I do not have specific advice for finding an advisor. I didn’t reach FIRE suddenly, and built up my knowledge over time. Early on it was a combination of Peter Lynch, Robert Kiyosaki (I wouldn’t recommend taking Kiyosaki too seriously, though), Mr Money Mustache, and a book that I recall was titled Living Without a Salary, but that may not be correct. I didn’t follow exactly the advice in that last book, as it called for investing in Treasury notes. Now it’s inertia plus the *fire subreddits. I use Vanguard, but as a self-directed investor.

For parking cash, have you considered credit unions instead of banks?

You need an adviser who won’t take you for a ride.

You’re going to have substantial capital gains taxes this year.

If it were me, and in a taxable account, I’d put it in a mix of VT and BNDW after making sure I could cover taxes.

What if the only way to turn them is a repeat of 1939-1945?

Back in my teens, a Seventh Day Adventist said that to me. I got the better deal in life.

“Historians have a word for Germans who joined the Nazi party, not because they hated Jews, but out of a hope for restored patriotism, or a sense of economic anxiety, or a hope to preserve their religious values, or dislike of their opponents, or raw political opportunism, or convenience, or ignorance, or greed.

That word is “Nazi.” Nobody cares about their motives anymore.

They joined what they joined. They lent their support and their moral approval. And, in so doing, they bound themselves to everything that came after. Who cares any more what particular knot they used in the binding?”

― A.R. Moxon

A Model I was the first computer I owned. I miss it, but don’t know that I’d actually use it if I still had it.

It runs about as well as it does under Windows. I’m not currently interested in paying another subscription - feels like too much pressure and the amount I spent on WoW over the years is distressing.

I’ve been playing GW2 since December and it also runs well with Wine.

My first computer had 4KB of RAM.

It’s really good for WoW and GW2.

Don’t use your hero car for that. Use one of your lookalike spares.

And he made life worse for nearly everyone.

Another vote for Lutris here. For many years, my main game was WoW, and it runs fine there. Now my main game is GW2, which also runs fine under Lutris.

Not far behind you. I learned BASIC on an original Commodore PET.