My Wealth Builder

Using Inherited IRAs to Fund Current Roth Contributions

2026-07-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a great hack for student with summer jobs and zero tax liability.

When my mom was alive, I set up her retirement accounts to have her grandchildren as the beneficiaries. My rationale was that the RMDs for minor children would be much lower than for my sister or me. This has worked out that way. However, it has created the complexity of additional accounts to track and manage.

Now that my daughter is old enough to work, I have a solution that will simplify the accounts and maintain tax free growth of a Roth IRA. First I will withdraw in entirety the traditional IRA over three years, to stay below $450 of unearned income to avoid federal taxes on her income. These withdrawals will immediately be use as Roth IRA contributions. Next, we will withdraw funds from the inherited Roth to fund current Roth IRA contributions.

Over 3-4 years, all the inherited IRA funds will be withdrawn and put in her contributory Roth IRA. Eliminates two accounts that have RMDs (that need to be calculated and withdrawn each year) and funds her Roth IRA completely, without using funds from her current income.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, IRA, nor tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Freezer Not Cold Enough - Fixed

2026-07-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I noticed the ice cream was softer than usual. I thought it was because it was moved to a different section in the freezer. Then my son noticed the freezer temperature was 10F instead of the target 0F. Ah, the real cause!

In the past, the usual solution was to clean the condenser coils. Our fridge is 23 years old and I've done this two times in the past, with success. However, our condenser coils are underneath the fridge and are not easily accessible. I decide to check for other possible solution.

According to the Internet, there were two possibilities:

Condenser coils are caked with dust and need to be cleaned.
Freeze is too packed and blocking cold air from the vents.

In our case, I expect one or both possibilities could be the cause. I decided to go with cleaning the condenser coils first, which involves unplugging the appliance, removing the lower grill on the front, pulling the refrigerator out, taking off the lower access panel in the back. With a narrow brush, I removed dust near the opening. Using a leaf blower, I blew out dust from the front first. Then I blew out dust from the back. As an added benefit, I vacuumed the space underneath the refrigerator, while vacuuming all the blown out dust.

Reassembled and plugged back the refrigerator. The indicator started at 16F and slowly declined to 8F. I stopped watching and checked back after an hour. Success, the freezer was at 0F and we avoided a charge for a service call.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, maintenance, nor repair advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Managing Our Kids Tax Returns

2026-07-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I first started working summers, my dad did my tax returns. That was a great help and relief to me. Now I'm doing the same for my kids. One difference now is that tax returns are more complicated, but tax relief for dependents is more frequent, if one fills out the return properly. My dependent kids are exempt for federal and state taxes if they earn less than $16,100 in wages, or less than wages + 450 unearned income up to $16,100. If they only have unearned income, they need to have less than $1350 income to be tax free.

For my daughter, who will earn less than $16,100, I ensure she has less than $450 of unearned income. For my son, I ensure he has less than $1350 of unearned income. If I meet this income criteria, they are tax exempt and do not need to file a tax return.

For federal tax withholding, my daughter can fill out a W-4 exemption from withhold and have zero dollars withheld. Thus, no federal tax return is needed. Unfortunately, there is no exception for withholding in our state. Thus, my daughter needs to file a state tax return each year to get 100% of state withheld taxes refunded. I am authorized to file on her behalf and do so since I can get it done in less than an hour.

I plan on doing tax return gratis for my kids to help them get through their first few years of full time employment.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

I Quit Buying the Dip

2026-07-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've stopped buying the dips. I admit that is has been exciting, an adrenaline rush, that I have enjoyed; but it's not a long term situation that is sustainable. It requires more attention and work than I want in the future. The index funds are less exciting, but less volatile, and require much less attention. Overall, I have done better with the index funds than the individual stocks at this point. Thus, I'm moving back to thinning out my individual stock holdings and investing in broad market equity funds and fixed income.

Basically, it's no longer fun and is becoming stressful. If I had sold all my buy the dip stocks when initially profitable, I would have made money on all but one. Instead, I held, hoping for bigger gains and instead half of them dropped to 52 week lows. Psychologically, I'm now a long term investor (cynically known as bag holder), waiting for them to profitable again, if ever. Definitely, not fun and is stressful.

