JLCollinsnh

The Simple Path to Wealth

  • Stock Series
  • Homeownership
  • Case Studies
  • Stuff I recommend
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • About
You are here: Home / Guest Posts / Part XXXVI: Estate Planning 101 — The Simple Path to an Estate Plan

Part XXXVI: Estate Planning 101 — The Simple Path to an Estate Plan

by jlcollinsnh 19 Comments

Pull Your Head Out of the Sand 

By Vicki Cook and Amy Blacklock

Before I sat down to write this post, I re-read The Simple Path to Wealth. This quote from JL…

“As individuals we only have one obligation to society:  To make sure we, and our children, are not a burden to others.”

…is a great segue into addressing a topic that some people take in stride, yet others avoid for various reasons.

I also believe we should do everything in our power to avoid being a burden to others. That’s why a few years ago, I spent some time and money to create a “life & death plan” and make it legal. 

A “life & death” plan? You may have guessed that I was talking about an estate plan. I call it a “life & death” plan because the word estate causes some people to tune right out. 

They (wrongly) believe that estate planning is only for really rich, old, or sick people.  

The truth is that your estate plan protects you while you’re living and your loved ones when you die. It also safeguards the nest egg you’re working so hard to build and maintain. 

If you want the freedom to choose what happens to your health and wealth, you need at least some of the essential documents in an estate plan. This goes for every adult over the age of 18.

I’ll describe the documents you need in more detail below. But first I want to share what prompted me to stop procrastinating a few years back and get serious about finishing my plan.

Bad Things Come in 3’s

I made my last will and testament back when my kids were little. While it was a good first step, I never reviewed it over the years or completed advance medical directives (aka living will and health care proxy) or power of attorney documents. 

While I knew it was important (and should be a priority), my 40’s was an incredibly busy time with my family and career. I also thought the chances of anything bad happening to me were slim.

But within a year of my 48th birthday, something terrible happened to three healthy and vibrant women I knew very well. A colleague and two neighbors – all in their 40’s – whose kids went to school and played together with mine.

One died of an aneurysm. Another suffered a massive stroke. And the third underwent multiple brain surgeries to remove a large benign tumor. A life-ending and life-altering medical events before the age of 50.

As I dealt with the shock and sadness of what had happened to my friends, I committed to taking care of my “life & death” business. Our neighbor shared some of the difficult decisions he had to make for his wife, and I didn’t want to put my loved ones in that position should something tragic happen to me.

Protected, but in the Minority

If you already have an estate plan that’s up to date – congratulations! But unlike you and me, recent surveys show that most Americans don’t have any estate planning documents prepared. 

While it makes sense that Boomers have them in greater numbers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and even some in Gen Z need a few of these crucial forms too.

No matter your age or net worth – if you’ve put “life & death” planning on the back burner or failed to realize that you need to get started, it’s time to pull your head out of the sand. 

You know that “nothing is certain but death and taxes” – right? You don’t skip paying Uncle Sam each year, and you shouldn’t put off planning for your death. Even if it is an emotional topic.

Remember, your lack of planning shouldn’t create a burden for others – especially the people you love – during a crisis or time of mourning.

Learning From the Mistakes of Others  

It’s hard to argue with the old saying that “we learn best from our own mistakes.” But I think there’s plenty to learn from the missteps of others too.

In the introduction to The Simple Path to Wealth, JL talks about why he started writing letters to his daughter. The goal was to help smooth out and accelerate her path to financial freedom by sharing what took him decades to learn.

If you haven’t been involved in or heard details about the settling of an estate gone bad, pay close attention. There’s plenty to learn from these situations too. 

And many of the issues stem from a person becoming incapacitated or dying without having completed estate planning forms.

Neither Karen Ann Quinlan nor Terri Schiavo had advance directives when they were deemed incapacitated as young women in their 20’s. The legal battles that ensued over continuing various life-sustaining measures took years to conclude.

And Prince, Sonny Bono, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, and oh so many more celebrities died from serious illnesses or injuries without having a will in place. 

Think about who gets a massive cut of complicated estates when someone fails to act. It’s the lawyers who rake in cash! 

Their grieving loved ones are left behind to face the burden of reliving the death over and over while dealing with attorneys and the probate court system for years.

