Search found 71 matches

by wxl31
Wed Dec 13, 2023 12:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Acer vs Lenovo - desktop computer from Costco
Replies: 51
Views: 6050

Re: Acer vs Lenovo - desktop computer from Costco

Never had a good experience with Acer laptops, their build quality and longetivity sucked. Can't be certain this applies to Acer desktops but I wouldn't consider any Acer products. From my experience, Acer and HP are the worst. Lenovo is middle of the road. I prefer Dell over all of them. I don't use Macs so can't speak about them. I would disagree with those who advocate for a laptop + KVM in place of a desktop. With a desktop, you get more processing power for your money, parts are more easily upgraded, heat dissipation is less of an issue and batteries don't bloat over time from being plugged in continuously. I consider myself pretty careful with my electronics and I don't think I've kept a laptop longer than 5 years or so (usually due t...
by wxl31
Wed Oct 25, 2023 2:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you use Rain-X? Is there something better?
Replies: 40
Views: 5127

Re: Do you use Rain-X? Is there something better?

Based on my past experience, I now always stick with OEM wiper blades (basically just replace the inserts every few years) because it is just a hassle trying to guess which replacement wiper blades will fit properly and not skip/streak/etc.

Rain-X (applied lightly) works great in conjunction with OEM wiper blades.

Despite what Rain-X may suggest, I would not be comfortable driving on a rainy day without turning on the wiper blades.
by wxl31
Mon Jul 03, 2023 8:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla Model Y
Replies: 133
Views: 16193

Re: Tesla Model Y

RCL wrote: Sun Jul 02, 2023 8:04 pm I have looked for a list of voice commands for Tesla vehicles, and have not found a comprehensive list.
I think those of us shopping Tesla would benefit if someone published a list. Using voice commands is just so much easier.
Here's a useful list of voice commands.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... gmail_link
by wxl31
Mon Jun 12, 2023 5:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bought A Refurbished PC--Next Steps?
Replies: 33
Views: 2840

Re: Bought A Refurbished PC--Next Steps?

I also got an Optiplex recently with a 50% off coupon! Great deal on a perfectly (albeit several year old) functional home computer. The is my checklist of things to do after buying a refurbished computer: 1. Turn it on, make sure it works 2. Test all the ports, make sure they work (including audio and video ports) 3. Check system information in Windows to confirm that you got the processor, HD size, and memory that you bought 4. Update the BIOS through the Dell website, if available 5. Go to the Microsoft website and create a Windows 10 installation media (although you could technically run Windows 11 on your processor, it is not recommended) on a USB drive 6. Turn off the computer 7. Remove the computer cover (should be a single screw, th...
by wxl31
Sun Dec 18, 2022 12:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Google Pixel 7 / Android 13 - Thoughts? Privacy Issues?
Replies: 4
Views: 682

Re: Google Pixel 7 / Android 13 - Thoughts? Privacy Issues?

Pixel 7 is a great phone. I've been a long-time Google phone user (Nexus 5X -> Pixel 2 -> Pixel 6 -> Pixel 7) and the Pixel 7 is my favorite phone of the bunch. Superb camera, perfect size, Google VPN. Have never used an iPhone though so I can't directly compare the two. Google has its bugs and flaws but for the most part, things work well. Google Assistant, Nest doorbell, a few switches, thermostat, Nest hubs, Chromecast, etc generally work well together. Some maintenance required for occasional random disconnects but overall, reliable enough for me to remain in the ecosystem. However, among the experts, Google Home is not viewed favorably in terms of its smart home capabilities. I sacrifice my privacy for the convenience. The extent of th...
by wxl31
Mon Aug 08, 2022 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: do you fully charge your (Android) phone each day?
Replies: 70
Views: 5779

Re: do you fully charge your (Android) phone each day?

