Search found 423 matches

by bryanm
Thu Feb 22, 2024 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: On demand water boiler (for beverages)
Replies: 4
Views: 510

Re: On demand water boiler (for beverages)

If the white dust is indeed limescale, which is common in this kind of appliance, white vinegar should address it. There are also a number of commercial descalers, typically made for coffee machines, that should be effective here. You can usually find some at a nicer grocery store or your favorite megastore.

Edit: Some instructions for a coffee machine that may also work for you, at https://www.kitchenaid.com/pinch-of-hel ... maker.html
by bryanm
Thu Feb 22, 2024 10:26 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Difference in Value Based On When You Realize Capital Gains?
Replies: 10
Views: 1350

Re: Difference in Value Based On When You Realize Capital Gains?

Thanks Burbank, that example helps a bunch. I think where I got started down this path was debating doing a Roth conversion. If your money grows more when you wait to tax it until later, why do financial advisors suggest doing Roth conversions and paying taxes on your 401k’s now instead of deferring? Roth conversions are fundamentally different, because by paying taxes on a Roth conversion, you are making those assets tax free forever. When you pay capital gains and reinvest the proceeds, you're going to pay capital gains on the next investment proceeds, too. The easiest way to intuitively understand this is that you want to pay taxes as few times as possible. With a tax advantaged account (either Roth or trad), you pay taxes once. With a ...
by bryanm
Mon Feb 12, 2024 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Who In Their Right Mind Files Gift Tax Returns? And Why?
Replies: 114
Views: 16549

Re: Who In Their Right Mind Files Gift Tax Returns? And Why?

02nz wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:45 pm
exodusNH wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 4:34 pm It always makes sense to comply with tax law.
+1. Seems a little strange to have to say this to OP, who appears to be a lawyer, but OK ...
"If there be no penalty annexed to disobedience, the resolutions or commands which pretend to be laws will, in fact, amount to nothing more than advice or recommendation." Alexander Hamilton
by bryanm
Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Spice My Chicken
Replies: 15
Views: 2349

Re: Spice My Chicken

For a wide variety of ideas, I recommend The Wok by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. A 2023 James Beard award winner. The website has some sample recipes, and many others can be found by searching for Kenji's recipes online, principally at SeriousEats.com, NYT Cooking, and his Youtube channel. For a great start on chicken with a kick, check out his Kung Pao Chicken recipe . It uses Szechuan peppercorns for a real kick that's much different than traditional peppers. In fact, it's such an odd sensation that these peppercorns were banned from the US until relatively recently! One of my favorite stir fries. (Okay, the ban wasn't because of the kick, but the spice is still worth checking out and new enough that some aren't yet familiar with its brilliance.)
by bryanm
Wed Feb 07, 2024 10:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Law School Debt: Is It Worth It?
Replies: 115
Views: 10662

Re: Law School Debt: Is It Worth It?

How confident are you that you actually want to be a lawyer? How familiar and comfortable are you with BigLaw life? Legal salaries are a long tail distribution, and a degree from a good school substantially increases your shot at the higher end. It also creates connections that are massively valuable in the field. So, if you're confident you can hack it in BigLaw (or even a mid-size firm with coastal salaries), and you're confident that you'll do well at the T20 school, do that. (Obviously getting scholarships or other discounts is great, too.). If you'd rather have better work/life balance or work in an area of law that's not as lucrative (e.g., many types of immigration and family law), then the smaller school makes sense. If you're not s...
by bryanm
Sun Feb 04, 2024 12:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: You will not get index return - but do you?
Replies: 15
Views: 2260

Re: You will not get index return - but do you?

Forum-member the WhiteCoatInvestor has a website with a good post about this: Does Expense Ratio Really Matter?.

