Search found 18363 matches

by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 08, 2024 8:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Using whole life to pay off student loan debt?
Replies: 27
Views: 2201

Re: Using whole life to pay off student loan debt?

Look at the entire policy. Part of it, that never goes away is monthly life insurance cost. This can be significant. Next is all of the fees and commissions. Who do you think pays the 8% salesman commission? The amount that can be borrowed is NOT the amount put in, but a very small amount or nothing for several years. The first few years (7-10) are paying for the life insurance, fees and salesman commission.

When, at some future time, you want to surrender this policy and take any cash value, ALL gain is fully taxed as ordinary income.

If this person wants to pay off their student loans, they should write a check, put it into an envelope and send it off to their loan servicer.
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 08, 2024 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Turn around time on passports
Replies: 19
Views: 1889

Re: Turn around time on passports

6 weeks from local post office non-expedited.
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 07, 2024 7:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Managed Brokerage Account - What do they do?
Replies: 4
Views: 527

Re: Managed Brokerage Account - What do they do?

A truly professional management broker takes their experience and your money and converts it into your experience and their money.

They don't possess magic and will underperform the market (like VTI) about 80% of the time.
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 07, 2024 4:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I'm done working! Looking for critiques of my plan!
Replies: 7
Views: 1936

Re: I'm done working! Looking for critiques of my plan!

I have a few minor comments. Should you sell all the random stocks? I would say that unless you have a driving reason, good analysis and a reason it's a better alternative than something else, sell them all. I will say that I own one stock. Berkshire. Why? Many people call it the index fund of stocks because they own a ton of companies, are quite conservative and have tons of cash. I also hold it because it does NOT pay a dividend. Dividends are income, which is bad when you're on Medicare because it could possibly push you over the IRMAA cliff and because they are forced tax owing events. I own no other stock. If I ever were to own one, it would only be another non-dividend payer like Amazon if I were tax loss harvesting. I would also ask ...
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Quit or stay at my job while searching.
Replies: 22
Views: 2091

Re: Quit or stay at my job while searching.

DO NOT QUIT People looking to hire want people looking to advance. Advancing from your current job could mean both a better job and a raise from what you're currently making. If you quit and don't have a job, advancing to the national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is better than getting zero, so expect nowhere near as much money. Some hiring managers simply won't even consider people who don't presently have a job. Why are you considering the job I have available? Your answer with your present job could be: "I'm excited with the much better opportunity your company offers. I've looked at reviews (look at glass door) and it seems like a great fit for me". Your answer if you quit: "I really hated my former boss and the job wasn...
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 07, 2024 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Commission to Sell Individual Stocks
Replies: 13
Views: 782

Re: Commission to Sell Individual Stocks

Before you transfer, write down each stock and the basis from the date of death. That way, if the place you transfer to doesn't get that information, you'll have it in order to report any gain on your tax return.

Also, if you are charged an account closing fee at Openheimer, I know Schwab will, for sure pay that. You do need to contact Schwab and ask for a refund of the fee. It doesn't matter what the amount coming into Schwab is. I did this with an eTrade work account when I retired with something like $3500 in it and Schwab refunded the $75 closing fee.
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Feb 07, 2024 7:49 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: half high income physician, half financial illiterate
Replies: 95
Views: 12013

Re: half high income physician, half financial illiterate

1. Student loan Debt settlement fee: $5,200 2. Rent for a two-bedroom apartment: $4,000 3. Maxing out SEP IRA contributions: $5,500 4. Investing in an M1 stock account: $1,000 5. Contributing to a 529 college plan: $1,000 6. Supporting my parents financially: $6,000 7. Car payment for a 2012 BMW X5: $382 (down from $750 for a Lexus) 8. Funding a telehealth business I've started: $3,000-$4,000 for Google ads 9. Health insurance: $1,000 10. Malpractice insurance: $1,500 11. Living expenses $3000 ish (I have a 1 year old baby, 3 dogs , and my wife is sorta high maintenance) Cross out expenses as above. Dogs are the way to show others you're rich. (from old time agriculture where animals who don't produce are simply signs of wealth). If the wif...
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Credit score improvement
Replies: 25
Views: 2149

Re: Credit score improvement

I don't know the number of points bump, but tradeline companies do exactly what you're looking for. For a (high) fee, you get on someone's credit card as an authorized user. You have the option to get on various cards based on years they're open, credit amount and probably other things I don't know about.