Best practice for li-ion batteries is to 1) avoid deep charging (to 100%) and discharging (to 0; 2) avoid leaving the battery at those extremes for long periods (e.g., overnight); and 3) to avoid heat. I typically charge my phone daily, in the morning, from about 30% to 80%. This is much better for long-term battery health. After almost a year of use, my iPhone reports 100% battery health. To avoid heat, I would avoid super fast charging (greater than maybe 20W with most phones) and wireless charging, which generally produces more heat. Completely agree with everything stated above. Had a Pixel 2 that lasted 3 years before the battery went kaput. Did not take any measure to protect the battery and regret it because that was a darn good pho...
by wxl31
Tue Apr 05, 2022 12:44 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: PA taxes on UTMA tax-gain harvesting?
Replies: 2
Views: 362

Re: PA taxes on UTMA tax-gain harvesting?

CA resident here.

I pay $11/kid/year in state tax for UTMA tax-gain harvesting.
by wxl31
Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Brave browser: Observations and questions
Replies: 15
Views: 2218

Re: Brave browser: Observations and questions

Long-time Brave user.

When I switched, it was hands down the fastest browser I've ever used (Chrome, IE, Firefox). It has worked well enough that I have not used any of the other browsers for at least a couple years, so can't comment on whether it remains the fastest browser.

One constant irritation is that there seems to be some new crypto ad that pops up on the first page when you open the browser. Easy enough to disable, but some new crypto company ad shows up a few weeks later. Although it's annoying, that little bit of time to get rid of it is worth the time saved by using the browser over others.

It also occasionally seems to block a random website here and there or prevents it from loading correctly, but this is far and few between.
by wxl31
Fri Dec 03, 2021 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Electric Veh. Charging station installation tax credit. (H&R Block)
Replies: 4
Views: 1015

Re: Electric Veh. Charging station installation tax credit. (H&R Block)

Had this exact same issue last year. HR Block did not have the form I needed (and I used the Premium version). In the end, I just e-filed without requesting the credit, then filed an amended return later with the appropriate paper form to get the credit. TurboTax I believe has this form, but not HR Block. However HR Block had served me well in the past and I was not inclined to change softwares when an amended tax return takes just a few minutes.

If you Google the issue as I did, you'll see there are multiple discussions on mostly EV forums about this same problem.
by wxl31
Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Parent - indirect book recommendations
Replies: 10
Views: 920

Re: New Parent - indirect book recommendations

Spend some quality couple time and catch up on your rest before the baby is born. Do not waste a second on any of these asinine parenting books. You will thank me later. Why? What you will lack after your baby is born is uninterrupted time to spend together and to rest. You will lack this for potentially years. Parenting books are hit-or-miss. Every infant is different. There is no evidence that any of these books improves outcomes. It is purely anecdotal, and extremely prone to bias (parents can easily name a book they found helpful, they cannot easily name the other 5 books they read which were a complete waste of time). Time spent reading this rubbish is often better spent sleeping so you're in a better mood when your baby wakes you up i...
by wxl31
Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:46 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please advise doc who wants to retire early
Replies: 103
Views: 10974

Re: Please advise doc who wants to retire early

A few things you might want to think about: 1. Is early retirement your goal or is financial independence your goal? 2. Make sure you know exactly what your motivations are for retiring early. Can you distinguish between disliking your specific job and disliking your field of medicine altogether? Can you distinguish between disliking your work-life balance and disliking medicine altogether? Have you tried changing responsibilities, changing workload or changing employers first? 3. Make sure you have plans for what you want to do after you retire early. Retiring to escape work is a lonely retirement. 4. Make sure your spouse is completely on board with you retiring early and your plans after retirement. Their expectations of you may change o...
by wxl31
Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car Battery issues - SHORT Drive due to COVID (Work From Home)
Replies: 86
Views: 7855

Re: Car Battery issues - SHORT Drive due to COVID (Work From Home)

1. Whenever I drive to the gym/grocery store, etc always leave the car idling for 5 minutes? Will this give a sufficient time for the alternator to fully charge the battery back to where it was before it started? 2. Don't worry about leaving the car idle for 5 minutes after a drive; just take it on a longer drive 1x per week for about 30 minutes. Will this sufficiently top off the battery for 14 short trips weekly through town (each drive only being a few minutes each)? One thing I should mention is that even after getting my new battery, sometimes the car has been sluggish to start; especially the following day after I haven't used it for around 18 or more hours. Not sure if I need to break in my new battery by driving it around? Thanks f...
by wxl31
Sun May 10, 2020 1:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: IE, Chrome or Firefox, that is the question.
Replies: 53
Views: 4363

Re: IE, Chrome or Firefox, that is the question.

