Search found 18363 matches

by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 20, 2024 6:41 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Investing in bitcoin
Replies: 7
Views: 1173

Re: Investing in bitcoin

The closest thing to investing in any crypto is investing in forex, foreign currency. You can do that if you want. It has at least a government saying it's worth something rather than nothing giving it any value.
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Feb 19, 2024 7:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Denver car theft and crime issues - how bad is it?
Replies: 15
Views: 2794

Re: Denver car theft and crime issues - how bad is it?

Could you get an Air BnB with a garage you could use?
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Feb 19, 2024 3:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Older, clean title vehicle or newer rebuilt vehicle?
Replies: 26
Views: 2368

Re: Older, clean title vehicle or newer rebuilt vehicle?

Why the car was salvaged then issued a rebuilt title matters. What state the car was in where the rebuilding was done REALLY matters. A neighbor has a shop that has been doing rebuilds as a family for over 50 years. They are in Massachusetts. The process is very familiar to me. The insurance company has a listing of what needs to be fixed or replaced when they total the car. Here, everything on the list must be addressed. Receipts must be presented for replacement parts. All of this goes through a salvage title inspection which is run by the State Police and the person doing the inspection is a State Police officer. Anything missing or not done and you're sent on your way and have to fix it before you get the salvage title. Once it's done c...
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Feb 19, 2024 11:29 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Let me retire! Please?
Replies: 62
Views: 8073

Re: Let me retire! Please?

College costs?
Have you researched costs when you're both on Medicare?

I don't think you're too far off. Make yourself a "retirement spending" list. This can be quite different from "while working". For DW and me, we just retired last June. We're in, I guess a HCOL area (west of Boston) and were spending $50k a year before retirement and $75k now. We spend zero on travel. Health care is about 5 times what it was when we were working with a company family plan. She's on Cobra (cheaper for us than ACA) and I'm on Medicare.
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Feb 19, 2024 10:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to get my road paved
Replies: 77
Views: 5850

Re: How to get my road paved

Here's a look at a class 6 "unmaintained" road in NH. There are far more challenging roads I've been on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeP2MW0z6Fo
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Feb 19, 2024 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Daughters employer 401K vendor is changing
Replies: 19
Views: 1530

Re: Daughters employer 401K vendor is changing

I believe when my son left a summer internship and had their 401k with Fidelity, the account was transferred to Empower. Higher ERs and a relatively big fee to roll it out. She should look at the plan information before or when it switches. Does she have the option to leave what she has now with Fidelity?
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 18, 2024 8:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What to do with $700,000
Replies: 13
Views: 2984

Re: What to do with $700,000

SwiftKey wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 7:39 pm If you can't come to a decision, I'm happy to take it off your hands for you :)
I was thinking that but my goal would be to lease a Pagani Huayra. But I'd need a bit more. $800k up front and $35k a month for 39 months with a buy out option at the end of $1.2M.
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 18, 2024 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Job Title Question
Replies: 7
Views: 798

Re: Job Title Question

Agree with fabadog. I've gone from a job as Principal Engineer and Lead Technologist to Senior Engineer. As a Senior at the new company, I made double. Would I have liked the company to change my title to Fellow Engineer and cut my salary in half? Nope. If they asked to change my title to Junior Technician and double it, I'd be like "Bring it on".
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendations for Vehicle with One Young Child
Replies: 25
Views: 1597

Re: Recommendations for Vehicle with One Young Child

If safety is your biggest concern, look for all of the safety testing results you can find. With our first son, we went from an Acura Integra 2 door to a Chevy S-10 Blazer because we thought it would be safe, plus the ease of height to move a car seat in and the 4 doors. Later, I found safety test results. The S-10 is the worst vehicle ever for crash testing. Get in a head on or offset head on and you're dead and likely rescuers will be retrieving you in several pieces. A Honda Civic of the same year (1998) was far safer. Now, people will say that the larger mass of the Blazer would make it "win" in a head on crash. But the way this vehicle reacts tells me that sure, it might inflict a lot of damage to the Civic when it's traditio...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 18, 2024 8:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to leave a guaranteed inheritance?
Replies: 23
Views: 2761

Re: How to leave a guaranteed inheritance?

