@SOSConcern, we are proud. I send out a Proud Husband alert to my friends and business contacts whenever she has a major show.
On annuities, bond funds and stocksâa different perspective than is often touted here
Do you agree with your link? Are you recommending your clients use partial annuitization?
Are you using 2 percent inflation, real compounded returns for stocks of 6 percent and bonds compounding at 1 percent for retirement planning?
How do taxes play a part in these portfolios?
Thereâs an interesting discussion on this at http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=170984.
I find Wade Pfauâs subsidized research much less compelling than his other work. And, @dstark, your politely worded question about the assumptions carries the stinger that those assumptions favor the sponsors of the research. You are a gentleman 
Does anyone plan on working part time when they retire from their career job?
I have been thinking of looking for a part time job if I could find one that allows me to work about 15 hours a week and is an easy commute. No fuss or stress as long as I show up on schedule and on time the employer will be happy.
If I do not like the job I want to be in a position to just walk away. I have 3 in mind- at our library shelving books, delivering auto parts, or working the front desk at my gym.
I am also considering starting a bookkeeping service but not sure I want the hassle of finding customers.
@tom1944, my wife is working 15 hours a week. She has a great commute. She works out of the house. 
Hey! If you find something you want to doâŠyou should do it!
I have thought of working, but giving up the âhigh stress, high salaryâ (itâs all relative) pace when I retire. Maybe work because itâs meaningful, instead of for pay. Or work because the hours are convenient. When I retire, Iâm hoping to fit a fair amount of travel in the early years, so it would have to be something flexible. My husband is going to have a very hard time fully retiring, so I might as well do something. I know someone who helps people with their taxes, but doesnât work the rest of the year. During the last election, I think she also did some canvassing or something. But itâs all by her choice, not necessity.
Iâm thinking of a part-time fast food job in Europe for $20 an hour. 
I havenât given it much thought, but perhaps Iâd like to be a dog-walker / dog-sitter. I enjoy dogs, and while I donât expect to need the money, it would be good to make sure that the dog-owner has some skin in the game.
I work part-time as a poll inspector in September and November elections, also phone from home during tax seasons, and substitute as a teacher or teachers assistant in schools where I had subbed more than 30 years ago. One benefit to subbing is you get to pick what levels you want, what days per week you want to sub, and what schools you want to sub in. If you didnât like the experience in a classroom then you turn it down next time. Iâve worked K-12 but Iâm not comfortable with the subject matter at the HS level.
What I need help in is how to produce booklets of my short biographical stories. I have written the stories but donât know how to to put them into a booklet format using Word on my computer. Itâs frustrating to waste several hours with nothing to show for it but worthless scraps of paper.
Where are Americanâs most over-valued housing market?
After your retirement, if you happen to own a house in such an over-valued market, is it good to keep it over a long time, assuming that you do not need to extract the money from its equity in the near future? - in the hope that it could help you to âbeat the inflationâ?
For the young generation, is it good for them to move into such an area, sooner rather than later? This is because, in recent years, I kept hearing that people in general move from the midwest (say, OH, MI), or even a smaller NE state like RI, to the south (like TX.) I think you really do not want to be stuck in an area where the population is decreasing year after year.
(I do not think this news would be music to dstarkâs ear. He seems to have mentioned not a long time ago that the existence of cheap houses (relative to the houses in the Bay area) at places like Cedar Park which is near Austin could attract his D to that âfar awayâ place. LOL.)
@mcat2, my daughter was saved from paying for an overpriced place! Lol
It is a little surprising that parts of the SF Bay area arenât on the list.
@dstark I was just throwing that piece out there for people to read. I am not a âplannerâ of any sortâI just manage money. I have never bought an annuity for myself or clients, nor have I bought a bond fund for anyone. I am almost strictly equities, with some options and an occasional bond.
Ok. Thanks.
