Search found 263 matches

by Northster
Fri Feb 16, 2024 7:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 incorrectly reporting taxable IRA distribution
Replies: 141
Views: 19208

Re: H&R Block 2023 incorrectly reporting taxable IRA distribution

For me at least the inherited IRA issue has been fixed with the latest update. Can now honestly list it as inherited, in addition to the code '4'.
by Northster
Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Psychological Aversion to Decumulation Phase
Replies: 73
Views: 7446

Re: Psychological Aversion to Decumulation Phase

I retired in 2009 as stocks were just beginning a recovery from the depths. I had no pension, was not ready for SS and was too early for Medicare. It was a nervous time, though I think it was the loss of a regular paycheck that bothered me the most. If you have planned well you will adjust over time. I spent cautiously for a time. In the end things have turned out very well.
by Northster
Thu Jan 18, 2024 9:01 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tax-Managed Balanced Fund (VTMFX) for Taxable account?
Replies: 40
Views: 5640

Re: Tax-Managed Balanced Fund (VTMFX) for Taxable account?

I manage a trust for my incapacitated brother in law and chose VTMFX for the entire amount. It has performed admirably, with minimal taxes and a solid return. Its return over the past 10 years has been comparable to my other accounts with no maintenance at all. He uses none of it, so his heirs will get a nice tidy sum.
by Northster
Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: RMD Tax Withholding
Replies: 50
Views: 5152

Re: RMD Tax Withholding

I use my tax software to maintain a shadow return for the coming year. If unpredictable income occurs, such as capital gains, I can use my RMD to insure that my tax payments are in line with my income, and avoid estimated payments. So, to answer your question, yes I do. Works for me.
by Northster
Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Strong online privacy settings - advice
Replies: 58
Views: 6508

Re: Strong online privacy settings - advice

I too use Brave and Duckduckgo, but must admit that retrieval on the latter seems subpar and I sometimes have to use Google. Are the privacy settings in google worthless?
by Northster
Tue Oct 24, 2023 7:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Refrigerators. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Replies: 115
Views: 14445

Re: Refrigerators. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Vote against KitchenAid here. After three years ours began leaking on the floor, apparently due to some block in a drainage tube. My guess is they saved $.02 per unit by using a cheap hose. In any case, after two or three repair visits it became clear that we faced repeated repairs every six to nine months, so we pulled the plug. So far happy with our GE, but as the old saying goes, "they don't make them like they used to". By contrast, we recently got rid of a 30-year old Kenmore freezer that was still wheezing along to the end.
by Northster
Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:04 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Were you nervous when you retired?
Replies: 147
Views: 22035

Re: Were you nervous when you retired?

I retired in July 2009, having committed to it a year before. The market had recently reached its low and I was without regular income for the first time in decades. Nervous? Sure. But I hung on and things worked out pretty well. I let the market reduce my equities exposure but otherwise stayed the course.
by Northster
Thu Sep 28, 2023 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: One Week In Calgary and Banff
Replies: 31
Views: 2890

Re: One Week In Calgary and Banff

I honeymooned in the area. Didn't spend much time in Calgary but I second the suggestion of the drive to Jasper. Banff, of course, is great.
by Northster
Sun Jul 23, 2023 8:33 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Reached Retirement – Appreciate Advice Regarding Portfolio Changes
Replies: 9
Views: 2198

Re: Reached Retirement – Appreciate Advice Regarding Portfolio Changes

I'm a bit older but share your inclination toward 40/60. I used to slice and dice but even then I generally felt that any fund that was less than 5% of total invested was not going to contribute anything useful. More recently I have moved even closer to a three fund portfolio. I would recommend simplifying considerably. If nothing else there must be a lot of paper generated with your portfolio. Even if replaced by electronic documents that is still a lot of bother.
by Northster
Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:43 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What allocation did you or are you going into retirement with and why
Replies: 87
Views: 8809

Re: What allocation did you or are you going into retirement with and why

I retired in 2008 with a classic 60/40 but certain events convinced me that 40/60 was a better fit for me. Just no need to take the risk. For many years I included a bit of REIT and international but recently simplified to just total market for the stocks. As I get older my interest in taking risk has declined and simplicity is a virtue, particularly as I envision my wife having to take it over.
by Northster
Wed Jun 28, 2023 7:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Do you read / watch the financial news? Daily? Never?
Replies: 109
Views: 6992

Re: Do you read / watch the financial news? Daily? Never?

