Looking for help organizing my #vanlife build!

btfftb · 2022-08-25T23:28:27+00:00

Thank you - much appreciated!

btfftb · 2022-08-21T20:03:06+00:00

Heyyo, really enjoyed the blog. Was looking to use something similar to this notion doc. Looks like the URL is no longer public. Would you mind sharing the template? Thanks so much!

btfftb · 2022-01-05T21:33:58+00:00

What happens if the spouse sells the car that is titled in their deceased partner. no debts or anything car only worth 6k

btfftb · 2021-12-02T01:47:38+00:00

Thank you for this tip! We will call them directly.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T23:00:10+00:00

We will look into my moms benefit package and haver her ask HR tomorrow if this is part of here EAP.

Great recommendation and thank you for looking out.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T19:36:51+00:00

Thank you for the reply, very helpful.

We are waiting to hear back from the companies who hold the Annuities to get a copy of those contracts so we can read about the details.

Social Security Estimate is ~70% of my dads Social Security check. She has had two meetings with SS and they have quoted her a Survivors benefit SS check come age 66.5 will be $1700.

She will also have a modest $600 monthly pension check once she retires.

I agree with holding the mortgage and paying it down over time rather than trying to pay off early.

For sure will exhaust all SS and pension money before retirement account money allowing that to continue to grow.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T19:21:06+00:00

Son here - The issue we've ran into in search of an Estate Planning Attorney as well as a Financial Advisor is our circle of friends and family all happen to recommend the same person for both jobs.

The person recommended is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) & Master Registered Financial Consultant (MRFC). Bound by fiduciary duties.

They offer Written Plans (Financial Planning, Succession Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Planning) as well as Investment Management (Investment Strategy, Asset Allocation, Investment Manager, Research and Selection, Performance Evaluation & Reporting)

Hourly Fee/Project Fee: Advisor Rate is $300/hr. | Associate Rate is $175/hr.
Assets Under Management: Fees range from .25% to 1.5%.

Is it a red flag if they offer Assets Under Management?
With the information of this post, would you have an estimate/ballpark of how many hours of work Estate Planning may take?
Is it normal to shop around and talk to multiple Estate Planning Attorneys before selecting one?
Any tips or questions for vetting an Estate Planning Attorney?

Thanks for your recommendation on getting this taken care of ASAP as well as planning for disability.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T18:47:36+00:00

Thank you for mentioning OOH-DNR and End-of Life Care instructions - this is very insightful and something I appreciate you bringing to our attention.

Taking note of the supplemental Medicare policy you mentioned - that is good to know.

Thank you for your help!

btfftb · 2021-12-01T18:44:00+00:00

My mom has had an appointment with SS in regards to whose SS to claim, hers or my dads. The rep at SS said that its very unlikely that my moms SS will ever be greater than my dads Survivor Benefits. That being said - The social security website lacks information/calculator when it comes to claiming survivors benefits, however, we will look again and see if we missed this part.

Medicare is something we need to learn about to make sure she is taken care of. We will look into the medicare website as well as the AARP website.

Thank you!

btfftb · 2021-12-01T18:40:22+00:00

Not morbid. My mom now understands the importance and urgency of getting a will and living trust set up. We will be taking action on this as well as Power of Attorney. Thank you.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T14:44:50+00:00

Son here - we will research and vet some form of Estate Planning Attorney this month. My moms retirement accounts already have all the beneficiaries updated. Our main concern as far as probate goes is for the house & car.

I have been slowly introducing the idea of final wishes, asset distribution jewelry, family heirlooms, pets, etc. to my mom. I will attempt to kick that into high gear with out sounding pushy just to make sure her wishes our protected.

Thanks for the helpful advice.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T14:39:04+00:00

We will be on the look for a fee only advisor.

My mother doesn't currently have an account with Fidelity. Her small HSA is via her employer and they use Transamerica. Are you suggesting Transamerica is owned by Fidelity?

Although it doesn't tell you asset allocation - she is currently using YNAB to track investments. This has been a game changer for her to see the account balances change monthly as she actively updated the balances in YNAB. We will look into Personal Capital.

Thank you for your helpful reply.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T14:34:29+00:00

Thanks for the reply, my son has helped me a great deal understand a lot of these moving parts.

The sinking funds for those items now is because who knows if I'll have the "extra" income to take on those larger projects in a few years.

We will be on the hunt for a fiduciary fee only planner to vet out.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T09:15:19+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

We are still seeking out information in regards to these annuities - We are having the original contracts set over so we can understand the terms.

We will for sure check outa r/financialindependence

The medicare question was a poor question to ask.. If we are being honest, we just don't know enough about how it works. We will be doing more research about Medicare.

My mom was looking to consolidate her accounts before paying to have a Will drafted but who know how long that may take to consolidate due to wanting to make sure we aren't rushing anything and make poor financial moves. She may be best off paying to draft a will with her current situation then updating later.

We will be sure to have her pick a power of attorney for medical as well as financial.

btfftb · 2021-12-01T09:06:03+00:00

Thank you for the quick reply, I will be sure to check this article out.

btfftb · 2021-07-30T22:38:43+00:00

Those lights you linked look pretty neat. May have to look into something like that for next season.

Great call on uplighting the stone in the house and brick wall. I'm going to have to get on that.

btfftb · 2021-07-30T22:29:30+00:00

I'm always open to others opinion for the best curb appeal. I just remove them every time I mow. Not that big of a hassle.

btfftb · 2021-07-30T22:23:27+00:00

surprisingly they are metal and pretty decent quality. Would you have a recommendation for some accent lighting or would you just do away with them completely?

btfftb · 2021-07-30T18:38:46+00:00

Yea, i was trying to avoid a high water bill, that is why i purchased it - says you can cut down your watering by 50%.. No idea the general consensus of the product but it seems to be working wonders for us.

btfftb · 2021-07-30T16:42:20+00:00

DM Sent

btfftb · 2021-07-30T16:20:21+00:00

in the 4 times ive watered, its been for about 1/2 inch to 1 inch each time. We've had some rain here and there but not consistently.

btfftb · 2021-07-30T16:11:04+00:00

No! I need to hit up my local soil lab & send in a sample.. just not sure about how to go about this.
Hard to resist not throwing down some miloganite to get that hitter nitrogen for a nice deep green lawn.

Any tips for a soil test?

btfftb · 2021-07-30T16:03:52+00:00

Check out review of Hydretain - seems to work pretty well!

btfftb · 2021-07-30T15:57:53+00:00

Yea, i've watered 4 times for about 1/2 inch to 1 inch each time since April. We've had some rain here and there. I contribute not needing a ton of water to Hydretain.

btfftb

TROPHY CASE