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GerryL

Saw this today in Investment News and figured it would be of interest to many people here. In late March, IRS released IRS Publication 590-B, which contains the tax rules on withdrawing funds from individual retirement accounts. Normally this is a wrap-up of rules to use as guidance in preparing tax...

GerryL

My aunt has a Roth IRA she started outside of her employer back in 2000

This seems to be a non sequitur. All IRAs, traditional and Roth, as started outside of an employer. Or is there an instance I'm not familiar with?

GerryL

I wear a lot of my stuff until it practically disintegrates. I cascade items from "best" to "okay for errands" to "house and yardwork only." If I decide I really can't wear something anymore (doesn't fit) or I have replaced it or I just don't want it, it goes to the ape...

GerryL

My brother's fancy house is ALL tile downstairs. (Carpet upstairs.) Cold, noisy and hard on the legs and feet when you are preparing a holiday meal in the kitchen -- for hours. And if you drop a glass or dish, odds are very much against it surviving. In my house I have LVP (large, square tiles) in t...

GerryL

If your roof is nearing the end of it's estimated useful life, would you (have you) preemptively replace(d) it? Seems risky to wait for it to fail and run the risk of incurring additional expenses relating to fixing the damage from the failure. Some seem to suggest damage would be covered by insura...

GerryL

... Use this forum and an hourly fee-only advisor to help in your decumulation phase. Thanks for the replies. I was concerned that that was the answer. I am looking to simplify the process, what could an hourly fee-only do? Set up an annual plan? To be honest one of my concerns is a mental decline ...

GerryL

I'm spending more now -- by choice. My basic living expenses have not changed all that much, but my "allowance" is bigger. Pre-Covid I was eating out more often than when I was working. And my spending on travel accounts for a chunk of the higher spend. I know that if I had to, I could eas...

GerryL

Jack Bogle wrote a little book titled "Enough." Read it.

I think the key is redefining what winning means to you. Many/most people seem to think winning means "more." Get to where you see winning as having "enough."

GerryL

choral54 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 4:54 pm Do I need to go through an agent to get a supplement plan?

No. You can call the company directly. Or even, maybe, fill out application on their website. I like calling and talking to a live person, just to get a feel for their definition of "customer service."

GerryL

I keep a healthy cash stash that is built up from monthly income and dividends and RMDs that are not immediately reinvested. This is in checking, savings and CDs. I don't count this cash as part of my portfolio, but if it gets too bulked up, I will move some to the Balanced Index Fund in taxable, at...

GerryL

Thank you for all of your responses. I have found a company through the Iowa Retired Teachers website that has a good rate. It is Accendo, but I don't know if I should be leery because it has only been in existence for a year. I understand it is affiliated with Aetna. Any thoughts about this situat...

GerryL

Well, this year so far, when charitable giving is excluded, I haven't even spent $1500 a month, so .... Significantly below my target spend. Many of us on this forum are in the situation to be able to spend what we need to spend, and those of us who are naturally frugal can also spend what we want t...

GerryL

Take5Man wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 1:01 pm thanks for the answers..I kinda / sorta knew the bonus (supplemental income) would be considered W-2 since normal federal taxes are taken out.

My very last Roth IRA contribution was the pro-rated bonus I got about 9 months after I retired.

GerryL

When I sell off my company shares, I do it by limit-order. So I am selecting a price that will satisfy me. On occasion the price has shot up over night and I end up getting more than what I expected. ("Oh, isn't that nice.") On other occasions I have gotten my designated price and then the...

GerryL

All good suggestions so far. Just be aware if you go to a big store with very bright, excellent lighting, it will be difficult to really discern the differences in optical quality between models. It is a good chance to ensure fit, grip, size, are all to your liking. The really good (expensive) glas...

GerryL

In Oregon it is possible to switch to a lower level plan without underwriting. It also depends on the company. I had Plan N with Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS). They would not let me switch from Plan N to Plan F without going through underwriting. Talking to Humana (where I had my Part D) I learned ...

