Early Retirement Extreme Forums

How long can dividend growth increase faster than GDP + inflation? Forever. There are many assets that can be held. To get an investment return of exactly nominal GDP (real GDP plus inflation), you would have to buy all of the assets in the US in the exact proportion owned by all US entities in agg...

I used a traditional IRA to lower my tax bill during my working years, then I converted to a Roth IRA after achieving FI. Roth conversions, completed over several years, can be accomplished without paying tax.

So, I'd recommend Option C, a traditional IRA combined with a tax-free Roth conversion.

According to Robert Shiller, real estate has appreciated by inflation plus 0.8% (less than 1% real return). Shiller has calculated a real return over 6% for stocks over the past century. While future returns will be different than past performance, I believe that stocks will easily outperform real e...

I did this inadvertently. A "coasting" lifestyle is really interesting. I was laid-off in 2001 when I had 20x saved (5% withdrawal rate). I decided that I was "FI enough" because I planned to do paid work in the future. I took a few years off to finish my bucket list, then I foun...

I'm not an expert, but I focus on a wide variety and large quantity of veggies every day for maximum nutrition. Whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds provide calories. Fruit and berries make a pleasurable and nutritious dessert. Variety of food provides complete nutrition. A mono diet sounds like a te...

In warm rainy weather, swim trunks and a thin synthetic shirt are best. For cold rainy weather, use thin synthetic long underwear. Change to street clothes and wring out your riding clothes on arrival. Full fenders are mandatory on all of my bikes. Waterproof clothes trap sweat and should be avoided.

fiby41 wrote:Sleep on the floor. Roll up mattress for space.

+1

A futon mattress without the frame works perfectly. This is pretty common in Asia. Works great for kids and back-sleepers. Side-sleepers may need more padding.

@jennypenny - I worked part-time when I was uncomfortable with my spending/portfolio ratio. I found genuinely enjoyable work, fortunately.

@jennypenny - The OP asked about the 90-day moving average. That type of measure is what I meant by short-term volatility. I've survived a lousy sequence of returns. (FI in 2001!) @Life of FI - The CAPE ratio was 27.1 in early 1929 and is 27.2 now. Regarding your "safe" Firecalc backcast, ...

Also keep in mind that the author of the article picked a period with started with a bull market (1915) and ended with a bear market (1982) (i.e. a period that would lead to a very poor performance)... This is the point. If you start withdrawals at a period of very high valuation (like TODAY), futu...

I think you're focused on the wrong risk (short-term volatility). Instead, a multi-decade period of low returns would be far more damaging. Here's a short piece by Brett Arends at Marketwatch: https://secure.marketwatch.com/story/heres-why-expecting-us-stocks-to-make-you-rich-would-be-a-mistake-2015...

Is Zarathustra willing to work for money, even a low-status job, if necessary? Would he view it as an adventure? If so, a 3.6% withdrawal rate seems extremely conservative, and market fluctuations won't matter. If not, he should ask himself whether there is such a thing as a "safe" withdra...

Try "You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises" by Mark Lauren. It's an excellent source of ideas by a special forces training officer.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own- ... 0345528581

I walk 8 mi/day, which takes a little over 2 hours at 3.5 mi/hr. It's my favorite form of transportation! It sounds like you need to work on your posture as you walk. Slouching actually makes walking harder, so keep your head high, chest out and shoulders back when you walk. Better posture and condi...

Corporate bonds are generally a bad deal. You have stock-like risks of credit downgrades and defaults without much upside potential. For proof, check the 10-year returns on treasury bond funds and corporate bond funds at Vanguard or Fidelity. The long-term returns are the same because corporate bond...

I'm buying euro index funds. Some of the world's greatest companies are on sale for dollar investors. "Stock up" while the discount lasts. :) Is this something I could do through Vanguard? I'm buying VGK, VEURX and VEUSX through Vanguard. They're all the same fund. The first is an ETF, an...

I'm buying euro index funds. Some of the world's greatest companies are on sale for dollar investors. "Stock up" while the discount lasts.

I'm living as a one-bag perpetual traveler. I've used this Casio travel alarm for hotels/apartments for three years: http://www.amazon.com/CASIO-TQ140-Travel-Alarm-Clock/dp/B00006I55I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1425104642&sr=8-5&keywords=casio+travel+alarm. It's very simple and reliable, but...

Peak oil never made sense. It's a meme that has outlived its time. The amount of hydrocarbons in the earth's crust has barely been scratched (literally). Some sources cost more than others, but there is no shortage of gas and oil to extract. Pessimists believe that we will be forced to sit in the da...

I paid for a credit freeze last year. Not prompted by anything, I just wanted some protection from identity theft. I've had no problems since, but I haven't needed to open new accounts.