The lessons you should take from their mistakes are clear. You don’t want to want to become incapacitated without advance directives and power of attorney documents. And you don’t want to die intestate – without having a will.

Instead of just saying that your family always comes first, back up your words by making an estate plan. 

The (Fairly) Simple Path to an Estate Plan

You probably know Warren Buffett’s quote about investing. The one about it being simple, but not easy. It shouldn’t be that difficult to stick to your investing plan to reach your financial goals. But your emotions can often get in the way – especially during significant market swings. 

JL addressed that in The Simple Path to Wealth. He taught you how to get there and manage your feelings and reactions along the way.

We recently wrote a book for Adams Media (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) called Estate Planning 101 and took a similar approach. Estate planning is a fairly simple process to understand, but it may not be easy to deal with the feelings involved.

Our goal was to explain not just what to do but also address the emotional aspects involved in estate planning.

The book is a comprehensive guide to help people start estate planning. It explains each of the following forms in detail and what you need to consider as you complete them. 

Add these three documents to your must-do list:  

    1. Advance Healthcare Directive (aka Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney). A living will is a free document you complete that describes your wishes concerning the types of treatments you agree to and the end-of-life care decisions, including life support measures, pain management, and organ donation. If you’re deemed unable to make decisions (incapacitated), your medical power of attorney takes over to make healthcare choices for you.
    2. Financial Power of Attorney. If you’re unable to manage your finances at some point, this legal form lists who you authorize to take over managing your money and under what circumstances. 
    3. Last Will and Testament. You need a will unless you are single, childless, have very few assets to distribute to heirs, and have an uncomplicated family life. Your will directs how to distribute your assets and names a guardian for your minor children.

As your assets grow and your life situation becomes more complex, you may also want to consider starting a trust. These aren’t just for uber-wealthy people! 

A living trust is a legal tool allowing you to keep control of your assets while you’re alive and direct how heirs receive an inheritance after you’re gone. Trusts also keep your matters private, unlike the results of probate proceedings.

Examples of when drafting a trust makes sense include protecting a special needs dependent or children from a previous relationship. You can also set up a trust to prevent your young adult child from inheriting a large lump sum of money all at once when they might not be ready to handle it responsibly.

You might be wondering if you can DIY any of these documents. You can definitely fill out your own living will. But use caution when it comes to the other legal documents. 

While plenty of online services offer various options to help you with estate planning, we can’t suggest that unless you have few probatable assets and uber-simple family life. You don’t want your documents to be deemed invalid or fail to meet legal challenges because you chose the most frugal option.

There are plenty of ways to save money by DIY’ing, but for many people – this shouldn’t be one of them.

Also, be sure to review the beneficiaries you’ve listed on various policies and accounts. An ex-spouse will inherit assets if they’re listed as a beneficiary. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your will has your wishes covered. Beneficiary designations trump what’s in a will. 

Spend Some Time and Money on What You Value Most

While I much prefer to write about more uplifting topics, I feel strongly about this one. I wish it didn’t take the scare from witnessing what happened to my friends to get me to act. But I’m proud of my husband and me for getting our plan done.

It took less time and energy than I predicted and cost about half of what I had budgeted. If you do your homework (and use resources like Estate Planning 101!), you’ll have drafted much of your plan before you even meet with an attorney. Then you can use the time with an attorney to answer questions and craft the plan that best meets your unique financial and family circumstances.

If you still think it’s too soon to tackle this project, what’s the worst that can happen? You might need to spend a little time and money updating it. But that’s a small expense to relieve what could be a considerable burden on your family.

I shared some examples above about some of the worst things that can happen if you become incapacitated or pass away before you get these forms done. If your assets and family circumstances are uncomplicated, it might not be a big deal. But as you get older, there’s more urgency to finalize your plan.

Don’t skip over these essential steps as you walk The Simple Path to Wealth. When you finish your estate plan, you can relax and follow the words of the flip-flop-wearing Jimmy Buffett and breathe in, breathe out, and move on.

You’ll find several more estate planning articles here, and you can grab free planning checklists here.

For more information on “life & death planning” and getting started with estate planning, check out our new book Estate Planning 101:

*************************************************************************************

Estate Planning 101 happened to hit my desk at exactly the right time. We’ve had the documents Vicki and Amy describe for about 10 years now — yes, we should have had them sooner — and they are due for an update. We’ll be meeting with our attorney this fall, and I had been reviewing what we had and creating a list of questions and things we need to add and/or subtract.