GerryL

When I decided on a plan, I checked each of the lowest cost companies' websites. (If they had one. If they didn't, I knocked them off the list.) I narrowed it down to 3 and called each. My goal was to see what it was like dealing with them, online and on the phone. I was on F-HD for five years and j...

GerryL

A few years back I was looking for a smaller binocular that I could easily pack for air travel. (I always take a small suitcase and a carryon.) I visited any store nearby that carried binoculars and tried out at least a dozen products in the price range you are looking at. Finally settled on Nikon P...

GerryL

I was in the habit of buying my brown rice from the grocery store bulk bins -- moderate quantities since I am a solo and brown rice can go rancid. (I store it in fridge.) With the start of the pandemic, bulk bins were taken out, and shelves were bare of all rice. I found a 5lb bag of Nishiki brown r...

GerryL

My taxable is in the 60/40 Balanced Index Fund, but my retirement accounts are set up in a 60/40 basic 4-fund model, with enough of the stock in international to bring my overall portfolio to the VG-recommended to 40%. It would be convenient to put the traditional IRA all into a single fund, but my ...

GerryL

Why not just combine the two t-IRA's into one account? What's the point of maintaining two t-IRA's? That would simplify things considerably. To my knowledge, there is no advantage in maintaining multiple t-IRA accounts. Calling one t-IRA account a "rollover" is meaningless. Unless you are...

GerryL

What is a Roku 3? I don't see numbered devices on the Roku site? A couple of years ago I decided to try out a Roku and went with the lowest-priced model, Roku Express. It's been working just fine for my needs, but on several occasions I have found that the sound is out of sync with the picture and e...

GerryL

So I got an email from an individual who said he was a vanguard personal representative. He said he has a few account specific items he wants to discuss. The email looks official. I have been a Vanguard customer for 35 years and have never been contacted to assist me in meeting my financial goals. ...

GerryL

For many years I've had an HP LaserJet 1020 printer. Any thoughts on a replacement printer which hopefully won't develop paper-feed issues after a few years of light use? A few years? It's probably about 10-15 years old, right? And it was probably about $100 when new. You've gotten your money's wor...

GerryL

I was 50 when the Roth became available. I maxed it every year until my income disqualified me a few years before I retired in 2014. I added $50k in conversions before realizing that made no sense for me. It is now well north of $250k. I, too, questioned whether starting so late in the game -- when ...

GerryL

How to find YOUR balance between living now or saving for later? Read up on the 50-20-30 Budget Rule. https://www.thebalance.com/the-50-30-20-rule-of-thumb-453922 In a nutshell: No more than 50 percent of your income should go to necessities (e.g., housing, food, transportation). At least 20 percent...

GerryL

I am not a high spender, but I am spending considerably more than I was in my working days because I know what I can afford to spend -- and my discretionary budget is more than I need. If I were you, I would reframe the question: What do I value that I can afford to spend more on? I am spending (wel...

GerryL

Problem with trying to plan something in Europe (or internationally, in general) is that you're aiming at a moving target. If a country calls off its quarantine this week, there is no guarantee it won't be reinstated by the time your trip starts. Or a country or region could go into partial lockdown...

GerryL

Bogle7 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:29 pm "Should I quit/retire?"
Yes.

If the company decided the project was not worth it, they would can you in a New York minute.
You owe them nothing.

My boss at Megacorp used to advise us: Don't be more loyal to the company than the company is to you.

GerryL

Clearly, the carryover losses can offset some of the capital gains associated with moving out of this position. However, I think it might be useful to consider whether it is necessary to divest from this position entirely. Yes, it is a big risk to be in a single stock and is not the best place to b...

GerryL

I grew up in the midwest in a small tract home with one bathroom. It also had a full basement, which my dad finished for more living space (parties, ping pong table, seating area). In the summer he moved our only tv (furniture-style console) down there so we didn't swelter while watching in the even...

GerryL

If you get some sticky felt spots and fasten them to the "business side" of the CDs, you can turn them into coasters-cum-conversation pieces. That is assuming 1) you resign yourself to not playing them and 2) they have attractive art.

GerryL

You have enough. Do what makes you happy. The ups and downs are irrelevant if you know your portfolio and plan are solid. A few years before retirement I was stressing about how to know if I would have enough to last the rest of my life. I had my plan run by a Vanguard CFA, with generous spending n...

