Search found 448 matches

by clemrick
Wed Mar 20, 2024 11:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice on choosing 2/3 day side trip from Paris in September
Replies: 18
Views: 1310

Re: Advice on choosing 2/3 day side trip from Paris in September

I would rent a car and do a tour of the Chateaux in the Loire Valley. You can easily do two or even three chateaux in a day if you plan it carefully.
by clemrick
Wed Mar 20, 2024 11:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: London 3 days in June - Need recommendations
Replies: 23
Views: 1851

Re: London 3 days in June - Need recommendations

The trick for the Tower of London is to get there at opening and go directly to the crown jewels then join a Beefeater tour. Then wonder around on your own.

Both the walking tour and the hop on hop off bus will give you an overall tour, but you still have to get off the bus and go into the sites you want to see. The walking tour will just take you by stuff and then you will have to go back on your own to see the sites, so I don't know if that is what you really want since you are still on your own to actually experience these sites.
by clemrick
Thu Mar 07, 2024 12:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: UBS Won't Issue a Corrected 1099
Replies: 14
Views: 1430

Re: UBS Won't Issue a Corrected 1099

Are you doing her taxes with software? There should be a place to mark it as a rollover so the software knows not to tax it.
by clemrick
Thu Feb 22, 2024 8:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seat Cushion
Replies: 3
Views: 681

Seat Cushion

Anyone here try/have a Cushion Lab seat cushion? I want to go back to needleworking, but sitting for long periods aggravates a nerve in my leg. I am considering a Cushion Lab cushion and would like to know if they really work. Also, if anyone has another brand they like, I would consider that.
Thanks.
by clemrick
Fri Feb 16, 2024 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines
Replies: 32
Views: 2242

Re: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines

Since the schools are so close in academics, you should also look at the city life and culture. I'm just assuming that Golden will be cheaper to live in than Boulder. I have always thought that Golden had a small-town feel to it. Boulder lost that feeling sometime in 80s (Boulder native, here). Mines may not have the "cultural amenities" of CU, but it is not a long drive to Boulder or Denver. And... Mines has a good football program without all the hype of CU!
by clemrick
Thu Dec 14, 2023 12:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Optum HSA Investments: Advice needed
Replies: 10
Views: 1184

Re: Optum HSA Investments: Advice needed

You will want to check on their investing fees. DH's employer only covers the monthly fee for the HSA, not the separate investment fee. We moved his HSA to Fidelity and transferred money quarterly.
by clemrick
Thu Dec 14, 2023 12:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Optum HSA Investments: Advice needed
Replies: 10
Views: 1184

Re: Optum HSA Investments: Advice needed

You will want to check on their investing fees. DH's employer only covers the monthly fee for the HSA, not the separate investment fee.
by clemrick
Sun Oct 08, 2023 10:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Travelers: AirBnB/Vacation Rental or Hotel?
Replies: 26
Views: 3284

Re: Travelers: AirBnB/Vacation Rental or Hotel?

I have no trouble with using laundromats while traveling. We usually need one every 10 days or so. I look at it as a nice down time to do some reading or trip planing.

Hubby and were doing our laundry in Bastogne, Belgium in 2018 when Belgium beat England for 3rd place in the World Cup. It was great to see the people come out onto the street to celebrate the victory. We might have missed it if we had stayed in our room. (Tip for anyone traveling in Belgium. Gas stations are terrific places to stay! The rooms are over the station, and least in 2018, were new/well kept, and cheap!)
by clemrick
Sat Oct 07, 2023 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Traveling to Tel Aviv in October 2023
Replies: 71
Views: 12849

Re: Traveling to Tel Aviv in October 2023

goingup wrote: Sat Oct 07, 2023 10:06 am Our Celebrity Cruise to the Middle East sails on 10/16 with 3 port days in Israel (Ashdod and Haifa). No word from the cruise line yet about changes. Not sure what actions we can take right now but we're reviewing the terms of our travel insurance policy.
On a Holland America Facebook group, people reported that their shore excursions were called back to the ship in Haifa and that the ship was leaving at 4 pm. Someone else onboard another ship headed to Haifa reported that they were told they would not be arriving in Haifa tomorrow and the decision of where to go instead had not been made.
by clemrick
Sun Sep 24, 2023 10:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mass Emailing Service
Replies: 16
Views: 1903