This book is simple, to the point, very well organized and clearly written. It is exactly the guide I needed. That’s coming from a guy whose eyes glaze over on this subject.  You probably need it too. 

JL Collins

*************************************************************************************

*************************************************************************************

For more from Vicki and Amy, check out:  Women Who Money

*************************************************************************************

Some other books I’ve been reading…

*************************************************************************************

Related

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where we featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Personal Capital is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Vanguard.com

Filed Under: Guest Posts, Stock Investing Series

« The Simple Path to a Lucrative Career
Chainsaws and Credit Cards »

Comments

  1. Alexis says

    August 14, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    A litte superficial but very necessary post. I, like millions of green card/ work visa holders living in the United States, face one of the worse nightmares regarding estate planning. If you leave the US the Exit tax kills your assets. If you stay, then if you have assets ex-US your screwed up really well as US and Eritreia are the only countries in the world who taxes worldwide income. I really would like to see a post about that kind of estate planning since audience doesn’t fall short.

    Reply
    • Eli says

      August 15, 2021 at 8:51 am

      Why don’t you google it… or better yet, hire an estate planning attorney.

      Reply
    • Vicki from Women Who Money says

      August 15, 2021 at 10:58 am

      Hi Alexis! We aren’t lawyers but maybe someone else can fill that gap. Our book is intended as an introductory resource to get people thinking about a topic they often put on the back burner. JL has quite a following – so maybe someone else can chime in on your concern.

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        August 15, 2021 at 6:06 pm

        Thank you Vicki, yeah that wasn’t mean as a criticism, just an observation. I’m sure your book is great and will help most people. It’s just the category of investor I’m in makes things really complicated and as most FIREEs, I don’t like to pay for anything much less attorneys or estate planners since it falls in that thing WE ALL HATE “having to pay in order to pay” taxes.
        Congrats on the book and the post anyway! Cheers

        Reply
        • Just me says

          December 2, 2021 at 12:30 pm

          Hi Alexis, I had exactly the same reaction to this article about estate planning. For non-citizens, or dual citizens, or if there is a non-citizen spouse, it is a nightmare.

          I’d go further than you and say that EVEN if one is willing to pay (a bit!) for estate planners, it’s still incredibly difficult to get information or know how to proceed if there is a major international component to your estate.

          Reply
    • Abigail says

      August 16, 2021 at 8:38 pm

      Hi Eli

      We were green card holders back when we did our estate plan. We did hire an attorney and she built in quite a few extra provisions and explained that we needed them because we were not citizens.

      Our most important assets were and are our children. We needed extra wording and provisions to make sure that they could go straight to relatives off shore.

      Yes, we paid a bit more than US citizens would have needed to but our needs were greater.

      It was all set up so that if something happened to both of us, the kids and the money would both be able to leave the country.

      I do not know where you are, but Silicon Valley is teeming with ex pats and that is where our lawyer was, although we are elsewhere in CA. So I encourage you to look for the biggest concentration of ex pats in your state and call the estate attorneys there.

      Reply
      • Abigail says

        August 16, 2021 at 8:40 pm

        Oops – Hi Alexis

        Reply
  2. patrick says

    August 15, 2021 at 7:22 am

    Thanks you for this service you’re providing, Vicki and Amy! Is there a “201” in the works, by chance?

    I’m interested in a multi-generational death plan to avoid the trap of successive gerations that “sow, grow, and blow” wealth.

    Reply
    • Vicki from Women Who Money says

      August 15, 2021 at 11:00 am

      Hi Patrick! Thanks for your kind words. There isn’t a “201” in progress yet! The “101” books are a long series run by Adams Media. We are taking notes from the comments here about what people are looking for though! We’ll keep you updated 😉

      Reply
  3. Mike Edwards says

    August 15, 2021 at 9:33 am

    Very helpful and needed. I will check out your book. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Vicki from Women Who Money says

      August 15, 2021 at 11:01 am

      Thanks, Mike! We’d love to hear your feedback! We have a lot of free resources on our site (downloads, checklists) to go with the book too.

      Reply
  4. Mark says

    August 15, 2021 at 12:54 pm

    I’m an attorney by trade, and I spent the first year of my career drafting the three basic documents noted above. Since this is not really my area of expertise I’m not going to go real far out on a limb here. But here are a few thoughts.

