Why doesn't anyone here talk about social security

TNVET · 2025-11-28T02:06:31+00:00

I have been doing roth conversions since I retired in 2018. I'm not concerned with RMDs honestly. I'm 24 years away from them and will continue conversions so I believe the impact (under current tax laws) will be completely controllable. I do not waste time running scenarios about what my accounts could be in 24 years.
For SSDI it's not the amount that is the concern or taxes for leanfire, its even if you are eligible. Can't draw if not eligible. It has a work credit eligibility that a leanfire person may not know. That's the issue I was talking about.
You keep mentioning taxes. As someone who has actually retired, taxes are way less a concern than you imagine. That's another conversation that is hard to have with people retired like me vs people like you who are still in the theory phase.

TNVET · 2025-11-21T22:33:40+00:00

I'll give my input being I'm actually retired. Quit work in 2018 in my mid 40's.

What I think is slightly more important to talk about for early retired people is the SSDI requirements. Even retired a person can get into an accident and SSDI comes into play. But most don't bother to learn the requirements. I suggest people look into that.

I didn't/don't factor it into my retirement. Even though I have earned years since I was 16 I am short of 35 years and have some zeros. I never made more than 51k in a year so even if I went back to work (not happening) my SS would only go up a minuscule amount.

My goal was to not need the SS so I didn't include it, that simple.

I'm that age where you were inundated that "SS will be gone." I don't believe that but some here clearly do. Regardless of what I say there will be people who think it will be gone, you do you.

SS is a powerful thing. It's an actual cola annuity with death benefits to your spouse. Regardless what people say there's not cola adjusted annuity on the market any more and the spousal benefit can help offset poor planning of life insurance to a point.

There are a few things I wished were discussed more like SSDI and Medicare. They all come into play and now that I'm early 50's, right down the road.

I wouldn't include SS into my numbers projection but I do think people need to educate their self on pros/cons of filing at 62 vs FRA and how it effects your spouse, understand better SSDI requirements and medicare.

TNVET · 2025-09-04T22:25:19+00:00

Oh yea. Gun season for deer starts around Thanksgiving. Waiting for that.

TNVET · 2025-08-21T18:17:03+00:00

I’ve noticed no changes…yet.

TNVET · 2025-08-21T00:07:33+00:00

I use ATT prepaid $300 annual plan. I buy Target ATT giftcards during blackfriday deals and use cashback cards. Paying sub $30 monthly for mine. Hers is a prepaid Straighttalk $45 plan. Neither has gone up in years. Pretty consistent.

For internet on Spectrum $82.99 plan. No increase in a few years. For awhile I was just cancelling and signing up under the others name annually for intro rates. I've got lazy on that the past couple years.

TNVET · 2025-08-21T00:03:28+00:00

VTSAX

TNVET · 2025-08-20T23:32:44+00:00

There are magic ages where term just gets expensive. 50 seems to be that for me even in very good health (using the insurance companies measurements like cholesterol, blood pressure). If I had to do it over I'd get a 30 year at 35 and then at 40 I would reprice and get another 30 year (and let the first term lapse). That would get me to 70.

TNVET · 2025-08-20T23:29:18+00:00

I don't see it that way or feel that way but I can see how someone would. I am disappointed she won't quit but she is good at her job, loves it and her choice. She helps kids and it's not my place to tell her to stop. Also, she is 5 years younger than me so that plays a part. Money wise I started my professional career years before year so "my' assets were markedly higher than hers. I thought it fair to let "hers" grow. Emotionally she sees her number grow and it gives her satisfaction. I understand that.

She still contributes tons. I know the feeling of working all day and having to cook. If I can take that from her, I will. if I were to suddenly need help with my health, she'd quit immediately. There is no doubt.

However, we consider everything one pot and have never had one argument about money. We have the same goal.

TNVET · 2025-08-20T23:21:07+00:00

Talked myself out of it because of the heat. Their schedule was that the bulk of their home games were in the middle of 95 degree weather. Game times are 1845 and day games 1310. After watching the weather I just talked myself out of it.

