Bogleheads.org

weltschmerz

If you're unsure or not confident, why not just pay $500 for an accountant to help you? Paying for assistance diminishes the benefits of the tax strategy. Plus not all accountants and CPAs know how to conduct the backdoor Roth correctly. 2 years ago, I had to hold my CPA's hand as we went back and ...

weltschmerz

To the OP, thanks for posting such a thought-provoking thread. I would advise you to keep working, until you reach the point that you are completely done with it and are unable/unwilling to continue. Stopping too soon puts a cap on your total amount of wealth that you can create and control. This ha...

weltschmerz

If you cannot completely reconstruct every Roth IRA contribution, a partial reconstruction might be worth your while. And start doing it right from here on out. If the OP is older than 59 1/2, then does it matter to track the Roth IRA contributions? At that point, the money can all be taken out wit...

weltschmerz

If a primary distinction between VT and NH is the taxes, I wonder, do these taxes improve the quality of the living experience in VT? From the descriptions of brokendirtdart, it sounds like NH is getting overrun with tourists, I'd probably be willing to pay the higher taxes in VT if it means living ...

weltschmerz

40% VUG (Vanguard Growth Index). So you think US Growth will outperform US Value and International for the next 10 years? And you also want to increase the stocks up to 40% from the recommended 25%? Looks like recency bias to me, but there is no right answer. VTI is the normal recommendation for sto...

weltschmerz

I just sold my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee last month. In the 10 years I had it, it never had any major problems or left me on the side of the road. It did have lots of small problems though, involving things like broken power door locks, HVAC problems, oil leaks, etc. It also was at the dealer many ti...

weltschmerz

After college, I drove out to the West Coast with just my car and whatever I could fit in it. I look back on this memory with great joy, life was simple then. Over the next decades, I accumulated so much stuff, furniture, houses, etc. Moving became a chore, requiring a team of men and a large box tr...

weltschmerz

I'd guess either upstate New York (Lake Placid surroundings?), Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and northern Maine you could avoid traffic and flight paths. Be aware of Military Operational Areas (MOAs) in some of these states, they can cover very large areas. Check out the size and location of the...

weltschmerz

I'm a fan of the 50/50 approach: 50% stocks, 50% bonds+cash Of the 50% in stocks: 50% US, 50% International Currently I'm at 49% stocks, of which 55% is Int'l, all of my recent stock inflows have been into the Int'l side. Any future inflows throughout the year will be into the US side to balance it ...

weltschmerz

thanks all for ideas...it's not a monetary decision, but a simplification and downsize decision. Seems pretty simple then, if it's not about the :moneybag , keep your favorite car, sell the other 2. I did something similar last month, we have 2 cars, and are only driving once a week to the store (4...

weltschmerz

In a taxable account, a gold ETF like IAU will generate a small sale each month (used to cover the trust's costs of storing the gold). This makes tax-time a bit of a headache since you have all these small Sell transactions that you have to deal with. Also, gold ETFs are treated as collectibles, so ...

weltschmerz

How did you do the inflation adjustment? The peak in August 2011 should be well above $2000 in 2020 dollars. Gold closed August 2011 around $1870. We've had 15% cumulative inflation since then, so that would put the price at $2150 in 2020 dollars. I think I have messed up the inflation adjustments ...

weltschmerz

market timer wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 10:40 pm
weltschmerz wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 10:37 pmBased on current conditions, perhaps a combination long gold + short bond trade is the way to play this.
I just put on this trade a few minutes ago.

Nice! I hope that it will work out. Did you execute this using ETFs such as GLD and TBT? And do you have a defined exit point?

weltschmerz

For a longer sample period, ranging over more than several years, I'd suggest fitting the inflation-adjusted price of gold. Here is a 10-year graph using the month-end inflation-adjusted price of gold and the predicted gold price based on the 30-year real rate. I used the monthly CPI numbers to mak...

weltschmerz

I bought a 6-quart stockpot from Made In Cookware earlier this year. 5-ply construction, made in Italy. I've been using it all year, very happy with this purchase. It cost me $119, but I see on their website they are having a 30% off Black Friday sale, so the current price is $83, a great deal! http...

weltschmerz

The formula I gave to value gold six months ago is holding up pretty well: P = 1800 * e ^ (-33 * r), where r is the 30-year real rate Currently, r = -0.38%, so fair value is approximately $2040/oz. Back when gold was $1200 in November 2018, real yields were at 1.3%. The model predicted a fair value...

weltschmerz

I picked up a new MacBook Air M1 this weekend, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB HD. This is the lowest model Air that you can buy. I am coming from a 2018 MacBook Air with 16 GB RAM, 512 GB HD. Here are my thoughts so far: 1) 8 GB RAM seems like plenty for me. I do video editing (using iMovie) and music production ...

weltschmerz

I have used a variety of ellipticals, including those from Precor and True. The Precor ones seem to have a very large footprint, great for gyms or garages, but not so good for my living room. The community gym at my last condo had a True elliptical, and I really liked the small footprint of this one...

weltschmerz

I recommend taking a look at ticker AAAU as it is guaranteed by the government of Australia unlike gld which could have all sorts of financial shenanigans and from what I have read could go bust. I believe AAAU was purchased by Goldman Sachs earlier this year, not sure if Australia will have any on...