Re: Mass Emailing Service

PeninsulaPerson wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 3:40 pm
clemrick wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:48 pm Given that he produced the directory in Excel!!!!
In its own way, Excel is as powerful and flexible as Word.
No dissing Excel!
I was impressed that he had it formatted in a spreadsheet just as it would look using a wordprocessor, but I really didn't want to work that hard, so I just used mail merge in Word to produce it.
by clemrick
Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mass Emailing Service
Replies: 16
Views: 1903

Re: Mass Emailing Service

Wow, didn't expect so many answers. Previous membership chair handed the membership file (excel) over to me and said he was done with the association and we haven't heard from him since. We already use MailChimp for our monthly emails about zoom talks, but they do not allow attachments. Our website is hosted by a woman who a previous president knew. She does well with the website, but does not host email. The association has a gmail account. Previous membership chair also produced a very nice, expensive paper membership directory for a few people in the association. I received one of those, I did not receive the electronic version, so I can not see what the headers were. Given that he produced the directory in Excel!!!! (its what he knew an...
by clemrick
Thu Sep 21, 2023 4:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mass Emailing Service
Replies: 16
Views: 1903

Mass Emailing Service

I am the membership chair for a non-profit association. I am finishing up our biennial membership directory. The association board decided two years ago to make a pdf directory and email them to our members. The membership chair at that time had access to a mass emailing service, I do not.

Can anyone suggest a service where I upload the directory (275 members) and email addresses and the service will send them out without triggering mass email warnings in people email programs?

My backup plan is to upload the file to our website and then email a link to our members, but I am not sure our webmistress can lock the file away from bots.

Thanks.
by clemrick
Mon Sep 18, 2023 12:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: W4 sanity check
Replies: 7
Views: 916

Re: W4 sanity check

The IRS calculator is not very accurate. The best way to estimate your tax is to fill out a return with one of the online services. It will be for 2023, but will give you a much better idea of where you are.
by clemrick
Tue Sep 12, 2023 11:36 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to distribute deceased person's Roth
Replies: 21
Views: 2074

Re: How to distribute deceased person's Roth

I didn't see anyone else address this, but there is NO way for your designated child to inherit the Roth accounts and then redistribute to individual Roth accounts. S/he would only be able to cash out the accounts and distribute the cash.
by clemrick
Wed Sep 06, 2023 12:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Selling within an IRA and taxes
Replies: 22
Views: 3353

Re: Selling within an IRA and taxes

You mention your 401K -- are you maxing out your contribution? If not, One thing to keep in mind is that you can max your contribution now and make up the difference in take-home pay by withdrawals from these inherited accounts.
by clemrick
Mon Aug 28, 2023 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: AARP Rewards -- not credit card related
Replies: 1
Views: 449

AARP Rewards -- not credit card related

Is anyone here registered for the AARP Rewards program? This is not related to credit cards, it is a program that gives you points for signing in to the AARP website once a day, meeting walking or biking goals, etc.

It looks like it is free to join. So am giving it a try. I just wonder if anyone here has experience/tips for the program.

Thanks.
by clemrick
Mon Aug 07, 2023 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fire Blanket
Replies: 13
Views: 2344

Re: Fire Blanket

Well, I am glad I asked before buying a blanket.

Will get a new fire extinguisher.

One of the pictures shows a blanket covering a grill fire. I do have family who grill. Would it work then?

Thanks.
by clemrick
Sun Aug 06, 2023 7:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fire Blanket
Replies: 13
Views: 2344

Fire Blanket

Has anyone had to use a fire blanket in their kitchen for a stove fire? Does it work?

I need to replace my fire extinquisher and would rather have the blanket since it would be easier to use and won't make a mess.