An example: https://www.boostcredit101.com/
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Roth Conversions and tax rates - Surviving Spouse
Replies: 20
Views: 1830

Re: Roth Conversions and tax rates - Surviving Spouse

Very good points here and I have been suddenly focusing very much on these. Here are the simple things that I think of. Sorta random, I know. 1) Income. Income is everything coming in. Interest, dividends on taxable, cap gains on taxable sales, 1099 (that can surprise you...oh, that bonus for opening a savings account at XYZ bank is income), and of course Roth conversions. Oh, and don't forget the taxable portion of social security if you're taking it. 2) Taxes. Yes, more income can push you into higher brackets. But if your spouse passes, you are now in the single rate so you're likely paying more. Then there's the 2026 jump in taxes back to 2017 rates, which are higher. 3) IRMAA. Easy enough to figure out by looking at the amounts for you...
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 06, 2024 4:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Paying for luggage at the airport in the U.S.
Replies: 26
Views: 3134

Re: Paying for luggage at the airport in the U.S.

I will admit that 10 years ago, we actually did check a bag. The 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids) flew Spirit where everything costs extra. Assigned seats? Extra for every seat for every leg of the flight. Checked bag? Pay money. Carry on bag? Well, very size limited. A normal backpack is about 3 times the allowed size, so you'll pay a carry on fee. So my first advice is to learn to only pack what you actually need. No choice of clothes. No alternate outfits. Remember that every hotel known to man has a laundry available. I flew for business for a decade from Vancouver, BC to Miami Florida. I NEVER check a bag for myself. 3 month stint? No checked bag. But yes, these days, unless you're a golden Pubah class member, you're paying for luggage. I'm ...
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 06, 2024 3:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When to apply for ACA after layoff with 1 month COBRA
Replies: 14
Views: 973

Re: When to apply for ACA after layoff with 1 month COBRA

Some things to consider. Price both Cobra (without the company subsidy) for the rest of the year. If you have used your current workplace insurance, and you have a deductible, that paid off part continues with Cobra for the entire year. Not so with ACA. If you choose an ACA plan, you start your deductible for 2024. When I retired in June, DW priced both and they were nearly identical. Having paid some deductible already, Cobra was cheaper for her. Cobra is available for 18 months so for this new year, we went through the numbers again and Cobra was cheaper. So don't think that ACA will automatically be cheaper. We're in Massachusetts where ACA was supported before it even existed. Romney Care was virtually the same thing years before ACA ca...
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:41 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What's your allocation for International Stocks?
Replies: 101
Views: 6955

Re: What's your allocation for International Stocks?

My international allocation, specific international anything is zero. Why? Watch Jack Bogle interviews. What stuck with me was that you can take any US based company and find international coverage. Whether they own an international company or sell internationally or manufacture internationally, they don't do everything in the US. Take the Good old Boy, Texas Instruments. I worked for them for many years and the vast majority of sales is outside of the US. Go ahead and research any company and they're going to have similar results. Your dad's Buick? Made in China now. Apple anything? Made mostly by Foxxcon in Asia. Tesla? Well, you do know they have factories and sales in China and Europe, right? So I'm doing a true Jack Bogle 2 fund portfo...
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyway to get equity from my home without selling?
Replies: 25
Views: 2055

Re: Anyway to get equity from my home without selling?

Reality: Your business is not about to explode. More likely, it's a money pit that will cost rather than generate money.
You're in debt over your eyeballs.
Your wife is going into bankruptcy.

What should instead happen.

