The money earmarked for the annuity is in 403b accounts at TIAA-CREF, separate from the Vanguard/Fidelity retirement accounts. I figure I'll decide exactly how to do it when the time comes, but most likely I'll wait until age 70 then plow it all into a fixed annuity that stays in tax-deferred space....

When I got Verizon FIOS, the "wall-wart thingy" was included with installation. It's their box and presumably if something goes wrong with it it's on them to replace. The wireless router is another piece that you need, and it's your responsibility. I had the option to rent or buy it. After doing a b...

I looked at LTC insurance, but the limits on coverage (2 years, pays only about 2/3 expenses, and has lots of little "gotcha" exceptions that I'm sure would kick in when it comes time to make claims) didn't seem worth the expense. Because it's virtually a certainty that we will all need LTC eventual...

I've been basically retired since my early 40s. I built and sold a business. Building and running it stressed me a lot and burned me out, so I didn't have the appetite to do it again. I retained some modest rental commercial real estate until last year. Now I'm really retired. Retired and in the 32...

OK will grant that - in fact yes, if it were only about finances I'd very likely move. I think you'd be surprised at relative costs in NYC and Texas. Cost of living comparisons usually cherry pick a few items, and end up with a wildly un-representative sample. I once pulled a sheet of average spend...

Upon further review, we will not be making any Roth conversions. We are in the 22% tax bracket now. When we start taking RMD's and social security, the extra taxable income will put us into the 24% bracket. To do conversions, we would try to fill up the 24% bracket for several years, and maybe stil...

Ha, well put. The problem with progressive government programs is that they require a bureaucracy to run them. After a certain point, the bureaucracy takes on a life of its own. I encountered a clinical issue yesterday that made me shake my head in wonder: a patient was required by a vocational prog...

If Beto beats Ted next month, it's prob an indication that more is happening here than just an increase in housing prices. I hear migration of New Yorkers is having a similar unplanned effect on Florida. [/quote] That's an interesting unintended effect of Trump's tax plan, isn't it? Revenge on blue...

Retirement/lifetime savings. Includes emergency fund.

OK will grant that - in fact yes, if it were only about finances I'd very likely move. I think you'd be surprised at relative costs in NYC and Texas. Cost of living comparisons usually cherry pick a few items, and end up with a wildly un-representative sample. I once pulled a sheet of average spendi...

On the other hand, having UBI means that workers won't have to drive for Uber or scrub toilets to survive. Meaning that if the job is sufficiently low-paying or annoying, it will be relatively easier to quit. So I figured that UBI could actually force these companies to pay employees/contractors bet...

New York is well known for going after residents "moving" to other states but keeping an address in NY. I think if you move completely and have no address in the state there's nothing they can do. Not that they wouldn't try :-) New York's tax structure is actually not bad for retirees, especially fr...