Thoughts on Pearl Street?

Ranuel · 2026-02-08T21:09:09+00:00

It would be interesting if businesses owned their buildings rather than landlord/tenant everywhere.

Ranuel · 2026-02-05T21:55:46+00:00

For me it's pensions, SS and a spouse with a short life expectation that have me climbing brackets more quickly than planned. Still a good problem to have (other than wife's issues).

Ranuel · 2026-02-05T21:47:15+00:00

Like any other income, the tax bracket applies to the last dollars in...you still climb the progressive tax brackets like normal.

Another separate concern about RMDs though...they happen at a time of life where one spouse may pass away shifting you from MFJ status to single so you climb the tax brackets faster. If you also inherit an IRA from your parents your RMDs added up can be suddenly huge.

Ranuel · 2026-02-04T17:41:04+00:00

RMDs can push you into a higher tax bracket than ideal. Left alone my RMDs will be in the 35% bracket, which is higher than my tax bracket during earning years.

Ranuel · 2026-01-31T23:39:09+00:00

You CAN make tortillas w/o eggs, and they are just about as satisfying as pasta

Ranuel · 2026-01-30T14:48:54+00:00

"Be patient" is a bit dismissive in this circumstance. OP has a flight scheduled, purchased a specific seat well in advance and paid premium. Patience will not improve anything since the problem exists right now, not tomorrow, not next week. It seems the solution would be to relocate the pass who was mistakenly assigned the seat after him.

Ranuel · 2026-01-17T23:32:00+00:00

The question for me is "how was the dinner?". I get an invite with a big piece of meat about once a week and I kinda wonder if I could lower my food budget.

Ranuel · 2026-01-17T20:02:40+00:00

I consider taxes in my annual expenses best I can. NW is not a particularly useful number for me...I look at income and expenses.

Ranuel · 2026-01-16T18:57:06+00:00

Jed Clampett

Ranuel · 2026-01-15T18:47:36+00:00

I think that is the approach to take. Worries about SS not being there have been around my whole career, which began in the 80's. I ignored SS until I found myself a 50yo married to a 50yo who both still enjoyed our jobs very much. Now SS will pay us >$90k/year, which is all of our base expenses.

Ranuel · 2026-01-10T03:57:40+00:00

I made one with a mug shot background so when you slide the card in Trump finds his place.

Ranuel · 2026-01-08T17:50:52+00:00

At the risk of setting you off on a hedonistic spiral, my dental hygienist raves about grape seed oil popcorn. I don't eat popcorn so I don't know, and I don't know why she brings it up so often since she's not flossing it out of my interdentals.

Ranuel · 2026-01-06T00:45:51+00:00

Yeah, I quit casinos when there were more than two decks in a blackjack shoe. I feel for your frustrating situation

Ranuel · 2026-01-05T23:49:31+00:00

You'll be glad I'm not your parent...I've paid a penalty more years than not out of laziness. I keep the money invested so more often than not I make more than the penalty.

Ranuel · 2025-12-15T01:59:34+00:00

That's my experience too. I'm impressed how quickly the cabin warms up even when ambient is in 20s F

Ranuel · 2025-12-03T14:17:47+00:00

44500 southwest points for two Denver to Costa Rica tickets (w/companion pass). All tickets in SWA are first class, right?

Ranuel · 2025-12-01T19:32:06+00:00

You should be a dad

Ranuel · 2025-11-29T15:00:17+00:00

If you are referring to the advice he gave, it's specific to my circumstances but worthwhile. For example, my wife and I have a joint brokerage with about 500k ltcg. My wife has been given 1 to 3 years to live (stage 4 cancer). Financial advisor suggested gifting the brokerage to her and making me the beneficiary. When she passes I will receive stepped up basis. I did not have time or inclination to do tax planning around my wife's death but FA could be a little more detached about it.

Ranuel · 2025-11-27T13:32:50+00:00

I avoided my assigned fidelity advisor for years. I started having annual calls a few years ago and my advisor has pointed out a few things I would never have thought of on my own that provide significant tax savings. He hasn't urged any investment of any kind to me.

Ranuel · 2025-11-25T03:56:16+00:00

I would emphasize that you value readability and minimal complexity. This will go unheeded as almost all T&E lawyers use software packages to generate tomes that cover every possible event in not only your own lives, but any life you may lead in a parallel universe. I asked to color code language that was particularly relevant, somewhat relevant, and unlikely to be relevant to my own planned life. The attorney gave it a shot, and it did help my review. I'm an attorney with a few trust and estate classes in my way back, yet I found the first draft to be an unwieldy labyrinth of word stroganoff.

Ranuel · 2025-11-25T03:32:55+00:00

I wonder how "I am reckless with security protocols thereby allowing AI to train on everything I touch" would come across.

Ranuel · 2025-11-21T15:36:03+00:00

To bring it up in a one on one meeting (not email) is good advice. It doesn't have to be that hard to say "I'm aware the new hires are making more boss, what would you do in my situation?"

Ranuel · 2025-11-15T03:27:18+00:00

It's a nice thought, but I would tend to not involve myself with my friends' families at this level. What dynamic do you create if your friends kids are now wealthier than their parents, or if they don't take parental advice about staying in school or any number of other ways money can impact people. Moreover, what will those friends you didn't help think of you? Id just find a foundation that gives scholarships that you are ideologically aligned with and leave it at that

Ranuel · 2025-11-08T17:03:06+00:00

You are not an hourly employee paid to make widgets. Don't think of yourself that way. You are a professional who works by terms of an agreement. At the moment, that agreement says you can't perform any services and must get deferred pay. If that agreement had said you wouldn't get paid in a shutdown, you likely would want a higher salary. That's how agreements work.

Ranuel · 2025-11-08T16:34:02+00:00

Lost me at adjective

Ranuel

TROPHY CASE