1) Stop working in this business. Get a job working for someone else and get a wage.
2) Your wife do the same.
3) Start making mortgage payments to catch up. Consider selling and simply renting a small apartment until you get back on your feet.
4) Watch every single Dave Ramsey video on youtube. They're free.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Are any BH's not wealthy?
Replies: 165
Views: 25660

Re: Are any BH's not wealthy?

You'd have to define wealthy. Probably either income or assets at a certain age. DW and I have never been in high paying jobs. She a nurse and me an engineer. Typical couple here in New England. We both paid our own ways through college in the 80's and once graduated and working, lived like students for a decade because we didn't know anything else. We put money in 401k's and savings bonds and paid all our debts with any extra money before each new pay check leading to being completely mortgage free. This was not done on inheritance or trust funds or big dollar jobs. Just not being stupid with our money. Heck, we completely ignored our finances until I found Bogleheads in my mid 50's. I literally didn't know how much I had saved nor where i...
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Cost to Purchase ETFs (over Mutual Funds)
Replies: 10
Views: 1254

Re: Cost to Purchase ETFs (over Mutual Funds)

To me, the difference between buying an ETF and a mutual fund is that with an ETF, I decide what I'm going to pay and put in a limit order. If the price doesn't drop to my limit, I don't buy. If I want it right now, I'll put the limit at the ask. With a mutual fund, the price is set after market close and I have no idea what the price will be. Sure, it's easier because you can simply say the $$ amount you want and you'll buy that $$ amount after the market closes. But will you get 10 shares or 8 shares or 12 shares. No idea until the buy is made.
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Feb 05, 2024 12:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Continued tIRA Growth Undermines Roth Conversion Plan - A Real Life Example
Replies: 81
Views: 7802

Re: Continued tIRA Growth Undermines Roth Conversion Plan - A Real Life Example

I'm not yet at $5M, and just retired 7 months ago but I do regret not having thought about later "payments" due to "too much" in tIRA space. There are 4 things I see that are making me do Roth converting. 1) With "income", social security, interest, dividends in taxable plus RMDs when I hit that age, staying under Medicare IRMAA will be difficult. 2) Tax rates increase in 2026, so Roth conversions today will cost less tax than they will in 2 years. 3) When I go, DW will have "all this money" and pay single rate taxes. What can be done to lessen the tax/IRMAA cost? For me, it's a few things. Yes, doing Roth conversions so that my income is just under IRMAA first limit. I'm also converting cash in HYSA,...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Feb 04, 2024 5:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Resale value of gas cars in 10 to 15 years
Replies: 49
Views: 2971

Re: Resale value of gas cars in 10 to 15 years

Depends on the car. Buy a Chevy Malibu, one of the few remaining Chevy "cars" remaining for sale. In 15 years, whatever the scrap value of steel is might be half what the car in running condition is worth. Buy a new Porsche 911 GT-3 and I guarantee you will be able to sell it for more than you paid for it, even if you paid the dealer $100k above MSRP. EV demand is dropping and Tesla is one of the few who recognize this and have steadily dropped prices. Once the government stops bribing people to buy EVs, demand will drop farther. As someone already mentioned, hybrids offer the best of everything. Electric for part of the time and a gas engine to back that up and also drive the car when the battery's empty. Toyota is making some mo...
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Favor funds with low dividends"
Replies: 15
Views: 1344

Re: "Favor funds with low dividends"

Dividends are not profit. They are an amount decided by the company to bribe their shareholders to keep their investments with them. My last employer had steadily increasing dividends even when their debt went up by 11 Billion dollars. If they were paying profits, they'd have asked investors to give them a 90% dividend back to the company. I suppose the "chip shortage" helped bring the company back from this debt as profits during those times were quite good.
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 03, 2024 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbor irrigation flooding into my property
Replies: 37
Views: 3570

Re: Neighbor irrigation flooding into my property

Where is this canal? Fully on the neighbor's property? Right on the property line, so part on theirs and part on yours? All on your property? I'd also ask the building department about this as there might be some legal right of way if it happens to be on your property. How long is the section that goes along your property? Are there any special laws about this whole thing?
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Feb 03, 2024 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Elderly parents were sold a variable annuity
Replies: 48
Views: 6925

Re: Elderly parents were sold a variable annuity

I would send a letter to the FA, the insurance company, your state's attorney general and your secretary of state. Tell them that you feel your parents were fraudulently sold this unsuitable product and wish to unwind it with all money returned.

