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New meaning for the term "brass balls".

Yeah, it actually has a dent in the shape of one of my balls (it was travelling that fast when it hit me). Pain fades with time but I still remember . . .

P.S. While I certainly take your point about the Fidelity riches, $20-30m ain't too bad. I agree with Ben and your thoughts. But realize, his success was on the level of the Johnsons (Fidelity), Waltons (Wal-Mart) and Bill Gates (Microsoft) and all of them are multi billionaires. Few people would t...

None of mine were that bad! Boy, I can't really decide which was my worst. In the 1970s I worked for minimum wage at Long John Silvers (I still love their food, artery clogging and all). In those days, you worked free style with the grease. It was in a big vat and you had to drop the food in by hand...

I bet Brennan is making a fortune heading up Vanguard at this time, with all the 'performance bonuses' we hear about ... I agree. He will retire a much wealthier man than Bogle. He had the advantage of inheriting the behemoth after Bogle nursed it throught the tough first few decades. Kind of like ...

Hard to be sympathetic to someone with 75 grand in credit card debt ...

I'm with you there!

I don't even owe that much against my home. I think no debt is the only way to go in retirement.

This is why ETFs are a saviour. I agree entirely. If Vanguard did not already exist, it would not come into being today. One need only look at Bogle's estimated $20 to 30 million net worth compared to the Johnsons' to tell people that you don't create a Vanguard as a road to riches. But ETFs are a ...

Vanguard is the leader and low cost provider due to the items you mention, but it's true there are other, for profit companies, with creditable and cheap index funds. Fidelity being the most obvious. Their Spartan S&P 500 index has an ER of .19%, their International Index .39, and their Total S...

Petey writes: Bernstein really sounds quite negative on REITS I would note that this article was written in 1998. Bernstein's recent quote (from another thread) is: But if you want a decent-size rebalancing bonus, you will need more than just the three-index-fund portfolio. "The first thing you...

This is the kind of psychology we're dealing with here in the UK from fund management. How can US firms deliver profitable results at 0.20% a year with no sales load and firms here say a 5% sales load and 1% in uneconomic? Vanguard's unique structure makes this possible. Since the funds are owned b...

Hey petey, Interesting concept. And creative. What factors are driving this offer? Is it a deferral of payment with the hope that the person will die before the govt. has to pay off? Or are you guys facing a similar demographic problem to ours here in the US (baby boomers retiring all at once with n...

Is it too late to put the worms back in the can? :wink: Karma, I'm glad to see you here. There is entirely too much testosterone on this board at times. We can use more "feminine" input. I found your opening post quite to the point. You can certainly make useful decisions without all the o...

On the other hand, aren't some boomers already nearing retirement? 1945+60 years = 2005. Some who are ahead of the game are already in FIRE. Yeah, go ahead and pee on my parade. :? I am at the tail end of the baby boom so it could work out either way. If boomers start selling off soon it could lowe...

Hello. My name is Chips. I'm a recovering speculator. I've been dry now for 25 years. I do admit to putting five bucks into a slot machine, usually after a casino here in Sin City gives me a free promotional meal. LOL :wink:

half my accumulaton period was the secular bear market TRyan mentions. I just didn't want Petey to think that all my luck has been good! I can only dream that the next 14-16 years will be a secular bear. The BEST luck comes when a substantial portion of accumulation takes place during a bear. Of co...

Thanks, Petey! Very informative article.

Great post, John.

In the event that your income is so high that you pay the maximum income tax on your social security benefits, the fraction of your income going to that tax will be barely noticeable rather than onerous. Good point, chips. I will certainly run the numbers before I make a leap. I haven't looked at i...

I am in the FIRE stage and have taken a slightly different approach. I intend to convert the majority of my 401k/IRA to Roths to take advantage of the lower marginal tax bracket. I'm not sure exactly what you mean here but I think I'm planning something similar. I will not be able to FIRE unless so...

What threads could be of use to newcomers? I would prefer to stay away from any that consist of ranting about some other board. I don't see why someone couldn't cut and paste from existing threads to create new threads that contain only the meat from important posts and leaves out the chaff. ES cou...

Without pointing any fingers, assigning any blame, I will simply say that from my singular point of view, this has to stop. It wastes everyone's time and distracts from the interesting, educational and enjoyable discussions that for the most part take place. Petey: I appreciate your efforts to retu...