General purpose (90+% of the time): Brave (fastest, kills most ads, kills cross-site tracking, automatically upgrades to HTTPS, all without having to install a bunch of extensions - ideal for a non-techie) Internet purchases: Chrome incognito mode (online rebate sites often do not track properly with Brave) When an occasional website doesn't play well with Brave: Chrome incognito mode Google apps: Chrome regular mode (to save the hassle of logging in) Have heard good things about the latest Firefox but have not tried it. IE has always sucked. Edge may be a newer faster Chrome-based browser, but it's still Microsoft. Until they stop constantly reinstalling garbage apps (which I had previously uninstalled) under the guise of "Windows Upd...
by wxl31
Tue Mar 10, 2020 4:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why I hate ETFs
Replies: 82
Views: 7610

Re: Why I hate ETFs

Funny you should bring this up. Right now, I hate mutual funds, but really, it's the transition between the two that is the source of the pain.

My example: sold a mutual fund yesterday to tax loss harvest. Because the transaction processes at the end of the trading day, was unable to deploy that money to immediately buy ETFs. This morning, market had gone up 4-5% before I could enter a buy order for a similar ETF.

Currently switching from mutual funds to ETFs because I like the portability and lower expense ratios. But realizing that it can be a pain to do so.

My advice: figure out early on whether you prefer ETFs or mutual funds and stick to it.
by wxl31
Tue Feb 18, 2020 12:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Merrill Edge Bonus on Taxable - 1099?
Replies: 8
Views: 1695

Re: Merrill Edge Bonus on Taxable - 1099?

Bonus showed up for me under 1099-MISC ($1k).

Oddly enough though, when I imported the Merrill Edge 1099 for H&R Block, the bonus did not import (though all other transactions did). Not sure why.
by wxl31
Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Android apps worth their price
Replies: 8
Views: 1157

Re: Android apps worth their price

Tasker
Nova Launcher Prime if you are interested in customizing phone screen
TinyCam Pro if you have security cameras
rif is fun golden platinum (if you use Reddit)
Second Torque Pro recommendation above
by wxl31
Tue Dec 31, 2019 3:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Large Capital Gain Distribution - Taxable
Replies: 21
Views: 1996

Re: Large Capital Gain Distribution - Taxable

Somewhat related - is there a fundamental reason why there are no target retirement fund ETFs from the big companies? I like the convenience of target retirement funds in my UTMA accounts, but I, like OP, got burned with this enormous, unexpected capital gains distribution.
by wxl31
Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R BLOCK Pre-Order 2019 Software Offer
Replies: 317
Views: 35690

Re: H&R BLOCK Pre-Order 2019 Software Offer

Amazon with some decent deals today:

Basic - $14.99
Deluxe (no state) - $17.49
Deluxe (+1 state) - $22.49
Premium (+1 state) - $32.49

If you have an Amazon credit card and select the CD version (does not work on the download version), you'll get an additional 20% off the price.

If you have Amazon no-rush credits, you can use those on the download version (does not work on the CD version).

Don't forget to use the Bogleheads Amazon link to support this site.
by wxl31
Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Double-dipping with cash-back app
Replies: 13
Views: 1898

Re: Double-dipping with cash-back app

Anybody tried this with a BoA cash rewards card? Does it code as an online purchase?
by wxl31
Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: BoA Platinum Honors: Transfer Question (from Fidelity and Vanguard)
Replies: 8
Views: 1054

Re: BoA Platinum Honors: Transfer Question (from Fidelity and Vanguard)

Don't know about HSA.

