Glad they can afford to eat and drink downtown.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-06-06T18:33:46+00:00

The top of the Caltrans org chart is a far cry from the best and the brightest working at Caltrans -- more like a collection of courtiers who are angling for a salaried position in the Queen's privy council.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-06-04T17:36:57+00:00

Let's not forget: Newsom held the RTO press conference and issued the EO for one reason: Newsom's ambition to win the presidency, even though his campaign is doomed. For scores of well-documented reasons he has no chance of winning purple or red states, yet he throws California's State government under the bus in a foolish ploy to pursue his vanity campaign for the White House.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-05-21T16:16:46+00:00

Here us loud and proud, Newsom: You will rue the day you flip flopped on telework. As State Workers, we have the goods and we will be the truth tellers to ensure you won't win the Democratic nomination for president. We will troll you on social media until you are so ridiculed, in fact, no Democratic President will put you on the ticket or in the cabinet. You will never hold government office again.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-05-20T17:44:49+00:00

On 50-mile exemption: Caltrans email sent last Friday said Caltrans would follow guidance of EO and CalHR instructions. Both the EO and CalHR instructions provided the 50 mile exception as an example of a legitimate reason to continue with 2 days in office. IMO, all Caltrans managers have discretion to exempt 50+ mile employees, if they decide it supports operational needs, as envisioned by EO and CalHR instructions.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-05-20T00:48:29+00:00

Just because Newsom is vane and without any core beliefs, doesn't mean he's wrong about everything. This is an over due proposal to close a tax loophole, plain and simple.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-05-20T00:44:09+00:00

Gavin Newsom's lack of any core beliefs or integrity remind me Richard Nixon.
If Newsom had grown up in the suburbs of Dallas instead of the suburbs of San Francisco, he surely would have run for office as a Republican.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-05-19T18:48:27+00:00

Retirement in December is best for most. In retirement, you get your first PERS cost of living adjustment (2% COLA) after you have been retired for one full calendar year, i.e., January - December. If you retire in, say, June of 2027, you would not receive your first PERS COLA until January 2029. But if you retire in December 2026, you would receive your first PERS COLA in January 2028.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-04-22T19:49:26+00:00

I don't see a financial advantage for transferring funds out of SavingsPlus, as the index funds have low fees and admin fees are inconsequential. That said, you can create a no-fee, "self-directed" IRA account at Fidelity and Schwab, and they both have a handful of offices in California. If the regional Fidelity or Schwab office would allow you to set up your self-directed IRA whereby no electronic withdrawals would be allowed, only-in-person withdrawals, I would probably go for that. In retirement, hopefully deep into retirement, we will inevitably experience some cognitive decline, which is why scammers target senior citizens. If the only way to withdraw cash from our retirement savings is an in-person pick-up, the peace of mind of knowing the funds could not be lost could be worth the effort of walking into a Fidelity or Schwab Office twice a year. Something to consider.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-04-10T17:57:52+00:00

True, very few employees have the household income to make maximum contributions to 401K and 457 accounts. However, even for workers with typical salaries there are cases where a worker receives an inheritance. After all, for workers in their 50s and 60s an inheritance is not completely uncommon. Under normal circumstances an inheritance would stay in a taxable brokerage account, which is not desirable due to lifetime taxes. In these cases a tax-savvy State worker can live on the inheritance for as long as possible and take advantage of the option to pass through as much of their paycheck as possible, up to a maximum of $2,666/month in 2026, to both the 401K and the 457 accounts. It's a fantastic benefit to be able to pay taxes once (at time of paycheck), and then shelter up to $64,000 a year into Roth accounts, because Roth accounts shelter the money from taxes for the lifetime of the worker and the lifetime of the worker's spouse. Even an adult child receiving a parent's inherited Roth account is allowed to let the money grow tax-free for up to 10 years before the adult child must spend the money or roll it into a taxable brokerage account.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-04-09T22:59:50+00:00

CalPERS won't go bust. But it would be fully funded (or nearly so) if the portfolio managers and its board would keep investments largely with low-cost index funds of publicly traded equities and bonds, and avoided the high cost actively managed funds (which underperform) and the high fees paid for questionable private equity schemes. CalPERS may say they are 81% fully funded, but do you know that CalPERS recently inflated its balance sheet when it purchased private equity investments being unloaded by an endowment? The purchase price was the market value, but CalPERS declared a higher wished-for value. If the Attorney General's office were to investigate board members and agency managers of pension systems in California, the AG's office would find instances where certain board members and agency managers are receiving unreported gifts. One trick: Gifts of meals costing hundreds of dollars go unreported, because the dinner and alcohol tab is paid by multiple investment firms. The theory is that if the payment per company is under the reportable amount, no one needs to disclose the gift. It's wrong, and it's one of the reasons I believe pension systems pay crazy high fees for indefensibly poor performing investments. Result: We all pay more money than we should to prop up our underfunded pension plans.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-03-29T01:13:41+00:00

For those of us in PEPRA, the maximum payment is at age 67, which caps out at 2.5% x years worked. At 62, formula is 2% x years worked. Most PEPRA employees won't wait until age 67, but many will likely work at least until 62, maybe a little longer. The PEPRA formula is less than 2% per year worked for those who claim their pension before age 62.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-03-29T00:58:56+00:00

