I've used Personal Capitol (now Empower) for the last 10 years and am wondering what everyone else is using to track their net worth. I'm not so interested in budgeting as I've got a handle on that already, really just tracking overall net worth and investing. PC has helped me analyze my portfolio across all accounts (personal and work retirement) and make sure my allocation overall is where I want it. I'm currently testing a new tool call Origin since the first year is only $1. Recently PC has...

26 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Lifestyle Design W by Westie

Female-focused podcasts?

I have finally binged my way through all of Money with Katie and there is a podcast-shaped hole in my heart. I'm a man, but I really enjoyed a more female perspective on all things money - it's not radically different from what I hear male podcasters in the personal finance sphere say, but it is *just* different enough to give me a new perspective on things. I know Katie is still out there doing things but she's moved on to more big-picture, systems level problems and I'd like to have a perspect...

25 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies C by CailinS

How to account for large, irregular expenses in FI planning

Hi! As we get closer to FI (5-7 years if assumptions hold), I've been thinking about the best way to plan for large but irregular expenses. Things that pop up every 3-10 years like large house maintenance (washer/dryer, HVAC, roof, etc) and especially buying a car in cash. For assumptions let's say $25-35k every 4 years (two cars, each kept 8 years, staggered purchases) and for home maintenance costs maybe $500 some years and $5000 others. Currently, I 'budget' for home maintenance costs but als...

24 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Earning More J by Josh M.

Guidance for transitioning to CFP (from Army CPT)?

I’m an Army CPT planning to transition out in ~4 years (after transferring GI Bill benefits). I’ve grown pretty dissatisfied with my career path, and I’m exploring financial planning as a long-term career. Note, I'm in the brainstorming stage and am just looking at options. I enjoy personal finance, building plans, and teaching others, from the experience I've had. The end goal would be education-focused (workshops, classes, and/or hourly advice), and not AUM-driven. We’re currently at Coast FI...

16 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Real Estate m by mdhershberger32

Sell Home and Rent?

Hi everyone! Based on my own personal experience and reading others’ financial analyses of renting versus buying, I believe there are circumstances in which it makes more sense to rent than buy, and my husband and I don’t believe our current house will be our long-term home, so I’m trying to figure out if it makes sense financially to go ahead and sell now and start renting if that’s going to save us money over the long term. Does anyone have suggestions on how to do the math for this? I’m curre...

15 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Spending Smarter l by lmann58

Where do I start my baby’s savings?!

Hey everyone! This may sound silly, but you guys get it! My 9 month old just got his first $10 from grandma & grandpa in a cute little Valentine’s Day card and it got me thinking… Where do I start a savings of some sort for the little guy? Certainly there is a better way to save his gifts than in a piggy bank! We don’t want it tied up in a 529. Other than that, what are our options? Keeping in mind we want to teach him about saving/budgeting and all that good stuff once’s he’s old enough to...

15 replies 32 minutes ago Read more →

Tax Strategies C by Charlotte

Spreadsheet from Cody & Sean's book?

Hi everyone! In their book "Tax Planning to and through Early Retirement," Cody Garrett & Sean Mullaney mention creating a spreadsheet in chapter 36 to track cap gains/losses for EOY tax planning, deciding whether to do a Roth conversion, etc. Has anyone already created a spreadsheet like this that they would be willing to share? They also mention current year tax planning software for this same purpose. Any recommendations? We are retiring in May and this part of retirement feels foggy to m...

9 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

College C by Carrie Bach

HELOC/Life insurance

Good afternoon, Has anyone had experience with funneling college dollars through a HELOC and then through a life insurance policy that you then borrow from to pay tuition? ChatGPT sounds very skeptical about this but a friend is considering it anyway so I thought I'd ask here if anyone has thoughts/experience with it. Thank you, Carrie

6 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Nomads and Expats s by spickarski

Private Health Insurance, etc.

As we begin really planning into moving abroad full time, the elephant in the room always seems to be healthcare. We will retire in advance of 65 (targeting 50), and we will need to go some other alternative than Medicare. How have you bridged the gap? What’s different, same, or unique to the experience? What lessons would you want to share to yourself starting the process all over again?

4 replies 32 minutes ago Read more →

Military FI N by Nords

ChooseFI Honolulu meetup: 1:30 PM Saturday 21 March, Taps & Apps.

For those of you on Oahu (and any ChooseFI members who happen to be visiting Oahu this weekend), we're having another meetup at 1:30 Saturday 21 March at Taps & Apps in Mililani Mauka. \[ChooseFI Honolulu Meetup\](/member/events/7fc1d9f8-35bd-4075-92ae-489fc07425db) I'll be there, congratulating Clarence L once more on becoming an official military retiree! We're keeping an eye on the weather. This weekend's Kona Low Part 2 will hopefully be less severe than last week, but we'll know more by...

