August 2024 Best of the Web

Can I Retire Yet? has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Can I Retire Yet? and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. That compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

I have some fantastic resources for you this month. We will start by reinforcing one of the core principles this blog has embraced over its history: simplicity in your finances and life.

Articles will challenge you to question your assumptions. One will also clarify rules around inherited IRA accounts that had been unclear for years after a pandemic era law change.

We’ll look at what comes after financial independence and how to create a meaningful life in retirement. Finally, I close out by sharing some great opportunities, including one where I hope I can connect with blog readers while we learn together.

Let’s dive in…

K.I.S.S.

This month I wrote about my long held belief in having a simple approach to investing. That belief has only grown stronger since I started working with financial planning clients. 5 Reasons to Simplify Your Investment Portfolio.

Nick Maggiulli tackles this same topic from a different viewpoint. He writes The Sustainable Path is the Only Path.

Jeffrey Ptak shares Why Investors Missed Out on 15% of Total Fund Returns, explaining that keeping things simple and doing less allows you to close this gap.

Don’t Look For the Needle In The Haystack

John Bogle has a famous maxim regarding index fund investing. “Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack.”

Ben Carlson shares some fascinating recent research that backs that up. Carlson writes The Biggest Winners in the Stock Market.

Mike Piper further backs this idea up by explaining that the risk of owning individual stocks doesn’t result in outsized returns. Why It’s Usually a Mistake to Own Individual Stocks.

Are You Sure About That?

Another favorite quote of mine comes from Mark Twain. “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so. “

John Rekenthaler writes 3 Investment Fallacies I’ve Had to Unlearn.

Jeremy Zuke challenges the certainty that many investors currently hold about the inferiority of international stocks. He writes The Value of International Diversification.

Know the Rules

A common theme of this blog is an emphasis on understanding the rules that impact your finances. But that’s not always easy. 

Jeffrey Levine and Ben Henry-Moreland explain the long awaited IRS Final Regulations on laws related to RMDs on inherited accounts originally passed in December 2019. Untangling the IRS’s New Finalized (And Proposed) Regulations on RMDs: The 10-Year Rule, Trust Beneficiaries, Spousal Beneficiairies, Annuities, And More! 

Learning to Live Well

Jonathan Clements continues to produce some of his best content and share valuable lessons in the wake of receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. He writes On the Clock. 

James Hollis, author of many excellent books including a personal favorite, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, sat down with Andrew Huberman for a rare interview. Dr James Hollis: How to Find Your True Purpose & Create Your Best Life.

Dave had an opportunity to share lessons he’s learn in early retirement as well as what excites him as he enters the second five years of retirement on the Clipping Chains Podcast. I encourage you to check it out to learn more about our newest regular contributor here on the blog. David Champion: The Psychololgical Challenge of Early Retirement.

Jackie Cummings Koski was interviewed on Morningstar’s the Longview Podcast : Late Starters Can Still Find FIRE. Jackie shared how she applied classic FIRE principals despite taking an unconventional path to financial independence. She also discusses what continues to drive her after financial independence, which is a mission I love and share.

Capital One Venture Card Offer*

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See You At Bogleheads?

I recently registered for the Bogleheads conference coming up from September 27-29 in Minneapolis. I had the privilege of speaking at this conference in 2022 and was blown away by the quality of the sessions. I’m excited to go this time as an attendee and soak it all in.

If you have been on the fence about attending this event, I’d highly recommend it. Registration is still open. If you’re going, let me know and I’d love to meet any blog readers there.

Have a great end of summer and I hope to connect with some of you in Minnesota next month!

*Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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[Chris Mamula used principles of traditional retirement planning, combined with creative lifestyle design, to retire from a career as a physical therapist at age 41. After poor experiences with the financial industry early in his professional life, he educated himself on investing and tax planning. After achieving financial independence, Chris began writing about wealth building, DIY investing, financial planning, early retirement, and lifestyle design at Can I Retire Yet? He is also the primary author of the book Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence. Chris also does financial planning with individuals and couples at Abundo Wealth, a low-cost, advice-only financial planning firm with the mission of making quality financial advice available to populations for whom it was previously inaccessible. Chris has been featured on MarketWatch, Morningstar, U.S. News & World Report, and Business Insider. He has spoken at events including the Bogleheads and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants annual conferences. Blog inquiries can be sent to chris@caniretireyet.com. Financial planning inquiries can be sent to chris@abundowealth.com]

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