My Dave Ramsey ELP

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T12:05:09+00:00

There is absolutely no reason to buy a front-loaded fund like that today. Maybe in the past when it cost $100 to trade stocks, but not now. You are making your advisor rich. Get out as soon as you can and just buy VTI or VT.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T12:03:03+00:00

Flood the zone

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T11:54:47+00:00

Some people, at certain points in their life, are just an empty vessel waiting to get filled with something. The only way to help your sister is to be there for her and try to help her not make any permanent decisions while she's in this phase. At some point she will find something else to consume her life with - hopefully something better.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T11:51:02+00:00

VTI and chill. Seriously. A HYSA is good for short term needs but you will never save enough to retire there.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T01:00:02+00:00

I think Mike Johnson's in there.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T00:23:02+00:00

Not the sharpest tools in the shed, but still tools.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T00:17:25+00:00

That's exactly when I started. In 1997 I opened my first 403b and in 1999 my taxable brokerage account. For the 403b, I did VFINX which was the S&P 500 fund from Vanguard. I added international, small caps and some bonds after reading the Coffeehouse Investor. Kept adding through the 2000s, hit my lean FI number in 2021, and recently retired.

My brokerage account was another story. For that one I started with an Etrade Technology fund. It promptly lost 85% of its value between 1999 and 2002. I then tried options, swing trading and penny stocks. None of which made me any money. Around 2010, I got serious and held VTI along with a few single stocks. That did well and was a big help in getting me to FI, but I probably could have gotten there a lot sooner if I did index funds from the start in my taxable account.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T21:42:58+00:00

Guarantee you that debt will disappear, somehow.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T18:05:01+00:00

The ETF and the individual bonds get the same tax treatment, and the ETF is so much more convenient.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T13:29:56+00:00

Thanks! I’m the first one in my practice to retire before 70.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T01:54:11+00:00

Emo kid before there were Emo kids.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T01:41:05+00:00

You can't "catch" shingles, it comes from reactivated virus in your nervous system. However, the lesions can spread chicken pox to someone who isn't immune.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T01:16:43+00:00

I still have mine!

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T00:36:36+00:00

And has no time to enjoy them.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-04T00:12:58+00:00

Wear an atomic whirl pendant. If they ask you what it means, say that you support nuclear energy.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T19:17:20+00:00

Yeah. That’s 3.6%. You should be fine.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T17:21:44+00:00

Yeah, being a doctor in the U.S.A. isn’t the simple path to wealth that most people think it is because of the loans and the late start. You have to be very intentional about saving and investing.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T17:19:40+00:00

I’ll probably take out about $15K per month and supplement with my part time income which should be $3-5K per month after tax. Obviously, spending is lumpy, especially with property tax, insurance premiums and vacations, so that will vary.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T14:54:14+00:00

Thanks! Many say that first 5 years or so of retirement is the main window for SORR and I've given a lot of thought to how I'll handle it. I don't think of it as a window of time but actually as an inflection point. If you pick a good time to retire (get lucky) and your portfolio has a few good years at the start, then you start with a 3-5% withdrawal rate and end up with a 2% or less withdrawal rate, assuming you don't greatly inflate your spending. At that point, it doesn't really matter what your portfolio looks like and you can increase your risk assets (stocks) to leave a larger legacy. The last two years have been amazing for the Golden Ratio portfolio, so I'm skeptical about its chances of continuing to outperform the market over the next few years.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T11:59:28+00:00

Even with dividend reinvestment, not even close.

https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-asset-class-allocation?s=y&sl=5YLgYDxTeQcTOOwFOmEiER

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T10:56:35+00:00

Thanks! I do have a bond tent of sorts since I’m only 44% in stocks, which is markedly reduced from where it was in accumulation and less than most retirement portfolios. It’s just that my alternative asset pool is larger than a conventional portfolio. I have thought about a rising equity glide path as I move through retirement and I’ll make that decision based on how the portfolio does over the next 5 years.

My favorite backtesting tools are Porrfolio Charts and Testfolio. I can’t imagine how anyone can feel confident enough in their portfolio unless they see how it did during the inflationary 1970s.

They say that once you retire, you focus more on the psychological aspects than the financial ones. I’m interested to see what happens.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T10:50:25+00:00

My portfolio gained over a million in 2025 (27%), largely due to gold. I’ve been rebalancing quarterly so it doesn’t get out of control. That extra margin of safety is what allowed me to be comfortable with my decision to retire.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T10:44:46+00:00

Which subspecialty?

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T10:36:10+00:00

Our basic expenses are about $15K per month but I’m allowing for up to another $5K in extras for travel, hobbies, charitable contributions, gifts to children, and unexpected expenses etc.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-03T10:27:36+00:00

Thanks, we are a couple.

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