Thanks.
by clemrick
Fri Aug 04, 2023 11:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cost of transport in Switzerland
Replies: 23
Views: 2151

Re: Cost of transport in Switzerland

In 2018, we were in Switzerland for 7 days and we got 8 day travel passes. Before going, I made up a spreadsheet to determine the best pass or card. I was comparing the half-fare and the travel pass and it looked like we would break even with the travel pass over single fares and the half-fare card wouldn't save us much money. I also liked the idea of just turning up and riding the train/bus/boat without having to buy a ticket, even if it was online. We rode trains, post buses (AMAZING if you get a front seat right-hand seat and go over a pass or two, you seem to hang out over the edge of hair-pin curves), steamboats, and city buses. We took at least two trips a day (most days four or more) on some form of transportation. When we got back, ...
by clemrick
Tue Aug 01, 2023 11:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Work trip Per Diem question
Replies: 18
Views: 2039

Re: Work trip Per Diem question

My husband's work will deduct a certain amount for breakfasts if the hotel advertises that it serves breakfast. Doesn't matter if it is a full hot breakfast or just packets of oatmeal.
by clemrick
Sun Jul 30, 2023 11:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security COLA's Not Meeting Medicare Inflation
Replies: 13
Views: 1508

Re: Social Security COLA's Not Meeting Medicare Inflation

Once you pick a Part D plan you are not locked into it. You can change each year depending on the options available.There is a handy website that allows you to enter your prescriptions and preferred pharmacy(s) and see what the different options. Often, people find they can save by using a different pharmacy with a certain plan.
by clemrick
Fri Jul 21, 2023 10:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Intl. airline ticket prices... why so expensive / strategies for finding discounts?
Replies: 67
Views: 8223

Re: Intl. airline ticket prices... why so expensive / strategies for finding discounts?

Cruise wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 3:08 am Ever hear of hidden city ticketing? If you don’t check luggage and if you book one-ways, a lot of money can be saved. I just checked on flights to one nation (A), and found that I could save $1000 buy booking to another nation (B), with a connection in nation A. The exact same flight was being used! Be cautious using this.
The airlines are getting more and more proactive about stopping this practice. If you miss a flight going out, your whole ticket is cancelled so you don't have a return flight.

I just read an article about an airline that stopped a flier whose address was in the hidden city and they thought would not fly onward. The flier had to buy a new ticket to his hometown at the airport.
by clemrick
Sun Jun 25, 2023 7:29 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: IRA rollover rules to buy CD's
Replies: 15
Views: 983

Re: IRA rollover rules to buy CD's

quake wrote: Sun Jun 25, 2023 7:14 am Ok, thank you for the clarification everyone I appreciate it...I haven't done this before and it just feels like one big penalizing contribution. I'll be getting the check mailed to me in which I'll mobile deposit it into my settlement fund and then invest away in my IRA!
Are you sure you can do a mobile deposit with that amount? I haven't done a mobile deposit to Vanguard, but my bank wants any check over $500 physically deposited.
by clemrick
Sat Jun 24, 2023 10:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Extended Stay America Hotel
Replies: 33
Views: 3107

Re: Extended Stay America Hotel

Skeeter1 wrote: Wed Jun 21, 2023 4:26 pm The hotel was remodeled during covid so are they just a "bargain" brand with limited ammenities or a legit 3-1/2 stars as some say?
Stars DO NOT mean quality. Stars refer to the amenities. And the amenities depend on what list you look at. I like 2-3 star properties because they usually have fridge/microwave and sometimes breakfast. I find it interesting that 4 stars and above don't have those things, but you pay more to stay there.

I have stayed at several Extended Stay and now only use them knowing what I am getting and I am paying a lot less than even the nearby Super8. If they offer breakfast, it is usually only packets of oatmeal.
by clemrick
Wed Jun 21, 2023 11:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Emotional when trading in old faithful car
Replies: 17
Views: 1230

Re: Emotional when trading in old faithful car

Yes, but not enough to stop us from buying our first ever brand new car. The old car was a 20 yr old Izuzu Trooper and we were having difficulty finding replacement parts, so we had to replace it. It gave us great service.

