Bogleheads.org

GerryL

I think I understand the OP's state of mind. I guess I did something similar when I had my financial plan drawn up. I left out my individual stock holdings, so my AA is around my 401k, IRAs and some tax-able funds. I consider the stocks to be "play around" money -- I really don't expect to...

GerryL

Medicare Part A and Part B are accepted by almost all doctors and all hospitals in the country. Therefore there is almost no such thing as out of network. Certain Part F plans are also such that are accepted by almost all doctors and hospitals. Unfortunately, this is not consistently true in all pa...

GerryL

In investing, time is your friend; timing is not. The more time you spend thinking about timing, the less time your investments have to grow. Investments can (and usually do) grow, so when (not if) you lose some of the value of your investments you are very likely to get it back -- with enough time....

GerryL

Be advised that there is already a phishing scam that is taking advantage of this situation by replicating the message that Target is sending to customers. (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/scammers-pounce-on-target-fiasco-2013-12-20) I did go to Target on Black Friday to pick up a Nook HD at a door...

GerryL

Netflix or a DVD. Maybe a bowl of popcorn.

But a new plan for dinner is a nice steak! I was surprised this evening by the delivery of an Omaha Steaks box landing on my front porch. A gift from the contractor who did my remodel this year.

GerryL

Am I missing something? OP says he quit work and hasn't collected a check in 6 years. Also says he intends to open a Roth. Doesn't he need to have his own employment income in order to contribute to a Roth? Didn't sound like he was talking about a conversion. His wife is still working. A married co...

GerryL

Am I missing something? OP says he quit work and hasn't collected a check in 6 years. Also says he intends to open a Roth. Doesn't he need to have his own employment income in order to contribute to a Roth? Didn't sound like he was talking about a conversion.

GerryL

I am also planning to retire in less than 2 years. I used to wonder whether I should pay someone to advise me about my investments, but I worried that I might get taken for a ride. I figured I needed to have a certain level of understanding about investing to be able to hire the right person and kee...

GerryL

I manage my accounts in Quicken, but I enter information about my larger outside accounts (Dodge & Cox ira, 401k) into the Vanguard website so I can get the big picture status of my AA.

GerryL

I did an in-service transfer of much of my 401k from Fidelity into a Vanguard IRA this year. That put me into Select level so I had them help me with the financial plan. I found the person who helped me to be more knowledgeable than the "planner" service my company hired a few years ago to...

GerryL

I was rear ended while stopped at a light before my first car was 2 years old. My insurance agent said at the time that the only kind of accident that didn't result in points was being hit while stopped. (This is in Oregon.) I was rear ended at a stop light before my second car was two years old. I'...

GerryL

I'm only on my 3rd car. (Got my drivers license when I was almost 40.) Kept first two 12-15 years each. I only put about 7K miles on a year, so they tend to last. With the last one I got tired of the trunk lid falling on my head (or face) and didn't want to invest in the money to fix it. May replace...

GerryL

First car I bought I took out a loan -- from myself. I paid cash and then figured out what the monthly payment would have been at 5% for 5 years. Paid that to myself every month until it was paid off. By then I had enough money to get a new car, but I drove that one for more than 5 more years. Now t...

GerryL

Sounds a bit like people justifying buying lottery tickets: Somebody's going to win. You can't say no one is going to win. Somebody will win, and you can't win unless you buy a ticket. The more tickets I buy, the more likely I am to win. So there.

GerryL

Frankly, I don't really care for the weather in Florida. My dad retired there. Bought a house ("double-wide") across the street from the golf course and either golfed or looked at the golf course. (Early in retirement he also did a little boating.) I used to visit him and still travel to F...

GerryL

I lived in Paris in the late 1960s early 1970s as an au pair and became quite an expert finding at really cheap (free?) things to do. The last time I was there -- more than 20 years ago -- one of my favorite freebies was still available: going to the roof of La Samaritaine department store in the ce...

GerryL

TT is making it easier and easier to look for another option. After using them for many years I switched to another program for one year when I could not get the program to handle a stock transaction. Went back the following year, but last year the program seemed crankier than ever. And I have alrea...

