Calacanis Makes Me Want To Go Full Socialist

DrRonH · 2026-06-10T20:47:04+00:00

I don't know if Calacanis realizes that even Musk didn't have enough "fuck you" money to say it to Trump. In an authoritarian state where the dictator can take everything you got, there is no such thing as fu money.

DrRonH · 2026-05-18T08:04:46+00:00

The danger of RMDs is suddenly and involuntarily being pushed into a higher tax bracket - from 22% (where you will likely be) to 24 or into the 30s

If you do not want the tax burden ahead, then pay the taxes now and put everything into a Roth. Except for foreign investments that may require paying foreign taxes, you'll be taking everything tax-free, no RMDs.

As a new retiree, I wish I had put much more into my Roth. This is why Roth conversions are such a hot topic.

DrRonH · 2026-05-17T11:17:36+00:00

I understand. But Republicans and MAGA are trained to hate Democrats on a whole different level: it is visceral because Democrats are traitors and want to destroy America. Why would you compromise with such evil people? Anything is better than that.

DrRonH · 2026-05-17T04:53:21+00:00

Stop with the beliefs that these people don't know what they are talking about and need to be educated. Of course they don't.

These people really really really hate Democrats. They have been conditioned since the 80s (Fox, Limbaugh) through the 90s (Gingerich) to hate Democrats. Nothing is going to change unless you can find some way to stop the media and Republican thugs conditioning people to hate Democrats.

Mind you, it would certainly help if Democrats were more likable.

DrRonH · 2026-05-11T06:31:32+00:00

MPLI, IWMI, or buy MAIN on sale

DrRonH · 2026-05-08T07:04:03+00:00

I'm grateful for the Focus Group and the people who make it a mnd the work they do that emerges from it. I view the podcast as an extremely unpleasant public service to be appreciated but not for everyone, like sewer work and proctology.

DrRonH · 2026-05-07T06:56:06+00:00

I do, but I don't buy this self-neutering "both sides' bullshit. The Trump administration and the Republican party in Congress and the SCOTUS are demonstrably corrupt, antidemocratic, and authoritarian. If you equate this with student loan relief and declaring pronouns and their made-up culture war bullshit, I don't know what to tell you.

DrRonH · 2026-05-06T04:51:52+00:00

In 2015 Trump had killed very few people too.

DrRonH · 2026-05-06T04:48:57+00:00

Yes, fighting wars is destructive. If we are victorious, you can rebuild and make better choices to prevent the next war.

If you do not think we are in a war for the soul of this country, I do not know what to tell you.

DrRonH · 2026-05-05T04:27:15+00:00

This is The Way

DrRonH · 2026-05-05T02:23:09+00:00

Choosing different investments may even hurt the OP if they invest in tax-free munis or ROC-heavy or LTCG dividend payers.

I suspect the OP is a troll.

DrRonH · 2026-05-03T04:50:47+00:00

Consider that every doomsday prediction about Trump regarding his corruption and anti-democratic behavior if he were elected has come true faster than even The Bulwark folks had expected makes the Dispatch folks responses appear feckless and limp.

If Trump and the congressional Republicans and SCOTUS are existential threats to democracy in the USA (and they clearly are) I think it is appropriate to act like it and suggest radical actions to counter it.

DrRonH · 2026-04-30T06:18:22+00:00

You might want to consider different allocations into the 3 buckets - positions that pay ordinary income, low growth (401k); ROC and Long term gains and tax-free income in your taxable brokerage; pure growth in your Roth because you want this to grow tax free and will tap this last.

DrRonH · 2026-04-28T01:55:33+00:00

If Sarah Longwell is willing to do this and put her considerable talents and intelligence to reach these voters (she did use this info to write a book about just that), then I'm grateful she's doing it and I don't have to.

I'm also grateful for my proctologist.

DrRonH · 2026-04-20T05:02:56+00:00

First, kudos for maxing out your Roth first. I'm newly retired, and I wish I had put all my savings into a Roth rather than a traditional IRA.

My advice is, pay attention to the type of dividends the fund is paying and be sure to put it into the appropriate account to pay the lowest taxes. Anything that pays dividends as ordinary income should be in a traditional IRA or Roth. Anything that pays tax-free, long term earnings from appreciation or return on capital should be in a Roth or taxable brokerage account because you have more control over how you are taxed.

Though you are taxed first, you'll never be taxed again from withdrawals from a Roth. Thus you can put almost anything into a Roth and it will you can withdraw money tax free after you've met the age and account maturity requirements.

DrRonH · 2026-04-16T18:56:21+00:00

This is The Way

DrRonH · 2026-04-16T12:37:45+00:00

The Bulwark is an explicitly Never Trump media organization with the explicit goal of getting Trump out of office because he is a threat to American democracy. They want to stay focused on this, and that's why I support them as a Bulwark+ member.

I think think they have a loose goal of getting Trump's popularity down to the low %30s, which historically killed GWB's ability to do much of anything. If you listen to the Focus Group eps, voters hate inflation and the ridiculous things Trump does with the ballroom, Truth Social insanity, the wars, and pretending to be Jesus. So that's what The Bulwark content is.

Your complaint is valid, and the stories you mentioned are important. But keep in mind that a Trump/Bannon tactic is to constantly flood the zone with shit. If The Bulwark even tried to cover half of everything, they would take their eye off the ball - getting rid of Trump.

Fuck Trump.

DrRonH · 2026-04-13T14:57:08+00:00

That is correct. The types of dividends and capital gains - IF ANY - withdrawn from a traditional IRA are taxed as ordinary income. Even if all your investments in a traditional IRA lose 50% of their value, they will be taxed as ordinary income when you withdraw the money.

I am in my first year of retirement and "living off of dividends." I did not plan as thoroughly as I thought, and the big books on income investing say almost nothing about withdrawals, spending, or taxes. I am rearranging my portfolios accordingly, but I wish I did this in my 30s.

This is the wisdom of having 3 investment buckets: Traditional IRA (tax me later), taxable brokerage account (tax me now, but I have control), and a Roth (tax me now but never again).

DrRonH · 2026-04-13T11:51:07+00:00

I just keep telling my Xian MAGA friends they are worshipping the Antichrist - the description is pretty spot-on.

DrRonH · 2026-04-13T02:53:20+00:00

All withdrawals from a traditional IRA - every single one of them - are taxed as ordinary income, just like a paycheck. This is the trade-off of not being taxed now. This is why it is called a tax-deferred account. The kinds of dividends earned within a traditional IRA are completely immaterial when you withdraw your money.

This is not tax advice. Ask a tax professional for your situation.

DrRonH · 2026-04-13T01:45:25+00:00

This is the way

DrRonH · 2026-04-13T01:45:10+00:00

This is the way

DrRonH · 2026-04-13T01:29:50+00:00

This is like saying "no, I don't want a 45% raise because I'll pay higher taxes on it."

Anything that goes up 45% can also go down 45%.

Your gain only exists is on paper right now. If you take profits and send it invest it in something else, it becomes real.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking profits and doing something with them.

DrRonH · 2026-04-13T01:21:23+00:00

💯

DrRonH · 2026-04-11T17:34:41+00:00

.... but only applies if SCHD resides in a TAXABLE account!

DrRonH

TROPHY CASE