I wasn't too bothered until we had lunch at the restaurant next door and they moved the Trooper to a lot we could see from the window. I felt like it was rebuking us the whole time we ate.
by clemrick
Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Travel in Central France: Modes of Transportation?
Replies: 5
Views: 725

Re: Travel in Central France: Modes of Transportation?

Here is the Aumont-Aubrac forum on TripAdvisor. It is a great source of info:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g ... tanie.html
by clemrick
Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Computer ransom demands
Replies: 24
Views: 3461

Re: Computer ransom demands

My guess is that UBlock Origin would block that kind of stuff. But since I don't use Facebook, I can't know for sure. But UBO is a universal blocker of "bad stuff" so it certainly wouldn't hurt to have it installed. Thanks, I will add UBlock Origin. Since she's already using Firefox, try changing the "Enhanced Tracking Protection" from "Standard" to "Strict". I find that this blocks most garbage, and has little to no impact on the functionality of web sites. If that isn't good enough, then the recommendation to install the "uBlock Origin" extension would be my next step. If you have Malware Bytes, is it the premium version or free? The premium version provides real-time blocking that the fr...
by clemrick
Thu Mar 30, 2023 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Computer ransom demands
Replies: 24
Views: 3461

Computer ransom demands

When looking at Facebook, my mother keeps clicking on links that often lead to "your computer is broke and you need to call this phone number" webpages, that also tie up her computer, so she calls me and I talk her through shutting off the computer and restarting. I have Malwarebytes on the machine, so I am not worried about these sites leaving anything on her computer, but is there some extension I can add to her Firefox to stop her from getting to these pages??

Thanks,
by clemrick
Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mail in passport renewal
Replies: 80
Views: 11302

Re: Mail in passport renewal

I renewed my passport last fall and was told I HAD to use the USPS priority envelop. Instructions from our local library that provides passport services. Got my passport in less than six weeks.
by clemrick
Sun Mar 19, 2023 7:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Morningstar Comparison Chart
Replies: 7
Views: 995

Morningstar Comparison Chart

I am reviewing the mutual funds that my husband and I have in various retirement accounts. I am trying to compare the funds using Morningstar's comparison chart and I keep getting the message that the fund is "Invalid Security" even though it is right there on the page for the mutual fund.

Is that because I have not paid for Morningstar? I will give the free 7 day trial a go if I have to, but I used to be able to compare mutual funds without joining, although it has been many years since I researched funds.

Thank you.
by clemrick
Mon Mar 13, 2023 6:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Open Ear/Bone conducting headphones with MP3 player
Replies: 5
Views: 785

Re: Open Ear/Bone conducting headphones with MP3 player

Thanks, but my husband doesn't carry his phone around with him. He wants headphones that store and play MP3 music files.
by clemrick
Sat Mar 11, 2023 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Open Ear/Bone conducting headphones with MP3 player
Replies: 5
Views: 785

Open Ear/Bone conducting headphones with MP3 player

Looking for any recommendations or comments about open ear/bone conducting headphones with MP3 capabilities like this Hostena, https://www.amazon.com/Open-Ear-Wireles ... GLZ1T?th=1

Want something relatively inexpensive to try out.
Thanks.
by clemrick
Sat Mar 04, 2023 2:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Market timing a car rental for price/availability?
Replies: 29
Views: 2415

Re: Market timing a car rental for price/availability?

Major airport would be my suggestion. I sometimes have not received what I wanted, but a car close to what I want. At a local location, if they don't have cars, they don't have cars. I rent from Enterprise because the are the only option where I live and available where I normally vacation. I have seen empty lots at their local locations...
by clemrick
Fri Mar 03, 2023 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting out of an "annuity"
Replies: 6
Views: 919

Re: Getting out of an "annuity"

Thanks for the replies.

Mom is 92 and isn't interested in investing the money. The credit union only has a money market option for their IRAs. I was hoping to ladder some CDs, but that doesn't seem to be an option. Mom might also start taking more than her RMDs to cover some expenses that are starting to come up.
by clemrick
Wed Mar 01, 2023 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting out of an "annuity"
Replies: 6
Views: 919

Getting out of an "annuity"

My father panicked in 2007 and was talked into moving my mother's little IRA to American Equity. My mother is simplifying her finances and wants to move the IRA to her credit union. She lives in another state and I don't have access to the documents, but from what I remember from reading them a couple years ago was that the IRA has not been annuitized. It looks like the money was invested in some of American Equities funds and my mother has just been taking her RMD every year.

