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VictoriaF

Yesterday, I watched a documentary "When my time comes" about end-of-life choices, narrated by Diane Rehm. I don't have a TV and watched it on line.

Victoria

VictoriaF

If the IRS does not process your return in time, they'll pay you interest. I always prepare my taxes myself and mail them via the USPS. In 2020, I received my refund together with a few dollars interest. The interest was higher than anything I could get in a savings account.

Victoria

VictoriaF

The weather is getting nicer. It's easier to enjoy it without the pressure of an impending chore.

Victoria

VictoriaF

Did you do a trustee to trustee transfer? If so, no reporting is necessary. From the 1099-SA instructions: “ Do not report a trustee-to-trustee transfer from one Archer MSA or MA MSA to another Archer MSA or MA MSA, from an Archer MSA to an HSA, or from one HSA to another HSA. For reporting purpose...

VictoriaF

Maybe the last "or" in the quote should be "nor"?? I am frequently puzzled by "or" vs. "nor" and you gave me a great reason to extend my procrastination on my taxes. I looked it up, and the first Google link https://www.learnenglish.de/mistakes/norvsor.html s...

VictoriaF

When I transferred my HSA, I didn't report anything on my tax return. From https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i8889 Rollovers A rollover is a tax-free distribution (withdrawal) of assets from one HSA or Archer MSA that is reinvested in another HSA of the same account beneficiary. Generally, you must ...

VictoriaF

In January 2020, I transferred my HSA funds from HSABank to Fidelity HSA. In 2020, all my HSA withdrawals were from Fidelity. Fidelity has provided me with Form 1099-SA accurately reflecting my withdrawals. HSABank has not provided me with any forms for 2020, neither on paper or in my account on the...

VictoriaF

Pension and retiree health insurance are huge benefits. Even after you become eligible for Medicare, your retiree insurance will close any holes in the coverage. Stay where you are and wait for your husband to join you in two years.

Good luck,
Victoria

VictoriaF

Another top choice is Bruce Schneier https://www.schneier.com/ I second the recommendation of Bruce Schneier. Most people are insufficiently worried about the cyber space and Schneier fixes this deficiency. Sometimes, he does not have good answers. For example, in his latest newsletter he cited a s...

VictoriaF

Every year I am pondering whether to renew my AAA membership. But then I recall that my car is over 20 years old and pay up. A few weeks ago, it paid back. When I tried to start the car, the battery was dead. The AAA guy arrived within an hour. Not only he replaced the battery but he also had to rep...

VictoriaF

To prepare for retirement, you should take the following actions: 1. Envision and prepare for the worst-case financial scenario with a large safety margin. "Worst-case" is not $0 but, e.g., 60% decline in the stock market It declined 89% following the 1929 crash. And something that happen...

VictoriaF

To prepare for retirement, you should take the following actions: 1. Envision and prepare for the worst-case financial scenario with a large safety margin. "Worst-case" is not $0 but, e.g., 60% decline in the stock market. 2. Envision and prepare for various health-related issues. Get a he...

VictoriaF

I use Medicare Parts A and B together with GEHA-High. GEHA High reimburses $600 of the annual Part B expenses. GEHA-High is more expensive than BCBS-Basic and $600 is less than $800, but I chose it for less restrictive coverage. With BCBS-Basic, you have to use their in-network providers. While most...

VictoriaF

My advice would be to check Deposit Accounts and see if anyone is offering anything compelling. According to Deposit Accounts, Democracy FCU offers API = 1.51% on 12-month CDs. I qualify based on my residence location but have been reluctant to open an account in an additional institution. Victoria

VictoriaF

I don't qualify for the 3rd stimulus payment based on my 2019 and 2020 AGI, because my Roth conversions have put me about the phase-out limit. If I understand Kitces's article correctly, if I reduce my Roth conversions in 2021 and my 2021 AGI falls below the threshold, I will receive the full 3rd p...

VictoriaF

I don't qualify for the 3rd stimulus payment based on my 2019 and 2020 AGI, because my Roth conversions have put me about the phase-out limit. If I understand Kitces's article correctly, if I reduce my Roth conversions in 2021 and my 2021 AGI falls below the threshold, I will receive the full 3rd pa...

