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Showing posts from May, 2025

When does DIY-er should stop DYI-ing

A few invaluable notes on the talk from Carolyn McClanahan at the Bogleheads 2024 conference.  She talks about a more holistic approach to financial planning. Look into homesteading as home protection 8606 - next tax return and all docs to support it Stop DIY if you haven't done estate planning Must have power of attorney to get good estate planning done Probate issues (have beneficiaries) Title the assets if you do trusts Involve a planner Tax planning has to be in conjunction with financial planning Who should help you Family members or friends Create transparency with other people affected Make sure surrogate is on the same page Consider involving outside party Advisors Comprehensive fee only fiduciary (hourly, flat fee, not AUM %) Find them at NAPFA, XY planning network, Garrett planning network, AC Accountant, attorney coordinate with financial planner Professional fiduciaries - every state is different Summary - biggest danger to financial well-being is DIY a long time a...

IFA Interview with Christine Benz

Start thinking about your finances and retirement Household savings and spending rate Never too late to be thoughtful about saving for the future Not have to start at a granular level, but set a savings target Reverse-budgeting Plan to save x; see how much you have left Automating contributions into savings Benefits of good financial advice Sometimes it's worth at starting with personal questions, i.e. how you're doing, and start from there, a holistic approach An issue exists with trust with financial advice Many excellent advisers out there How to find a good advisor Must be a fiduciary Fee-only structure, financial advice is not incentivized In US, look for a certified financial planner - a CFA Financial planning as more important as investment advice Insurance Home equity Other aspects apart from investment portfolio A wholistic voice On the book, "How to Retire", by Christine Benz A series of interviews Deep subject matter experts in multiple areas Healthcare pl...

Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read

The book is by Daniel Solin which I reviewed in the fall of 2014.  The notes are based on the paperback version from August 2010, printed in the United States. I missed summarizing chapters 6 - 22, 32 - 38 and 40 but if I ever review them, I'll update the notes. Preface Investing before is as critical as during retirement. Simply saving money does not mean you will automatically be able to support yourself during retirement. You are on your own when investing the money before and during retirement.

Smartest Money Book You'll Ever Read

These notes are from about 2015 and based on the book by this title.   As of 2025 the Amazon link to the book is here -  https://a.co/d/clzoSB1 - it looks that there was only one edition.