One factor that many don't realize is that index funds sometimes make money, such as by lending shares to short-sellers. This can offset expense ratios and, in some cases, lead to returns nominally higher than the index. Bottom line: yes, for sufficiently large and diversified funds you generally do get the index return (or close enough that it does not matter).
by bryanm
Sat Dec 30, 2023 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Article: How to Subsidize Unsubsidized Student Loans
Replies: 3
Views: 693

Re: Article: How to Subsidize Unsubsidized Student Loans

Gubshu wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2023 10:34 pm You can only choose not to take the in-school deferment on loans that have already been in repayment. This means that a student who has continuously been attending school and has never reached repayment (six months after graduation) would not be eligible to do this. Any loans currently being borrowed for the school year would not be eligible, since again, they have never been in repayment.
I'm not sure I follow you completely, but to the extent that I do: this strategy does not involve taking in-school deferment. It involves entering repayment early, while still in school. Due to the SAVE plan, if you are not earning income during school, the result would be a $0/month payment and interest forgiveness.
by bryanm
Fri Dec 29, 2023 9:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Article: How to Subsidize Unsubsidized Student Loans
Replies: 3
Views: 693

Article: How to Subsidize Unsubsidized Student Loans

I don't know how many Bogleheads are in school with loans, but I thought many of us might know those who are and find this article interesting: Subsidized Grad PLUS Student Loan. The article advertises that "This loophole would let graduate students pay no student loan interest under the SAVE plan while enrolled in graduate school."

The TLDR is that if you have an unsubsidized plan that allows voluntary repayments during school under the SAVE plan, you can do so with a likely $0/month payment and interest forgiveness. As a result, the unsubsidized plan becomes, in effect, subsidized. Details in the link.

(I am not endorsing this and I have no idea if it works as advertised, but it seems plausible to me.)
by bryanm
Mon Dec 11, 2023 10:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New to Costco
Replies: 239
Views: 60889

Re: New to Costco

DSInvestor wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2023 10:28 am
Kagord wrote: Sat Dec 09, 2023 4:58 pm Best time to go, 25-30 minutes before closing time during the week, and gas up on the way out.
Arriving 15 mins before the open is good too. Gas up first, then go into the store.
Around here, the Costcos open around 15 minutes before their stated opening time. If you arrive early with a list and a plan, you get a prime parking spot and can beat the traffic through to get to a cashier with little or no line. This weekend, I checked out from a full run ($350 work of bulk items) at 9:35 am, only 5 minutes after they "opened." It's the only way I can shop there, now.
by bryanm
Sun Nov 19, 2023 10:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Drip Coffee Machine recommendations - Simple, easy, "Super automated"
Replies: 41
Views: 5214

Re: Drip Coffee Machine recommendations - Simple, easy, "Super automated"

snackdog wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2023 10:16 pm Grind and drip don’t really go together. That is like asking for a Porsche with a trailer hitch. Grinding fresh beans is a great start but drip ruins it. If you search for Grind and Brew on Amazon you will turn up a Black and Decker for about $75.
If you don't like drip, that's totally fine, but don't pretend that there aren't objectively good drip machines out there for those of us who do. SCA Certs are a great place to start. I only see one "grind and brew" on there, the Cafe Grind and Brew. I don't have experience with it, but all of the other SCA Cert machines I've tried (principally the Bonavita and the Moccamaster) brew really great drip coffee.
by bryanm
Sat Oct 21, 2023 10:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: "No bonds in taxable"
Replies: 44
Views: 6414

Re: "No bonds in taxable"

[quote="Rocky Mtn Man" post_id=7514291 time=1697945553 user_id=185133] There's a convincing argument bonds should be in taxable: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/asset-location-bonds-go-in-taxable/ [/quote] I'm not sure that article has aged well. The editor's note at top of the article "recommend[s] you skip this one entirely" and the logic in the article is based on "our current low interest rates." I'm not saying it's wrong, but I agree with the editor's note that there are better discussions about optimal placement. That said, the point here is that sales worries should not drive the decision at all, as one can always shuffle things around to "sell" an asset class from whatever account you want.
by bryanm
Sat Oct 21, 2023 10:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: "No bonds in taxable"
Replies: 44
Views: 6414

Re: "No bonds in taxable"

Bonds in taxable means tax drag, reducing overall returns. If you need to “sell bonds” in a tax advantaged account, sell stock in taxable and buy an equal amount in your tax advantaged account (selling bonds to fund this purchase). The result? You have effectively sold your bonds from your tax advantaged account.

