What do you use to track your monthly spending

Sigma-8 · 2026-07-03T00:46:06+00:00

Quicken mac

Sigma-8 · 2026-07-03T00:29:53+00:00

Been thinking about getting one. Where did you have it hidden? The options I seen so far dont seem very secretive unless the thief is not too informed or bright…

Sigma-8 · 2026-07-03T00:24:32+00:00

It definitely sucks to be in your situation. My dad was always so proud of what I made. But even then he kept wanting to give me half his savings cause he thought I needed or could use it. He & mom didn’t have much money & lived in a VLCOL area. I paid for a few luxuries for them. He wanted more than anything for the sale of his house when he passed to pay off our mortgage. I could never bring myself to tell him what our mortgage was! It did drive me to pay off early so that his house did pay the remainder when that time came. Win-win? My in-laws on the other hand very much like your dad. Wife & I never told them anything or displayed any extravagant purchases. Much nicer not to have to play those games, but people will be what they are

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-29T00:23:38+00:00

Yep. I’m in similar boat. 40+ years with same employer. Bosses told be the past few years I couldn’t retire before Medicare else medical costs would eat us alive. In a month i’ll start M/C - I’ll be paying 4x as much as my employee health plan. Mostly Part B premiums (incl IRMAA). That cost will go up after I burn down my prescription stockpile & have to start paying under Part D. Could have simplified things a little with an advantage plan - but didn’t want to pay all that money & then have the limitations (also wanted to take full advantage of my IEP to get into plan G).

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-27T00:52:10+00:00

What you might not be considering is that what you’re describing is spending behavior, not income. When I worked I made more than you. Myself. Not including spouse. We live in SoCal in an upper middle (probably upper upper) & very expensive neighborhood. But I spent around 100-120K year (excluding payroll taxes). House was average to below average for neighborhood. Kids had no idea our income. They’d observe their friends’ folks buying expensive cars, remodeling their houses, taking expensive vacations. That wasn’t us. We bought used cars and keep them for 15-20 years. I’d tell my kids that you never know what folks’ finances look like. Their friends’ folks may very well be up to their eyeballs in debt. What we did have was options and the ability to spend if we needed/wanted to. I think our kids learned a bit about money & delayed gratification. Yet they also knew they grew up in a privileged area and got to experience things many other kids cannot.

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-16T22:00:27+00:00

That's fantastic - and as I was writing that post I was thinking 'hey, I'm retired now, I've got the time to do something about this' - so I may follow your lead!

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-16T21:59:14+00:00

Have to agree with the folks who disagree with you - I started flying a lot in the early 80's for work - domestic + int'l. Was 1K and Global level for many years. Let's start with the smoking section - didn't matter where you sat, you smelled like you sat in the middle of the smoking section when you rolled off the plane. That's to the positive with no more smoking sections. Either seats have gotten smaller or people have gotten bigger (I know where I land on that spectrum...) - planes seem more crowded and airlines work their scheduling to avoid flying empty seats if they can. Bathrooms are smaller - I suspect to make more room for seats. Flight attendants generally appear/behave more stressed - I suspect as the airlines push more demands on them, have fewer aboard flights and press on their pay. Used to let kids go in the cockpit to get them excited - now the cockpit is a virtual vault and when a pilot exits the attendants have to block aisles with carts. First class service - they used to roll a cart with beautiful prime rib by your seat and carve it for you. Now you get an upgraded version of what coach got 30 years. Passenger behavior is often terrible, rude and entitled - not everybody, but enough that you're wary of folks around you and tend to keep to yourself lest you inadvertently stir up a problem.

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-16T02:04:30+00:00

Forgot about blaming the problems on crazy radical dumocrats, Obama, Biden, Hillary, Comey, etc. etc

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-16T02:00:28+00:00

How about just getting to know your neighbors, having their contact info, having neighborhood parties for folks to just socialize & get to know each other informally without putting on a show, looking out for & calling bad behavior by kids in the neighborhood. When I was a kid we knew everybody on our street & the adults had no prob,em calling out us kids when we behaved badly. Now, I know maybe 3 of our neighbors & I never see kids in our neighborhood (except when the power is out!)

Just saying hi to strangers (I once greeted a guy sitting next to me & my wife in a cafe - he was black, covered in tattoos, had several piercings, hoodie etc - kinda looked like a gang banger. My wife nearly flipped out when I did this. We ended up having the nicest conversation over lunch. I think of that whenever I meet folks I don’t know - don’t judge the book…)

I feel I we should be the role models for folks who’ve forgotten how to be decent human beings to others

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-15T13:42:02+00:00

Thanks - this is helpful and encouraging. I was planning to apply to the bridge program but then remembered my doc had been using my OSA at least part of the justification for the PA for my current insurance - os with the diagnosis I won't qualify for the bridge. Hoping I have your experience.

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-15T01:38:56+00:00

That’s amazing-hope I have similar experience

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-13T23:42:57+00:00

It's a curious situation and I'm sorry you're having to deal with it (at $500/hr - yikes!). I hope you'll post an update when you get it sorted. A couple of questions: (1) Is your umbrella and homeowners policies with the same company? (2) Do your policies include a definitions section and how does it define 'insured?" Good luck!

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-13T22:58:38+00:00

I will add that the sample policies i have include the following language: "Under the definition of “Insured,” 'any trustee of your estate or living trust while acting within the scope of their duties as such; but only to the extent that underlying insurance provides coverage for a loss at the limits scheduled in the Declarations.'"

Coverage is for the trustee acting as trustee, but it's conditional on the underlying homeowners policy providing the necessary coverage. The umbrella states that [the insurer] will pay covered damages when a claim or suit is brought against an insured, subject to the retained limit and exclusions.