    1) Wisconsin has a statutory form for the Medical Power of Attorney (or whatever name you want to use). It is designed so that any person can fill it out for themselves. Maybe your state has a similar form.

    2) I use a will with a trust built in for children. When we updated our wills last year (children are 20 and 25 now) we actually lengthened out the age at which the trust comes into play, as well as the age at which it can terminate. Our kids are smart and responsible, but we have a lot more money than we expected and anyone can be tempted. The basic requirements for wills are pretty universal (in writing, signed and witnessed). Check out the requirements of your state but you will probably find that most forms you might buy on-line are o.k. in your state. If you choose to use an attorney it probably will run $300-$500. I wouldn’t recommend giving your attorney any role other than drafter if you want to keep your costs at death down.

    3) Living trusts go in and out of style. I don’t understand them well enough to publicly comment on them except to say this: I don’t see the need in my case. I have heard all of the arguments against wills (cost, public records etc.). When I’m dead, I don’t really care what the public knows. The costs of creating, maintaining and updating a trust are not nothing, and the costs on the will side can be contained if a family member acts as executor. If your financial life is fairly simple, so will be administering your estate. As far as delay goes, if my heirs are in that much of a hurry to get their mitts on the money, then they are probably not practicing what we taught them. I will say this though: I should check into this topic more thoroughly.

    4) At a minimum, spouses should give each other an immediate financial power of attorney, even if you live in a marital property state. How property is titled does not match up to ownership. You can save your spouse a lot of headaches if temporarily or permanently unable to make financial decisions.

    5) Remember that the federal estate tax threshold is now very high. $11.7 M per individual, which is over $23M per couple. You can most definitely reach FIRE live a long retirement and never be impacted by the Federal Estate Tax. Only a minority of states (17) have an estate or inheritance tax. Treat anyone who tries to worry you about this issue with suspicion, unless you really are that wealthy.

    Reply
  5. JLH says

    August 15, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    I would be interested in understanding recommendations for the many single adults out there with no dependants. I find that there is very little written with this audience in mind, which seems to be quite a gap considering the rising popularity of choosing this lifestyle especially among those aiming for FIRE. What recommendations do you have for the many single adults with sizable assets and no dependents?

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      August 16, 2021 at 3:16 pm

      I have the same question. I am single with no kids. Also I don’t have the best relationship with my family and don’t necessarily want them making decisions for me. However, who would I want to make these decisions?

      Reply
      • Amy @ Women Who Money says

        August 16, 2021 at 8:05 pm

        Hi Melissa, when you don’t have family members you’d like to serve in critical roles you’ll want to consider trusted friends, responsible adult children of dear friends, or turning to a professional fiduciary or trust firm. Please see our response to JLH for other points/recommendations.

        Reply
    • Amy @ Women Who Money says

      August 16, 2021 at 7:35 pm

      Hi JLH, we actually devoted a small section in our book to solo individuals, as well as unmarried partners and other unique circumstances. We’d suggest considering family members and very close friends to serve in roles such as personal representative, and health care agent, and as heirs/beneficiaries of your assets. A living trust is something you might want to consider depending on the value of your estate and if you want more control over when and how any of your assets are distributed after your are gone. An alternative option to naming family or friends to important roles in your estate matters is hiring a professional trust firm or corporate fiduciary. If leaving all or a portion of your estate to charities and causes you care about is appealing to you, donor-advised funds and charitable remainder trusts are a few ways to do that. It’s challenging to provide extensive recommendations due to everyone’s personal circumstances but we hope that can spur some ideas for you.

      Reply
  6. Leonardo says

    August 15, 2021 at 5:14 pm

    Any comments about the book Die With Zero by Bill Perkins? It’s a good book that fits this topic.

    Reply
    • Amy @ Women Who Money says

      August 16, 2021 at 8:07 pm

      Hi Leonardo,
      Sorry neither of us have yet read that book. Thanks for the recommendation though!

