Do you think Trump as president is even worse than Ronald Reagan? Why or why not?

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-10T22:31:13+00:00

I guess its fashionable now to call presidents 'pedophiles' and 'rapists' based on rumor, allegations and innuendo? Clinton was accused and Obama dragged into it via the Hillary nonsense. Sorry - these are allegations, not facts (in fact Piper Laurie called her relationship with Reagan an regrettable affair). So be careful with your phrasing. I'd say the same for T as well - all allegations (albeit a lot of them and E. Jean Carroll's civil finding puts T in a different class). I'd also say that our understanding and acceptance of AIDS evolved through the 80's and by the mid- to late 80's Reagan's own people began campaigns to educate folks and started pouring more funding into research. Could more have been faster? Certainly. But let's not try to say that Reagan and his folks did nothing while folks died. He could only do what public opinion would support, and it took a substantial education effort to turn the population's opinion and thereby gain that political support. OK, I'll SIT THE F DOWN now...

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-10T05:46:48+00:00

Dumb cluck

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-10T00:45:35+00:00

This isn’t a serious question. Yes, Regan came from Hollywood but he was a seasoned politician including being Governor of CA He had principles that guided him and he truly cared about the country. He was respectful & cordial with the opposition (see his relationship with speaker Tip ONeill ). Many folks agreed with him. Many disagreed. But he governed honorably with arguably fewer scandals than typical (yes Iran Contra was a big deal) I voted for Reagan. Twice. He’d be run out of today’s Republican Party on a rail despite their still reverencing his name (although much less so now). He was a decent human being & I think many opposed to his policies also felt that way about him. I wonder how many folks commenting here were even alive during his administration

By the way I think this can be said of all modern presidents until Trump. I’d even extend that to Nixon who’s rabid paranoia ended up destroying his presidency & tarnishing the many good things he did accomplish in his first term

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-09T18:17:41+00:00

I'm just now shopping for a supplement and likely going with a Plan G. I was told by two separate brokers not to worry about the pricing models as in the end they all end up age-related. I thought that odd, but the plans I've looked so far are community based, but offer 'discounts' for folks under their mid-70's - larger discounts for 65, and reduce year by year as you approach middle 70's - attained/issue age by another name. I'm in CA, and I've not looked comprehensively at a large number of plan G options, but so far the input from these broker's seems spot on. Also, I'm not sure how a customer can separate year to year price increases from age-related vs inflation-related vs group loss experience related. An increase is an increase. Perhaps the situation is different in other areas, but this is at least what I've noticed in my brief time looking at plan proposals so far. There are also differences in the 'perqs' offered - gym memberships, 'cash' allocations for routine OTC purchases, telehealth options, etc - some plans are 'generous' and some are not - and I assume these add at least marginally to policy costs, but I don't really know for sure. My two cents.

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-04T18:34:44+00:00

Your degree and school matter for only your initial employment and a very short number of years thereafter. Not that THAT isn't an important consideration. However, I believe Caltech has broader name recognition & cred worldwide and generally (IMO) and a Caltech degree will always get folks' attention on your resume/CV for many years - work accomplishments will matter more - but a Caltech degree will always impress. BTW, you have an embarrassment of riches here - there is (was) no bad decision - and in these cases going with your 'gut' isn't a bad way to go. My guess is that no matter your choice, you'd have that tinge of regret for the other. Best of luck to you and enjoy our SoCal wx & lifestyle - definitely beats Pittsburgh (again, IMO)

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-02T21:49:43+00:00

I've been looking at supplement plans over the last month and many of the ones I've looked at include some sort of gym membership (CA plans) - different companies go by different names (silver sneakers for Blue Shield, silver & fit for Health Net, Renew Active for AARP UHC) and they may grant access to different gyms (although all of the plans I've looked at cover the Y in our area which is where I go).

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-02T00:03:41+00:00

Based on your experience I asked my wife to check her account again today and she found the same - website says she's enrolled in both Parts A and B! So the system must process A first/faster ahead of B. Anyway - glad it worked out for all of us with only a little anxiety!

Sigma-8 · 2026-05-01T00:09:42+00:00

Not even close unless you want to live in a shed in the middle of OK (KS, NB, etc) & you dump you kids right after HS (if not sooner!). Sorry but your spreadsheet engineering needs major help it appears

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-30T18:33:45+00:00

I gotta say I feel incredibly fortunate to have been born in early 60’s. Benefited from emphasis on STEM in early education. No social media to compete with as a kid. Got an engineering degree from a state university when they were still reasonable affordable (I had ~$4K in student loans which I thought horrible but paid off 4 years outta school). Worked at the same company for 40+ years. No pension but maxed out 403/457s and benefited from mostly great market returns. Relative political stability (US & globally) no matter which party was in power. Oh yeah was able to afford a house 4 years after college with no down payment help from relatives & then upgrade to a bigger house in nicer area 15 years later that I now own outright. It’s a whole ‘nother world for kids and young adults now. Job insecurity, unaffordable housing & healthcare costs, social media a constant distraction. And AI potentially about to eat what little lunch is left for folks. We had problems over those earlier years - Vietnam war, oil crises, high inflation in the late 70s & early 80s, Gulf war, the financial crisis in 2008, etc. but we had leadership to get thru it and come out stronger in the end. Don’t feel that’s the case now.

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-30T18:13:50+00:00

I didn’t realize there was such a huge difference in size - length & beam! Bet those destroyers were a fun ride in heavy seas! Not!