I'm the biggest hater of whole life insurance but think for you a paid up front whole life policy might be your best bet or the Single Premium Deferred Insurance policy. You put in the money and write in the beneficiary. How much simpler could this be? For a trust, you may run into what DW and I did when getting our estate in order with a will and trust for our kids. The trust cost $2400 from the lawyer but we did not have a trusted trustee who was younger than us. Keep in mind that you'd need a trustee and if you don't want the beneficiary to know about the trust until your death, you'd probably need someone who doesn't know them. Several people said to use the attorney. What if the lawyer dies before you do? This happened to DW's aunt wit...
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 17, 2024 8:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sell 2011 RAV4 for a 2019 Tacoma - for Turo
Replies: 10
Views: 1219

Re: Sell 2011 RAV4 for a 2019 Tacoma - for Turo

Is this your start with Turo or have you been doing it for years? I was sort of interested in it which, of course sent me into overload of research. Getting past the insurance and registration issues, fully legit, I looked at several case studies of people who went into Turo as a business. I really found one interesting and very informative when 4 people went in together in order to have a number or cars always available and a number of people able to cover when some couldn't be available. They ran this for about 2 years. They did a complete, closed study, selling all the cars. They made NO money after all of the expenses were documented. People from Rob Ferretti and Ed Bolian on the east coast to Lucky Lopez and Houston Crosta in Las Vegas...
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 17, 2024 5:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Investment Account Newbie -- Taxes on Monthly Dividends?
Replies: 13
Views: 1059

Re: Investment Account Newbie -- Taxes on Monthly Dividends?

I used SPAXX within Fidelity too. I looked at my consolidated 1099 and it has a 1099-DIV which for me is about $375 and is called ordinary dividends. It also has a 1099-INT section for when I did nothing but put my Visa card rewards into it and it shows about $11.

So from your consolidated 1099, it tells you everything you need to know.
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 17, 2024 5:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Downsides of being a trustee of irrevocable trust
Replies: 22
Views: 2848

Re: Downsides of being a trustee of irrevocable trust

If you're willing, the correct answer is: "Can I get a copy of the trust document?". Read it in its entirety. It can have simple instructions: "Give John half my estate and Mary half my estate" or "If John has completed his Masters degree and makes at least $104,000, then he gets 3/16ths of my estate.
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 17, 2024 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: car salvage question
Replies: 17
Views: 1631

Re: car salvage question

So here's the good news. If you take the total and go buy a used Legacy, you'll do quite well. We own 2 Legacies (17 limited and 18 premium) and bought the 17 used because 'Muricans want trucks and SUVs so sedan values and prices drop like a rock. Getting a 1,2,3 year old Legacy will get you quite a bit. You can also buy the Subaru Gold extended warranty directly from any dealer in your state. (If you live in Mass, go to Mastria. They used to be the cheapest in the US but can't sell outside the state anymore). You can buy a warranty as long as the car is still in the bumper to bumper warranty, 3 years, 36k miles. There are a maze of options of years and miles and deductible or not so you can easily find a plan that makes sense for your need...
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 17, 2024 10:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to get my road paved
Replies: 77
Views: 5850

Re: How to get my road paved

Attend meetings in person. Not writing, not emailing, not twittering. Make appointments with every official starting with the mayor or whoever is on top of the heap in your city/town. You may find that the road is this way on purpose. When I was a kid, my dad was mayor and our street was being repaved. It was a short cut between a couple towns and there was a good 1/4 mile straight that went by our house. My dad had the paving department change their plans such that 100 yards on either side of our house was not repaved. This made speeders slow down so they didn't damage their cars. I would also say that if you're getting damage to your car, you're going way too fast. I offroad for fun and go over 2 foot diameter boulders all the time. Way w...
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 17, 2024 8:56 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Caz Investments via Tony Robbins
Replies: 45
Views: 5446

Re: Caz Investments via Tony Robbins

I'm more likely to follow Tony's brother Baskin. With Baskin's original 31 flavors, there's always something I like. I remember when dating my wife, going to his store on Charles St and getting apple pie cones.
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 17, 2024 8:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is anyone using cash for a discount on everyday items?
Replies: 83
Views: 6088

Re: Is anyone using cash for a discount on everyday items?