VictoriaF

I decided to cancel my trip to Europe this summer, even though I am now fully vaccinated. I don't want different countries' closings, quarantines, and test requirements to disrupt my trip. The only definite trip is to Western Massachusetts for a wedding. And even that bothers me because, flying to A...

VictoriaF

Revival of an old thread. Good idea to hold TIPS **now**? I have a fair amount of cash that I decided to move into inflation-indexed assets. I am considering the following options: - Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund Admiral Shares (VAIPX) - Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund (...

VictoriaF

Revival of an old thread. Good idea to hold TIPS **now**? I have a fair amount of cash that I decided to move into inflation-indexed assets. I am considering the following options: - Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund Admiral Shares (VAIPX) - Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund (...

VictoriaF

Another problem related to this is that many ( most ?) people don't seem to understand basic arithmetic. 1% sounds like a trivial amount for a professional fee. Exactly right. People don't understand arithmetic and don't understand differences between $1, 1%, and 1% per year . People are also afrai...

VictoriaF

So I learned at that time that you can lead the horse to water, but you cannot force it to drink. You can lead the horse to water, you can’t make them drink it. You can lead a horse to water... It seems there is a theme here. :idea: Stop giving advice to horses, they don’t listen. My doctor advises...

VictoriaF

Revival of an old thread. Good idea to hold TIPS **now**? I have a fair amount of cash that I decided to move into inflation-indexed assets. I am considering the following options: - Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund Admiral Shares (VAIPX) - Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund (...

VictoriaF

I logged in to my IRS account where I can review my tax transcripts. There was no option to request the Identity Protection (IP) PIN. While I was logged in, in a separate tab, I got to the "Get An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)" page, https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an...

VictoriaF

Reviving this thread is a cruel joke. I thought that the 3% rate was back.

Victoria

VictoriaF

OP's experience is reprehensible but he should not make a one-issue decision to leave. His decision should be influenced by several other factors including: 1. the likelihood of mistakes at various brokerages -- not from self-selected Bogleheads posts but from reliable statistics 2. the likelihood o...

VictoriaF

Mike Nolan wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:00 am The next Bogleheads Speaker Series event is this weekend!

Happy New Year, Mike,

I admired your support of Jack Bogle and now I am grateful for your work with the Bogle Center. Hope to see you again in person when face-to-face Bogleheads Conferences resume.

Victoria

VictoriaF

IMO wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 2:20 pm After 3 yrs without raising rent was able to raise rent by 23% (at tenant turnover) because of what Covid has done to the real estate and rental market in the area.

This is interesting. In my area, there is shortage of homes for purchase and abundance of apartments for rent.

Victoria

VictoriaF

I have two recommendations: 1. Don't buy a used phone. It could contain malware that will cost you (much) more in the long run. 2. If you decide to get an Android phone, get one that gets Google software patches. With respect to #2, Wirecutter has recommendations dated December 17, 2020, https://www...

VictoriaF

Ally's savings account is now paying 0.5%. This is more than most CDs and is more flexible than NP CDs. I am moving my cash into Ally's savings. If/when higher earning opportunities appear, I'll move the money out. If Ally lowers their savings rate to 0.4% or even 0.3%, I'll still consider it accept...

VictoriaF

I have a similar situation and use similar reasoning. I prepaid travel for an August conference in Brno, Czech Republic, which included the conference fee, several days at the conference hotel, and a week-long travel around Czechia. The conference was moved to the same dates in 2021. At this time, ...

VictoriaF

To make my card management easier, I have adjusted the card monthly ending dates to be within a few days of each other and keep a list of all my cards. A few days after the last card close date, I pay the balances and check each card off the list. I also have the cards set to autopay at the minimum...

VictoriaF

I have travel plans for the summer already booked. They're the ones from last summer "migrated". I give less than even odds that it will be possible for me to use said plans -- but they were nonrefundable already anyway, so I may as well try. Of course, even with vaccinations, more jurisd...

VictoriaF

The best "cash back" rewards program is no credit card at all. Over the long haul, "awards" programs that are tied to increased credit card useage ends up leading to increased expenditure. It's only a matter of time. You are right. Your comment is supported by the studies of cog...

