consolidate our real estate holdings into a

We lucked into repack eggs at $1.99 a dozen last week – the best price I’ve seen for quite a while. Nationwide, the average* cost of a dozen eggs is about $3.59, according to government research. Back in February, we were paying $7.69 per dozen** – and these were just ordinary eggs, rather than the fancier kinds. I’d blocked the actual price tag. That’s when we got serious about egg substitutes. For the uninitiated, “repack” […]

I’ve slept poorly the past week, waking to read at 4am without being able to fall back asleep. This week marked the anniversary of my father’s death two years ago. This morning, after another partly restless night, I loaded up my gear and headed to the beach. A couple of 70-something guys walking their dogs looked at me starting down the trail in my wetsuit, and in good humor mixed with a trace of envy, […]