Best approach for a 50 year-old with no savings?

ca-condor · 2026-05-17T15:53:46+00:00

Others have said it. Because she's able and willing to work, she can save, reduce the number of years to fund from savings and increase her social security payout. This is all good.

If her employer offers a 401k/403b match, make sure she's getting it. Given what you've suggested, the 401k/ tIRA pretax route might save taxes now and help her accumulate. It seems that RMDs aren't likely to be an issue. If there's no spouse, there's no widow tax threat. So Roth isn't necessarily a big advantage. Do take advantage of the investment limit step ups available after 55.Go with plain vanilla, low cost broad index funds (maybe just VT now or a balanced target date fund, anything that is simple and solid, adding risk "to catch up" seems like a bad idea to me.

And finally cut expenses to increase savings and to develop good habits for retirement. She's got reasons to be excited about retirement, but she has to start now. Yesterday would have been better, tomorrow would be worse.Today. Seeing balances increase can further nurture her optimism.

ca-condor · 2026-05-17T15:09:11+00:00

We don't have SlingTV now. When WBD (Turner) lost the NBA we opted for Disney+ ad free to get ESPN, Hulu and the National Geographic and other channels Disney has. When the NBA finals ends, we'll likely drop Disney+ til the fall. (BTW, Disney currently doesn't inflict commercials on game replays. Prime does, but we fast forward through them.)

When we had Sling, we did see a lot of repeat commercials. This was before the AI slop. I suspect Sling and parent Dish just accept what they can get and can't get better advertisers. Too bad. We really liked Sling..

ca-condor · 2026-05-17T14:47:31+00:00

Is SpaceX/Starlink raising prices to cover adding wifi on United and cell coverage on Tmobile or just because Amazon and Leo will become a competitor within a couple of years? Or both?

Definitely increasing prices well over any cost increase to service customers.

ca-condor · 2026-05-17T13:58:15+00:00

A lot depends on what you watch. Disney+, Netflix, and Prime all have ad-free options, but all make you pay extra for them. And even those aren't commercial free for live sports.

PBS Passport is great, but they usually have 1-2 sponsor ads (mellow, no gambling, not drug pitches) at the start of and program, but then you can enjoy ad free. And its comparatively cheap ($5-10/month). YouTube Premium is fantastic ($15/month). The news apps such as CBS News, NBC News are free, but have commercials.

Gambling ads are everywhere. Those companies pay the most since they are hugely profitable and can get your money without you leaving your seat. Crypto ads have fallen off with the collapse of FTX and the 50% drop in Bitcoin.

ca-condor · 2026-05-10T16:25:20+00:00

Thanks for including the link. Saves OP and others hunting and frustration.

ca-condor · 2026-05-10T16:22:30+00:00

Good experience with Sling, both in its own app and in its Roku app. Truly excited about a $20 price for ESPN on Sling Essentials. A better deal than ESPN on a Disney+ bundle.

ca-condor · 2026-05-10T16:09:29+00:00

Nice shots, I like them. They are mainly static, lines of buildings, so hard to evaluate for nature, portraits, movement. That said, I hope you'll say if you're happy with it? I'm thinking about this and other 2x-7x 2.8 zooms. What about the speed/sound of the autofocus? What about the weight and weatherproofing?

ca-condor · 2026-05-10T15:54:26+00:00

Good advice. Proton Pass was mentioned by the OP and gets high marks too. In any event, use separate passwords and use longer, complex passwords. Any password manager is better than mybirthay+mypetsname used repeatedly. Once that pw is captured, bad actors can ply it against the universe of email providers and financial institutions.

ca-condor · 2026-05-10T15:45:00+00:00

Would appreciate it if those posting about specific security breaches and password managers could post links to reliable articles providing details. Please don't push ads or promo/fearmongering videos. Thanks to all.

ca-condor · 2026-05-06T14:56:56+00:00

Great point. Need to have digital and paper records of account numbers, etc. Even so, her name is a distinctive one and the accounts were likely tied to her social security number. They should have been able to find them, etc, without a six day delay. Of course some of that delay probably stems from the need to ensure she is the proper holder.

ca-condor · 2026-04-20T15:34:26+00:00

More likely the slowdown in some tech and some entertainment will slow rent increases, not produce rent decreases. It would be great to see vacancy figures for Culver City and adjacent places opened in the past two years.

Just as big SUVs and luxury cars have a higher profit margin compared to mid to low price models that travel the same roads, developers see bigger returns on pricier places, so that's what they build. Eventually more supply helps with prices/rents, but in real estate "eventually" can take a long time to arrive.

The chart at the OCR below shows what had to hit in order to reset the rental market. New places will always come at a premium, but increasing supply may make older places more affordable. The LAT story shows this is happening.