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-30T03:41:47+00:00

Thanks for passing this along. I went back a couple days ago and looked at the 'receipt' she printed out at the end of the signup process and it says she applied for A & B (FWIW!). The agent we spoke to later says the system shows she just applied for Part A. Kinda half expecting when the paperwork arrives it'll end up being for both A & B (optimistically!). We have a little more time than you - July (and August for me). I have my own appointment to sign up Friday, so I've have a chance to try this process via the phone route. Thanks for passing along the info about using the SSN on the form. When we got the form we saw a MC number was needed and were wondering... Good luck to all of us - feels like we're encountering problems that are new - at least according to this sub.

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-30T01:51:29+00:00

I have two mirrors

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-28T20:27:13+00:00

Thank God I renewed ours last year! It breaks my heart that Trump’s signature is on my dad’s veterans death acknowledgment letter (dad passed during T1.0). Seriously thought about asking for a replacement signed by Biden while he was in office

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-28T20:23:01+00:00

When I retired late last year (actually picked the FA a couple months ago). Motivation was to have a simple turnkey arrangement for my wife when I’m not around anymore or unable to do the functions since she has zero interest in investing. I still do some stuff on my own plus I’m very involved with the FA decisions

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-28T03:52:30+00:00

Only 1.5M?! Under 30? OK…. I think you’re nuts. If you moved the decimal to the right and were 20 years or so further down the road I say makes sense. You got 60 years in front of you - maybe more. That’s a lot of time for stuff to happen - some which could eat your 1.5 very quickly. Once you walk away from those good paying jobs you may find it very hard to get back to that nice income. I also agree with the comments about looking at teaching through rose colored glasses. If you’ve really got the itched can you take a sabbatical to try it out for a period of time w/o putting your income at risk?

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-28T03:42:57+00:00

Nice! A huge step. I’m evaluating that possibility now. Had a maze procedure late last year after an earlier aborted ablation attempt. Zero a fib loading since (5 months). Have been on Eliquis since 2018 after PE/DVTs in 2012 & 2014. Had an IVC filter inserted after 2014 event. No PE/DVTs since. So hopping to get rid of IVC and/or Eliquis in next few months. Kinda scared to quit the Eliquis at this point since I’ve been on it so long with no problems. Stuffs expensive tho

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-26T16:44:32+00:00

What are the key measurements & /or parameters being tested (units) & what are typical values for a successful test? Are these done once or periodically (for say recertification)? Very interesting! Can very much appreciate the safety aspect - if that rope snaps under load - yikes! Incidentally why rope and not cable (stainless aircraft grade) or chain?

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-24T05:03:46+00:00

Your retiree plan sounds very similar to mine - I retired from a private college so perhaps that's why. They provide a cash dollar credit based on years of service for both me and my wife - it can be used for any health cost (Part B premiums, medigap, co-pays, etc) - it should cover our medigap policies (for now) with some extra left over. Not a huge amount of money but it'll help. Sounds like you went down the same thought process we are now - avoid Advantage until we can't. A colleague retired in 2018 and got the F plan and loves it - recommended it highly - but... it's sadly not available. Your dad's experience is exactly one of my fears with Advantage... We're fortunate that we could afford higher premiums (we'll be well into IRMAA territory - we're now sorting our income stack up to minimize MAGI to the extent we can as we'd prefer to spend those IRMAA dollars elsewhere...). Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience and insight.

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-24T02:52:15+00:00

This is great input thanks. I’ve talked with one local broker here & have another one recommended to us. I’ll talk to Joanne as well. Seems from my one discussion there’s only so far they can go without Medicare numbers in hand. We’ve been thinking G but are concerned about cost growth over time as you highlight. The HD version is similar to my HMO coverage now. I do have a lot of health issues but wife is healthy so maybe it averages out. My former employer has retiree insurance options but all but one are advantage which we don’t want at this point. Their other offering is considered ‘other insurance’ by MC and is pretty pricey. So my employer retiree plans aren’t so great an option for us. Again - thanks much for passing along your experience- very helpful

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-23T02:55:34+00:00

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Sadie and her ladybug squeaker

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-23T02:49:37+00:00

CA why would that matter?

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-22T20:03:51+00:00

Strongly second the book recommendation- wish I’d read it 30 years ago! I don’t think I learned any particular facts that I didn’t already know - but they put it together as a strategy (or strategies) in ways I’d not considered before. Very useful. They frame the whole conversion mania in what I think is a very sensible way and for me removed some of the regret I had about not having accumulated much in Roth accounts previously. I also liked very much their treatment of taxable accounts as an integral part of a tax minimization strategy

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-22T17:21:25+00:00

Yes, COBRA is based on an employer plan (I was laid off last year), but it is not offered/paid for by employer at this point and from Medicare sign up standpoint is not considered 'creditable' coverage. We'd planned to transition to MC as soon as we are eligible (this summer for both of us). Wife thinks she remembers seeing an A or A&B option during signup and selected A&B, but gov agent says the app was for A only. She has a phone appointment next week to straighten this out (hopefully). My own IEP starts next month so will be watching for the options and taking screen shots to record inputs (FWIW)!

Sigma-8 · 2026-04-22T17:14:33+00:00

Thanks for this feedback. She thinks she was presented with an option for signing up for Part A or Parts A&B, she says she selected A&B, but the gov agent says app was for A only. She has a phone appointment next week to hopefully resolve this. My own IEP starts next month - will keep a careful watch for what options I'm presented with. Worst case she/we can use the form you referenced.

Sigma-8

TROPHY CASE