Would suggest you convert mutual funds at Vanguard to equivalent ETFs first (will have to call in and not all mutual funds have equivalent ETFs) before transferring. It's ok to transfer mutual funds (although I seem to recall that ME would randomly refuse to transfer certain mutual funds), just that the costs to trade mutual funds at ME is exorbitant compared to costs to trade ETFs.
by wxl31
Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tinycam Pro and Foscam - Remote Access
Replies: 3
Views: 1071

Re: Tinycam Pro and Foscam - Remote Access

No expert myself but I've made this work.

First, try to set up a static IP for your camera in your router settings. Not absolutely necessary, but helpful.

Second, you will need up enable port forwarding to permit external access to the camera. You may need to consult your router manual to figure out how to do this.

Lastly, you need to know your IP address, which you can find by googling "what is my IP". Input that into TinyCam camera settings. Make sure the remote web port number in your TinyCam camera settings matches the port you forwarded above.
by wxl31
Thu Jun 13, 2019 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: UGMA Tax Efficiency
Replies: 9
Views: 1900

Re: UGMA Tax Efficiency

I do this yearly. For 2018, $4700 in dividends and capital gains were federally tax free (but not state tax free for me). At the end of 2018, I figured out how much each child had received in dividends, subtracted that from $4700 and sold enough stocks or mutual funds to get the sum of dividends and capital gains to $4700. Wash rules do not apply with gains.

Depending on your federal tax bracket, tax gain harvesting can save you ~$1000-1800 a year per child.

Have not looked yet to see if the number remains at $4700 for 2019.
by wxl31
Tue Jun 11, 2019 2:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Personal Capital Cash
Replies: 36
Views: 5600

Re: Personal Capital Cash

MMLC3 wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 11:14 am Same here. Do you guys keep 6 month emergency funds in an investing account? I have it in Ally which gives about 2%. Just curious if there is a better way to do this.
I keep my true emergency cash at Ally. Although these rates may be tempting (2.51% Wealthfront vs. 2.2% Ally), the fact they do not come with debit cards or free ATM withdrawals make them suboptimal for me as a true emergency source of cash.

This is tempting however for an "emergency" fund such as yours (not truly an emergency in the sense that if it takes 3-5 days to physically access the cash, it won't make a difference).
by wxl31
Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 874
Views: 164582

Re: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

kaneohe wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 10:48 pm OP, thanks for posting this. Have you actually done this before and is it true that the only charges are the rates quoted?
Done this, it works. If you are paranoid, set your cash advance limit to $0.
by wxl31
Tue Feb 19, 2019 1:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: First thing(s) you'd do when you achieve financial independence?
Replies: 73
Views: 7627

Re: First thing(s) you'd do when you achieve financial independence?

Double check the numbers. Still have doubts.

Wait 6 months, check the numbers again. A few lingering doubts.

Wait 6 months, check the numbers again. Feeling good about it.

Quit working. Spend freely. Market tanks. Doubts return.
by wxl31
Thu Feb 14, 2019 12:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Tech Gadget Would you Buy?
Replies: 85
Views: 7959

Re: What Tech Gadget Would you Buy?

A recent addition and already quite possibly my favorite tech gadget in the entire house has been a Raspberry Pi Zero W running Pi-hole. Network wide ad blocking makes surfing on the internet infinitely more appealing. Hardware is $25 on Amazon, Pi-hole is free. Takes a bit of technical knowledge/experience but only took about 1 hour to set up.
by wxl31
Thu Nov 29, 2018 12:51 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Tax Reform - Revised Kiddie Tax
Replies: 84
Views: 14936

Re: Tax Reform - Revised Kiddie Tax

I purchased H&R Block 2018 and did a mock kiddie tax return with combined dividend/capital gains of $4,700. The calculated tax was zero. Going slightly above $4,700 resulted in a non-zero tax.

