You may recall that I retired. My last syndicated column was published at the end of January 2017. You can see it here:
That was a long time ago.
It seems like forever sometimes, the blink of an eye at others.
Well, it’s over.
A new blog
I’m starting this blog with the intention of writing as a coach for everyone who is intimidated by the money side of living. I’ll be writing a lot about how you can finance retirement. And I’ll be doing it from a Texas point of view.
Some might say I’m coming out of retirement. But I’m not so sure. For one thing, I’m not doing it for the money. As I write this I have no idea if there will be anything but expenses.
It could be worse. Lots of hobbies are more expensive. Some retirees have bar bills far larger than the cost of doing a blog. If nothing else, I figure the writing will help me avoid the assured humiliation of playing golf.
More important, I’ll still be living my retired life. Ties will continue to molder in a drawer. Suits will remain unworn. I’ll continue walking Lady Bird Lake, and other places, as much as possible. And my right big toe, the one you see above, by the pool at the Westin in Puerto Vallarta, will continue to have a good time in Mexico now and then.
Starting the tour
I’ve been posting every week since July 1 so you could find posts that will be fun to read. And posts that will help you be a more confident saver and investor. Here’s the starting menu.
—- Learn, without apology for delay, how the Couch Potato did in 2017.
—- See how much money you could take from the Couch Potato portfolio over the last 25 years down to the last three years — and how much you would have left. https://scottburns.com/living-well-with-the-basic-couch-potato/
—- See how much money you could take from the Margarita portfolio over the same time periods — and how much you would have left. https://scottburns.com/margarita-portfolio/
—- See an update of the Wealth Scoreboard so you’ll know how net worth is distributed by age from your 20s to your 80s. https://scottburns.com/wealth-scoreboard/
—-See how getting paid more also means you’ll likely live longer. https://scottburns.com/living-the-life-of-riley/
—-See what Baylor Professor William Reichenstein says about “the tax torpedo” that can hit your Social Security Benefits if you aren’t near indigence. https://scottburns.com/avoid-the-tax-torpedo-defer-taking-social-security-benefits/
—-See how the performance of the basic Couch Potato portfolio compares to the performance of the Teachers Retirement System pension fund. (Hint: Sloth would have been worth another $14 billion in the fund.) https://scottburns.com/can-couch-potato-investing-do-better-than-the-teachers-retirement-system-of-texas/
On a lighter note
—-Read about how I found a refrigerator that cost more than my first house. https://scottburns.com/finding-the-top-of-up-scale/
—-See what I learned on my fourth Meditation at McDonald’s. https://scottburns.com/meditation-at-mcdonalds-4/
—-Learn about the Pizza Delivery Driver’s Dilemma. https://scottburns.com/the-pizza-deliver-drivers-dilemma/
You may also notice that this is actually two blogs. The first, Couch Potato Investing, is all new, beginning July 1, 2018. At the top of its main page you’ll see a link that says, “Visit the Long Archive.” That link takes you to an archival site that will eventually have columns dating back to 1993.
Why am I doing that? After all, it will ultimately involve more than 1,500 postings. A lot of work.
One answer is easy. Those 25 years were an amazing time. If you didn’t live them, you might get a sense of how things were by exploring. If you did live them, you might enjoy going back and reliving the time.
Another answer is important, but a bit more complicated. I want you to be able to see that low-cost index investing is no fly-by-night idea. It’s something that came about during years of study and observation. You’ll also see that being a Couch Potato wasn’t very easy 25 years ago. But it’s easier and even less expensive today.
I think that’s great news.
Equally important, you’ll see a lot of evidence that speaks for Couch Potato investing, year after year and one economic crisis to the next.
This information is distributed for education purposes, and it is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement of any particular security, product, or service.
Photo: Scott Burns, Big Bend from Borderland trip, 1999
(c) Scott Burns, 2018