VictoriaF

I live in an apartment building in Arlington, VA. I like the location and price, and every year I ask for a lease even though I can rent on the month-by-month basis. Before COVID, they did not increase my lease for 2020 without giving the reason. I did not ask. After COVID, they did not increase my ...

VictoriaF

Chase usually does not give retention offers, and I am trying to reduce the number of my credit cards to make them easier to manage. Just to note - the no-annual-fee Ink Cash is an exceptionally useful card, as it earns 5X UR points at office supply stores (which sell many gift cards) and on cell/c...

VictoriaF

I’d suggest asking if the refund can go to a different card (usually not). If not possible, wait a week after the refund is issued to allow full posting and call the card company about the refund with the full card number and refund amount. It was a minor hassle for me but not a real problem. I’d a...

VictoriaF

I just experienced this exact issue a few days ago. I had a flight that I was unable to take because of COVID and it was initially only eligible for flight credit, but 10 months after booking the flight for some reason it is now eligible for a full refund to my original form of payment. The origina...

VictoriaF

I’d suggest asking if the refund can go to a different card (usually not). If not possible, wait a week after the refund is issued to allow full posting and call the card company about the refund with the full card number and refund amount. It was a minor hassle for me but not a real problem. I’d a...

VictoriaF

Is there a reason you are cancelling rather than downgrading to an ink cash for no annual fee? I can’t answer your original question, but a downgrade seems to solve it on all fronts - your refund would go to the new downgraded card and you would request a check for the credit via chat This is a goo...

VictoriaF

I want to cancel my Chase Ink Preferred when its annual fee is due in January. I used this card for a non-refundable reservation at an YMCA in NYC in March 2020. Due to COVID, the YMCA switched my reservation to September 2020. Then they switched it to September 2021. Most likely, I'll use my reser...

VictoriaF

I want to cancel my Chase Ink Preferred when its annual fee is due in January. I used this card for a non-refundable reservation at an YMCA in NYC in March 2020. Due to COVID, the YMCA switched my reservation to September 2020. Then they switched it to September 2021. Most likely, I'll use my reserv...

VictoriaF

MBB_Boy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:25 pm
mkc wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 3:57 pm We use ProtonVPN
+1

I recently started listening to Michael Bazzell who recommends Proton email and Proton VPN. I am curious:
Are you following his recommendations or decided to use Proton independently?

Victoria

VictoriaF

This is a problem. On one hand, I am enjoying my regular schedule and increased productivity. On the other hand, I will resume traveling when it becomes safe. It's not likely to become less frequent, shorter, or less disruptive. There are several events that I attend every year, and stopping these ...

VictoriaF

manatee2005 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:37 pm Yes you have been overpaying. I would gladly pay the extra $12 not to leave my house and get it delivered.

My logic is the same. Most of my orders are from Amazon and Costco, and I am gladly paying for not having to go anywhere.

Victoria

VictoriaF

LadyGeek wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 12:36 pm Happy New Year, VictoriaF!

Apparently, I was on the wrong track. The modification has been removed. See: excessively long quotes

Responding to the Forum feedback means being on track.

Cheers!
Victoria

VictoriaF

furwut wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:19 am
MIretired wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:02 am Amazing! I feel honored to be picked.
P.S., You are entitled to add 2020 Winner ... to your Bogleheads signature line. Gives all your postings greater weight!

It works for me.

Congratulations, MIretired! Happy New Year,

Victoria

VictoriaF

3141.59

Victoria

VictoriaF

It can get cumbersome when scrolling through posts which contain very long quotes, especially for mobile users. The forum software has been modified to provide scroll bars for long quotes. If someone quotes a long post, that quote will now appear inside a box that has a scoll bar. See: excessively ...

VictoriaF

COVID has brought new opportunities, too. Here are some things that I started or enhanced after COVID: - joined the Society of Judgment and Decision Making (SJDM), http://www.sjdm.org/ - $50/year - receive SJDM weekly email with announcements of numerous virtual seminars on behavioral science topic...

VictoriaF

[After the thread name change, the humor of my original post became irrelevant.]

Victoria

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