If someone out there has already purchased TurboTax or other tax software, would like to hear if you got a similar result.
by wxl31
Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Solar Panel Installation?
Replies: 19
Views: 2105

Re: Solar Panel Installation?

With all that said, when I try to google how big of a system should I buy, I just get blasted with a slew of advertisements for different solar companies. I can't seem to find any unbiased advice. So, do you have any recommendations on where to find unbiased advice on solar system sizing? Or do you have any unbiased advice yourself? Some solar salesmen are on par with used car salesman but I would say their recommendation to add slightly extra capacity is legitimate. From my experience, after installing solar, there is an "energy-using" creep - all of a sudden, AC is run at 72 instead of 74 or lights get accidentally left on more often or the washer/dryer is used more frequent for smaller loads than before because "solar&quo...
by wxl31
Tue Oct 02, 2018 12:36 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New Dual Physican Couple
Replies: 100
Views: 13071

Re: New Dual Physican Couple

What I would do:

Income: $650k
Assume 1/3 lost to taxes: $215k
Remaining: $435k
Costs to live like a resident for another year: $50k
Remaining: $385k
401k+backdoor Roth x 2: $18500 * x 2 + $5500 *2 = $48k
Remaining: $337k
Kill off every loan except the one eligible for forgiveness: $320k
Leftover: $17k --> spend on insurance, then splurge

Should be debt-free in 1, or at most, 2 years. Once loans are gone, redirect the funds to the usual sequence with retirement savings (401k's to match, HSA, backdoor Roth, 401k to max, after-tax 401k rolled over to Roth IRA if available, taxable) and feel free to splurge a lot more.
by wxl31
Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Which mortgage would you prepay?
Replies: 12
Views: 1388

Re: Which mortgage would you prepay?

However, after plugging it into an amortization calculator, it appears I would save more in interest I paid $80k towards mortgage 2 (probably because the balance is higher and the time to anticipated pay-off is longer) instead of mortgage 1. However, I also have to factor in that prepaying mortgage 2 will increase taxes due to increased yearly rental profit. Your analysis is leaving out what happens after the mortgage is paid off. Pay off the primary, then apply its old payments to the rental until the time that the primary would have been paid off and you will be slightly better off than if you had applied the funds to the rental and kept paying your primary mortgage until it is paid off. Thank you so much for pointing this out. Could not...
by wxl31
Wed Sep 19, 2018 2:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Which mortgage would you prepay?
Replies: 12
Views: 1388

Which mortgage would you prepay?

Consider two possible mortgages that I can prepay: Mortgage 1 Primary residence Assume that standard deduction will be used for 2018 Balance: $80k Interest rate: 4.125% Anticipated pay-off date: 01/01/2025 Mortgage 2 Rental property Making a small profit yearly, assume federal marginal tax rate of 32% and state tax rate of 9.3% Balance: $350k Interest rate: 3.875% Anticipated pay-off: 12/01/2035 Say I have $80k available to prepay principal towards either of the mortgages (please don't discuss other uses for the cash, assume retirement accounts/529s are fully funded, etc.) I always thought it would be a no-brainer to prepay the primary residence as the interest is no longer deductible and the interest rate is higher (I have actually been do...
by wxl31
Fri Jan 12, 2018 11:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Tax Reform - Revised Kiddie Tax
Replies: 84
Views: 14936

Re: Tax Reform - Revised Kiddie Tax

Came across this jaw-dropper from the Nolo website. Reference: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/kiddie-tax-limits-shifting-unearned-30003.html "Impact of Increased Standard Deduction All taxpayers, including children, are entitled to take a standard deduction on their taxes. Any unearned income below the standard deduction amount is not taxed. Indeed, if a child’s total income is below the standard deduction amount, no tax return need be filed. For 2017, the standard deduction for a dependent child could not exceed the greater of (1) $1,050, or (2) the child’s earned income plus $350. For a child with only unearned income, therefore, the standard deduction was only $1,050. The TCJA increases the standard deduction for all single...
by wxl31
Fri Jan 12, 2018 11:28 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Final, Definitive Thread on Brokerage Transfer Bonuses
Replies: 7760
Views: 1351223

