rollover

Saving $250k Was Only the Second Best Early Christmas Gift I Gave My Wife

December 9, 2018 by FRA Guy Leave a Comment

You’d think adding an extra $250k over the next 23 years to my Mrs FIRE Ready Aim’s 403(b) would have been the best early Christmas gift a husband could give, but you’d be mistaken. In reality I got little more than a “that’s pretty good” shrug and appreciative nod as she looked up from nursing our one-week old. But she’s a tough crowd, and she doesn’t geek out over FI and RE, so honestly I’m not surprised that something else won out. [Read more…] about Saving $250k Was Only the Second Best Early Christmas Gift I Gave My Wife

We lost our head & invested $50k in a startup

November 4, 2015 by FRA Guy Leave a Comment

No, we’re not really crazy. But this is out of character for us.

I typically hew pretty close to the JL Collins and the Bogleheads approach to investing: choose a few low-cost Vanguard funds (no bonds for me, thanks), or the lowest cost funds I can find within our 403(b)s and 457(b)s. I now avoid investing in individual stocks (although dividend fund investing is something I’m planning on looking into down the road – see dividend mantra) because I’ve gotten burned (I’m looking at you, Yandex…). I do vary a bit from the pack, in that I’m heavily invested in healthcare mutual funds and not just VTSAX and its brethren. [Read more…] about We lost our head & invested $50k in a startup

Nobody ever talks talks about 457(b)’s – but they should

September 26, 2015 by FRA Guy Leave a Comment

So you’re a government employee, and you want to save as much as you can for early retirement. Excellent – me too. Chances are good that you’re in a 403(b) – also good, or at least not bad.

But how are your fees? And how long do you have to wait to get that money WHEN you retire early?

If you want to access that money early, you can jump through the hoops and do your fancy Roth conversion ladder or 72(t) distribution (and you do plan on retiring early, right?), but there is an easier way: [Read more…] about Nobody ever talks talks about 457(b)’s – but they should