I believe she can just move her money to an IRA at her credit union. Does anyone know differently?

She does not want to annuitize it in case she needs a big chunk or all of the money in the future.

Thanks for any help.
by clemrick
Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Selling property in a far away state
Replies: 29
Views: 2266

Re: Selling property in a far away state

It is possible that the 5 acres is in a location that might be interesting to a developer (wanting to build a subdivision). Many areas outside of Denver and Colorado Springs (and probably Pueblo, but I don’t know that area well) have experienced massive sprawl in the last 20 years. You should look at the address on Google maps and see if there are any new subdivisions within 5 miles. You’d be amazed at the subdivisions going in on what was once farmland around the Denver airport (DIA, not Stapleton.) Looks like it’s in Hartsel, Park County. When i look it up it appears to already be a subdivision with a name, but no houses built. OOHHHHH! Yes, I know that area. I forget how long ago (20-30 years) several subdivisions were created there. An...
by clemrick
Tue Feb 28, 2023 12:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Selling property in a far away state
Replies: 29
Views: 2266

Re: Selling property in a far away state

As a native Coloradoan, I am curious where the property is. There is still a lot of oil drilling going on and it could be that the property is next to a proposed well, which would affect the price. Definitely need to talk to someone on the scene to find out why someone wants the property now.
by clemrick
Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Online Payment vendors
Replies: 0
Views: 193

Online Payment vendors

I am the membership chair for a small association. We started using Square last year to replace PayPal for paying memberships and registering for our annual conference. It is better than PayPal, but has some drawbacks. Mainly I have look at each transaction to see a member's address to see if it has changed. The report I can download does not show a majority of the addresses and looking at previous questions in their support forum, it seems that getting addresses has been an ongoing problem since the beginning. But....it is a free service. So I am willing to consider looking at other online vendors that can take orders (membership in our case) and provide the "customer's" address easily. We would also want it to be able to "s...
by clemrick
Wed Feb 15, 2023 11:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Colorado zoning vs assessor classification
Replies: 6
Views: 713

Re: Colorado zoning vs assessor classification

Thank you Wycherly. I was going to dig into the Colorado Statutes this weekend.

The horses, as far as I can tell, are for fun, not food or breeding. So, I guess we will see how this affects my mother's taxes. Interesting that it has taken nearly 20 years after Hepp vs Boulder County for the assessor to get around to checking on other "agricultural" properties.
by clemrick
Wed Feb 15, 2023 11:33 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Optum HSA to Fidelity transfer time
Replies: 3
Views: 1013

Re: Optum HSA to Fidelity transfer time

I do a rollover once a year. The money lands in my bank account in a couple days, and then I have Fidelity pull it out of my bank account. It usually takes less than a week for the whole thing.
by clemrick
Wed Feb 15, 2023 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Colorado zoning vs assessor classification
Replies: 6
Views: 713

Colorado zoning vs assessor classification

By chance is there anyone here who is familiar with Colorado property assessments? Can the county assessor classify a property (tax it) differently from the zoning? My mother lives on the family farm. She received a letter from the Boulder County assessor asking for information about the agricultural use of the farm. My mother rents the big field to a neighbor to grow grass hay for his wife's horses. The lease does not have the specific info the assessor wants (legal description of land, $ per acre, etc). It just says he will pay Mom $X per year. I called the assessor's office and evidently this letter has caused a lot of calls because they didn't get back to me for a week. I explained about the lease and was told that horses are not livest...
by clemrick
Mon Feb 06, 2023 12:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Green Card Retiree leaving US - tax fallout?
Replies: 92
Views: 7151

Re: Green Card Retiree leaving US - tax fallout?

