Recent content by Rianne

I went on my first and only cruise about 15 years ago. My friend worked for United and it was an incredible deal. I realized then I do not like cruising on huge ships. I like the idea of a Catamaran. We prefer small groups of 25 or less.

My icon is a pic of the solar storm in Illinois!!! Whatever disruption was worth it. That pic was not the most dramatic. I happen to like purple.

Highly recommend "In Restless Dreams: /The Music of Paul Simon" on Prime. Goes back to when they began as childhood friends, when the stress of fame broke them up. I did not know Paul Simon wrote all the lyrics to their songs

ACA requires you keep your MAGI at or below a level. Personal experience: We were relatively healthy. Our ACA plan had a high deductible and we contributed to HSA to keep income low. DH had a parttime consulting gig. Monthly premiums for both combined: $8-$12/month Our healthcare system gave...

We did not have children and pay a huge portion of our property taxes to school districts. And the state pension obligation, well don't get me started. Farmer's subsidies are also an issue. Corn and beans, every year destroy the rich midwestern soil and waterways. But we'll stay here. Our family...

The New Look on Apple is interesting. Historical account based on true events during WWll. Experiences of Coco Chanel and Christian Dior in Paris and how they launched their fashion careers.

Plugging in numbers to any calculator, if my spending were say $300K/year, my probability would be 50%. If my spending were $50K/year, my probability would be 100% plus a lot left over. And other income means a lot, so SS and/or pension would make your probability higher. If your health is good...

Think of it as summer vacation, but all year long.

Welcome! I guess you can think of it as "freedom" more than "retirement" Why not have a part-time gig as consulting but keep your schedule open to do what you want, travel, volunteer...etc. We're no longer tied to working for income. Our investments are working for us. :flowers:

What do you mean by least? It depends on spending and debt, IMO.

Follow-up from my OP. After making the airline reservation to Vancouver on AA, AA encouraged me to become an AA member. I signed up and now have a log-in to AA. After I did that AA changed my flight times! The same days but different, much better departure and arrival times. I have my assigned...

Nothing like walking in the woods with your BFF.

Great thread. DH has a 30 ft x 15 ft garden filled with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and herbs. The yard and garden are great for hot yoga stretching :). We like our neighbors and spend time with them out to dinner, bbq, and playing games. My icon is a pic of the recent northern...

I saw this article in WSJ about Rockford, IL being the top housing market in the U.S. Sorry if this is behind a paywall. "Rockford is one of 11 Midwestern metro areas that dominate the top 20 in the latest WSJ/Realtor.com Housing Market Ranking. The region’s relative affordability makes it...

That's a great point I didn't think of. Are moving to independent living with medical considered long-term care? Or do you have to be in a nursing home?