Re: The Final, Definitive Thread on Brokerage Transfer Bonuses

An observation: 1. Called Fidelity about the TD Ameritrade offer ($1000 for $250k) to see if they would match the offer to keep the funds at Fidelity. After some time discussing with supervisors and such, they came back with an offer of $380 to keep the funds at Fidelity. Paltry, so I'll be transferring to TD Ameritrade. But those of you who are happy at Fidelity may want to call them yearly to see if they'll offer at least some retention bonus for your money. Two questions: 1. Merrill Edge allows for each individual to get multiple bonuses (e.g., one for the brokerage account, one for a Roth IRA). Does the TD Ameritrade offer also allow multiple bonuses for multiple accounts? 2. For those who have churned the Merrill Edge bonus more than o...
by wxl31
Fri Dec 29, 2017 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity's year end mutual fund distribution estimates - am I confused or are they ridiculously inaccurate?
Replies: 2
Views: 546

Fidelity's year end mutual fund distribution estimates - am I confused or are they ridiculously inaccurate?

I am in the process of doing year end tax gain harvesting in UTMA accounts. About a month ago, Fidelity offered this link for estimated year-end distributions for their funds: https://www.fidelity.com/mutual-funds/information/year-end One of my UTMA accounts holds 663.724 shares of FBIFX (Fidelity Freedom Index 2040 Investor). Based on their website, non-qualified dividends should total 0.007 and qualified dividends should total 0.046. They do not provide units for what those numbers represent, but I assumed they meant $/share. Thus, I expected non-qualified dividends to total 0.007 * 663.724 shares = $4.65 and qualified dividends to total 0.046 * 663.724 shares = $30.53. Today, I logged into the Fidelity account to check. Instead of what I...
by wxl31
Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Credit freeze for minors
Replies: 3
Views: 762

Credit freeze for minors

In light of the recent events at Equifax, credit freezes have been universally pushed as the best form of protection. My particular state happens to have laws allowing for minor children to have their credit files frozen as well. I am conflicted as to whether to freeze the credit files for my young children. Some websites advocate doing a security freeze for children as soon as they have a social security number, since their "clean" social security numbers are valuable. However, after witnessing the Equifax security breach, I wonder if it's safer to give credit bureaus my childrens' social security numbers to institute a credit freeze or better to just leave things alone and hope my childrens' social security numbers remain relati...
by wxl31
Sat Jun 10, 2017 12:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: (Very) Early Retirement vs Parenthood
Replies: 74
Views: 9011

Re: (Very) Early Retirement vs Parenthood

We have kids. When young, I wanted kids, spouse did not. Over time, I became less interested in having kids while spouse became more interested. Never was a time when we both felt 100% sure having kids was the right thing to do. A wise person once told me "there's never a convenient time to have kids". We ended up having kids later in life, delaying due to education and budding career, never able to find the right time until time was short and we had no choice but to go for it before it was too late. While I do not regret having kids, I do regret waiting for the following reasons: 1. Sleep deprivation is so much harder to deal with when older. 2. More advanced on the career path, making it harder to cut back than when I was starti...
by wxl31
Mon Feb 06, 2017 3:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: GF has long commute, should we buy a house to avoid long commute?
Replies: 62
Views: 7588

Re: GF has long commute, should we buy a house to avoid long commute?

Just wait.

She can either suck it up with the commute (until the unicorn fenced yard rental near her job comes on the market), get a job closer to where you live even if she doesn't "like" it or give up her dogs. With her history of money mismanagement, more time spent learning about sacrifice, delayed gratification and realizing that one can't have it all would be appropriate.
by wxl31
Sat Feb 04, 2017 12:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: GF has long commute, should we buy a house to avoid long commute?
Replies: 62
Views: 7588

Re: GF has long commute, should we buy a house to avoid long commute?