You might consider posting on taxmama.com. There is at least one person who answers questions that is an expert on international tax matters. If she doesn't know the answer, she probably knows who does.
by clemrick
Sun Feb 05, 2023 11:38 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Received tax refund due to over payment
Replies: 6
Views: 799

Re: Received tax refund due to over payment

You should be getting a letter from the IRS that explains what happened. You can wait a week or so or get your tax transcript.

Is there a way to go back to my TT returns and see where exactly I might have made this mistake?
Didn't you keep a paper or at least a digit copy on your computer?
by clemrick
Mon Jan 16, 2023 7:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying new stuff now instead of in the future
Replies: 22
Views: 2756

Re: Buying new stuff now instead of in the future

Lots of good reasons for not buying stuff unless it is needed. I have been thinking about this for a couple years and not done much, except buy a new stove when I just couldn't stand the old one. Good reasons for procrastinating some more. Thanks.
by clemrick
Mon Jan 16, 2023 3:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying new stuff now instead of in the future
Replies: 22
Views: 2756

Buying new stuff now instead of in the future

Even before the recent newsworthy inflation (shrink-flation has been around for several years) I have been thinking of what I could buy now instead of in the future when it will be more expensive. I realize that that applies to everything, but I mean big purchases. My husband is approaching retirement in a couple years, so I was also thinking of buying now, when we have the money, to lessen the need to buy in the future, like the washer and dryer which still work and can be donated to a local thrift shop. I already did this with my kitchen stove. I LOVE my new glass-top air-fryer stove. The HVAC and roof are both approaching 20 yrs old. I believe the roof shingles are rated for 20 years. I was hoping by now the solar roofing industry would ...
by clemrick
Sun Jan 15, 2023 2:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: (Updated question) Retirement saving as a 1099 employee?
Replies: 14
Views: 1405

Re: Retirement saving as a 1099 employee?

I was reading about solo 401k. But everything I read made it sound like they are for business owners. Which I am not Am I misunderstanding? Completely! You WILL BE the business owner. 1099 is NOT an employee position, you will be an independent contractor. The IRS has specific rules about what is and is not a 1099, https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee Lots of companies pay employees by a 1099 instead of a W-2 so they can avoid paying the employer part of employment taxes. Many times, the position really isn't eligible to be a 1099 position. You need to read up on starting a small business. You will be responsible for paying all of your employment taxes and paying you...
by clemrick
Mon Jan 09, 2023 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Large looming tax bill... best retirement plan for small business
Replies: 2
Views: 433

Re: Large looming tax bill... best retirement plan for small business

ozzie23 wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 10:58 am We have thought about making him a contractor (1099) in order to make some of our retirement plans work.
Make sure you follow the IRS rules for contractor vs. employee: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-b ... r-employee
by clemrick
Sat Jan 07, 2023 1:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Travel luggage preferences
Replies: 58
Views: 4988

Re: Travel luggage preferences

My husband and I have done several seven/eight week trips to Europe with the Rick Steves Convertable Carry-On backpack. We don't do fancy restaurants or clubs, so all our clothes are casual. Underwear and socks are changed daily, but the t-shirts and shorts/pants get rotated unless they are stained. So far, we haven't had any trouble finding a laundromat approximately every 9 days or so.

I think they hold a lot of stuff, don't way much, and we have used the cinches on the sides to tighten up the profile when needed to fit the airline bag sizes.

Of course as we get older, we will someday not want to wear our backpacks, but for now, I think they're the bees' knees.
by clemrick
Thu Dec 29, 2022 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Windows computer problem
Replies: 5
Views: 1135

Re: New Windows computer problem

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't know what is going on with the laptop. The Novo button doesn't work. F8 doesn't work.

She bought it from Best Buy, so she will try the Geek Squad next.
by clemrick
Sun Dec 25, 2022 1:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Windows computer problem
Replies: 5
Views: 1135

New Windows computer problem

Hi,
My sister has a new Lenovo laptop for Christmas. She got confused when setting up the computer with Windows 11 and can't remember the PIN or the reset phrase. Is there a way to reset the computer and start over again?

Everything I have googled assumes we can start windows and then change PIN/password, but we can't get past the PIN window.

Thanks for any help.