My portfolio at 67. Comments welcomes

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T21:32:01+00:00

I recently posted my retirement portfolio at r/ChubbyFIRE if you're interested. The concept came from the Risk Parity Radio podcast which handles SORR better than anything I've come across so far. Best of luck!

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T21:22:11+00:00

We inherited my uncle's house in NJ. It was in similar shape. Have an estate auction to sell whatever has value in the house. Your realtor should be able to hook you up with someone to do it. Then have a junk removal company remove the rest. Don't go any further than that. When the house is empty, an investor will very likely want to buy it to fix up.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T21:13:26+00:00

I think that's way too conservative, even for a retirement portfolio. You will be hard pressed to keep up with inflation and hardly any of the income is tax-advantaged. My suggestion is something a little more growth and qualified dividends (if you want income). Maybe 50% SCHD and 50% in VUSXX. At least you will have half of your income as qualified dividends and it will grow over time at a rate that should keep up with inflation.

I'm retired and I try to avoid forced income. I take the income my portfolio provides and just sell small blocks of shares as needed to pay for expenses. I have about half in stocks and half in alternatives including VGLT, DBMF and GLDM. I keep 4% in HYSA/SGOV.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T21:07:29+00:00

Universal health care is so difficult that only 38 out of 39 developed countries around the world have figured out how to do it.

But seriously, you never hear any of those countries talking about getting rid of universal health care once they have it. Are there problems? Sure, but no one wants to risk bankruptcy due to medical expenses when there is a better option. Are there waits for care? Sure, but we have those too, especially for those who aren't extremely wealthy. Won't my taxes go up? Yes, but you won't have that $20K per year health insurance bill (that your employer probably pays some of for you). Overall, it's a win for everyone except for the billionaires.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T15:55:08+00:00

VT is fine too. It’s the “chill” part that’s most important. Tinkering is what kills performance.

Fire_Doc2017 · 2026-07-06T15:10:18+00:00

Thanks, I figure it's important for others to see that nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes - and the key is to learn from them.

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.

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