That said, if holding bonds is part of your AA, won’t you want to rebalance anyway after selling bonds? If you do the math, selling bonds vs stock doesn’t matter if you then rebalance to revert to your AA, so it doesn’t matter if you sell bonds or stock, and consequently doesn’t matter what you hold where for selling purposes.

The result? Tax efficient placement is really the main thing to think about.
by bryanm
Mon Oct 16, 2023 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Small Drip Coffee Machine
Replies: 77
Views: 8585

Re: Best Small Drip Coffee Machine

Question for Moccamaster fans: Since we started talking about Moccamaster, I got curious to look it up. Online I read that Moccamaster will create a "crater" and its flat shower head could be better? What do you think? (I found that there are a couple of 3rd party shower head replacements being sold). The original Moccamaster brew head from like 25+ years ago had a single hole in it and would certainly do that. It's been 8.5 years since I last used it, but I don't recall the revised brewheads having that problem. Mine was the (2nd generation?) version with 9 flat holes. It looks like they have a v3 with 9 dimpled holes That's the one I'm familiar with. Minimal issues in cratering (comparable to my Bonavita). There is a "half...
by bryanm
Sat Oct 14, 2023 10:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Small Drip Coffee Machine
Replies: 77
Views: 8585

Re: Best Small Drip Coffee Machine

For automated, I would go for the Moccamaster.

If you want a slightly different direction, consider a Espro insulated paper-filtered French press. Hear me out. It's not automated, but it isn't much (any?) more work than an automated machine: add coffee, wait, press, drink. It's got a paper filter, so the taste is not traditional French press--much more similar to drip or aero press. And don't sweat the brew time--I find that it's nearly impossible to over extract an immersion brew (see James Hoffman's French press recipe on this point, for example).

I use a Bonavita or Moccamaster at home, but my Espro is the go-to travel option for larger groups.
by bryanm
Sun Aug 13, 2023 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Accessing Converted Funds.
Replies: 18
Views: 1327

Re: Accessing Converted Funds.

This is confusing mostly due to terminology. Check out the colorful chart on the wiki . You'd be in the second to last column, meaning all funds are accessible penalty free, and all funds except earnings are accessible tax free. As I understand it, "earnings" here are earnings in the Roth account. So what you propose ("convert a TIRA to a Roth and then access the converted funds immediately without taxes and penalty") seems possible. As the balance grows in the Roth, the earnings won't be accessible w/o tax until the 5 year mark elapses. (Not a tax expert, just relaying what's in the wiki.) Edit to add: Conversion would mean that the untaxed portion of a Trad IRA would be taxed at the time of conversion , so take that in...
by bryanm
Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Personal Finance Without Sharing Username/Password
Replies: 16
Views: 1374

Re: Personal Finance Without Sharing Username/Password

I use Mint.com and am not concerned with sharing authentication information for that purpose.
by bryanm
Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Purchase < $1000?
Replies: 231
Views: 28749

Re: Best Purchase < $1000?

jumbo shrimp wrote: Sat Jul 29, 2023 9:20 am Mountain Bike. Actually I haven't purchased it yet, but I will in the coming weeks. I've been renting different ones and I finally found a hobby that I enjoy to go outside everyday as I work remote. Even long trips for bikepacking.
I can almost guarantee this will end up costing more than $1000. :twisted:
by bryanm
Tue May 16, 2023 5:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Patent Expires
Replies: 28
Views: 3954