I've seen a few gas stations with low gas prices for cash and higher for credit. I do the math. Does my AAA visa that gives me 3% back on gas save more than the discount for cash? Either it has or the gas station across the street with a cash/credit price in between those of the low cash, high credit price does save me the money. Then there are the discounts from programs like Stop & Shop linked with Shell Rewards. I always get 5 cents off for that and for example, this week, buying an Applebees gift card gets 10X points, so $100 in gift cards gives me $1 off up to 20 gallons, or $20 (I have a rack I put on the back of my Jeep with gas cans). And with other purchases already, I'm up to another 50 cents and Shell gives me a nickel so $31...
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 16, 2024 8:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement Decisions Regarding SS and Roth Conversions
Replies: 14
Views: 1963

Re: Retirement Decisions Regarding SS and Roth Conversions

I think you sort of have to do the math. While not in a 32% bracket or working to 70, I'm in the same boat. $2.5M in traditional IRAs between DW and me. I'm 67 and on Medicare. Roth converting to just under the Medicare IRMAA first limit point. But in the 32% bracket, that might not matter to you. I would not just put it off until you retire. I've calculated that when DW and I are both taking RMDs and social security, without doing Roth conversions, our total income from those 2 things will be more than we've ever made in a single year. And it'll put us into IRMAA territory with no other income. Add interest, taxable dividends and for us a but under half a million in savings bonds maturing and we'll be paying plenty. I have done the math an...
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 16, 2024 7:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When do winter/snow tires make sense? Do you have a second set of wheels?
Replies: 80
Views: 5126

Re: When do winter/snow tires make sense? Do you have a second set of wheels?

My vehicle has large wheels, so to get a second set of wheels would cost me around $4k (not interested in doing that). The other option is to get the tires only changed out, and that would cost about $100 2x a year. What vehicle do you have? Most with oversized wheels have them purely for looks and you could go down many inches in diameter, the buy higher aspect ratio tires, which are cheaper and avoid denting the wheels on big potholes. I guess I'd have to say "I don't know" to whether I have a second set of wheels with snow tires. I have a 12x20 shed that is mainly used for wheel/tire storage. I do keep a couple racks of stuff, bicycles hanging, my Jeep hard top and the lawnmower, generator and tools, so maybe 1/4 of it is whee...
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 16, 2024 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I get a Lexus ES for its V6?
Replies: 96
Views: 8506

Re: Should I get a Lexus ES for its V6?

It's certainly a great engine and used everywhere. In the Lexus line for a sedan, there's also the iS350. Drop into Toyota for the Camry. You can also up your game and go for the iS500 for a 5L NA V8.
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 16, 2024 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?
Replies: 47
Views: 3627

Re: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?

I'm 67, DW is 62. We plan that I'll take SS at 70 and at that point, DW will take 1/2 of mine then at 70, I think 1/2 is still more than hers.

We also over saved so we could throw that money in the street and it really would not matter. When SS reduces payments, I'll just not care.
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 16, 2024 10:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 14%+ Used Car Loan
Replies: 44
Views: 3467

Re: 14%+ Used Car Loan

Digital Credit Union 6.74% new or used. You have to be a member.

https://www.dcu.org/borrow/vehicle-loan ... ns.html#10
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Handling Estimated Tax during retirement
Replies: 15
Views: 1565

Re: Handling Estimated Tax during retirement

livesoft wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:18 pm Figure out at the end of each quarter the total income you have received and then pay the taxes on it.

For instance, so far in 2024 we have zero income. Figuring out the taxes on zero income is easy. :twisted:
So would you work your way up the brackets? So if I Roth convert $50k per quarter, I start out with 12% or whatever the bracket is?
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 15, 2024 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car recommendations for daily driver
Replies: 26
Views: 1753

Re: Car recommendations for daily driver

livesoft wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:41 am
Are used cars back to being bargains again after Covid?
On average, they're down 33% of the rise from the top. EVs even more. But we are fast approaching tax refund time during which all car dealers raise their prices dramatically. If you want a bargain, hold on still. Wholesale used car prices are down over 50% of the rise from the peak and once tax refund time ends (first of May), prices will correct even more, perhaps reaching pre-covid levels. The above wording is sorta confusing. The rise nearly doubled used car prices. Dropping 50% wholesale brings them down to 50% higher than pre-covid. So there is room for them to drop more.
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Any studies to refute dividend yield & chill?
Replies: 161
Views: 12094

Re: Any studies to refute dividend yield & chill?