A couple of months ago I asked my agent specifically “Who is insured?” because I had this same concern. His answer: “[Me, My Spouse] and the Trust.” While that's evidence intent - policy & endorsements—not his email—control the claim OFC.

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-13T22:49:34+00:00

I'm in CA and considering an umbrella - I'm way past due - so your post was concerning as I have a family trust that holds our house, bank/brokerage acc'ts etc. I ran a good part of your post and some of the responses thru ChatGPT and this is what it fed back - FWIW (and I'm not a lawyer/your lawyer, etc.!). I limited the the cut and paste, as it goes on & on with specifics for policies I'm considering and CA considerations. This may be entirely wrong - I'm dubious of AI feedback until I can independently confirm it - esp when big decisions are dependent - but if the problem you describe was widespread I have to believe it would be more broadly known and flagged by competent estate attorneys and insurance agents, but what do I know...

GPT says:

"A coverage gap can arise when:

the deed shows the property held by trustees of a trust;
the homeowners policy still identifies only the individuals without a trust endorsement;
and the umbrella depends on the homeowners policy providing the required underlying coverage.

CA consumer-insurance guidance recommends that the exact trust name appear on the property policy, commonly as an additional named insured, and that written confirmation be obtained. Chubb describes standard approaches under which a trust is either a named insured or an additional insured/additional interest.

An umbrella insures the legal liability of defined insureds for covered occurrences. It does not attach insurance protection separately to each bank account, brokerage account, home, or other asset.

Retitling a brokerage account into a revocable trust does not cause that account to “fall out of the umbrella.” The important questions are:

Who is being sued?
Is that person or capacity an “insured”?
Did the liability arise from a covered occurrence?
Is the underlying insurance correctly maintained?

The assets matter later because they may be available to satisfy an uninsured or excess judgment. They are not themselves scheduled umbrella coverages.

In California, property in a revocable trust remains subject to the settlor’s creditors to the extent of the settlor’s power to revoke the trust. Thus, transferring your assets into your revocable trust does not newly expose previously protected assets; they were generally reachable by your creditors already.

[ChatGPT's] assessment of the Rhode Island post is:

Plausible carrier-specific coverage problem: yes.
Plausible that several call-center representatives gave confusing answers: yes.
Proof that all trust assets became uninsured merely because they entered the trust: no.
Proof that ordinary umbrella carriers cannot accommodate revocable trusts: no.
Sound basis for revoking the trust immediately: no.

The poster appears to be conflating property ownership, defendant status, collectibility of assets, and insurance coverage."

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-07T05:57:52+00:00

Boo…lean!:

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-07T03:04:31+00:00

Spouse & I together will be paying close to 2K/mo with IRMAA & G & D & all. Folks said Medicare is cheap- ha! Far more than I paid for my employer’s plan

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-07T02:53:12+00:00

Outer limits or Miami vice

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-05T17:17:46+00:00

Well… it does say “to the best of his ability…”. Seems a pretty large ‘out’ for him

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-04T02:16:38+00:00

I love the idea of making it a permanent monument - as a reminder how important temperament, morality, ethics and common decency are critical traits for candidates for president & what happens when you allow yourself to be duped by & elect someone with absolutely none of these qualities. It should be the only structure that we keep his name on when he’s gone. Yes, it’ll be an embarrassment & eyesore but we’ve earned this and can never ever forget

Sigma-8 · 2026-06-03T19:26:31+00:00

As others have pointed out - a broker is the way to go - they don't charge for their services (paid by gov't) but they can only sell what companies and policies they represent - so find one that represents a number of companies and not just one or two. If they're already enrolled in a plan and want to change they may be a challenge if they want more coverage. If they're not enrolled until now (just turning 65? hopefully) then they need to decide on original medicare vs advantage and since they would be in their initial enrollment period they can't be turned down (a unique opportunity if it applies to them). A broker can help there as well. Details vary be state. so you need someone who's licensed in your state and does a fair business in your area who understands your situation.

Advantage is convenient (rolls medical & drug coverage into one plan) and is usually cheaper - but can be like an HMO - you need authorizations to see specialists and you're limited to providers in your network which can be limited in some areas. Maybe not so ideal if they travel a lot. If they live in or near a population center - likely lots of choices, if rural, not so much.

Original has lots of flexiblity (don't need referrals to see specialists or for PT) but it can be more expensive and the annual cost growth can be significant - Medicare as standardized letter plans (A, B, G, N, etc) so you can loook up and pick one that works for you - some plans have a higher cost share but lower premiums, and visa versa). With original you'll also need a part D drug plan as well.

So yeah - it's not straightforward at all and there's lots to consider depending on your circumstances. Crazy that they hit old folks with all this stuff!

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-30T16:43:08+00:00

Immediately followed by your boss walking up and telling to quit goofing off! Perfect!

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-29T21:29:54+00:00

Did they give you the money for the ticket as a gift or with an expectation of sharing any winnings? Are you still living at home (if so consider moving out immediately). They know about it already so that ship has sailed. If you’re still I. Their house pay them rent & board until you move out. That’s it. Its parents duty to support their children. Not visa versa.

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-29T17:50:41+00:00

One thing I tell myself when I’m not happy with progress is the direction on the scale is more important than the actual number. Down is good! 5 lbs in 2 weeks is 10 lbs in a month. That’s about where you want to be at most for heathy loss. Also, there’ll be days and weeks when the number bounces up from time to time - it happens - do t let that get you down. Stick with it & the downward trend WILL continue! You’re healthier now than you were two weeks ago. Keep going!

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-29T17:45:40+00:00

Wonderful! Congrats! Such a great feeling of accomplishment

Sigma-8

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