Re: Vanguard Patent Expires

its amazing that this was something that you actually could patent. You mean unlike a patent on the layout of a telephone keypad or patent on the concept of having an enter key? How about a patent on a stick as a dog toy ? It's important to remember that the Patent Office is a bureaucracy with all the uncertainty that brings. While all issued patents are presumed valid, courts and administrative agencies regularly rule that issued patents are invalid. I'm not aware of anyone actually challenging the Vanguard patent. (This is most assuredly not any opinion as to merits (or demerits) of the Vanguard patent.) Edit with some additional comments: The Patent Office says that: "The recently signed America Invents Act includes Section 14 whic...
by bryanm
Tue May 16, 2023 4:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Patent Expires
Replies: 28
Views: 3954

Re: Vanguard Patent Expires

I would be very surprised if this moved the needle. US law provides various mechanisms for challenging a patent, and post a Supreme Court decision in 2014 "financial-type" patents have been subject to extreme scrutiny. If the patent was really blocking anyone I would have expected them to challenge it in court by now.
by bryanm
Tue May 16, 2023 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Would you pay an attorney a higher rate than quoted?
Replies: 24
Views: 2032

Re: Would you pay an attorney a higher rate than quoted?

Attorney here--no, I wouldn't pay the increased rate. You were almost certainly quoted 2022 rates: consider it a windfall.

It's always great to see people happy with their lawyer. If you're happy with the work the associate did, mention that to the billing partner. Refer the attorneys to others for similar work. If appropriate, post reviews on referral sites, LinkedIn, etc. Legal careers live and die on reputation--these acts will benefit them far more than the extra $45/hour (which the associate especially will almost certainly see none of).
by bryanm
Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When Is A New M.2 SSD Needed For PC?
Replies: 26
Views: 2511

Re: When Is A New M.2 SSD Needed For PC?

While I do not have any indication that this is the present case, I will note that in some rare cases viruses can survive reformatting. See this Kapersky page ("Some rootkits infect the BIOS, which will require a repair to fix. If you still have a rootkit after a repair, you may need to get a new PC.") That type of virus is quite rare and often makes the general news. Honestly, few people need to worry about this kind of thing, but it seemed relevant to note.
by bryanm
Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7054
Views: 890755

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

So I recently transferred about $100k over to BoA to shoot for Platinum Honors and the CC rewards bonus. My expectation from this thread was that it would take 3 months to get there. Surprisingly, I was granted PH status basically immediately--it now shows that I've been Preferred Rewards member since "February 2023." Is this expected behavior? Am I now locked in for a year? I had intended to transfer in an extra $10k or so as buffer to deal with market drops, but didn't due to an error on my part. If I'm locked in, seems like I don't have to worry about this for a while? Did you open a new Merrill Edge account with the brokerage bonus offer? Part of that offer is early enrollment in Preferred Rewards: Promotional Early Enrollmen...
by bryanm
Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7054
Views: 890755

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

So I recently transferred about $100k over to BoA to shoot for Platinum Honors and the CC rewards bonus. My expectation from this thread was that it would take 3 months to get there. Surprisingly, I was granted PH status basically immediately--it now shows that I've been Preferred Rewards member since "February 2023."

Is this expected behavior? Am I now locked in for a year? I had intended to transfer in an extra $10k or so as buffer to deal with market drops, but didn't due to an error on my part. If I'm locked in, seems like I don't have to worry about this for a while?
by bryanm
Sun Dec 11, 2022 11:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portable Pour Over?
Replies: 44
Views: 3685

Re: Portable Pour Over?

