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Comment by boringg | Hacker News Reader

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Tim Cook refreshing his 401k page every day to see if he’s ready to FIRE.

I know this is a joke. But when I was at Vanguard, something like 95-99% of our users literally just logged on, checked their balance and logged off. A decent percentage of the user base does that every day. So only a few percentage a day actually made a trade or anything else. I always found it pretty odd before I realized I only make a trade 1 or 2% of the time.

That’s how Vanguard keeps their costs so low, they just set a full page cache with 86,400 TTL and only a few people notice.

I'm one of those users! I make a trade at Vanguard maybe every other month! I have another brokerage account I use for more active trading. My Vanguard account isn't "for" that, and the UI is so bad it kind of discourages it.

This is the same way I treat my 401k platform too. I never touch it and only log in to check a balance a few times a year. I opened a RobinHood acct for my own lil side pot and projects that I actively buy/sell on.

The mobile app now shows you your aggregate balance on the login screen as soon as you authenticate, which can be via Face ID.

Decades ago, I worked with my uncle in a family shop. Every single day, he sent me to the bank to ask for the balance. Then, they innovated: a person at the bank finally started giving him the balance over the phone.

>A decent percentage of the user base does that every day.

Do they weigh themselves every day too?

Kidding, I’m sure I’m ignorant of the rationale. Thought weekly, monthly would be better to understand trends or not get unnecessarily worried.

Maybe I’m so wrong the opposite is true.

I do weigh myself every day. But I only check Vanguard every week or so. I alkmost never actually do anything other than look, my investment style for my IRAs & 401k is "invest like a dead man" aka no touch.

> But when I was at Vanguard, something like 95-99% of our users literally just logged on, checked their balance and logged off. A decent percentage of the user base does that every day. So only a few percentage a day actually made a trade or anything else.

Most people just want to keep tabs on how that petulant orange manchild is wrecking their portfolio with his disgusting market manipulation antics.

"Should I use a 3.5% or a 4% safe withdrawal rate? My house is paid off and I got a company pension, two dogs and a partner. Cars are paid off but our iPhones are on a payment plan till 2028. Net worth around $2.5 billion but highly concentrated in one company"

> Should I use a 3.5% or a 4% safe withdrawal rate?

Well...

> My house is paid off and I got a company pension, two dogs and a partner.

Kids? What are you planning for your estate after you croak? You can do a little better than 4% with an lifetime joint annuity for you and your partner, so long as you don't care about leaving anything to family...

> You can do a little better than 4% with an lifetime joint annuity for you and your partner, so long as you don't care about leaving anything to family...

"How are you spending your retirement with all that free time?"

"SKIing"

"Aren't you a bit old for that... wait, what?"

"Spending Kids' Inheritance"

> That is the funniest comment I have seen.

You say it's funny, but the rest of your comment makes me think you didn't realize it was a joke.

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