However, I plan to still hodl the buy the dip software stocks I purchased in February 2026. I won't add to them if they decline further, and I won't sell if get slightly above breakeven. Also, I still reserve the option to occasionally purchase an individual stock, but I plan to add no new positions and, longer term, reduce to only 10-20 individual stock positions maximum.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock picking, nor stock investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Spider on Shower Caddy

2026-07-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

I take my showers in the basement bath to avoid bothering my spouse since I shower both early and late when she might be sleeping. Since it is the basement, we occasionally get some bugs on the floor. Not being one to kill bugs, I usually pick them up and move them outside.

This time I decided to leave this spider in place since it is small and would be hard to catch without harming it. I wondered how it would get food, since the bathroom was devoid of flying insects. I wondered how long it would stay, since it's been there since June 30, 2026. Since the spider is not causing any issues for me, I'm inclined to leave it alone.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Tax Gain Harvesting Article

2026-07-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year, I posted about Tax Gain Harvesting as a strategy to eliminate taxes on long term capital gains. These seemed like an excellent strategy to me. A tax rate of 0% seems outstanding. However, I had not seen the strategy on financial websites nor being proposed by financial advisors. Maybe it's because the catch is one has to be in the 12% tax bracket.

I just read the strategy in a MSN article: Here are the 3 top tax mistakes that cost US retirees thousands — and almost every older American makes them. How many are hurting you? One of the "mistakes is not using tax gain harvesting. See the excerpt below.

"Long-term capital gains and qualified dividends are taxed more favorably than ordinary income. As of 2025, the 0% capital gains rate applies to individuals with taxable income up to $48,350, and married couples filing jointly up to $96,700.

These generous brackets allow you to realize gains — such as by selling appreciated assets in a taxable brokerage account — without increasing your tax bill.

Overlooking this opportunity could prove costly, especially if much of your wealth is in traditional IRAs that will be subject to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) starting at age 73."

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial or tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

New Signs of Spring

2026-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I was younger, the signs of Spring were trees leafing out, birds returning, rainier weather, warmer temperatures and longer days. These still occur. However, I've notice additional signs for Spring.

Young college aged Gen Z salesmen going door to door selling:

Insect pest control.
Window washing

Opening line is, "Your neighbor Matt and your neighbor Sara are using the service. Since we will be in the neighborhood already, we can give you a discount for the service." OK, the pressure is now on since neighbors are users of the service and a big discount for committing immediately,

On principle, I don't hire services pitched by door to door salesmen. I briefly listen to their offer and decline politely, explaining we don't use pesticides or need window washing. If they continue to sell usually by saying their pesticides are "safe" or window washing is "superior", I tell them a firm "no" and thank them.

Still the salesmen (although a new group) come back every year, indicating that Spring has come.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Upgrading to a Costco Executive Membership is FREE

2026-07-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Costco's Gold Star membership is $65 per year. Costco's Executive membership is an additional $65 or $130 per year. However, I did the math and upgrading to Executive is "free" and costs nothing at the completion of the year.

Huh? How can paying $65 more be free? By reading the fine print.

The main benefits for Executive membership are:

2% cash back reward on all Costco purchases, including vacation packages and gasoline.
Early entry to stores by 30 minutes on Saturday, and by 1 hour on other days.

OK, so where's the free part? It happens a the renewal of the membership as described below

Free part 1: The 2% cash back reward returns $65 if one spends $3250 during the membership period. That's breakeven for the upgrade to Executive membership. Spend $6500 and 2% cash back reward returns $130, which is the entire cost of an Executive membership.

Free part 2: What if I don't spend $3250? Costco guarantees that the cash back reward is a minimum of $65, which is the cost of the Executive membership upgrade. The cash back reward is issued once a year, just before renewal. If the amount is less that $65, Costco will give the member the difference, either in cash or as payment to the renewal of the Executive membership.

Either way, the $65 upgrade is offset.

Of course, picky financial people might claim there is lost interest for 1 year on the $65. I guess, but that's only $1.95 if the interest rates are 3% which is about the interest rate for a 1 year CD.