Find a place to rent near her workplace for now. Marry her. Have kids. Wait a few years. See if she continues with the same job or goes the stay-at-home-mother route. Then decide where you want to plant roots (i.e., buy a house).
by wxl31
Sun Jan 29, 2017 1:41 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help physician catch up.. late to the game
Replies: 22
Views: 7216

Re: Please help physician catch up.. late to the game

Much good advice given above but would disagree with consolidating your 401k/403b into a TIRA. Doing so 1. complicates your ability to do a backdoor Roth contribution and 2. disadvantages you from an asset protection standpoint in certain states (where ERISA plans like 401ks are fully sheltered from judgments against you whereas IRAs are susceptible - you will have to look at your individual state law to see if this applies). My advice: 1. Simplify your cluttered accounts by consolidating all of your "old" 401k/403b/TIRAs into the 401k/403b at your current employer (assuming they accept these funds and the fund choices are reasonable). Same for your wife. 2. Maximize your 401k contributions yearly. If your wife works, maximize her...
by wxl31
Mon Dec 19, 2016 11:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 5K Saving per month - Best way to maximize?
Replies: 7
Views: 3319

Re: 5K Saving per month - Best way to maximize?

picmeroiin wrote:
pasadena wrote:Congrats on the high savings. The first question you need to answer is, what is this money for ? Are you going to spend it all in 3 years ?
Ahh sorry. I plan on saving 200K to put it on down payment of a new home.
Then you have it in the right spot.
by wxl31
Wed Dec 14, 2016 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Invitation to join Fidelity's Greenline Forum - Should I Join?
Replies: 2
Views: 942

Re: Invitation to join Fidelity's Greenline Forum - Should I Join?

Did several surveys in hopes that there might be a perk in it. There was not. Not worth my time.
by wxl31
Wed Nov 16, 2016 11:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 vs aftertax
Replies: 24
Views: 3954

Re: 529 vs aftertax

arsenalfan wrote: 10yo 529: 180k
7yo 529: 120k
Not clear why, with the 529 balances already at these levels, you would even consider adding another $140k to each. Seems that you would be grossly oversaving unless you anticipate paying for expensive private colleges and graduate school, neither of which can be accurately predicted at this time. You may also begin to run into state limits on the maximum total contribution to each 529 plan. Also, would taking after tax money and moving it to a 529 lead to tax consequences?
by wxl31
Wed Nov 16, 2016 11:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: In total how much have you earned in credit card rewards?
Replies: 32
Views: 7430

Re: In total how much have you earned in credit card rewards?

Some of you may remember the CashReturns 5% and AARP 5% cards. Used those cards to fund many Citibank accounts (earning bonus Thank You Points in addition to the 5%), churn gift cards, overpay taxes, pay bills (mortgages, student loans, property taxes, everything was worth eating a CC transaction fee with a 5% reward card). I'd estimate the income from churning peaked at about 20-30k tax free a year. Most recently had a lucrative run with the old Amex Blue and Target RedCard which was netting ~2k a month tax free with almost no effort, but that ship has sailed.

Too busy/old/lazy now, income now dwarfs any churning income I had in the past, so have been content with the simplicity of a 2% credit card for the past couple years.
by wxl31
Sun Oct 23, 2016 1:01 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Final, Definitive Thread on Brokerage Transfer Bonuses
Replies: 7760
Views: 1351223

Re: The Final, Definitive Thread on Brokerage Transfer Bonuses

cookymonster wrote:Yeah I withdrew the dividends and transferred them to a broker that didn't charge $6.99 for a trade. Guess that was penny wise and pound foolish.

I'm begging for forgiveness.

The good news is Merrill Edge is letting me recycle my bonus for an extra $1000, even though I got $600 from them last year.
Did you need to close your prior ME account before recycling the bonus? Or did they give you another bonus for an additional $200k deposit?
by wxl31
Wed Oct 19, 2016 12:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Multiple kids in daycare. Financial options outside of DC FSA?
Replies: 10
Views: 2792

Re: Multiple kids in daycare. Financial options outside of DC HSA?