GerryL

I just went to the Wells Fargo website where I look at my account and clicked the "request a payoff statement" link. (Frankly, the online process doesn't work all that well. The online version that I requested was a text file with faulty formatting. First few paragraphs were okay, but the ...

GerryL

Okay. I have to join in. I paid off my mortgage yesterday!!! (T'is the season?) If I just made my regular payments it would have been paid off by June. I was planning to do it in February, when we get our bonuses. Then I got antsy. Decided to do it next week but said "what the heck" and di...

GerryL

The LEX FSA seems to be the solution my company came up with in response to the last minute IRS pronouncement that allows up to $500 to be carried over from the FSA. The company is trying to push employees into the HDHP/HSA option and shortly before the end of open enrollment they said they would ac...

GerryL

Hi, from the western suburbs. Could you provide more detail about the upcoming meeting? Same as the detail for the June 11 mtg? Confirmation that it is indeed happening? It's a long way to drive from Hillsboro (in rush hour) and I have to travel the next morning, so I'd like to know for sure that it...

GerryL

My sis-in-law's mother was an experienced world traveler, generally going with small groups. (Church-related, I think.) As she aged (and in hindsight, as dementia started to set it), she was having and creating problems: not being ready when the group was scheduled to depart the hotel, striking up f...

GerryL

Woke up this morning and noted (and laughed) that on the night stand I now have 1) a Nook Color (bought when it came out 3 years ago for $250) 2) a Nook Simple Touch (bought earlier this year when it went on sale at my price point: $79) 3) a Nook HD (bought yesterday at Target for $79) ... and this ...

GerryL

I had a consultation with a financial planner funded by my company when the 401k plan was being changed a few years ago. Because I was approaching retirement (then around 5 years out), I decided to go for a 50/50 AA -- a bit less aggressive than I had been. This year, after moving most of my 401k to...

GerryL

Although I won't need to make a decision about Medicare/Medigap coverage for another 18 months, I was looking through the publication for Oregon last night. It's headache inducing. Could they make it any more complicated? No wonder many people just opt for an Advantage plan. This afternoon I called ...

GerryL

This past year I had a whole-house remodel, including floors, walls, new kitchen. I used a contractor for the job, so I can't add anything to the discussion about ins and outs of selecting a carpet company, but I do have one bit of advice to make whatever carpet you choose last longer: Don't wear sh...

GerryL

Regarding investment advice through 401K manager, in my case, Fidelity. Over the years I attended workshops offered to our company by Fidelity. Not out-and-out sales pitches, but I found that they didn't always live up to the description. One was supposed to be about how to create a revenue stream f...

GerryL

I've had a Panasonic Blu-ray with built-in wireless for about 3 years now. Back when I got it the trick was making sure a model had built-in wireless and was not just "wireless capable" and needed a dongle. I don't think that's an issue anymore. I was just in Costco today and noticed they ...

GerryL

When I started investing I didn't know anything about indexing, but I did get a good tutorial on loads and expenses from Consumer Reports. So, as an earlier commenter said, I'd probably have more funds in Dodge & Cox than I have now.

GerryL

I did it a few months ago. Yes, your plan needs to allow it. I seem to recall as well that you can do only one in-service distribution in a year (although that may be the employer's or Fidelity's rule). So if your husband is continuing to work at the company and will be contributing to the 401k, he ...

GerryL

Congrats. You beat me to the punch. I plan to pay off my mortgage next month and was intending to ask how one celebrates the event. I expect this will be the only house I own and so the only one I pay off. I was going to pay off in February 2014, when some bonuses come through. If I did nothing, it ...

GerryL

I don't get a pension, but my company does contribute to a profit sharing account in which I am fully vested. I plan to annuitize that to create my own pension to supplement SS, which I aim to put off until 68. The rest of my portfolio (tax-deferred and taxable) is for beyond-living-expenses stuff. ...

GerryL

I like the hold-steady approach because I'm the type of person who would constantly be second guessing my decisions. I just keep the monthly investments running on automatic. Since I reorganized my holdings a few months ago when I did an in-service roll over from my company 401k to my IRA, I probabl...

GerryL

Shortly after I moved into my house 23 years ago, my brother gave me a DeLonghi counter top oven -- toast/bake/broil. I used it much more than my full-size oven. Lasted for about 17-18 years. So I went out and bought another DeLonghi. Comparable model, but I noticed that it is not quite as solid as ...