Some seem to think that dividends indicate company profits. They don't. They are determined by the board who wants investors to stick with them as many investors do focus on dividends. I've watched companies during the start of Covid where stupid customers like the auto industry cancelled all orders. Several had giant losses yet their dividend payments went up, not down. Dividend payments are the company eating itself to tell investors "no, we don't want your money anymore. Here, take some of your money back and have fun paying taxes on it".
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 14, 2024 2:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: car salvage question
Replies: 17
Views: 1631

Re: car salvage question

I have a ton of experience around this in my own state of MA. Your state and your insurance company could be different. 1) Deal ONLY with your insurance company. You can allow the building's insurance company to send someone to look at the car, but work with your own company. 2) If the cost to fix the car is more than a set percentage, the insurance company will total the car. This might even seem low like 70%. But when the body shop gets working on it, they may find hidden damage which can ratchet up the cost pretty dramatically. 3) Let's assume they decide that the car is a total. Find out what they'll pay you. I've had this happen and the car was 10 years old and the amount they offered me was 3X what Car Max had offered a month before. ...
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any benefit of keeping BOA saving account
Replies: 17
Views: 1402

Re: Any benefit of keeping BOA saving account

If you don't have some wizz bang requirement for higher bonus on credit cards or a better mortgage rate or some other promotion, I'd say to close it. I have not had a bank in decades and am amazed how bad the big banks are. Where I feel a few percent interest on my checking at my credit union is bad, we're helping a relative and just went through his BoA statement where he's getting a whopping 0.02% interest on savings and nothing on checking. I saw that and burst out laughing. Sure, some people would be too scared to use an online bank like Redneck Bank, but the 5.05% I get there sure beats 0.02%. My redneck account is money market. If I wanted to jump through hoops, their checking pays 5.3%. How about a credit union? My checking is free. ...
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it foolish to keep driving my old car?
Replies: 138
Views: 12249

Re: Is it foolish to keep driving my old car?

I have a couple questions: What car do you presently have with 200k miles that's 15 years old. That makes a huge difference. For example, if it's a Hyundai anything, send it to be crushed. If it's a Honda anything, you have 10 more years in it, easy. What needs to be fixed that you think needs fixing? I mean...hail damage is a big "who cares?" to me but some people are all anxious their friends will see them with a damaged car. If it needs a valve job and a new transmission, then that's big. I have driven and worked on cars for a very long time. The #1 safety feature in cars is seat belts. They've all had them since 1967. I do respect the engineered crumple zones and how the engine goes someplace other than your lap in a bad fron...
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 14, 2024 9:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sell I Bonds and transfer into Vanguard Money Market?
Replies: 8
Views: 691

Re: Sell I Bonds and transfer into Vanguard Money Market?

iBonds are always exempt for state and local tax. If you live in an income tax state, figure the iBond vs Vanguard rate difference. With iBonds, they make an excellent emergency fund because you pay no taxes until you need them or until they fully mature. Rates for everything change all the time. This includes the inflation part of iBonds. Use the calculator on the Treasury Direct site to find out what they're actually worth and the effective interest rate.
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 14, 2024 8:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Familt got text - house in probate - real estate company
Replies: 13
Views: 2127

Re: Familt got text - house in probate - real estate company

You can go online and find the family and probate court section and search by last name to find any possible docket where a probate would have been started. It's arranged by county in Mass. I assume from your username that this is in Mass. Everything tends to be there from major asset listings, will, interested parties, motions, etc.
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 14, 2024 8:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fire safe that bolts into wall stud (not floor)
Replies: 7
Views: 699

Re: Fire safe that bolts into wall stud (not floor)

We have a couple Master Lock ones about the size you're talking about. Bought them at Lowes for about $100 each. We have one bolted to a wall but it's part of the foundation so bolted to concrete. It's on a shelf so also bolted below. There are holes on the back, sides, and bottom so they can bolt anywhere, really. To make it harder to find, the bolted one is on a junk shelf where junk, boxes and other things are put, so the safe isn't visible, looking in the storage room. The shelf is about 2 feet deep, so pretty big.