In my own state of Mass, our secretary of the commonwealth goes after these scheisters and gets peoples money back quite often. An insurance company is going to want nothing to do with potential state investigation by the secretary of state or the attorney general and will very likely unwind the whole thing to avoid many millions in legal fees and possible bad outcomes for them.
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Selling Scrap Silver
Replies: 21
Views: 2901

Re: Selling Scrap Silver

For a few years, I was dumb enough to buy silver. In that time, I spent a bunch of time talking with our local bullion dealer. When I started selling, I did it a number of ways. Here's my experience. Others may have different ones. Apmex will only buy $1000 value (not face) minimum. They'll quote you a price and then you have a certain time to ship it to them. It's been recommended to simply buy a flat rate box and dump the coins in. I was never trusting enough to put coins in the mail. Coin shows that I attended with many dealers all offered 70% of spot! I had some random other things like rolls of wheat cents. Some made an offer on everything and when I said I'd sell just the wheats, they had no interest. The bullion dealer bought at what...
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 02, 2024 3:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: basement storage techniques
Replies: 29
Views: 2652

Re: basement storage techniques

I have built free standing shelves with scrap 2x4's, 2x6's and 4x8 sheets of plywood. Some are a single shelf with stuff on the floor under the shelf and some on the shelf. Mostly boxes and bags of stuff. I actually plan to make another set as things have gotten a bit out of hand and will do some smaller ones. Likely 2x8 sheets of plywood and 2 shelves. We also have a bunch of shelves the previous owner built in a room he was going to make into a sauna until he did the research and found out how much mold would be generated. They're about 2x8 and another 2 that are about 2x4. I also have "racks" below the rafters. Simple 1x4's nailed to the rafters and then a 1x4 horizontal nailed to them. 2 sets of these about a foot below the ra...
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 02, 2024 3:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Question about I-bonds
Replies: 11
Views: 1234

Re: Question about I-bonds

With paper bonds, currently only available up to $5k as federal tax refund, at 30 years, they don't actually do anything until you cash them in. We did this last year as heirs of heirs of grandparents who bought starting in 1941 and never cashed a single bond.
by Jack FFR1846
Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:50 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How high is too high for 401k Fees?
Replies: 32
Views: 3260

Re: How high is too high for 401k Fees?

Is that 1.75% fund the LOWEST ER fund in the 401k? I worked for a company who used a garbage 401k provider and I did a simple listing of all the funds by ER from low to high. Whatever the lowest ER fund was is what I chose. Come to think of it, my last employer used Fidelity and I did the exact same thing. Difference was, with the garbage provider, the lowest ER fund was 0.41% while the Fidelity 401k had an S&P 500 fund for 1.5 basis points. In any case, I'd say to only put in 3% to get the match. Contrary to what many people think, that's actually a really good match. My last job had a maximum of 2% vested over 4 years and voted by the board every quarter, so typically more like 1%. Job before that with the garbage plan had no match.
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternative to Uber/Lyft. Anyone take car service or taxi to airport anymore?
Replies: 55
Views: 4948

Re: Alternative to Uber/Lyft. Anyone take car service or taxi to airport anymore?

I only take a car service when going to/from the local airport. They are always at my house before I even go to look out the window. Cadillac every time, totally clean. They even ask if taking a certain route is ok.

At the away airport, I only take taxis.