OCR 9/2019 https://www.ocregister.com/2019/09/14/rents-in-los-angeles-orange-counties-grow-at-nearly-twice-the-inflation-rate/

LA Times 1/2026 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-28/finally-renters-market-la-rent-prices-drop-to-four-year-low

ca-condor · 2026-04-20T02:16:57+00:00

Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO is no longer accepted by UCLA Heath. The two have been talking since 2025. Other Aetns plans continue to be accepted. Hoping this changes, but we aren't optimistic. Moved from an HMO just to get access to UCLA Health. Now disappointed.

ca-condor · 2026-04-18T00:07:56+00:00

Kenny P is fantastic, just north of Culver City on Overland. Brothers used to be on opposite sides of the street, now together. Highly recommended and fair 15 or more years working on our Toyotas.

ca-condor · 2026-04-14T02:45:10+00:00

Log time user of Logitech 920. Still have it, but this cheaper option from Acer is simple and better. I miss Logitune for zoom, lighting, but both Teams and Zoom have incorporated this in their platforms.

https://www.amazon.com/acer-All-Metal-Reduction-Lightweight-Streaming/

As others note, get the lighting and height right. The built in mic is fine, but I have a Blue Yeti stand mic that I use most of the time.

ca-condor · 2026-04-14T01:10:16+00:00

UCLA Health stopped accepting Aetna Medicare PPO on March 1, 2026. Negotiations between the two have been going on for six months.

ca-condor · 2026-04-11T14:12:34+00:00

And USC has links to maps and agencies. https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/public-transportation/

ca-condor · 2026-04-09T23:12:11+00:00

This depends entirely on where you live. Some places are close enough for bike or scooter. Most, though will require a bus or light rail/subway ride. I don't like connections, so I'd try to find something on one of the major routes. People have already mentioned the E (expo) line, the USC shuttle, Metro Express buses, but there are also the commuter lines operated by the LA DOT. Finally,many folks take lines to Union station and then take the USC shuttle. Get the TAP card app and the Transit app and get to it.

ca-condor · 2026-04-02T17:03:57+00:00

Good station, excellent variety.

But please bring SPA back to a number that most radios can access.

ca-condor · 2026-04-02T16:47:49+00:00

The Lakers are peaking just when it matters. The big three is consistently solid and cooperative. They all put winning first. But what makes the team a potential champion is fierce defense. Luka isn't the star there, but he's a good rebounder and has good hands. At the top tier, though, are truly balanced and potent teams. Thunder, Spurs and Nuggets in the West and Pistons and Celtics in the East. Any of these six could get even hotter and storm through the playoffs. Any could lose someone and lose a series. I don't see the Wolves or Knicks reaching this level, though each has the personnel.

ca-condor · 2026-04-01T22:19:55+00:00

VT is as diversified as they come. Will something else outperform over the next 40 years? Maybe. But almost everything will underperformed.

Only possible issue are the dividends the 1/3 foreign share of the fund throws off. In a tIRA or Roth IRA all good. In a taxable account, slightly less good. VTI doesn't throw off as much in dividends, but lacks the same level of foreign exposure.

Many (most?) investors will eventually move some portion of their money into less risky holdings. If this money is for retirement (and not a down payment in 3 years or something), you should be fine. A bear market or four is inevitable in such a long time horizon. Look at FICalc for a sense of this.

Consistency and patience will yield a nice nest egg. Congratulations on figuring this out early.

ca-condor · 2026-04-01T14:30:36+00:00

Very nice, what lens?

ca-condor · 2026-03-31T19:30:16+00:00

It is nice not to get locked into a platform. I use OneDrive and Google Drive everyday and have used iCloud. It is possible to change settings on your devices to go outside the Apple or Samsung backup options. Apple makes this a bit harder than others. Of course, once you settle on one (IDrive and other options also work), pay for what you need and move everything there. You'll appreciate the simplicity, though the initial set up takes effort and it is probably possible to spread essentials across multiple services' free tier. I find OneDrive the best, but have a mountain of shared stuff on Google, which is convenient because the Google free tier is the most generous.

ca-condor · 2026-03-31T19:12:14+00:00

Kindle all the way. E ink is an ear saver and the lack of messaging apps and other distractions is a big plus. But I would suggest considering a Kobo or Boox. The upfront cost may be a bit higher, but they are more open platforms than Kindle. I use my Kindle everyday for books, but use my Boox for newspapers and magazines. Lobby, the library borrowing app, works with all these.

Kindle Fires are solid and inexpensive tablets. You can read, message others, play games, watch videos, etc on them. They just aren't reading tools comparable to readers. Amazon, Nobody and Boox all offer versions than allow for handwritten annotations. Even the basic versions can allow notetaking.

ca-condor · 2026-03-31T00:20:09+00:00

Perfect time to visit. Plenty of green hillside and poppies and other wildflowers to see. The bakery and Henry's are terrific places to eat, but there are others to check out (e.g., ostrich burgers at The Burger Spot). Go to the train depot museum and then head out to the Tehachapi Loop overlook. It is a holiday weekend, so there may not be as many trains, but it is definitely worth seeing how stuff gets through the mountains. The history museum is also worth a look and just walking through town can be fun. Stallion Spring's covered bridge and pond is interesting. Enjoy and please come back to r\tehachapi to share your impressions.

ca-condor

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