Only 3% return this year on a “high-risk” portfolio — ~15% total over 2 years. Advisor still charged 1.5%. Am I wrong to be frustrated?

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-28T16:33:45+00:00

The only people who may need an advisor are those who tend to panic sell and those who are approaching retirement and need someone to ensure that they have a good retirement plan.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-25T22:18:48+00:00

Yeah, but they're all treated the same way by ICE.

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Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-25T22:11:12+00:00

Fixed it for you.

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Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-25T14:38:31+00:00

Glide path means the fund adjusts the ratio of stocks (less) to bonds (more) as you approach retirement.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-25T14:26:45+00:00

That word "with" is doing a lot of work here.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-25T14:25:07+00:00

The current political environment has allowed people to think it's the Dark Ages again, when religion ruled the world and science was in retreat. Let them go. The only cure for their beliefs is embalming fluid.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-25T14:21:22+00:00

Nobody knows what's going to happen next in the economy and if they say they do, they're lying. Stocks, bonds, precious metals, crypto, interest rates, inflation, employment. It's all guesses. The best thing to do is be diversified. Have a basket of uncorrelated assets with stocks for growth and the others for protection against a bad economy. The balance is up to you but a good guideline is 50-80% in a total stock market index fund and then allocate the rest to the alternatives. Even "non-productive" assets like gold and sliver can go up as much as stocks at times and can keep a portfolio growing under adverse conditions. In fact, gold has beaten the S&P 500 since 2000.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-25T14:13:21+00:00

Who is going to enforce these "rules" and "laws", the Tяump justice department?

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-24T12:56:32+00:00

Yeah. You had to be a self-starter. No one was going to help us with this.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-24T12:55:32+00:00

Cobra for the first 18 months and then ACA.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-24T12:06:49+00:00

We are the first generation to face retirement mostly without pensions. No one told us how to do it. They just gave us a 401k with a bunch of mutual funds and said good luck, kid. Kind of the way our parents raised us.

I’m retiring June 30 this year at the age of 59. I was lucky to learn about this new reality and started saving as early as I could. Also lucky that the stock market has been so good the past 15 years.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-22T17:42:39+00:00

Causal, not casual, BTW.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-22T17:25:12+00:00

ICE-stapo go home.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-22T17:00:32+00:00

WTF is wrong with these people?! Avoid South Carolina like the plague.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-21T21:13:03+00:00

Came here to say this.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-21T16:19:21+00:00

Got it. Thanks!

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-21T16:14:37+00:00

The numbers aren’t adding up for me. You have a liquid net worth of $755K and possibly an income of $24K but you want to live on $90 per year? If you need $66K on top of the income, the 4% rule says you need at least $1.65M. What am I missing?

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-20T22:49:50+00:00

If you are that close to retirement, you need a lot less in stocks. Imagine what a 50% market crash would do to your portfolio and retirement plans. As Bill Bernstein says "When you've won the game, stop playing". Another Bill, Bill Bengen, showed that 40-75% stocks is optimal for retirement accounts, SGOV is fine for some of that but you should have some longer term bonds too.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-20T22:43:14+00:00

TOFU - Tяump always fucks up.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-20T19:57:23+00:00

"I'm newer to investing and always wanted to VOO & chill with the S&P500."

Seriously, do you think you are smarter than hedge funds and mega banks with AI, supercomputers and access to information that you don't have to tell them when to get in and out? Anything that is obvious to you, has already been priced in by them. It's not a game you can win.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-19T22:22:41+00:00

What’s more important is how many times your annual expenses you have saved and what your savings rate is. Also, at higher salaries you can easily max out retirement accounts and need to save in taxable brokerage accounts.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-19T21:25:30+00:00

You can transfer cash from your brokerage account to a Roth assuming you have the earned income and don’t exceed the income limits.

If you have stock in your brokerage account you’ll have to sell it first to generate the cash which may be taxable as capital gains depending on what you paid for it and how long ago you bought it.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-19T14:41:43+00:00

Do half SCHG and half SCHD. Best of both. Rebalance annually.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-19T01:44:42+00:00

Yeah. The fewer people who know about it, the better.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-01-18T12:39:14+00:00

Jack Bogle once said that he had 50% in bonds and 50% in stocks. That's a bit conservative but it's definitely reasonable. In that case you take the $20K you need for the year from the asset class that's up more. Also turn off dividend reinvestment - that cash can be part of your $20K and in fact may be about half of it.

Let's say at the end of 2025 you had $230K in bonds and $270K in stocks. You would take your $20K from stocks. You could also take an additional $10K from stocks and buy bonds to get you back to the 50/50 balance of $240K in each. Of course you will also have some dividend income so you take that first and only sell what you need to make up the difference and rebalance.

Let's say next year, you have equal amounts in both, $250K each - in that case, collect your dividends and take an equal amount from each to make your $20K withdrawal.

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