Disclosure: I have been a Costco Executive member over 20 years. I have only had submit for the offset twice. Every other time, I have earned more than $65 cash back. Finally, I was not compensated by Costco for this post.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor club membership advice advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Brush Reuse Hack for Several Days Painting

2026-07-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

In the past, when painting over several days, I would clean up the paint brush with soap and water every day. The next day, I would use the slightly damp brush.

I learned a hack for reusing a brush from watching painters do our indoor rooms last time. At the end of the day, the painter wrapped the brush in a damp paper towel and put the brush in a ziploc bag. The next day, the painter took out the brush, unwrapped the paper towel and used the brush. After finishing the job, the brush was cleaned with soap and water.

I've done this a few times now. It works well and I can use the brush over a couple week project without cleaning it before I'm finished. Big effort and time saver.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor painting advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Cleaning and Staining the Wood Deck

2026-07-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

We have a treated wood deck in the back. We do the power wash cleaning and staining ourselves. In the past, I power washed the entire deck first over several days, due to clearing furniture and plants from one section to another. Then I stained over several days due to moving furniture and plants to finished sections and allowing that section to be stained. Since the deck is built from 2X4 treated wood with 3/8 inch gaps, it's acceptable to stain a section over different days since no overlap can be seen.

This year, I decided to clean and stain a section (about 10-15%) at a time. It was satisfying cleaning and staining in this manner since a section would be finished and looking good, instead of waiting for completion. Also, it enabled me to go over and touch up the power washing easier, since I often need 2-3 passes to ensure no spots are missed. Finally, I am able to work in 1-3 hour segments, which allows me to schedule into a few hours gap during the day instead allotting the whole day.

I am almost finished and everything looks great so far. Only one or two more sections to go, depending on how much time I have to do a section.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial, deck maintenance nor do-it-yourself advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

A Relaxing 4th of July

2026-07-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

Usually, we attend a local fireworks event, which includes music performers, food and other entertainment. It feels like quite an effort most years. Preparing, parking, food lines and traffic after the event. We usually bring portable chairs to sit in the lawn. Parking requires finding lots that still have openings and then walking to the site. Lines are long for food and drink. Then leaving usually takes one hour minimum to get out of the parking lot and then another 30 minutes to get home, which is usually just before midnight. In addition, this year was really, really hot.

Despite multiple fireworks displays (about 10) in our area, we decided not to attend. I'm not a big fan of fireworks, and our son told us that he isn't either. We used to do it for the kids, and our oldest is 21 and planned to attend with her friends.

Instead, this year I took the kids to the Dave and Busters all you can play $2.50 event. Dave and Busters has always been a favorite for arcades, and we started there at 11AM. We left by 1PM and went home for lunch. Then I returned with my son and his friend for another 3 hours since our passes didn't expire until 1AM.

After coming home, my son and spouse set off our own fireworks at 8-9PM, which were mostly left over sparklers and smoke bombs from previous years. Several neighbors were setting off more elaborate fireworks based the loud bangs. Afterwards, we watched the Macy's fireworks display in NYC on TV.

Very relaxing and enjoyable.

Disclosure: No compensation was received from Dave and Busters for writing this post.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor fireworks advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

An Excellent Reason for Congressional Term Limits

2026-07-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

I've noticed that Republican congress people who are either retiring or lost their primary are diligently working to solve some critical issues like Social Security potentially cutting benefits. It appears they no longer feel obligated to support the party positions and are doing what they feel is "right" for citizens.

Maybe it's time to have term limits for Congress also.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor political advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Internet Order Processing Gripe

2026-07-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I ordered a battery hedge trimmer, 2 batteries and charger. It was a special promotion; buy the batteries and charger and get a tool for free. I ordered it online to be delivered for no charge. An option was to have it delivered same day, for no charge. I noticed a small caution that any item not available would be canceled and the rest would be delivered.

I checked the order a couple hours later. The company had cancelled the batteries and charger, but was continuing to deliver the tool. Huh? It was a promotion: buy the battery/charger and get a tool for no additional charge. Now I was getting a full price tool and no battery to run it. Arrgh!