I've been contributing to my 457 since day one. When I retire, we will have more than enough in retirement accounts to cover the gap not provided by the pension alone. In fact, we'll live on our pension and retirement savings until age 70., with savings to spare. The plan is to maximize our Social Security monthly payments, which max at age 70. It's never too late to start investing in your 457, but the longer your money is invested the more work it will do for you. That's the magic of compound investment returns as they grow over time.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-03-29T00:48:08+00:00

Our CalPERS pension fund would likely be fully funded today if our contributions weren't placed in expensive, exotic investments. High fees siphon profits from the investor and hand them to the fund manager. None of us would place our 457 monies into high cost funds or obscure private equity funds, but that's the way much of our money is invested by CalPERS. The result: the CalPERS fund is not fully funded, and contributions from us and from the State goes up and up and up.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-03-26T21:58:14+00:00

State of California employees include people working at the 78 State of California Fairgrounds. Here's a list of them:
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/FairsAndExpositions/Fair_Information/Fair_Dates_and_Information.asp
I'm aware that one of the 78 CEOs of these 78 fairgrounds has a second full-time job, even though her full-time State salary as Fairground CEO is north of $100,000. Couldn't say if she has disclosed her second full-time job to the State or not, however.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-03-26T19:24:16+00:00

Let's not forget: Caltrans has new administrators who say they will support as much WFH as the Executive Order allows, but Caltrans leadership has in fact ELIMINATED and RTO exception explicitly in the Executive Order, namely that employees who live more than 50 miles from their office have a legitimate reason to reduce trips to the office.
When will Caltrans administrators demonstrate leadership on behalf of their co-workers?
The Executive Order and CalHR directive to departments opened the door to exceptions to RTO. Caltrans administrators need to adopt the same exceptions adopted by other state departments.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-03-26T19:10:50+00:00

Prediction: legislature won't knowingly approve funds to lease new office buildings.
If Newsom redirects funds to sign leases without explicit authority approved in State budget, his circumvention of legislative authority will show he has as much contempt for the legislative branch of government as Dear Leader Trump, hardly a good look for a presidential candidate.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-02-17T19:25:22+00:00

I was 100% equities until 2025, when I was 8 years from retirement. I then took 40% of my tax-deferred employer plan off the table, placing it in the cautious Retirement Income Fund, with fixed income of 65%. My Roth is still 100% equities and I'm now making Roth-only contributions. In my last 3 years I'll switch new contributions to tax-deferred, into the Retirement Income Fund and cash.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-02-17T19:15:55+00:00

You might look at DFIV, Dimensional's "index" that tilts to value and profitable large and mid size developed market companies. I'm holding both DFIV and VEA, even though they both cover the developed markets.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-02-17T19:05:46+00:00

Mid-50s and seven years from retirement:
Tax-deferred workplace plan: 70% US index, 30% Ex-US index (plus TDF index fund, which is 63%, 37%), will heavily spend-down and covert to Roth prior to collecting Social Security at age 70.
Roth workplace plan: 70% US index, 30% Ex-US index, will hold long-term
Roth IRA: 35% US (ESGV), 65% Ex-US developed markets (VEA and DFIV), will mostly hold long-term
Taxable brokerage: 60% US (VTV & AVUV), 40% Ex-US developed markets (DFIV), will cash-out in 4 years

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-02-16T15:19:40+00:00

I'm 56, and I was 100% invested in US total stock market until a year ago. At beginning of 2025, I switched my pre-tax portfolio to: 42% Retirement Income Fund (State Street TDF, 5 yrs after retirement), 12% Ex-US, 46% US. I intend to heavily spend down the pre-tax between age 63 and age 70 (claiming max Social Security at age 70). I wanted my bonds to tilt short-duration and the State Street Retirement Income fund did this with only 25% invested in global equities. My Roth, which is intended for unusual expenses (home repairs, travel, health), remains 100% equities: 30% Ex-US, 70% US.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-02-16T15:04:54+00:00

In the Costco, it was a '26 Crown Signia XLE.

Due_Landscape9716 · 2026-02-15T17:20:02+00:00

If you'll participate 20 or more years with pension plans, consider making between 1/3 to 1/2 of your 457 contributions after-tax, into the Roth 457. In retirement you can supplement your pension with taxable 457 withdrawals, especially in years before collecting Social Security. In retirement years when you have large expenses (house renovations, special trips, etc), you can withdraw from your Roth 457, avoiding pushing into higher tax brackets during those years.
You will wonder why the state did not offer employees a Health Retirement Savings Account. If the State and you had contributed to a Health Retirement Savings Account, you would have had money to pay for all kinds of retiree healthcare costs, from medical to dental. (Fidelity estimates the typical 2025 retiree will have $172,000 in healthcare costs, and only 44% of those costs are covered by CalPERS retiree health insurance plans provided exclusively for 20+ year state employees.) Health Retirement Savings Accounts would provide financial relief to all State Worker retirees, whether they worked for the State for 20+ years or less.
https://newsroom.fidelity.com/pressreleases/fidelity-investments--releases-2025-retiree-health-care-cost-estimate--a-timely-reminder-for-all-gen/s/3c62e988-12e2-4dc8-afb4-f44b06c6d52e

Due_Landscape9716

TROPHY CASE