GerryL

You might try selling them in sets/collections by genre. A collector might be interested in getting a good price on a set. You could off-load multiple titles of a genre where some individual titles might not find buyers. And you would be passing along your collection to another collector ... for the...

GerryL

When I was researching possibilities to replace my standard-build tub insert and surround with a walk-in shower I learned a few things: * The choice of after-build inserts is fairly limited and they are likely to be in pieces rather than in a single piece. * The cost is not that much less than an al...

GerryL

I called Social Security and made an appointment to apply by telephone. The appointment is for April 28, approximately 5 weeks away. Just 5 weeks? You're lucky. The one time I tried to make an appointment I was told there were no more appointments for the next several months. Try again some other t...

GerryL

I based my retirement date on eligibility for my 3rd sabbatical. The plan was to use my sabbatical as a 2-month practice retirement and then return to work for another year, retiring shortly before turning 67. I figured I would use that extra year to tweak my plans as needed while wrapping up proje...

GerryL

Doesn't coverage usually extend to the end of the month?

GerryL

I based my retirement date on eligibility for my 3rd sabbatical. The plan was to use my sabbatical as a 2-month practice retirement and then return to work for another year, retiring shortly before turning 67. I figured I would use that extra year to tweak my plans as needed while wrapping up projec...

GerryL

Know how much you can spend each year. Whether you keep a detailed budget or just set an annual target amount or some method in-between, get an understanding of what you can safely spend -- and then track your spending. I have an annual target spend, which goes up slightly each year. In my 7th year...

GerryL

Another thing I did the year before I retired: I interviewed people. In my case, I am a solo, so I invited several solo friends -- one at a time -- to tea/coffee to ask them about the non-financial aspects of their retirement experience. Best thing? Worst thing? What would you do differently? No big...

GerryL

Back when I was still working (in high tech) and attending market research conferences, I noticed that more and more products that people relied on were being envisioned as subscription models. I was not thrilled at the idea of having to pay an annual fee for software or operating systems, and peopl...

GerryL

Know how much you can spend each year. Whether you keep a detailed budget or just set an annual target amount or some method in-between, get an understanding of what you can safely spend -- and then track your spending. I have an annual target spend, which goes up slightly each year. In my 7th year ...

GerryL

My suggestions have been pretty much covered -- especially the dental work prompt. But I want to riff on PaunchyPirate's idea of a list of projects. As I was thinking about the day when I would hand in my badge, I occasionally thought of things I might do when I had more time. Not necessarily projec...

GerryL

I have been deliberating over this for weeks. There is a good case to be made for delaying and a good case to be made for collecting immediately. After all that deliberation I have decided on the latter. I don't want this to turn into a debate between now vs. later. We already had that discussion i...

GerryL

Having been rear-ended 5 times in 3 cars (each less than 2 years old) including 3x in as many months, I learned that here in Oregon first thing you do is fill out and file an accident form (DMV?) and call your insurance agent. They should handle the contact with the other guy's insurance. OP, Aren't...

GerryL

They didn't just change their website; they also changed the software that manages the billing system. One of the changes cost them at least 20 minutes with a service rep -- my time and theirs -- so 40 minutes, at least. Back in November I switched to monthly billing from bi-annual. I was signed up ...

GerryL

I am an attorney that got knee deep into *almost* forming a title company towards the end of last year. Having gone through that experience, I know there are federal regulations that prohibit this type of conduct with title agencies. I am oversimplifying a bit here, so generally: the realtor can re...

GerryL

Despite the optimism portrayed in mainstream media, 2021 is going to be a wasteland for international travel. Go ahead and book something this year at a discount; just don't be too surprised when it gets cancelled and you get stuck with credits or some other non-ideal scenario. Travel within the US...

GerryL

Despite the optimism portrayed in mainstream media, 2021 is going to be a wasteland for international travel. Go ahead and book something this year at a discount; just don't be too surprised when it gets cancelled and you get stuck with credits or some other non-ideal scenario. Travel within the US...

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