I called customer service. I asked if my order could be cancelled. I explained that I needed to buy both items to get the tool for free. They said same day orders couldn't be cancelled, and a stipulation of the order was that unavailable items would be cancelled and refunded. They said I could refuse the delivery or return the item.

I told customer service that the online system should have indicated that the entire order could not be fulfilled the same day and only offered later delivery.

I was home when the item was delivered. I asked if I could refuse the delivery. The delivery person responded, "I'm an Uber driver, meaning she didn't work for the retailer." Uggggh!. Now I needed to drive to the store, which I was trying to avoid with an online same day delivery order.

And now the rest of the story.

I reordered the product with the promotion. I returned the same day delivered item. The reorder arrived 3 days early. Yippee! However, the packaging, which was just the product box, was significantly damaged. I opened the box right away. The tool was bent with a 15+ degree on the blade. I called customer service again. The only recourse was to drive the the store, AGAIN, and do an exchange. Arrgh!

So much for saving time by ordering online. BTW, the retailer didn't give any compensation or credit for my inconvenience, as other retailers have done for much less of an issue. Ugggh!

However, I will give this retailer another chance. I've never had such an issue with them before. Maybe this is, hopefully, a one time occurrence.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor shopping advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Senior Discounts and Other Savings Opportunities

2026-07-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Since being over 55, I check if companies have senior discounts. Many do, including Half Price Books and Walgreens. My Ford dealer gives a discount on parts used for service. I've also used the discount with movers and flooring installation. The discount ranges from 5-10% usually.

Different payment option sometimes charge a fee or offer a discount. In the past, I asked if paying cash or by check gave a discount. Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. If yes, I pay by cash. Recently, some service retailers have started charging a 3% service fee for using a credit card, with no fee for debit cards, checks or cash. In this case, I pay by debit card or checks.

Sometimes the additional 3% service is indicated, and sometimes it is not. I've started asking before making payment if a service fee is charged with credit cards, to avoid an additional charge.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for writing this post.

For more on Reaping the Rewards Reflections, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial, payment method, nor fee advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Play Sports with Heart and Be Positive

2026-07-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

My son has advanced enough in tennis to consistently beat me. Yeah, I can make excuses like recovering from major surgery or knee pain, but that would dismiss that he just is much better than me skill wise. It's to the point, I'm not much competition for him.

He was starting to get bored, so I decided to up the stakes. I had him spot my 4 games each set and 15 points each game. His immediate response was, "That's unfair!" Despite his complaint, that's how we played the next two sets, which I won handily. He showed a lot of frustration.

Of course, I explained to him why I had him spot me the games and points. I wanted him to mentally get used to being behind, and focus on winning points instead of worrying about the previous error. It didn't take him long to start consistently beating me again, despite the lead I had.

Then I upped the stakes on him again. After playing him for several weeks being spotted 4 game and the first game points, I could anticipate his play and shots about 50% of the time. Also, I knew his weaknesses, one of which was lobs. I started winning one set. Today, I won two sets.

However, my son has now keeps calm, forget about missed shots, continue to play hard and stay positive. This approach is also helping him as he plays in tournaments. He shows much less frustration than before, which is helping him win more sets.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor sports advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Forgot to Pay Estimated Taxes by Due Date

2026-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ooops, I forgot to pay my state estimated tax due date of June 15, and paid it today on June 27. Even though I expect to pay over 100% of our estimated taxes, there my still be a small interest payment due for being late based on the rules of estimated payments.

Here's my understanding of the rules:

Estimated payments need to be paid by the due date to be considered on time without verification. Withholding payments can be paid at anytime without consideration for timing.
If estimated payments are not paid on time, there are two ways to be exempted from interest payments:

Estimated payment were made later due to timing of receiving income, which is not received regularly.
The amount owed is less that the threshhold for interest to be charged.

Otherwise, a form to calculate the interest penalty should be filled out or one can allow the tax agency to compute the interest penalty.
Finally, one can ask for penalty forgiveness to be granted this one time.

I don't expect to pay interest penalty for this missed payment. First, my quarterly payments are greater than our expected tax liability divided by 4. Second, our income is lumpy and skewed towards the end of the year, with 20% of income coming in December.