Both of these are fully and properly insured. If an Uber gets into an accident and I get hurt, and the Uber is not (which is probably 99% of the time) properly insured, chances are, the insurance company is going to state minimums and that includes liability for my injuries. So I'd have to sue Joe Broke who has nothing. Nope.
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 01, 2024 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New Car Extended Warranty?
Replies: 47
Views: 4131

Re: New Car Extended Warranty?

I've always kept AAA even when I buy a new car and it comes with roadside assistance for some number of years. I get discounts for my car, home and umbrella insurance. We use it for discounts at numerous places. I've had a time when I was out of work with a back injury and a tire went flat. They came and changed it in my driveway (all my cars have spares). I had one time where I needed to be towed and AAA was overloaded. I had someone local tow me and AAA re-embersed me.
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Children unprepared to manage our trust after our deaths.
Replies: 67
Views: 7893

Re: Children unprepared to manage our trust after our deaths.

I can understand the issue as it's often talked about that if you want control of your assets after you go or want to go around probate, set up a trust. DW and I thought this was the way to go until we went through the process. We also don't feel our kids would be responsible with trusts, even though they would be the beneficiaries. We don't have any younger relatives we trust and those we do trust will probably be dead when we kick the bucket. We looked into professional trustees and didn't feel like paying as much as $100k a year made any sense. So what we did was to not set up any trusts. We have in our will what we want so it's not guided by no will state guidelines. And after that, nothing. If you really, really want to leave to your g...
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Oil fired hot water boiler
Replies: 66
Views: 5049

Re: Oil fired hot water boiler

........ Why? Because the 38 cent electricity cost in New England is NOT going to last forever. In 10 or 15 years, it will be half that, and the govt will be paying Yankees to rip out their boilers. It will never be installed long enough for a higher eff to pay off. I'm very curious why you think our electricity is going to drop in price. As I'm sure you know, besides Seabrook (nuclear) and Bow (coal and just completely renovated), all New England electricity is natural gas generated (ignoring wind and solar). And it's pretty clear with a short drive to Everett, MA, to the oldest LNG terminal in the US that foreign ships with foreign LNG is being loaded into the system because the natural gas lines like the Tennessee Gas Line (we have a st...
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9761

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

This depends on what's important to you. How close is the nearest office? Assuming it's far but within driving distance (say 5 hours away), here are choices I'd make: 1) I'd keep doing the job I'm doing remotely. You said you like your job. But I will say that I could care less about promotions. I worked as a principal engineer and company lead technologist and my last job was as a senior engineer. I could care less. 2) If ability for advancement is very important, a way to meet this, say with a 5 hour drive is to say drive on a Tuesday. Card in after lunch. Stay at a hotel for 2 nights (Tues/Wed) and expense to the company. Thursday morning, card in, card out and drive home. If anyone asks why your work has declined, tell the truth. It's b...
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions on where to move?
Replies: 135
Views: 10690

Re: Suggestions on where to move?

I can see where this can be a task to put a big map on the wall and draw acceptable circles around airports you're ok with. I noted you didn't like Blacksburg, VA because of airport availability, which would be an hour to Roanoke which is a small spoke connecting with hubs like Baltimore. If you need a hub airport, start with circles around these airports. For bad weather (hot/humid, snow), cross those off. For high taxes, cross off states with high taxes. For places without diversity, cross those off. Then you're left with circles looking for fun things to do and college towns which do sort of coincide. I went to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and the town had about triple the full time population when students were there. This meant that the...
by Jack FFR1846
Thu Feb 01, 2024 8:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Income vs Return in Retirement
Replies: 57
Views: 7173

Re: Income vs Return in Retirement

While there are technical differences between income and return, for a retiree (or even while working), what matters is what is taxable. I see things that are taxable as bad and things I want to avoid because my MAGI is affected and I am possibly going to be pushed off an IRMAA cliff. Things I see as bad and considered income include: Interest paid on anything outside of tax advantaged accounts. Dividends paid in taxable. Withdrawals from pre-tax accounts like traditional IRA or 401k (or others similar where it becomes ordinary income). Taxable portion of social security payments. Gains on stock, ETF, MF sold. savings bond interest for bonds sold. Things that are return and are good because you pay no tax until YOU decide to sell. Gains on ...
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Oil fired hot water boiler
Replies: 66
Views: 5049