      Reply
  7. Jane says

    August 27, 2021 at 5:14 pm

    Ah, this has been on my list for a while now as something I really should get around to. Soon. Ish.
    Thank you for the reminder- I’ll check out your book and your website.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Simple Path to Wealth Book by JL Collins

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker or My Review
  • Recommended Credit Cards
  • Personal Capital or My Review
  • Betterment or My Review
  • NewRetirement
  • Tuft & Needle or My Review
  • Vanguard.com

More Helpful Links

  • My Manifesto
  • Financial Calculators
  • Ask Jlcollinsnh

Subscribe to New Posts

Follow JLCollinsNH on TwitterJLCollinsNH On Twitter

  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
  • Staying the Course in War-Time Staying the Course in War-Time
  • Pathfinders update from Hh Pathfinders update from Hh
  • A New Chapter for Chautauqua A New Chapter for Chautauqua
  • Season’s Greetings!! Season’s Greetings!!
  • Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns
  • Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me
  • Today Week Month All
  • Stocks — Part 1:  There’s a major market crash coming!!!!  and Dr. Lo can’t save you. Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
  • Why your house is a terrible investment Why your house is a terrible investment
  • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
  • Stocks — Part VI:  Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
  • Stocks — Part II:  The Market Always Goes Up Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
  • Why you need F-you money Why you need F-you money
  • Stocks — Part V:    Keeping it simple, considerations and tools Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
  • Today Week Month All
  • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
  • Staying the Course in War-Time Staying the Course in War-Time
Ajax spinner
Categories
  • Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest
  • Business
  • The Book: The Simple Path To Wealth
  • Cars and Motorcycles
  • Case Studies
  • Chautauqua
  • Education
  • Guest Posts
  • Homeownership
  • How I Lost Money in Real Estate before it was Fashionable
  • Life
  • Money
  • Q/A Posts
  • Random cool things that catch my eye
  • Stock Investing Series
  • Stuff I Recommend
  • Travels