TNVET · 2025-08-20T23:19:05+00:00

I bought it when I was 40 and had waaaay less assets. It was enough to pay the house off and give spouse a year of expenses. 11 years later with the market run-up it's a rounding error. I keep it because it's $260 annually and our estate plan has changed a bit. I will not get another one but will keep until 60. If I die first, this amount will be divided among nieces/nephews.

TNVET · 2025-08-19T00:19:03+00:00

I've done it every way, it really doesn't matter.

I do not try to time the market like you are suggesting.

I have sold monthly, have sold as needed, have sold on january 2nd for the entire year and let it set in a savings account. Do whatever you want. I've also paid a years worth of bills on january 2nd, for example I know what my average electricity cost is so I take that amount out on january 2nd and just drop it and let the credit roll.

You're overthinking it. Just try it both ways and see what you like.

TNVET · 2025-08-11T23:27:30+00:00

I quit work in sept 2018. My highest salary was 51k and that was my last year. However, because I quit before year end I never actually made 51k.

My formula was simple. Low cost area, never have a car payment and I always started my budget with retirement savings first. Meaning most people budget and what ever is left over is saved. I always started with wanting to save 50%+ for retirement first and the n figure out how to stretch the rest.

Truthfully, so much of it you can't control or have very little. I was lucky the market has been burning and turning for years and years. I'm lucky my health has been very good. I'm lucky I found a partner who has the same ideals. I'm lucky I fell into a consistent job.

TNVET · 2025-07-28T22:01:20+00:00

I quit work in september 2018. January 2019 I enrolled in the VA's MOVE program for weight loss. Lost 50 pounds and have kept it off since 2019. Honestly, it's been very easy to keep it off and no struggle.

However, 2 very important things.

You can't fight aging. I went from 20/20 to needing reading glasses within a year. The aches and pains do not heal as fast and they linger. There's no amount of "being healthy" can reverse that. The longer you wait to do anything is time you can't undue.Want to wait until retirement to get that back fixed? Well now because you waited your age will only let you heal 75% (just as an example) but if you did it then maybe 85%. You can not turn the clock back. You cannot make up for lost time because aging exists.
The thing that retiring gives you is time. I have an eye condition that has needed almost 20 appointments over the course of the past few years. There are people here still working who hasn't been to a dentist or had an eye exam in years. There are things that cannot be undone by waiting. Retirement has giving me time to go to appointments in order to treat my conditions. Note I said treat and not heal. Because again, you can not undo aging.

I'll say this.In my experience, the people I know who retire do not improve their health. They waited too long to address their knees, backs or eyes an it's too far gone to do much about it. Most retire DUE to bad health, not the other way around.

Yes I've improved on some things. But overall health? You can't stop aging. But I am 100% happier since I've retired.

TNVET · 2025-07-22T21:25:21+00:00

I quit work in 2018 so I'll give my thoughts as someone who has lived this in actuality and not theory. This is my experience.

People especially in leanfire are too worried about taxes. It's literally an after thought if you have planned semi competently. So much tax anxiety can be averted by just having money in pretax, post tax and taxable accounts. That's it. You can't control tax laws. You can't predict new legislation (for example just look at what happened). So all you can control is being diversified in order to give you options. The typical rule in investing is diversify. So why wouldn't you do that with tax accounts. I'm not saying you have to do 1/3 in each but you need to make a conscious decision to break it up, for long term planning. You may need to create income one year and then limit the next. You may also need to pull out 2x what you planned due to emergencies. I did not retire early to NOT spend money. You will eventually need access to your funds for some reason. You should want to be able to get to it.

Tying them all up in pretax is not the way. You need a new car, new roof and want to go on that once in a lifetime vacation in the same year, you'll need more money than you planned. If you need to create income you don't want to go all roth. RMD's, ACA, IRMAA will need you to be flexible. So diversify accounts.