Anyway, I'm lucky this year. I will put in place a process to avoid late estimated payments in 2027. Specifically, I will over pay on the first quarter which should offset any late payments in the remaining quarters.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Writing Down Ideas

2026-06-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

I used to have a very good memory; not photographic, but accurate and long term. I also would remember numbers, especially those related to data and prices. Recently, my memory skills have declined. Sometimes, I forget where I put the something a few minutes ago. Worst of all, I will forget a thought, concept or idea that I had.

I used to write items down on small pieces of paper. Unfortunately, sometimes these would be misplaced or I would forget where I put them. My solution is to write things down in a small notebook. That way, I will remember the ideas and thoughts.

Now, I just need to remember where I place my notebook and not lose it.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor memory advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Being More Greedy for Now

2026-06-29T20:00:00.000-04:00

I've been selling off our small share holdings just as they become profitable, even though it is a small percentage. This is consistent with my objective of simplifying our equity holdings. However, lately, if I had held some of this small positions a bit longer, I would have had more gains. For example, I sold SandDisk for 58.51 for a very small gain in September 2025, after it was spun off from Western Digital in March 2025 and carried a loss. Today, SandDisk is about $2000, benefitting from memory shortage due to AI needs.

Of course, even if I had held it, I would have sold long ago, probably less than $100 since I have had previous stock pop over 100% only to pull back and go below my purchase price. However, now I have a few more stocks that are approaching breakeven after being down many years including: KOPN, DFTX, OUST, CLOV, PSNL, and NWL. While my strategy is to sell immediately when profitable, I'm temporarily going to be more greedy and hold for bigger profits.

Being greedy can backfire and lose the small gains that I have, but it seems the market is irrational enough that I can stay greedy at least until October 2026, just before the midterm elections.

For more on Strategies and Plans Ideas, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Wendy's - A Lotto Buy on New WSB Meme Stock

2026-06-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Every so often, Wall Street Bets focus stock becomes a meme stock that members are enthusiastic about buying. The most famous and biggest meme stock surge is GameStop in 2021. Others have had much smaller advance, but still attracted buyers.

The latest meme stock is Wendy's (WEN), which is a well know fast food chain. Wendy's is the most famous running jock on Wall Street Bets, working there officially or unofficially (NSFW) due to losing bets in the stock market. However, this time the members are out to save Wendy's with a concerted effort to help the stock surge. Additional factors that may help the surge are: New management and about 35% short interest.

A number of WSB members are buying large amounts of WEN and gambling on a big win. Not me. I just consider this a lotto ticket, likely to lose but entertaining to buy some. I bought 10 shares of WEN last Thursday. It's more expensive than most scratch off tickets, but I can deduct the losses when I have a losing lotto stock pick.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

Proposals to Save Social Security

2026-06-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

Finally, Congress is working seriously on proposals to save Social Security. Below are four of the proposals summarized.

Proposal	Target Group	Key Mechanism	Projected Impact
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Benefit Cap	High-income retirees	Cap annual benefits at $50,000 for individuals, $100,000 for couples	Could reduce Social Security spending by roughly $190 billion over the next decade and extend program stability
You Earn It, You Keep It Act (Gallego/Craig)	All Social Security recipients	Permanently eliminate federal taxes on benefits; expand payroll taxes to apply to all annual earnings over $250,000	Recipients keep full benefits; offsets cost via higher payroll taxes on high earners
Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act (Tuberville/Sheehy/Massie)	All Social Security recipients	End what is described as an 'unjust double tax' on Social Security benefits	Reduces tax burden for seniors while maintaining benefit levels
Cassidy-Kaine $1.5T Investment Fund	All beneficiaries	Invest $1.5 trillion in stocks, bonds, and other assets for 75 years to pay back Treasury and offset long-term shortfall	Independent analyses suggest high risk; may fail to cover shortfall 64–83% of the time

Hopefully, Congress will work seriously to solve the issue soon.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor Social Security advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Entertainment from Stock Investing

2026-06-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Investing in the stock market used to be hard work and lots of worry for me. I analyzed stocks, read reports and investment newsletters, and looked for value opportunities. I had to decide when to purchase and when to sell, which resulted in some anxiety when the stock when down after purchasing and rose after selling. It was like having a stressful job.