This is certainly not theft proof. Heck, send me to your house with the most secure front door known to man and with a battery sawzall, I bet I can get in in less than 30 seconds.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 13, 2024 6:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: For 6.5K/mo and 35 yrs. how many M does it take to retire?
Replies: 25
Views: 2577

Re: For 6.5K/mo and 35 yrs. how many M does it take to retire?

Build a "retirement spending" list. What you spend while working is mostly insignificant and won't help determine what you spend in retirement. In retirement, what are your payroll taxes (Medicare and social security)? They're zero. What is your health care spending? Unless you have some fantastic work prolonged group plan into retirement, you'll pay way more. DW is on Cobra because it's cheaper than ACA and I'm on Medicare. We pay 5 times what we paid when I worked (just a year ago) and were on a group plan. Plenty of things like electricity, water, property taxes might be exactly the same. Other things won't be. While working, DW and I spent $50k a year. In retirement, we spend $75k a year. We don't travel at all.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 13, 2024 12:07 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 3-4 Fund vs Single Fund
Replies: 10
Views: 1122

Re: 3-4 Fund vs Single Fund

You would not have to rebalance a single fund so where I have to spend a grueling 15 minutes a year, you would be spared that intense, long time work. The cost for that is that likely the single fund would cost more than the multiple funds.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 13, 2024 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Zero Funds
Replies: 64
Views: 6074

Re: Fidelity Zero Funds

When the zero funds were introduced, I had whatever the mid level US Stock Fidelity fund was called (back then, there were 3 levels with 3 different ERs). 3 days after introduction, I split my US Stock fund and bought FZROX. My goal was to go a year and see what the performance of the 2 were based simply on what was my balance after a year. The zero fund easily beat the old Fidelity fund (and VTSAX and SCHB) and so I sold off the other and now my entire Fidelity Stock portion is FZROX. People do say "Oh, but you can't transfer it". Ok, but so what? I don't plan to leave Fidelity so why should I care? It's in my IRA so any tax issues are invisible to me and makes it's way into my balance which I already checked. Fidelity makes mone...
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 13, 2024 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Sell or Rent Out - 2024
Replies: 9
Views: 945

Re: Sell or Rent Out - 2024

A $720k value means that the bare minimum monthly rent you should consider is $7200, 1%. If you can't get that, you're not in a rental friendly market. Sell. This one is pretty obvious. I don't care if you originally paid $2M for it. You're making no money. I mean, think about it. You're making 6% gross before expenses. I don't care if you can write off some expenses, you can get a CD or even high yield savings account and pull in that much. Put the money into something like VTI and sit back, doing nothing and make far more than you are with your rental.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 13, 2024 7:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which Boston suburb to settle?
Replies: 198
Views: 18112

Re: Which Boston suburb to settle?

To talk about airports, this is a very strong point in the suburbs west of Boston. Where I am, I have the choice of Logan in Boston, Manchester, Providence, Bradley, which is between Springfield and Hartford, CT and the smaller Worcester airport. This makes comparing pricing and routes much better. All of these airports are within an hour and a half of my house. I have to laugh at the thought that we stay inside all winter. We're at the start of a snowstorm with a few inches on the ground and both my kids (23 and 27) have already been outside and I'll be out when I finish my breakfast. I remember a movie filmed in Buffalo, NY with Sally Field and Burt Reynolds where Sally and her mom go out with 4 foot high snowbanks and a raging snowstorm ...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 11, 2024 5:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Redeeming Paper EE Bonds
Replies: 18
Views: 1950

Re: Redeeming Paper EE Bonds

I have cashed a number of bonds in my name and also my son's name. They do say him OR me. I put my SS number on it, signed it in front of the Digital Credit Union person and handed them over. I've done this with one at a time, stack of 10 and combined EE and i in a stack of $50k worth. All have someone OR me on them or they say me OR someone. After I handed the bond over and the person typed it in, the money was in my account with no hold. So I guess 10 minutes to drive there, 15 minutes to do all that signing and 0 minutes for the money to be available to me. You may wonder why I've cashed so many of these. Back in the day, when you could buy bonds online with a credit card for no extra fee, and buy $30k per person with a 6 month period be...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Massachusetts 1099 HC from Medicare
Replies: 4
Views: 481