There arenât many states where the population is âdecreasing year after year.â Itâs mostly a question of faster growth v. slower growth. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the only states that will actually lose population by 2030 are North Dakota (-5.5%) and West Virginia (-4.9%), although growth is expected to be very slow in Iowa (1%), Ohio (1.7%), New York (2.6%), and Pennsylvania (4.0%), but a little stronger in Michigan (7.6%). Illinois (8.2%), Connecticut (8.3%), Rhode Island (10%) and Massachusetts (10.4%). This is still well off the expected national growth rate of 29.2% over that same period, but itâs far from an absolute loss of population. There are often shifts within a state as well; for example, the cities of Detroit and Cleveland have lost population while their respective metropolitan areas have remained more or less stable in population, as have the states of Michigan and Ohio. And many parts of upstate New York continue to lose population without it creating any downward pressure on real estate prices in New York City which continue to soar, not so much because of absolute population increases but because wealthier people continue to displace less wealthy people in Manhattan and now in parts of Brooklyn as well.
In general, though, slow population growth should continue to keep housing prices moderate in some places. Is that such a bad thing? Maybe, if youâre looking to cash in on your equity in your home; but once youâve cashed in, wouldnât you be better off living someplace with lower housing costs? And if housing costs eat up a smaller fraction of your income while youâre working and even in your retirement years, should that leave you with more money to invest elsewhere?
My concern would be just the opposite. If housing is truly over-valued in a particular market, it should lead to a correction sooner or later, and all that hard-earned income you poured into over-valued real estate isâpoof!âup in smoke. Lots of people learned that the hard way in the recent Great Recession, but apparently not everyone. If I owned real estate that I thought was overvalued, Iâd want to get out while the getting is good.
Actually, I (a single person) find it easy to live on my retirement Social Security of $13,000/yr. In case anyone is interested in how this can be, it is because I pay rent in a low-cost area and, of the entire list below, I only pay for (carefully managed) electricity & gas, internet, very conservative replacement of appliances, very modestly used car, dental (in Mexico & only when the situation is severe), food (basic raw materials from an economy grocery store and my garden), clothes (socks, underpants, the rest thrift store), gifts I make from cheap stuff or thrift store, and negligible travel. Like other people my age I have accumulated stuff over the years that I can âcoastâ on now. I do have, and am very grateful for, a dog (some cost there with food, anti-parasite med and vet) and, for nothing, I have broadcast TV and country at my doorstep. As it could go much lower (I appreciate that the pioneers made do with considerably less), I consider myself well off.
I was not nearly so restrained in expenses when I worked, but then I didnât have the time to cook/bake, grow vegetables, write budgets and repair things and to monitor utility use and budget compliance, had to have better clothes/appearance and used my truck to go to work. Since I donât have a job anymore, I appreciate the challenges and âworkâ of ascetic living. I donât give money to charities like I used to, but it is satisfying to know that my consumption of community resources has reduced.
How you handle the money you have is as critical a factor as how much of it you have.
prop taxes
home insurance
elec, gas, water, sewer
internet
cable/satellite
home repair (inside and out)
home furnishings/appliances repairreplacement
cars (insurance, gas, repairs, replacement, registration)
health costs (co-payments, etc)
Rxâs (yikesâŠthese can be high)
dental costs
eyeglasses, exams
food
clothing
HOA or any services (lawn, etc)
gifts/holidays
entertainment
travel (going to see those grandbabies!)
Bond and bond fund experts, please help and comment.
Iâm selecting a couple of Vanguard bond funds for my 20-something niece and nephew to consider. Itâs not an exact science at this stage, but I want to give them some options. Before this, all their ready cash was invested in empty Starbucks cups.
They have long-term funds in stock index funds.
Other than the following items, what should I be examining and pointing out to them in addition to:
(1) Maturities of bond holdings
(2) Credit rating of the holdings
(3) Expense Ratios for the bond funds
(4) Comparing the SEC Yields
(5) Average annual performance for 1-year, 3-year, 5-year periods (standard fund information)
(6) And, they can lose money when interest rates inevitably rise
Thank you.
@AttorneyMother, When are your niece and nephew going to need the money they want to invest in bond funds?
Do they have good jobs and career prospects?
Do they need the income from bonds?
@jjwinkle, I like your post. Brought the thread back to retirement from inheritance.
@AttorneyMother, you know I like bonds, but I wouldnât suggest any more than 20% at that age. In taxable, unless theyâre at really low marginal tax brackets, Iâd go with intermediate tax free funds. In tax deferred, Iâd go with my old standby, Total Bond Market.
Iâd ignore past performance and yield in tax free, thatâs probably just a proxy for Puerto Rican bonds that juiced the yield
I assume the bonds are to serve as ballast, dry powder for rebalancing, and to improve risk-adjusted return by diversifying the portfolio.