Re: Oil fired hot water boiler

Is there a way to directly compare a heat pump electricity use in kWh vs an identical oil system? Use my current costs. Oil is $3.25 a gallon and electricity on my last bill was $0.38 per kWh. I'm in the Northeast. I've always heard natural gas is cheap but we're taking care of my father in law's 700 square foot single level house and his natural gas bill (heat and water) last month was $325, which surprised me. We have oil but also a wood furnace so I can't use my costs as comparison. Our alternate that I know of is propane. There's no natural gas on my street. We had propane and it was more expensive than oil. I got rid of it after a house in the center of my town, next to the fire station had a leak and blew the house to smithereens, kil...
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cash offer on home needing proof of funds
Replies: 39
Views: 3333

Re: Cash offer on home needing proof of funds

If I were buying a house like this, I would send a redacted copy of my Fidelity summary page. If the house were $300k, the $2.5M in there should satisfy their requirement.

I don't know why you have a problem showing you have more. If they wanted to raise the price because you had the money to pay more, I'm sure the real estate agent would warn them that if they do that, they will lose you as buyers forever.
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions on where to move?
Replies: 135
Views: 10690

Re: Suggestions on where to move?

Santa Fe New Mexico
A good part of Albuquerque New Mexico
Blacksburg, VA
Show Low Arizona
Sedona Arizona
by Jack FFR1846
Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Visiting DC from California - writing to Senator
Replies: 7
Views: 867

Re: Visiting DC from California - writing to Senator

CALL your Senator's office. We did this when we visited the Capitol and not knowing if it was better with one or the other, we called both. Both got us appointment times at the Capitol for our visit. We had no tickets, per se, just an arrival time and then the Senator's person would gather those with him for the tour. We were staying out quite a way and had week long train tickets so parked at the train station and took the train in then either walked to the Capitol or took the metro. Don't remember. We didn't do the White House.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cost Basis Method for selling RSUs
Replies: 10
Views: 1296

Re: Cost Basis Method for selling RSUs

Write down the number of shares, date of vest and market value for that day. That's your cost basis.

Sell everything today.

Pay your taxes.

Upcoming times, if your broker house allows a sell order ahead of vesting (eTrade does) then do that.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:45 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice on Fund please
Replies: 12
Views: 986

Re: Advice on Fund please

Here's what I did with a garbage 401k: Sort all funds available by net expense ratio, low to high. Whatever the lowest one is, I take 100%. In the future, you can do the 3 fund if you like. Until you have at least $100k (and some say $200k), there's no reason to do any asset allocation picking.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto Insurance
Replies: 9
Views: 772

Re: Auto Insurance

If you also have an umbrella, there will be a minimum for various liability limits you'd need to maintain. Going above these limits are a waste of money as the umbrella picks up after that.
by Jack FFR1846
Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Primerica Experience
Replies: 9
Views: 471

Re: Primerica Experience

retired@50 wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:34 am
Do you have non-deductible contributions in this IRA?
That's the key question. If not, who cares what the basis is. You pay ordinary income tax on any withdraw.
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Scan & Store Real ID License or be refused medical care?
Replies: 44
Views: 2768

Re: Scan & Store Real ID License or be refused medical care?

What if you told them that you have surrendered your license to the DMV and don't drive anymore? Not sure why Real ID would matter. I just got my license renewed without Real ID. I have a passport if I need to be positively identified. Well, since I drove there and they can see right out to the parking lot that might be an issue! The issue is that because my driver's license IS a Real ID, Real ID's are more valuable due to the vetting process (it took me 6 mos, mountains of paperwork and multiple, in-person visits to the DMV to get mine). This makes the information on them - license #, DOB, Address, more desirable to steal. This creates opportunity for anyone with access to that data to steal and sell it (in that facility, many people) or ...
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Jan 29, 2024 3:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Scan & Store Real ID License or be refused medical care?
Replies: 44
Views: 2768

Re: Scan & Store Real ID License or be refused medical care?