Massachusetts 1099 HC from Medicare

2023 was my first year on Medicare. As much as I understood that I had to teach my Arizona employer a few years back that although federally, we don't need this anymore, we DO need it in Massachusetts. First part of the year, we were on the employer's plan. No problem. The 1099 HC with it filled out for DW and me from January to June is done. For DW, she took Cobra so she's got that 1099 HC from my former employer. I got nothing from Medicare. With some companies, I know I can go on their website. I can find nothing on Medicare.gov nor anywhere else. Is there a place I need to go to get this form or are they simply dismally late? I have even the very late eTrade and Fidelity tax forms and had hoped I'd see an envelope arrive from Medicare. ...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 11, 2024 8:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it foolish to keep driving my old car?
Replies: 138
Views: 12249

Re: Is it foolish to keep driving my old car?

What car do you presently have with 200k miles that's 15 years old. That makes a huge difference. For example, if it's a Hyundai anything, send it to be crushed. If it's a Honda anything, you have 10 more years in it, easy. It's a Honda and has been great, but was quoted $600 by my mechanic for an oil fix (forget the spot it's seeping from), it's over due on the timing belt, needs new brakes, should replace the entire headlight enclosures as those are fogged up, and any other maintenance around the 200k mark. I've done some work on cars, but don't work on them any more beside quick basic stuff. $600 isn't a large bill. Especially if this includes a proper timing belt service which would include the belt, water pump and tensioner. Depending...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 11, 2024 7:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: retire now or keep working?
Replies: 14
Views: 2895

Re: retire now or keep working?

There are several recent threads about both Roth conversions and talking about Medicare IRMAA. I really didn't pay attention to this stuff before I retired last June. At retirement, we had about $2.5M in traditional IRAs. This along with 2 social security payments when we both reach 70 is around $250k a year. Add interest and taxable account dividends and we're well above IRMAA levels, at the second level that essentially doubles Medicare payments. While working, we pretty much stayed in the 22% bracket. With these RMDs, we'll be in the 24% bracket, so thinking that during retirement, you'll automatically be in a lower tax bracket can backfire. Add to this the fact that in 2026, the tax brackets revert to 2017 levels making 22% become 25% a...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 11, 2024 6:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hybrid Car - Cost Savings?
Replies: 68
Views: 6938

Re: Hybrid Car - Cost Savings?

Hybrids will save money comparing MPG vs MPG. A co-worker bought a Camry hybrid and reports (engineers have real data) 56 mpg winter, 59 mpg summer. Here in the northeast, we get "winter" gas and all cars can be seen to do worse in the winter. He does combined driving with a good deal of highway at about 30k miles a year. Hybrids rid you of range problems of EVs and ultra cold temp refusal to charge. Battery replacement when needed after the 10 year warranty is gone is far, far less than an EV. But yes, the system IS more complex than ICE alone or EV alone. I would not believe 1/3 the gas cost before running actual math for the prime versions. Where I live, gas is cheap and electricity is expensive (went up 10 cents a kWh over the...
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 10, 2024 4:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it foolish to keep driving my old car?
Replies: 138
Views: 12249

Re: Is it foolish to keep driving my old car?

I have a couple questions: What car do you presently have with 200k miles that's 15 years old. That makes a huge difference. For example, if it's a Hyundai anything, send it to be crushed. If it's a Honda anything, you have 10 more years in it, easy. What needs to be fixed that you think needs fixing? I mean...hail damage is a big "who cares?" to me but some people are all anxious their friends will see them with a damaged car. If it needs a valve job and a new transmission, then that's big. I have driven and worked on cars for a very long time. The #1 safety feature in cars is seat belts. They've all had them since 1967. I do respect the engineered crumple zones and how the engine goes someplace other than your lap in a bad front...
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 09, 2024 6:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding Medicare Advocate
Replies: 26
Views: 1853

Re: Finding Medicare Advocate

Can the discharge be to a rehab facility? When I fell, fracturing 3 vertebrae, and other stuff, after 2 weeks in the hospital, with my IV in place, I was sent to rehab for 2 or 3 weeks. I also know my father in law who was in the hospital for cancer was given the option to be discharged to rehab. I was on private insurance, he is on Medicare.
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Picking a trustee: lawyer, friend, family, or corporate?
Replies: 32
Views: 2764

Re: Picking a trustee: lawyer, friend, family, or corporate?