Aeropress when it’s just me, Espro French press (w/ paper filter) for a crowd. Porlex mini grinder.
by bryanm
Fri Nov 25, 2022 2:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Scenario where taxable account wins over tax-deferred
Replies: 18
Views: 2213

Re: Scenario where taxable account wins over tax-deferred

So taxable is cap gains + ordinary income taxes because when investing in a taxable account the money being invested has already been subjected to ordinary income taxes, it's not pretax like a traditional 401K or IRA. Then when shares are redeemed in the taxable account, the cap gains are taxed at cap gains rates. There is no ordinary income tax to pay when you redeem shares. It was already paid. This is my understanding of it. Is this correct? Correct! Isn't this the wrong comparison? The correct comparison is between taxable and after -tax tax-advantaged account, such as Roth 401(k). Comparing taxable to tax-deferred is the red herring here. I think the thing that sometimes people struggle with is that a trad 401k and a Roth 401(k) are t...
by bryanm
Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Scenario where taxable account wins over tax-deferred
Replies: 18
Views: 2213

Re: Scenario where taxable account wins over tax-deferred

Assume you will be in the same tax bracket (Fed+State) when contributing and withdrawing from your tax-deferred account (401K). Withdrawals from 401k are ordinary income vs potential for cap gains in taxable. Over long periods, equity in taxable can very easily be better than equity in 401k as cap gains taxes are very favorable, at least for now This is a misconception--assuming equal contribution and withdrawal rates, the ordinary income tax you pay on 401k withdrawals is exactly offset by the ordinary income tax you saved by deferring tax in the first place. So, it's not cap gains (taxable) vs ordinary income taxes (401k), it's cap gains+ordinary income taxes (taxable) vs ordinary income taxes (401k). In other words, cap gains are an abs...
by bryanm
Thu Nov 24, 2022 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: XBOX 1
Replies: 6
Views: 612

Re: XBOX 1

Nyc10036 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 9:28 am Great thank you.
I don't want to disappoint the boy.
Generally, Microsoft's official XBox gear is good quality, so you're wise to stick with them. Third party gear is much more variable--some is great, some is not great.
by bryanm
Sat Nov 19, 2022 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are Kona coffee beans really worth $40/pound?
Replies: 22
Views: 2182

Re: Are Kona coffee beans really worth $40/pound?

The general consensus in the fancy coffee community (read: Light Roast, high acid, pour overs, etc.) is no. But you can’t know until you try :)
by bryanm
Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Ben Felix is back.... The Index Fund "Tipping Point"
Replies: 44
Views: 16858

Re: Ben Felix is back.... The Index Fund "Tipping Point"

Question. Quoting Ben, "If everyone turns into a passive index investor, the market can't be efficient." If that were the case, wouldn't there absolutely, positively be active investors who would try to exploit that inefficiency? Thus, wouldn't active investing once again restore efficiency to the market? Total layman here asking a sincere question. Yes, @ 2:00 "If the active management industry gets too small, there will be alpha opportunities for investors and capital should shift from passive index funds to actively managed funds." His idea is that if you reach that "tipping point", you might be better off switching to active funds. But he argues we're nowhere near that tipping point (if it exists) and that...
by bryanm
Tue Nov 15, 2022 1:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to invest in Web 3.0/Blockchain (NOT cryptocurrencies)
Replies: 29
Views: 3882

Re: How to invest in Web 3.0/Blockchain (NOT cryptocurrencies)

1) What's so great about an "immutable ledger," and how is it different from 1970s-technology "databases?" My bank account isn't stored on a blockchain, but I don't have the ability to write new values into it. 2) In 2019, the Ethereum blockchain was rewritten to roll back a theft. Certainly this was all in the public good, but nevertheless the "immutable" ledger was changed. Why do people say these things are immutable? On point (1), as Alex's post above notes, the key "benefit" of current blockchains is that they are decentralized . No one party gets to determine what's correct or not, and that is the key difference to a database. If you trust some individual entity to say what's correct, you don't...
by bryanm
Tue Nov 15, 2022 12:16 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Money Market Fund for a newbie
Replies: 10
Views: 2267