GerryL

I think the explanations given here are what the Vanguard guy was trying to say, but he didn't put enough words around it to drill into my head. I think the threat to the AA is probably the most cogent point. I posted the question more as an "I'm curious" issue since I have already put my ...

GerryL

I had been read about laddering CDs (a concept I find easy to understand) and bonds (a little more challenging to understand, for me anyway) and was thinking about some sort of laddering to stage money I would need for living expenses during retirement. Then one day I got what I thought might be a g...

GerryL

I was tickled when he mentioned Dodge & Cox as a managed fund he admires! D&C Stock was the first mutual fund I ever invested in when I needed a place to put my little IRA. I have never touched it (in over 20 years) and the ~$17K I started with has grown to over $180K. There was at least one...

GerryL

I am not yet retired (18 months to go) but I most certainly expect to take what you are calling bonuses from my retirement accounts. From the math I have done, I expect that SS and an annuity I will have will cover my living expenses. My challenge will be to plan those withdrawals so I don't end up ...

GerryL

Lizards? When I was a student in Hawaii I sometimes had geckos in my little apartment. The walls were a sort of (Caucasian) flesh color, so the geckos were too. Loved my geckos. (Much more so than the cockroaches.)

GerryL

I froze my credit at all 3 agencies. Cost me $10 per agency. Cost depends on the laws in your state and whether you have been a victim of fraud or identity theft, but I believe $10 is the max. It was a bit of a hassle when I switched wireless service providers and I had to temporarily lift the freez...

GerryL

Have to confess: I feed them. But I do it to help the birds. By scattering sunflower seeds on the patio, I keep the squirrels and scrub jays on the ground so the little birds can have the feeder. Most of the time. Well, at least when I am sitting at the table working and they can see me wagging my f...

GerryL

I do enjoy my job, but I'm looking forward to retirement. 18 months to go, and I've been investigating the opportunities before me. I intend to be a full-time dilettante, but I am a little worried about the fact that I'm a bit of a hermit. I know I need to figure out how to be more sociable. In addi...

GerryL

I don't have a number, but years ago I set up a spreadsheet that computes annual totals for various savings and growth scenarios (e.g., add $17K to current investments and get 6% growth) out until my planned retirement age. I guess you could say the 2015 total that computes each year is My Number, b...

GerryL

After pulling all 3 reports the first time several years ago, I now pull one report every 4 months. Sometimes the questions are a real quiz for me, but so far I've managed to ace the quiz and get the report. I review but don't print, so I'm making it easy on myself (and maybe the credit bureaus). Bu...

GerryL

Yeah, I've decided the HDHP is my best option. Then, while I was doing my research last night I discovered that I created a problem for myself by signing up for Medicare Part A just before my birthday a few months ago. At that time I had no idea my company's health insurance options would change so ...

GerryL

So much for doing math in my head after rolling out of bed. dang.
Zero premium for HDHP.
HDHP is sounding better. The only thing that is bothering me is the mystery around hidden costs, which I will try to investigate this weekend.

GerryL

Thanks for the insights so far. Missing info: Annual deductible is $1350 (after which in-network cost is 10% co-insurance) Out of pocket max is $2100 Annual premium on the other plan is $1284 Deductible is $500 Copays of $15 and co-insurance of 10% after deductible is met Out of pocket max $1500 (no...

GerryL

My company has changed our health plan options and removed both of the co-insurance plans. In addition to an HMO, which I won't go with because I want to stick with my doctor, I can choose something that is a hybrid copay-coinsurance plan or one of two high-deductible plans with HSAs. The max out-of...

GerryL

I just turned 65 and had a Vanguard financial planner help me set up a plan. Officially, my AA is 60% stocks / 40% bonds, including retirement and taxable accounts. But in the survey I selected the 61-70% option because I left my individual stocks out of the plan. I figure that is my "play arou...

GerryL

We don't get options anymore. Company switched to restricted stock grants. But I still have a few options to exercise. I generally kept an eye on the expiration date and watched whether the share price was trending up or down. I would set a target price on the website so they would exercise automati...

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