This was such a big issue for DW and me that we simply bailed on the revocable trust altogether and instead let the will guide what's going to be done. For us:

Friends: All are our age and in medical conditions where we fully expect they'll die before us.

Kids of relatives or friends: Sorry, I wouldn't trust any of them with a barrel of lollipops.

Corporate: $40k to $120k per year when we asked.

As much as a trust would be great to do exactly what we want, it won't work for us.
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What is your rebalance threshold? When do you gain harvest?
Replies: 8
Views: 774

Re: What is your rebalance threshold? When do you gain harvest?

Nebraska_Drought wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:16 am I do my rebalancing in my tax advantage accounts. Utilizing a 3-fund portfolio, it is easy to transfer from one asset category to another to balance my overall portfolio I learned to do that from this forum !
This

I see no reason to rebalance outside of tax advantaged accounts unless you have funds in taxable with a loss and selling will accomplish part of your rebalance. My AA is 50/50. My window is 5%. When off by 5%, I go into my traditional IRA and rebalance with a "sell and use proceeds to buy" at Fidelity. Literally a 2 minute procedure.
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:04 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New article casting doubt on index investing
Replies: 51
Views: 6532

Re: New article casting doubt on index investing

So the article is casting doubt on US companies because they feel other countries will outperform. But what is a US company? One headquartered in the US? Take one inside and one outside. Texas Instruments, headquartered just north of Dallas sells 65% of it's stuff outside the US. It owns the largest IC packaging facility at the former Clark base in the Philippines. It has both factories, design centers and purchased companies all over the world. So is it really a US company? I worked for them for 8 years so saw this from inside. What about Bosch? You'd say it's a German company. Have fun finding all the factories, design centers and sales facilities, many of which are in the US. So is it an international company? How about Tesla? (gasps fro...
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 09, 2024 9:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parent requesting to have assets transferred out of their name
Replies: 46
Views: 3521

Re: Parent requesting to have assets transferred out of their name

Certainly, she can withdraw from all of her accounts and simply write a check to you. That would eliminate access to her assets from someone else. You could, of course use those funds to give her whatever she asks for to pay her needs.

The house could be transferred to your name. Yes, you'd have to pay cap gains if you sell it but she's looking for protection.

On the "signing for loans", while not a normal method, have her stop paying all of her credit card bills. The goal is now to tank her credit. So if some person is demanding she sign for a loan, the lender is going to see a horrible credit score and tell them "find someone else".
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which Boston suburb to settle?
Replies: 198
Views: 18112

Re: Which Boston suburb to settle?

Winters in New England are certainly cold many years. This week, the entire week has gone up to 40 and will hit 60 tomorrow. No, not Southern California temps but certainly not hell. The OP is talking about towns outside of Boston where green space is far more abundant than anywhere in southern California that I've ever seen. Sudbury has many development areas that used to be owned by Henry Ford and they are left with a minimum lot size of 5 acres. In SC, this is the size of a small town (exaggerating). My own lot is a bit over 13 acres of woodland. Plenty of towns have lots capable of giant back yards. Some winters are bad and there are storms with over a foot of snow 10 times during the winter. This winter, I've mounted the snowplow on my...
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 08, 2024 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lost in Numbers Moving to Fidelity, Raymond, or?
Replies: 53
Views: 4814

Re: Lost in Numbers Moving to Fidelity, Raymond, or?

Moving to Schwab, Fidelity or Vanguard are all good potential moves and all are better than EJ, RJ or Merrill.

Pick one and contact them to move the accounts. Do NOT contact Edward Jones to move the accounts unless Schwab, Fidelity or Vanguard tells you that you must in order to make the move.

The cost differences can be staggering. For my own investments, if I were being charged 1% by one of these thieves, it would cost me about $43,000 a year. With my accounts at Schwab and Fidelity, those same investments cost me about $500 a year. I don't know about you but I would rather have essentially a new car for myself rather than being paid out to some investment management firm.