Archives

  • ► 2023 (3)
    • ► January (3)
      • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
      • Staying the Course in War-Time
      • Pathfinders update from Hh
  • ► 2022 (12)
    • ► December (3)
      • A New Chapter for Chautauqua
      • Season's Greetings!!
      • Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns
    • ► October (1)
      • Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me
    • ► August (1)
      • The Price of Security
    • ► July (1)
      • Case Study #17: Buying into the market right before a Bear
    • ► June (1)
      • Case Study #16: Helping dad with an inheritance
    • ► May (1)
      • Just inked a contract for my next book, and I want you to be a part of it!
    • ► April (1)
      • The Dinky Diner
    • ► March (1)
      • Chautauqua: A terrible business model
    • ► February (2)
      • Chautauqua is back for 2022!
      • JLCollinsnh.com Enters New Era
  • ► 2021 (14)
    • ► December (1)
      • Season's Greetings!!
    • ► November (2)
      • The new book is out!
      • Are bonds done?
    • ► October (1)
      • Guess what I just finally read for the first time...
    • ► September (1)
      • The negligence that led me to DIY investing
    • ► August (3)
      • Chainsaws and Credit Cards
      • Part XXXVI: Estate Planning 101 -- The Simple Path to an Estate Plan
      • The Simple Path to a Lucrative Career
    • ► July (1)
      • Help Wanted: a new book
    • ► June (1)
      • The Top 9 (Bad) Arguments Against Bitcoin
    • ► May (2)
      • Collins on Crypto
      • The Alfred Hitchcock Path to FI
    • ► April (1)
      • Time to sell?
    • ► February (1)
      • Mariah International: All that glitters…
  • ► 2020 (11)
    • ► December (1)
      • Season's Greetings!!
    • ► June (1)
      • How to give when you have a business
    • ► April (4)
      • Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
      • Part XVII-B: ETF vs. Mutual Fund -- What's the difference?
      • Reviewing the comments on my post of April 1st
      • Why I will no longer be writing this blog
    • ► March (4)
      • My move from VMMXX to VBTLX
      • COVID-19: The unvarnished truth from Doc G.
      • Chautauqua sits out 2020
      • Taking advantage of Mr. Bear
    • ► February (1)
      • Mr. Bear, Podcasts, a good book and why I should be in 100% stocks
  • ► 2019 (11)
    • ► November (4)
      • How we bought our new car
      • The House Hacking Strategy
      • What does buying a new car really cost over the years?
      • Why we bought a brand new car
    • ► August (1)
      • A Guided Meditation for When the Stock Market Is Dropping
    • ► June (2)
      • 7 Days in Heaven: or Why Slowing Down Will Get You There Sooner
      • Quit Like a Millionaire
    • ► March (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXV: Investing for Seven Generations
    • ► February (1)
      • Chautauqua 2019 - UK & Portugal - Tickets Now Available
    • ► January (2)
      • Mr. Bogle passes
      • "I wanted the unreasonable"
  • ► 2018 (16)
    • ► December (1)
      • Happy Holidays! and a bit on Mr. Market
    • ► November (3)
      • Truly Passive Real Estate Investing
      • Car Talk: An update on Steve and looking at Leafs
      • Chautauqua 2018 Greece: A week for the gods!
    • ► October (1)
      • On Twitter, gone for Chautauqua and dark on comments till November
    • ► September (2)
      • What we own and why we own it: 2018
      • Tuft & Needle: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress
    • ► August (1)
      • Kibanda Part 5: Pretty, and pretty much done
    • ► June (3)
      • Stocks--Part XXXIV: How to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
      • Tracking your holdings
      • Stocks -- Part XXXIII: Optimism
    • ► May (2)
      • Kibanda Part 4: Quicksand!
      • My Talk at Google, Playing with FIRE and other Chautauqua connections
    • ► March (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXII: Why you should not be in the stock market
    • ► February (1)
      • Chautauqua 2018: Mt. Olympus, Greece
    • ► January (1)
      • An International Portfolio from The Escape Artist
  • ► 2017 (15)
    • ► December (2)
      • The Bond Experiment: Return to VBTLX
      • How to Invest in Bitcoin like Benjamin Graham
    • ► October (1)
      • Kibanda Part 3: Running the numbers
    • ► September (1)
      • Sleeping soundly thru a market crash: The Wasting Asset Retirement Model
    • ► August (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXI: Too hot. Too cold. Not pure enough.
      • Kibanda, Part 2: Negotiating the deal
    • ► July (2)
      • Time Machine and the future returns for stocks
      • Kibanda: Mr. Anti-house buys his dream house
    • ► June (2)
      • Is there an interior designer in the house?
      • The Simple Path to Wealth goes Audio!
    • ► May (1)
      • Life on the Beach
    • ► April (1)
      • Sell! Sell!! Sell!!! Sell?
    • ► March (1)
      • Vicki comes to Chautauqua: United Kingdom
    • ► January (2)
      • Chautauqua - Ecuador 2017 open for reservations
      • Chautauqua - United Kingdom: August 2017
  • ► 2016 (22)
    • ► December (3)
      • Season's Greetings and other cool stuff
      • Angel Investing, or Angel Philanthropy?
      • Mr. Bogle and me
    • ► November (1)
      • Where did you learn about money?
    • ► October (2)
      • Buy Your Freedom; Rent the Rest
      • So, what do you drive?
    • ► September (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXX: jlcollinsnh vs. Vanguard
      • A visit to the Frugalwoods
    • ► August (1)
      • What the naysayers are missing
    • ► July (1)
      • Reviews of The Simple Path to Wealth; gone for summer