Re: Money Market Fund for a newbie

Welcome to the forum :) . I am newbie to the forum and I am amazed on the wealth of knowledge and experience. THANK YOU for sharing. I have a question, I took HELOC when the rates were low at 3.99% and the money is sitting the bank doing nothing. I saw forum discussions on parking the money in Money Market Funds. I have $290k to move to Money Market Funds. Which fund would be advisable to offset the interest payments that I am paying for the cash. You might not like the answer, but the right thing to do here is pay off the HELOC. There's nothing safe that on an after-tax basis is going to earn you more than the 4% you're paying to borrow the money. Put it back. You're borrowing money against your home with the notion of investing in risk a...
by bryanm
Sun Nov 13, 2022 11:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to invest in Web 3.0/Blockchain (NOT cryptocurrencies)
Replies: 29
Views: 3882

Re: How to invest in Web 3.0/Blockchain (NOT cryptocurrencies)

This threads responses is exactly the issue with blockchain and exactly what the OP did not ask... it's been corrupted by the crypto nonsense... The tech for immutable ledgers will have a huge future IMO (once it's split from the nonsense) as the potential uses are important. Unfortunately, I don't know how to invest in that particular piece - and neither does anyone else. One issue is that no one has yet found a "killer app" for verifiably immutable, distributed ledgers aside from cryptocurrency. And even companies that think they have end up issuing a coin, at which point their valuation is driven by speculation rather than the supposedly killer app (see Helium). This of course makes sense from their point of view--not issuing ...
by bryanm
Sun Nov 13, 2022 1:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Money Market Fund for a newbie
Replies: 10
Views: 2267

Re: Money Market Fund for a newbie

I took HELOC when the rates were low at 3.99%
Perhaps a silly question, but you’re sure that the heloc is fixed rate? Most are floating—fixed rates are rare in helocs so far as I know.
by bryanm
Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mixed Types of RAM in Laptop
Replies: 10
Views: 863

Re: Mixed Types of RAM in Laptop

What model of laptop? Assume you could look up the specs to answer this question. Two things going on: memory speed and channels. First, if you install two different speed memories, typically the motherboard uses the lower speed. Here that’s not an issue as both are the same speed. Second is potential for “dual channel mode” where the motherboard uses two ram slots in parallel, which is often much faster. This is why people are typically advised to install ram in pairs. I don’t know whether this laptop has such a mode. One way to check would be to run a benchmark (such as Passmark) under both configurations and see whether the 8gb stick results in slower speeds. If not, I’d use the extra ram.
by bryanm
Thu Oct 27, 2022 4:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Am I investing too Much?
Replies: 26
Views: 3916

Re: Am I investing too Much?

the_wiki wrote: Thu Oct 27, 2022 3:59 pm What is with all this real returns nonsense? It does nothing but cause confusion because it is impossible to even calculate.
Real returns are no easier nor harder to predict than nominal returns, but they are more useful.

ETA: Assuming you have a typical portfolio of things like stocks and bond funds, and not merely one of pure bonds.
by bryanm
Thu Oct 27, 2022 12:04 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roth 401k in 2023 for 35% tax bracket?
Replies: 38
Views: 3415

Re: Roth 401k in 2023 for 35% tax bracket?

FiveK, thank you for your measured and clear responses here! This kind of post makes the forum great.
by bryanm
Thu Sep 22, 2022 1:24 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Roth IRA vs Conventional IRA
Replies: 24
Views: 1580

Re: Roth IRA vs Conventional IRA

iflyjetzzz wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 12:26 pm And yes, IRA distributions count in calculating taxes on SS. https://faq.ssa.gov/en-US/Topic/article ... 2425%2C000.
Just to clarify, I think the intent here was to say that traditional IRA distributions count? I don't think Roth distributions count, but let me know if I'm misunderstanding.
by bryanm
Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:49 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Roth IRA vs Conventional IRA
Replies: 24
Views: 1580