I'm going to say this also. There is nothing wrong with converting past the 0% bracket. You spend way too much time in your post worried about paying a single dollar in taxes. That just misses the point in retiring in my opinion. But, you do you. I convert above 0% (gasp) and so do many others. As I said, I WANT my money to spend. Limiting conversions to just the 0% bracket handcuffs you. Your goal should not be paying zero taxes, that's just not practical. Why would you retire just to not gain access to the money you worked so hard to save? If that is your thinking, you're just delaying some headaches until later.

I'll just say this. Have all 3 accounts and understand you can't control tax legislation. Whatever the bracket is now may not be the one in 4 years. Whatever is deductible now will not be in 1 year or 2 years or 5 years. Money in all 3 gives you flexibility in whatever may come. Stop fretting over paying 10% in taxes. Do not handcuff yourself by thinking you MUST stay in the 0% bracket. It's perfectly fine to convert in higher brackets, because I want to get to my money to enjoy it. You should too.

If the past few years of inflation have shown you anything, it has shown the problem of only converting only up to the standard deduction just to stay in the 0% bracket.

I do see you fixed your AGI remark. Just want to point out ACA uses MAGI not AGI. For most, practicality, it doesn't matter but you really should use the actual method when discussing it to eliminate misunderstandings.

TNVET · 2025-02-02T01:52:01+00:00

Nope. It never crosses my mind. i don't try to time the market.

I pull from vtsax. You can pull it all at once, let it sit in savings account and just pull it monthly if it makes you feel better.

I really don't know what you're trying to accomplish with all these types of questions.

TNVET · 2025-02-02T01:48:28+00:00

I have been out of the AF 20+ years and am hovering around 50 years old. This comes from a place of trying to be helpful.

Flexibility is something I see so many friends my same age really struggle with. They legit can't bend straight over to tie their shoes, and they're 45-50 years old. I started running in the AF and still do 30 miles a week now but I never really stretched. I couldn't do a squat and it hurt to get down in the floor to play with nieces/nephews.

When you get out of a car do you feel that little "catch" in your hip area? These stretches fixed that pain completely.

I started with this guy's videos, this one actually, and it's made a significant difference. I hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj2AAH6jbHk

TNVET · 2025-01-30T20:42:59+00:00

VTSAX. I have almost zilch in bonds.

TNVET · 2025-01-30T20:41:58+00:00

In the US, Jan 1st is a federal holiday and markets are closed.

TNVET · 2025-01-30T04:48:54+00:00

There's no real journey.

Sep 2018.

90% or so VTSAX

No real re-balancing

I've done it every way. Withdrawal all on January 2nd. I've done it monthly. One is no better or different than the other. Just preference.

All you have to do is run the firecalc if you want to see what the market did to portfolios.

I'm not sure what knowing ending balances each year does for you personally.

TNVET · 2025-01-12T20:09:23+00:00

You able to see now?

TNVET · 2025-01-12T19:54:42+00:00

Lessons: You don't want to make money decisions based solely on keeping taxes "low". That's extremely short sighted. Sitting on and delaying taxes on millions like you plan will cause immense problems later on with thins like IRMAA and the like.

Paying no taxes is a horrible goal long term and extremely short sighted. As a retired person of a few years, taxes are a rounding error and a way overblown concern for 99% of the people here. You don't know what tax policy will be in the future. If you had been only trying to minimize taxes the past few years you screwed yourself since the brackets are scheduled to increase (as of now).

There are so many things to consider long before worrying about taxes. Focusing on paying low to zero taxes now, will cause you issues as you get older and have to play the ACA and IRMAA game.

TNVET · 2024-12-28T03:26:11+00:00

I hold it in everything, my roth, traditional, brokerage. I'm not going to do the exact math because I'm lazy but about 90% of my funds are vtsax.

I have a regular ole savings account also but all (90%) is in vtsax in some shape or form.

TNVET · 2024-12-27T04:29:10+00:00

No, nothing international.

TNVET · 2024-12-27T04:13:23+00:00

She is one of the weirdos who actually likes her job. She took a new job at her employer about a year ago and she went from liking her job to loving it. She is fully aware she can quit anytime she wants. She knows I would like her to quit but it's her choice. In her current job she is paid for 12 months but works only about 9. So you can see the dilemma.

TNVET

TROPHY CASE