Mailbox Money in Retirement: Social Security, Pensions/Annuities, Bond Interest, and Stock Dividends

I am always curious about the nitty-gritty details of how real-world financial planners guide their clients. Krueger & Catalano has shared some unique insights on their website, including the topic of creating retirement income in How Much is … [Read the rest]

Berkshire Hathaway Post-Shareholder Meeting CNBC Interview 2019 Full Video, Full Transcript (Buffett, Munger, and Gates)

On the Monday after the recent Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, Becky Quick of CNBC did another 2-hour interview with Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, and Bill Gates. CNBC has thankfully posted the entire interview online along with a full … [Read the rest]

Callan Periodic Table of Investment Returns 2019

One of the harder things about investing is buying an investment that has been performing poorly. How many people are getting media attention for pushing the idea of diversification in international stocks right now? None. I mean, some folks are … [Read the rest]

Charlie Munger: Financially Independent at Age 38 in 1962

Despite the fresh packaging, we should remember that the "FIRE" concept (Financially Independent, Retire Early) is anything but a new concept. Even I can't help being a little intrigued by the clickbait title "This Secret Trick Let This Couple … [Read the rest]

The Best Time To Plant A Tree Is Now

Have you heard of the "happiness curve"? According to multiple studies of life satisfaction, I am entering the unhappiest period of my life at age 40 (WaPo): My theory is that this is simply the inverted curve of "number of humans that I am … [Read the rest]

Immediate Annuities vs. Safe Withdrawal Rates

Annuities have a rather mixed reputation, which I think is mostly deserved. Some are amazingly complex and expensive (the word "Indexed" can be bad in this world). Then there are simple, straightforward ones that are worth consideration, including … [Read the rest]

Charlie Munger 2019 Wall Street Journal Interview Transcript

The best thing I read today was definitely Charlie Munger, Unplugged, the full transcript of a 6-hour interview with Charlie Munger about his philosophies on business, investing and life, as conducted by Jason Zweig and Nicole Friedman of the Wall … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – May 2019

Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash for May 2019, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. There hasn't been much movement recently, and the rate curve is still pretty flat with long-term rates only slightly … [Read the rest]

Savings I Bonds May 2019 Interest Rate: 1.40% Inflation + 0.50% Fixed Rate

Update 5/1/19. The fixed rate will be 0.50% for I bonds issued from May 1, 2019 through October 31st, 2019. This is the same as it was for the last 6 months. The variable inflation-indexed rate for this 6-month period will be 1.40% (as was … [Read the rest]

Vanguard ETFs Now Permanently Cheaper Than Admiral Shares (More Examples)

Updated with more examples. Up until recently, Vanguard has had a long history of keeping the expense ratios of their corresponding ETFs and Admiral Shares mutual funds the same. As of 2019, this is no longer the case. Inside a Vanguard notice, … [Read the rest]

Richard Feynman and Fighting Burnout With Curiosity

While going back through my Kindle highlights, I came across the autobiography of Richard P. Feynman, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character. Feynman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 but was also something of … [Read the rest]

TAB Bank Kasasa Cash Checking Review: 4% APY (Up to $50k) w/ Activity Requirements

Update late January 2019: Reader Steve shares that "TAB Bank is no longer offering Kasasa Cash Checking. But for those already having an account, no changes are planned." Original post: TAB Bank has a Kasasa Cash Checking account that offers 4% … [Read the rest]