If the daycare facility is able to take credit card payments, there are several ways to get generic Visa or Mastercard gift cards at drug stores or office supply stores for ~4-5% off. At a minimum, pay with a 2% credit card if you don't want the hassle of dealing with gift cards.
by wxl31
Tue Oct 18, 2016 11:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7054
Views: 890771

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

A follow-up (and cautionary tale) on transferring mutual funds to be held at Merrill Edge. I was unable to transfer a couple Fidelity mutual funds (FTIPX, FUSVX) that seem to be relatively popular and commonplace funds. Called a couple different CSRs at Merrill Edge who said they could not accept those funds, even just to be held (i.e., no plans to trade, reinvest, etc). Not cost-effective to sell them at Fidelity and buy ETFs due to capital gains. No ability at Fidelity to "exchange" them for equivalent ETFs (a la Vanguard) because no equivalent ETFs exist. Threw a kink in my plans about how much I could fund the account. Bottom line - if you're thinking about playing the brokerage transfer bonus game in your taxable account, get...
by wxl31
Wed Oct 12, 2016 1:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bank promotion- PNC Bank
Replies: 10
Views: 3407

Re: Two bank promotions- Citibank and PNC Bank

As Mr. Gatti pointed out, Citibank bonus is a multiplier of their abysmal interest rates, not actually $400 bonus. It is truly an awful deal.

For example, deposit 25k in New York and the interest rate goes up from 0.04% to 0.4% for the 90 day "bonus period", yielding you a mind-blowing reward of ~$25. Pass.
by wxl31
Sat Oct 08, 2016 1:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7054
Views: 890771

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

Seems to happen yearly but is back again and I am finally able to take advantage of it. Transfer taxable brokerage account assets or IRA assets to Merrill Edge for a bonus. - transfer 20k: $100 bonus - transfer 50k: $250 bonus (usually $150) - transfer 100k: $500 bonus (usually $250) - transfer 200k: $1000 bonus (usually $600) Link: https://www.merrilledge.com/offers/1000offer Use offer code SFMS16 Ends: October 21, 2016 A few questions for those already with Merrill Edge: 1. Has anybody successfully opened a CMA account and a Roth account around the same time with the promo code in the past and gotten two bonuses? For example, if I open both a CMA account (funded $200k) and a separate Roth account (funded 200k) on the same day, will I get ...
by wxl31
Sun Jan 10, 2016 1:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bad health news, rethinking everything
Replies: 40
Views: 9336

Re: Bad health news, rethinking everything

1. Do any of you work with your spouse? My wife is a lawyer. We have a wonderful marriage and I'd love to be able to work with her. She feels the same way. We can't think of any practical way to do this. Believe me, having a newborn will be most rewarding way you'll be able to work with your spouse. If you want to work together more with your spouse, work less at the hospital and more at home (spouse will have to agree too). 2. How would you approach this feeling of being overwhelmed by how much I work currently? Would you consider a career switch? Drop out of academia and work part-time in the community where it might be more accepted? Went through prestigious training similar to you. Coming out of training, all the institution could offe...
by wxl31
Sat Jan 09, 2016 1:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best wireless providers for managing shared data plans?
Replies: 15
Views: 4770

Re: Best wireless providers for managing shared data plans?

What she does is constantly goes over her data limits and then is forced to pay me for the overage out of her earnings and allowance so I have to constantly keep track of how much she goes over her limit and then extract the $$ from her. I'm sick of it and just want her data to turn off when she hits her cap. AT&T doesn't seem to have a means of doing that as they want you to go over. AT&T does allow you to shut off mobile data online. 1. Log in to your AT&T account. 2. Click on the icon corresponding to your daughter's phone. 3. Then click "Turn member's data on / off". Then the subsequent fine print says: --- If you are turning data usage off, please note: • All wireless data access will be blocked except through Wi...