Re: Roth IRA vs Conventional IRA

OP, You've basically got it. Two extra considerations: There is a tax arbitrage available due to our progressive tax system: you always contribute at your current top rate, but at least some taxable income in retirement will be taxed at the lowest marginal rate. So, until your pre-tax retirement nestegg supports withdrawals in your current marginal tax bracket, you get a tax advantage from a conventional account. Basically, you always want some pre-tax income during retirement. Conventional provides optionality, in that it can convert to Roth. The opposite is not true. If you happen to have low income years, you can do conversions then to maximize tax savings. I agree with others that a mix is ideal, but I personally prefer conventional and...
by bryanm
Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New outdoor gas grill?
Replies: 54
Views: 5272

Re: New outdoor gas grill?

I have an order in for a Napoleon Prestige 500. It hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m excited in particular for the infrared burner. Advertised at 1800 degrees—that will sear some steak! I found the reviews at amazingribs.com to be very helpful. They give the Napoleon a “platinum” rating, along with variety of other grills mentioned here, such as MHP and Weber models. The reviews there may help decide, but it seems like all are great grills. BTW where did you buy it? My local Lowes says they don’t offer assembly somehow. Amazon has a weird statement ‘assembly available in some areas’ without listing such areas and, as usual, it’s impossible to chat with a love person :oops: I bought from Amazon, primarily due to the 5% discount given by my Amazon...
by bryanm
Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New outdoor gas grill?
Replies: 54
Views: 5272

Re: New outdoor gas grill?

I have an order in for a Napoleon Prestige 500. It hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m excited in particular for the infrared burner. Advertised at 1800 degrees—that will sear some steak!

I found the reviews at amazingribs.com to be very helpful. They give the Napoleon a “platinum” rating, along with variety of other grills mentioned here, such as MHP and Weber models. The reviews there may help decide, but it seems like all are great grills.
by bryanm
Wed Mar 02, 2022 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to wipe an SSD drive
Replies: 29
Views: 2153

Re: How to wipe an SSD drive

newbie003, You don't understand how an SSD works. You CANNOT get to parts of the drive that may have your data without the manufacturer tool. There may be some tools that claim to be able to access these hidden areas, but I wouldn't trust that to be true. And you will never know. No format or partition commands are going to get to that area. I disagree with this. The "Secure Erase" command used by hdparm or other 3rd party software is an ATA command built into the spec to conduct a complete wipe. It's handled by manufacturer firmware. Of course there may be manufacturers who implement it incorrectly and thus don't delete hidden areas. But that's the manufacturer's fault, and if you can't trust them to do a secure wipe in firmware...
by bryanm
Wed Mar 02, 2022 1:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to wipe an SSD drive
Replies: 29
Views: 2153

Re: How to wipe an SSD drive

On the linux side, I believe many ubuntu distros come with hdparm built in. So once you're running, you just need to get to a terminal and switch to root (tutorial here). Linux isn't for the faint of heart, though. If you're not familiar with it, and there is a non-Linux solution, that might be best.

I've never used it, but if your drive is a Samsung you might try "Samsung Magician". It seems to include functionality to create a bootable USB that conducts a secure wipe.
by bryanm
Wed Mar 02, 2022 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to wipe an SSD drive
Replies: 29
Views: 2153

Re: How to wipe an SSD drive

That seems like a good use case for a wipe. The linux route I mentioned above should work regardless of brand, but if you need to find the brand and the unit isn't bootable, you can probably figure it out from the BIOS. Usually it's F12 or DEL during the first part of the boot to get into that. Go into the "boot" section and look for the identifier of the drive. Manufacturer may be apparent, or you can Google the identifier to find the manufacturer.
by bryanm
Wed Mar 02, 2022 12:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to wipe an SSD drive
Replies: 29
Views: 2153

Re: How to wipe an SSD drive

I think this depends on what you mean by "wipe." A normal windows installer will allow you to delete the boot sector and any partitions, creating new ones in their place. This will mean that any new software installed will consider the drive "wiped," though the actual bits will still be there.