weltschmerz

I don't think you're missing anything, except HOA fees if applicable. I always break home ownership costs into 7 components: PITI + MTH (Principal, Interest, Taxes, Insurance) + (Maintenance, Transaction costs to buy & sell, HOA costs) If you pay cash, I wouldn't include the lost opportunity cos...

weltschmerz

I think ibonds are great but I'm not buying anymore. I have $30k stuck in treasury direct requiring a medallion signature to access. If I am having trouble accessing it, I don't know how my hiers will get to it. If that's the price we for security, then they are a very secure and safe place to put ...

weltschmerz

I currently own no U.S. savings bonds. Given the relatively small annual purchase limit, I would, in an ideal world, like to begin the process of gradually moving most of my emergency fund into I bonds. I am in the same position as you, I currently hold no savings bonds, but in the current environm...

weltschmerz

$140 is a great deal! I bought a Series 5 Apple Watch at the beginning of this year, it has completely transformed my health. The Watch allows me to monitor my activity in great detail, I find it very motivating. I close my exercise rings almost every day. Once I started getting more activity in my ...

weltschmerz

I prefer the shredding option. Back in 2010, I decided to go mostly digital, after a lifetime of accumulating paper. I had several big stacks of paper, each about 2 feet high. This took days to shred, and I had to wait many times for the shredder to cool down. It would overheat and then just stop ru...

weltschmerz

I looked at the Apple One family package for $20/mo. and was intrigued, but I decided against it. I already pay $150/mo. for: YouTube TV - $65 Netflix - $16 Amazon Prime Video, Unlimited Music, and 1 TB cloud - $18 Sirius XM (for the car) - $6 HBO - $15 Showtime - $11 Hulu/Disney/ESPN+ - $19 If I g...

weltschmerz

I dropped YouTube TV. The AppleOne bundle makes sense (with Fitness) for my family. I'm already paying for the 2TB storage tier and AppleMusic Family. Apple News+ does not have the New York Times, but it does have the Washington Post and the WSJ. I didn't realize News+ includes the WaPo and WSJ, th...

weltschmerz

I see that Apple is now offering a new digital bundle called "Apple One" for all of their digital subscriptions. This prompted me to take a look at all the current monthly subscriptions I have. Here is what I currently pay every month: YouTube TV - $65 Netflix - $13 Apple Music (family pla...

weltschmerz

I have used both the regular Airpods and the Airpods Pro. I prefer the regular Airpods: 1) I had trouble getting the Airpods Pro to fit in my ear perfectly, I found it a hassle to try to get the rubber gaskets to seal properly in my ear. There is no such issue for me with the regular Airpods, they j...

weltschmerz

For those of you with a Vitamix, which model is recommended? The website shows the top model to be the Professional Series 750, for $600! Is that the one to get? I am currently using an old Osterizer Classic blender, purchased for $10 at a thrift store. I did have to spend an additional $7 to replac...

weltschmerz

I didn't use TurboTax, but I did e-file my Federal and CA returns last night, about 1 hour before the July 15 midnight deadline. IRS accepted it within the hour, but I've heard nothing from CA*. *Edit: Received CA acceptance at about 8 pm July 16. TurboTax has this to say on their website: Why is my...

weltschmerz

After reading through his thread, I am now convinced that a global stock weighting is the way to go. For the past few years, I have been holding all my stocks in the S&P500 index, and due to the US outperformance, this has worked out well for me. But as the FAANG+Microsoft stocks now make up suc...

weltschmerz

If you are worried about the risks in muni bonds, you could consider using a top-quality fund such as BMBIX, where more of the holdings are rated AAA: BMBIX (Baird Quality Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund) AAA 70.7% AA 26.8% A 2.5% Duration 4.2 years Expense Ratio: 0.30% Yield 1.10% For comparison, ...

weltschmerz

I have owned 2 Jeeps, so I can add my anecdotal data points: 1) 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, V8 engine, 4x2 drivetrain. Purchased new, right after the Great Recession when Chrysler had emerged from bankruptcy. The Grand Cherokee had been re-designed by DaimlerChrysler and shared a lot of parts with the...

weltschmerz

If you want to grow plants using an extremely simple hydroponics method, check out Bucket Hydroponics, a.k.a. Kratky Hydroponics. This method involves setting your plants atop a bucket of liquid fertilizers. No pumps or fluid changes are required, so it is very easy and low maintenance. The plants s...

weltschmerz

Sorry to hear about your situation, I have been there, and it is miserable. Here are some suggestions: 1) Check out the Dazer: "Dog Dazer II Ultrasonic Dog Deterrent" from Amazon. This is a handheld device, and when pointed right at some dogs, it seems to bother them and stop the barking. ...

weltschmerz

I'm not sure I could successfully cut back to just 1 drink a day. After 1 drink, I'm just starting to "feel good", my inhibitions are becoming lowered, and that's when I go for drink # 2, 3, 4... A few years back, I went almost year without drinking booze, and I remember that I instead was...

weltschmerz

After a long year of enjoying alcohol, I’m going Dry for January 2019. Who’s with me? I am not a super heavy drinker, but I do enjoy 2-4 beers or glasses of wine each evening, usually consumed at home at an average cost of $2.50 per drink. Averaging 3 drinks per day at a cost of $7.50 per day, I wil...

weltschmerz

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