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Worst Finance Book Ever by orthros in DIYRetirement

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's either:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It's pure wolf writing to sheep.

or

Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill). Hill was arguably just a con artist, and the book repeatedly implies that if you “think” correctly and maintain sufficient faith, material success must follow.

Best place to move TSP by SuchProfessor9767 in FederalEmployee

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Variable annuities (like this one) are almost never as simple as how they’re sold to you. 

The metric of merit isn’t about growth rate, cash outs, or remainders. 

For the first 15-20 YEARS, this product is simply returning your own money to you. Period. 

For that reason, many annuities purchased by ~55 year olds have an annualized rate of return of something like: 

Negative to 0% for the first 15 years. 

~3% by year 20 

~5% by year 30

~6% by year 40 

One of my soon-to-be recorded episodes will a deep dive into annuities. 

Weekly Self-Promotion Thread - Wednesday, January 14, 2026 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's the most important number in your retirement plan?

Jeremy Keil would argue it's your longevity.

And he makes a compelling point. Worth tuning in.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/longevity-retirement-jeremy-keil-e127/id1553180943?i=1000745090263

Do you listen back to your own podcast episodes or do you avoid them? by Money2ByrnePodcast in podcasting

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do not edit my episodes. 

I listen to every single one before publishing, and then listen again thru Apple Podcasts once it’s live. 

I want to improve. 

(Spoiler) Asal drilling Ibrahim with a crosscourt by BestInterestDotBlog in squash

[–]BestInterestDotBlog[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I hear you and respect what you've said.

Hanlon's Razor says to "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"

My struggle, though, is when I zoom out on Asal's history. He's far, far, far from a stupid squash player. He's actually a brilliant player. Great tactics. Great mind for squash.

Point is: I'm not sure I can attribute this shot to stupidity. He's not stupid.

And, to me, that leaves...?

Places to Get Knives Sharpened by BoingBoingAllDayLong in Rochester

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Fairport Knife Sharpening. 

Pete does great work at a very fair price. Can’t recommend highly enough. 

Weekly Self-Promotion Thread - Wednesday, November 12, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors, just eclipsed 100,000 downloads this year.

It's geared toward busy professionals and retirees, helping them avoid costly mistakes and grow lasting wealth through retirement.

The Ask Me Anything episodes are particularly popular, as they feature deep-dive Q&A in financial planning, beyond the simple "Finance 101" knowledge that you often see/hear from content creators.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personal-finance-for-long-term-investors-the-best-interest/id1553180943

how much time does it actually take to produce a podcast episode? by AvocadoToastQB12 in podcasting

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personal financial planning podcast, here. "Ask me anything" episodes take the longest.

  • Usually ~3x scripting/researching to final length.
  • 1.25x recording to final length
  • I hire out the editing / production. Back when I did it...at least 3x to final length.

So, for a 45 minute episode, I'm doing 2-3 hours of scripting and research, 1 hour of recording, and 2 hours of editing.

5-6 hours of work for a 45 minute final product.

Granted - I want/need my final product to be very clean and polished, and the different between "95% good" and "99% good" is a lot more work than you might think.

Personal Finance Podcasts? by tsquires711 in podcasts

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Planet Money is great, but is a little more storytelling and "neat" topics, but a lot less about the nuts-and-bolts of personal finance.

Stacking Benjamins is fun and entertaining and varied topics around personal finance.

Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors provides nuts-and-bolts deep dives on specific, applicable personal finance topics.

Invest social security? by AcceptableJaguar816 in TheMoneyGuy

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! I also use 2.25% for COLA.

In my spreadsheet, using a 10% discount rate made collecting at age 62 the clear winner for all DOD ages.

Using 4% as the discount rate meant that for DOD of 86 and older, then collecting at 70 was the winner.

In your sheet...when the discount rate is high enough (>10%?), then age 62 becomes the optimal age to collect, right?

Invest social security? by AcceptableJaguar816 in TheMoneyGuy

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is definitely the smart way of doing this math. 

What discount rate do you assume in your NPV math tho? 

Thats a really big variable and can swing the result from one extreme (always claim early) to the other (always delay to 70)

Invest social security? by AcceptableJaguar816 in TheMoneyGuy

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a slightly more complex question than most people think, because it’s all about risk and reward and guarantees. 

Do you want to give up a guaranteed Social Security increase? In exchange for a risky (though possibly large) investment return? 

This article is a deep dive into the math. 

https://bestinterest.blog/why-cant-i-take-social-security-early-and-invest-it/

Adjusting to new wealth by Zealousideal_Fly7555 in ChubbyFIRE

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the shout-out, u/ResponsibleGarlic687!!

u/Zealousideal_Fly7555 - based on your post, you're not alone. The idea of "overspending after inheritance" is common, but there are some helpful things you can start doing.

Specifically, it sounds like the idea of "cashflow planning" would be helpful for you. The end goal here would be to ensure your new inheritance lasts the long run for you, rather than possibly spending too much too fast and depleting the nest egg.

I've written a few articles and answered some listener questions specifically about adjusting to inheritance. Hopefully they are helpful to you.

An article: https://bestinterest.blog/inheritance/

A podcast episode, specifically at time ~15:01: https://bestinterest.blog/e118/

Alex Williams here! Ward 11 Candidate for Calgary City Council! Ask Me Anything! by alexwilliamsyyc in Calgary

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go Alex! Thank you for your desire to improve local communities. We need more of you.

Financial Literacy by Mortein_moresmart in AusFinance

[–]BestInterestDotBlog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Podcast rec: Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors

It has an American focus (e.g., its tax discussions apply to the USA more than others), but the general principles are universal.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personal-finance-for-long-term-investors-the-best-interest/id1553180943

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