1 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Investing A by Anonymous

Increased investing?

I'm curious if there is anyone else that has actually increased their investing during the down market. Probably more specifically for those that are close to FI or are still accumulating.

20 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Lifestyle Design H by Heatherrrr

I did it -> last full time day is March 13

Hey everyone! Just sharing something exciting, I put in my notice at my w2 job and my last day will be next Friday. My side hustle has been taking off, and I cant wait to spend more time on that. My husband is still working his W2, which will cover our expenses. Savings rate will drop to his 401k match + HSA. We're about 68% to our Fi#, and past coastfi. It doesn't feel real yet, but I am so excited for the next chapter.

8 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies A by Arcenis Rojas

To Roth or not to Roth

I recently wondered whether I should convert my traditional IRA and 401K accounts (including my current 401K contributions) to Roth. I spoke with a friend who advocated strongly for switching everything to Roth. While I recognize that Roth has great advantages (I have a Roth IRA presently) like no taxes on distributions and no required minimum distributions, I wonder if it'd be right for me. Below is a little bit about my situation. - I'm more interested in retiring with zero than passing anythi...

24 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Earning More J by Josh M.

Self Publishing Input?

I’m working on self-publishing a short nonfiction book and would appreciate input from anyone here who has gone through the process. The premise: I graduated U.S. Army Ranger School a few years ago and kept detailed notes every single day during the course. I tracked food, sleep, weight loss, and wrote a daily journal about what was happening and how I was processing it. Over 62 days I averaged about 2.5 meals and 3.9 hours of sleep per day and lost over 30 pounds. Most Ranger School books are w...

15 replies 32 minutes ago Read more →

Real Estate A by AnotherControlsEngineer

Put minimum down on primary residence if you have a 20% down payment?

I recently ran across this idea, and wanted to get some input if people have tried this. We have 20% cash for a down payment, don't currently own a house and are looking to purchase. This idea is to make the minimum down payment of 3.5% or 5% (which theoretically gets you a better interest rate), close, then after some time period pay the rest of the 15% cash towards the loan, and then recast the loan and keep the lower interest rate. This strategy seems to assume a few things (interest rate is...

11 replies 32 minutes ago Read more →

Spending Smarter J by JoeQ17

The Hidden Value Of Your Credit Card Benefits

Premium cards like the **Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire** come with protections that can quietly save you money long after you swipe. ✅ **Price Protection** Some card benefits can reimburse you if an item you bought drops in price after purchase (up to 120 days), meaning less buyer’s remorse and more confidence hitting “buy.” Last week I bought new wicker chairs on Wayfair for $400, the next day, they were the deal of the day for $300. Thank you, price protection, and Mastercard sent me...

9 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Tax Strategies A by Anonymous

Tax Loss Harvesting....

With current market volatility, I would like to capture losses with recent investments to offset my dividends/income. Where can I get more information on TLH (within Vanguard), documenting the losses for tax reporting purposes for the year, forms needed for 2026 tax prep to show losses for accountant and moving the losses forward should they exceed the $3,000 yearly limit? Thank you for any information I can get.

9 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

College L by LisaB

Tax on scholarships!

Hello, fellow college hackers, My son (a sophomore at a state school) got a ton of merit Aid his first year of college – $30,000 K – which is great… But we just got the 1098T to file with his taxes and it seems we he owes federal and state taxes on half of the amount (which was not used for tuition and fees). From googling I found that this income is “hybrid “and doesn’t count as earned income, but there is tax due on it after his deduction, which is only $2280- he is then taxed at my tax rate (...

3 replies 32 minutes ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies d by daposton

New Morningstar Article (Feb 26) - Very low Safe Withdrawal percentages

Hi ChooseFI community, I normally like and appreciate the Morningstar articles on personal finance. However, I just read one from Feb that pushes the standard safe withdrawal rate for a 40 year retirement to 3.2%. Does anyone have any feedback on that number? I would estimate a large percentage of this community is modeling a 40+ retirement period. Here is a link to the article. (FYI - Yes, I have read about risk parity. Yes, I have read the ERN SWR series.) [www.morningstar.com](https://www.mor...

22 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies m by matthewbg89

Roth conversions - what can be withdrawn tax-free

To supplement my brokerage account in early retirement, I'm building in using Roth contributions that I can withdrawal tax/penalty free. My question is about once conversions. After I retire, I'll roll my 401k into a traditional IRA. From there, I was thinking about Roth conversions. I know I'd spread out the conversion over multiple years to manage the taxes, but just roll with this basic example. Say in the 401k I had contributed $100,000 and that grew to $175,000. I roll that into a tradition...

18 replies 33 minutes ago Read more →

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