    • ► June (2)
      • The Simple Path to Wealth is now Published!
      • A peek into The Simple Path to Wealth
    • ► May (1)
      • It's better in the wind. Still.
    • ► April (3)
      • Cool things to check out while I'm gone
      • Stocks — Part XXIX: How to save money for college. Or not.
      • Help Wanted: The Book
    • ► March (1)
      • F-You Money: John Goodman v. jlcollinsnh
    • ► February (2)
      • Q&A - V: The Women of Amphissa
      • jlcollinsnh gets a new suit
    • ► January (3)
      • Chautauqua 2015 Reviews, 2016 registration open
      • Case Study #15: The Scavenger Life -- Freedom first, then Financial Independence
      • 3rd Annual (2015) Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest results, and my forecast for 2016
  • ► 2015 (18)
    • ► December (2)
      • Q&A - IV: Strawberry Patch
      • Seasons Greetings! and other cool stuff
    • ► October (2)
      • Personal Capital; and how to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
      • Stockchoker: A look back at what your investment might have been
    • ► September (2)
      • Case Study #14: To Dream the Impossible Dream (and then realize it)
      • Hotel Living
    • ► August (1)
      • Mr. Market's Wild Ride
    • ► June (4)
      • Gone for Summer, an important note on comments and random cool stuff that caught my eye
      • Around the world with an Aussie Biker
      • Case Study #13: The Power of Flexibility
      • Stocks — Part VIII: The 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
    • ► March (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVIII: Debt - The Unacceptable Burden
      • Chautauqua October 2015: Times Two!
    • ► February (2)
      • YNAB: Best Place to Work Ever?
      • Case Study #12: Escaping a soul-crushing job before you're 70
    • ► January (3)
      • Case Study #11: John, a small business owner in transition
      • Trish and Stan take an Intrepid Sailing Voyage
      • 2014 Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest results, and my forecast for 2015
  • ► 2014 (29)
    • ► December (2)
      • Diamonds and Happy Holidays!
      • Micro-Lending with Kiva
    • ► November (3)
      • Chautauqua February 7-14, 2015: Escape from Winter
      • Stocks -- Part XXVII: Why I Don’t Like Dollar Cost Averaging
      • Jack Bogle and the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    • ► October (3)
      • Tuft & Needle: A better path to sleep
      • Nightmare on Wall Street: Will the Blood Bath Continue?
      • Help Wanted
    • ► September (1)
      • Chautauqua 2014: Lightning strikes again!
    • ► August (2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVI: Pulling the 4%
      • Stocks -- Part XXV: HSAs, more than just a way to pay your medical bills.
    • ► July (3)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIV: RMDs, the ugly surprise at the end of the tax-deferred rainbow
      • Summer travels, writing, reading and other amusements
      • Moto X, my new Republic Wireless Phone
    • ► June (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIII: Selecting your asset allocation
    • ► May (1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXII: Stepping away from REITs
    • ► April (3)
      • Q&A III: Vamos
      • Q&A II: Salamat
      • Q&A I: Gaijin Shogun
    • ► March (2)
      • Top 10 posts
      • Cafe No Se
    • ► February (4)
      • Chautauqua 2014 preview, closing up for travel and other random cool things that caught my eye of late.
      • Case Study #10: Should Josiah buy his parents a house?
      • Case Study #9: Lars -- maximizing some good fortune and considering "dollar cost averaging"
      • Case Study #8: Ron's mother - she's doin' all right!
    • ► January (4)
      • roundup: Some random cool things
      • Stocks — Part XXI: Investing with Vanguard for Europeans
      • Case Study #7: What it looks like when everything financial goes wrong
      • 1st Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest 2013 results, and my forecast for 2014
  • ► 2013 (41)
    • ► December (4)
      • Closing up for the Holidays, see you in 2014
      • Betterment: a simpler path to wealth
      • Case Study 6: Helping an ill and elderly parent
      • Stocks -- Part XX: Early Retirement Withdrawal Strategies and Roth Conversion Ladders from a Mad Fientist
    • ► November (3)
      • Death, Taxes, Estate Plans, Probate and Prob8
      • Case Study #5: Zero to 2.6 million in 25 years
      • Case Study #4: Using the 4% rule and asset allocations.
    • ► October (3)
      • Republic Wireless and my $19 per month phone plan
      • Case Study #3: Let's get Tom to Latin America!
      • The Stock Series gets its own page
    • ► September (2)
      • Case Study #2: Joe -- off to a fast start!
      • Chautauqua 2013: A Week of Dreams
    • ► August (1)
      • Closing up shop plus an opening at Chautauqua, my new podcast, phone, book and other random cool stuff
    • ► July (1)
      • They Will Kill You For Your Shoes!
    • ► June (4)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII-b: Should you avoid your company's 401k?
      • Shilpan's Seven Habits to Live More with Less
      • Stocks -- Part XIX: How to think about money
      • My path for my kid -- the first 10 years
    • ► May (5)
      • Why your house is a terrible investment
      • Stocks — Part XVIII: Investing in a raging bull
      • Dining with the Ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Alfons Mucha
      • How we finally got the house sold
      • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
    • ► April (4)
      • Greetings from Prague & a computer question
      • Swimming with Tigers, a 2nd chance on the Chautauqua, a financial article gets it wrong and I'm off to Prague