If you want to secure erase an SSD, you could boot a USB linux distro (many are available) and use hdparm to do a secure erase.

FWIW, I'm not aware of many situations that require secure erase, outside of disposing of the drive. Recreating the partition table should be equivalent for software functionality/fixing problems.
by bryanm
Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rolling earnings on non-deductable traditional IRA into 401k in prep for Roth conversion
Replies: 5
Views: 510

Re: Rolling earnings on non-deductable traditional IRA into 401k in prep for Roth conversion

Doc7 wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:04 pm
bryanm wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:01 pm
Duckie wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:51 pm
2021reset wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 7:37 pm My understanding of the way to make this happen is that all the gains (which are essentially pre-tax) in the IRAs needs to be moved out of the way (rolled into 401k/403b), then the remainder (the contributions) can be converted to Roth at no cost/impact to our taxes, is that correct?
If done right, yes.
Is this right? Doesn’t it matter whether the trad IRA contributions a pre- or post-tax? If they are pre-tax, then wouldn’t tax be due at the time of conversion?
Post title states this is non deductible basis.
Yep, my bad. Read the post and missed the title.
by bryanm
Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rolling earnings on non-deductable traditional IRA into 401k in prep for Roth conversion
Replies: 5
Views: 510

Re: Rolling earnings on non-deductable traditional IRA into 401k in prep for Roth conversion

Duckie wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:51 pm
2021reset wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 7:37 pm My understanding of the way to make this happen is that all the gains (which are essentially pre-tax) in the IRAs needs to be moved out of the way (rolled into 401k/403b), then the remainder (the contributions) can be converted to Roth at no cost/impact to our taxes, is that correct?
If done right, yes.
Is this right? Doesn’t it matter whether the trad IRA contributions a pre- or post-tax? If they are pre-tax, then wouldn’t tax be due at the time of conversion?
by bryanm
Fri Jan 07, 2022 4:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Contractor finished the job last July but I can't get them to send me a bill.
Replies: 56
Views: 6287

Re: Contractor finished the job last July but I can't get them to send me a bill.

If you're satisfied with the work send a check for balance due based on the estimate. Place a notation on the check such as "Final payment for work done for GeoMetry". They'll either cash it and you'll be done or you'll hear further. If you're following this route—and I'm not making a recommendation either way—be aware that you're treading into legal territory where specific words might matter a whole lot. The concept of writing "payment in full" (or maybe "final payment" or the like) is not just a "memo": many states have adopted positions where it actually has legal ramifications, such as considering cashing the check legal acceptance of payment in full. You may want to do some research on the law ...
by bryanm
Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Sine Wave UPS Required for Dell 7010 SFF computer?
Replies: 19
Views: 1672

Re: Is Sine Wave UPS Required for Dell 7010 SFF computer?

whodidntante wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 2:46 pm Yes, it's required. They have nothing to gain by making it up.
What they have to gain is CYA. The actual wave being put out varies across individual UPSs. The sensitivity to that wave varies across individual PSUs. So might as well say it's required and avoid the headache. Doesn't mean it's actually required.
by bryanm
Thu Dec 30, 2021 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Sine Wave UPS Required for Dell 7010 SFF computer?
Replies: 19
Views: 1672

Re: Is Sine Wave UPS Required for Dell 7010 SFF computer?

Bottom line: no, a sine wave UPS is probably not required. How can you tell for sure? Buy the modified sine wave UPS, connect the PC to it, and pull the plug. Does the PC reboot? If not, you're good. If so, you need the sine wave UPS. (In most cases, the PC will be just fine.)

Super detailed technical explanation here: When do I need a pure sine wave UPS?
by bryanm
Fri Nov 12, 2021 4:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "Non-Poaching" agreements - handling communication with former co-workers
Replies: 16
Views: 2620

Re: "Non-Poaching" agreements - handling communication with former co-workers

Does your new company have legal counsel? Perhaps you could ask them?