Recently, I have changed our investment strategy to focus on creating a monthly "retirement paycheck" through dividend and interest payments. This has reduced the pressure on me for choosing the best stocks for capital gains and deciding when to buy and sell. Whether I make a right or wrong decision (either the stock choice or when to buy and sell), it has little effect on the monthly "retirement paycheck" we receive.

Now I consider buying and selling stock for capital gains like entertainment. I set aside a small amount of funds that can be used for this purpose. If I make gains, great. I end up with losses, that's OK too. Best of all, I can buy and hold comfortably and have fun watching the stock going up, hopefully.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock picking nor stock investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Comfortable Hodling SAAS Stocks

2026-06-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

I bought beat down SAAS software starting in February 2026. These stocks have been on roller coaster ride since then. Some dropping further and rebounding. Some just dropping further. Then most of them rebounded. Unfortunately, all have fallen again, and some even to new 52 week lows. It's ugly right now.

In the past, I would be itching to sell as soon as a position became profitable, and sometimes just at breakeven. My attitude is different nowadays. First, I am no longer dependent on stock gains to fund our retirement. Second, I believe this stocks have good businesses, despite the concern that AI will eliminate a lot of current customers. Third, I believe that these stocks will recover as results from using AI show that the cost isn't worth the actual benefit.

I have significantly reduced the impact of a loss, and therefore, minimized the risk for retirement income, due to creating sustainable income via interest and dividends. This has allowed me to maintain conviction that the SAAS dip investment is good investment decision. Thus, I hodl.

As usual, YMMV.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial, retirement, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Social Security and Me

2026-06-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

I started taking Social Security payments at 64. At 68 and 3 months, I have withdrawn my own contributions, just the principal, no interest. At 73, I will have withdrawn the entire contributions by my employer and me, again only principal and no interest. When I'm 74, my benefits will be cut 22% if nothing is done by Congress to address the shortfall.

Net, I am glad that I didn't wait until 70 to start taking Social Security. Also, I hope live past 73 so that will be able to withdraw an amount greater than was taking out for taxes. According to actuarial tables, I'm expected to make it to 82-84, but with the caveat YMMV. 😎

These are Scary Times for the Stock Market

2026-06-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have been in the stock market since 1980. TBH, I have always feared a crash like 1929 that started the Great Recession. That fear has kept me from being fully invested.

I have been through several bear markets and short term crashes, each time fearing it would become 1929 again: 1987, 2002, 2008, 2020 and recently 2022. With each decline/crash, I had great anxiety caused by losing significant invested funds.

Right now, I still think there is reason for caution, as shown by the Buffet Indicator, the Case-Shiller Index the AI bubble stocks. However, I'm not as anxious as much as before, due to investments in "safer" fixed income options, such as CDs, Treasuries, and Municipal bond funds. I expect these to help me ride out any significant crash or bear market, until it recovers. In addition, I have some cash set aside to put in the market if it falls. I haven't had this cash cushion in previous declines.

Of course, how I weather the next decline is theoretical since the strategy hasn't been tested in a downturn yet. As Yogi Berra said, "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is."

We shall see.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Test of My New Investing Strategy

2026-06-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

Today, Micron (MU) reports earning after the market closes. Possibility, there will be a lot of volatility after earning and guidance is reported, either up or down. I'm going to just hodl and not worry about it with my new investing strategy, which creates a monthly retirement "paycheck" independent of market volatility.

Thus, I am hodling my shares of MU, without gritting my teeth. Which ever way the stock moves after hours and tomorrow, won't affect my retirement "paycheck" this month. In addition, I have conviction that memory chips will continue to be limited in supply, which means MU profits will be improving since the price of chips is going up.

Instead of checking on MU every minute of today, I power washed our deck, "touched some grass," and checked on MU during my breaks.

Update: Although MU closed down slightly, it was up about 16% AH due to outstanding earnings. Woohoo!

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This is not financial, stock picking, nor stock investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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