      • Storage, Moving and Movers
      • Homeless, and a bit on the strategy of dollar cost averaging
    • ► March (4)
      • Wild Turkeys, Motorcycles, Dining Room Sets & Greed
      • Roots v. Wings: considering home ownership
      • How about that stock market?!
      • The Blog has New Clothes
    • ► February (5)
      • Meet Mr. Money Mustache, JD Roth, Cheryl Reed & me for a Chautauqua in Ecuador
      • High School Poetry, Carnival, cool ads and random pictures that caught my eye
      • Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?
      • Cafes
      • Stocks -- Part XVI: Index Funds are really just for lazy people, right?
    • ► January (5)
      • Social Security: How secure and when to take it
      • Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon
      • My plan for 2013
      • VITA, income taxes and the IRS
      • How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
  • ► 2012 (53)
    • ► December (6)
      • See you next year....until then: The Origin of Life, Life on Other Worlds, Mechanical Graveyards, Great Art, Alternative Lifestyles and Finding Freedom
      • Stocks -- Part XV: Target Retirement Funds, the simplest path to wealth of all
      • Stocks -- Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks -- Part XIII: The 4% rule, withdrawal rates and how much can I spend anyway?
      • How I learned to stop worrying about the Fiscal Cliff and you can too.
    • ► November (2)
      • Rent v. owning: A couple of case studies in Ecuador
      • So, what does a month in Ecuador cost anyway?
    • ► October (4)
      • See you in December....
      • Meet me in Ecuador?
      • The Podcast: You can hear me now.
      • Stocks -- Part XII: Bonds
    • ► September (6)
      • Stocks -- Part XI: International Funds
      • The Smoother Path to Wealth
      • Case Study #I: Putting the Simple Path to Wealth into Action
      • Tales of Bolivia: Calle de las Brujas
      • Stocks -- Part X: What if Vanguard gets Nuked?
      • Travels in South America: It was the best of times....
    • ► August (1)
      • Home again
    • ► June (4)
      • Yellow Fever, closing up shop for the summer and heading to Peru y Bolivia
      • I could not have said it better myself...
      • Stocks -- Part IX: Why I don't like investment advisors
      • Happy Birthday, jlcollinsnh; and thanks for the gift Mr. MM!
    • ► May (6)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII: The 401K, 403b, TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
      • Mr. Money Mustache
      • The College Conundrum
      • Stocks -- Part VII: Can everyone really retire a millionaire?
      • Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
      • Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
    • ► April (6)
      • Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
      • Stocks -- Part III: Most people lose money in the market.
      • Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
      • Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
      • You can eat my Vindaloo, mega lottery, Blondie, Noa, Israel Kamakawiwo 'Ole, art, film and a ride on the Space Shuttle
      • Where in the world are you?
    • ► March (7)
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part V: Sold! and the taxman cometh.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part IV: I become a Landlord.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part III: The Battle is Joined.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part II: The Limits of the Law.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part I: Impossibly Naive.
      • You, too, can be conned
      • Armageddon and the value of practical skills
    • ► February (6)
      • Rent v. Owning Your Home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
      • The Casanova Kid, a Shit Knife, a Good Book, Having No Regrets, Dark Matter and a bit of Magic
      • What Poker, Basketball and Mike Whitaker taught me about Luck
      • How to Give like a Billionaire
      • Go ahead, make my day
      • Muk Finds Success in Tahiti
    • ► January (5)
      • Travels with "Esperando un Camino"
      • Beanie Babies, Naked Barbie, American Pickers and Old Coots
      • Selling the House and Adventures in Staging
      • The bashing of Index Funds, Jack Bogle and a Jedi dog trick
      • Magic Beans
  • ► 2011 (22)
    • ► December (1)
      • Dividend Growth Investing
    • ► November (2)
      • The Mummy's head, Particle Physics and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
      • "It's Better in the Wind" or why I ride a motorcycle
    • ► October (1)
      • Lazy Days and School Days
    • ► July (2)
      • The road to Zanzibar sometimes goes thru Ecuador...
      • Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris
    • ► June (16)
      • Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College
      • Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
      • Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat
      • The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.
      • Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
      • The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say
      • How not to drown in The Sea of Assholes
      • What we own and why we own it
      • The Ten Sales Commandments
      • My ever so formal and oh so dry CV
      • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
      • The Myth of Motivation
      • Why you need F-you money
      • My short attention span
      • Why I can’t pick winning stocks, and you can’t either
      • The Monk and the Minister

© Copyright 2022 jlcollinsnh.com Privacy Policy Disclaimers