What if you told them that you have surrendered your license to the DMV and don't drive anymore?

Not sure why Real ID would matter. I just got my license renewed without Real ID. I have a passport if I need to be positively identified.
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to buy refurbished flat-screen TVs?
Replies: 10
Views: 1155

Re: Where to buy refurbished flat-screen TVs?

Best Buy. Their in store brand is essentially a big name reject. They do "open box" which is returned items. Refurbish these days means someone turns it on and runs some tests. Nobody does repairs anymore.
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to “Unwind” a Sliced-and-Diced Roth IRA
Replies: 47
Views: 3818

Re: How to “Unwind” a Sliced-and-Diced Roth IRA

Online now: Sell all. Buy VTI. Buy VXUS. There, that 10 minutes completes your conversion.
by Jack FFR1846
Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Experiences from those who have scaled back before full retirement
Replies: 6
Views: 985

Re: Experiences from those who have scaled back before full retirement

Do out the math for what you're spending now and what you'll spend with the day care expense taken away. We did that with our second and decided that DW could leave work to take care of 2 kids. Some of the assumptions were wrong. She was commuting and putting 15k miles a year on the car and we mistakenly assumed that getting rid of this commute would drop the mileage. It went up to 18k miles a year. We assumed that day care expenses would completely go away but DW needed some help so each of the kids went into a part time pre-school adding expense. So sure, make a list of expenses and income, but be aware that your assumptions aren't proven until time goes by. To have a handle on the future, make a spread sheet. For each year, list income, ...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Jan 28, 2024 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What would you do if you found someone else's lost credit/debit card?
Replies: 42
Views: 3590

Re: What would you do if you found someone else's lost credit/debit card?

I'd throw it into my wood burning furnace.

I'd think the teller who was given the "stolen" card was calling the police who would come in and question or arrest you. No good deed....something, something.
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Jan 28, 2024 5:41 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Has anyone changed their asset allocations in retirement
Replies: 19
Views: 1562

Re: Has anyone changed their asset allocations in retirement

I have. But it was not a change all of a sudden. I had thought about it for years. I was 50/50 with a frozen amount of international stock index (VEA) in developed. I have watched Jack Bogle interviews over and over and was convinced that US companies all do international business, so he had a 2 fund portfolio and I thought that I would go that route. Upon retiring, I simplified, simplified, simplified. Mostly getting rid of accounts I had because they were my 401k or work RSU account or the like. But I got to the point that I decided to simplify the AA by dropping international, so I did. It was in a tIRA so the sale didn't cost anything tax wise. I replaced it with VTI at Schwab. I have gone sort of opposite world with respect to interest...
by Jack FFR1846
Sun Jan 28, 2024 11:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Roth conversion
Replies: 41
Views: 2867

Re: Roth conversion

If there's any question what your income will be and if that's important in deciding how much to convert, either waiting until December or doing some in January and the balance in December makes sense.

I'm currently doing the January/December move. I don't know exactly what my interest and dividend income will be this year. I am converting to a number below the IRMAA limit. If I were to do the entire conversion in January and then some mystery income pushed me $2 over the IRMAA limit, that would be an expensive mistake.
by Jack FFR1846
Sat Jan 27, 2024 8:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which Boston suburb to settle?
Replies: 198
Views: 18122

Re: Which Boston suburb to settle?

nptit wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 8:35 pm
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:58 pm I've lived in Hopkinton for 32 years, a mile from the Westborough line. If you have specific questions, feel free to act. We did just vote in the new school to replace Elmwood for $158.4M so I think I heard our taxes are going up on average a grand.
If tax goes to school, that is a good usage of tax. 😀
Can I DM for a few properties we are interested in? We are traveling to Boston in a few weeks to look around😀
Sure....