I read the business section of the NYT every day, which includes a brief market report, but never find anything actionable. Investment advice there is Boglish but pretty boring. (that's good, or course.)
by Northster
Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Safe Deposit boxes
Replies: 6
Views: 776

Re: Safe Deposit boxes

When my local branch closed I went shopping for safe deposit boxes but found none. I think their time has passed. Bought a home safe.
by Northster
Wed May 31, 2023 8:19 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "Should couples combine finances or keep personal accounts?"
Replies: 236
Views: 26217

Re: "Should couples combine finances or keep personal accounts?"

Sort of a hybrid here I suppose. We have a joint checking account, though in practice she manages it, and I have my own. It always seemed awkward to me to have a single account when you buy things like gifts from it. We each have our own credit cards. Monthly deposits from SS and RMDs are split between checking accounts. She pays utilities, I pay groceries, media, and insurance and manage taxes. Investments are unified, though I manage them. Certainly major expenses like cars and vacations are joint decisions. Sort of ad hoc, but works for us. It does help that we have enough resources that we do not need to tightly budget everything.
by Northster
Fri May 26, 2023 8:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to internalize what you read
Replies: 38
Views: 3676

Re: How to internalize what you read

I agree that hand-written notes are effective, though my usual practice is to just keep a text file listing each book read, along with a summary paragraph. Not optimal but helps some and keep me from buying the same book again.
by Northster
Thu Apr 06, 2023 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I open a joint checking with elderly parent?
Replies: 33
Views: 3415

Re: Should I open a joint checking with elderly parent?

From my experience I would suggest getting as much involvement as you can. As my parents failed we established a joint checking account and eventually I became a trustee of their trust. This made the final transition and closure so much simpler. By contrast, when my sister died at 52 the bank wouldn't even tell us if she had a safe deposit box, as we searched vainly for a will. Only much later when I became executor would they tell me that, no, there was no safe deposit box.
by Northster
Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thinking about getting a Hot Tub / Spa
Replies: 57
Views: 6558

Re: Thinking about getting a Hot Tub / Spa

We had one here in Minnesota. I never cared for it but my wife used it regularly year round for several years. Snow was a bit of an issue, but more serious was the the waterlogging of the cover, necessitating replacements. I don't think we paid a great deal for it and ran it on 110V. We did have an issue with mice nesting in the nice warm area under he tub, requiring a yearly cleanout.
by Northster
Wed Jan 11, 2023 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2022 software offer
Replies: 281
Views: 33627

Re: H&R Block 2022 software offer

Just got a report from camelcamelcamel on an Amazon price watch I had set. It shows how the price has changed over the last several months, which pretty much accords with my recollection of past years. Might be useful for planning next year.

Image

Don't want to get sucked into that Dec. lull.
by Northster
Fri Jan 06, 2023 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Donor Advised Funds
Replies: 47
Views: 3493

Re: Donor Advised Funds

Two notes. No, QCDs cannot be anonymous. They send you a check to forward to the charity. Also, I found this year that Vanguard is instituting a $250 fee for a DAF with a balance less than $25,000, so I am bailing. (just hope I can keep that value until they assess the fee at the end of January). I have also found other services that do anonymous donations, such as Paypal, if that concerns you.
by Northster
Tue Dec 27, 2022 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Better cold weather walking shoes?
Replies: 29
Views: 3154

Re: Better cold weather walking shoes?

I'm partial to Vasque, which I get at REI. Waterproof and long-wearing sole. I like the tread in the snow, but would be good in rain too. I do fine without wool socks even here in Minnesota. Whatever you get, don't lace too tight or it cuts off circulation. When I ran I always 'clenched' my foot before lacing.
by Northster
Thu Dec 22, 2022 8:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Food delivered to home
Replies: 28
Views: 3354

Re: Food delivered to home

We use Doordash regularly. Sure it's expensive, but I don't like to drive in the dark and snow, so am willing to pay the fee. I think concern about cost can be overdone. Personally, I saved all those years to be able to spend a bit now in retirement.
by Northster
Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How does buying a car work these days?
Replies: 72
Views: 9826

Re: How does buying a car work these days?

I bought a Lexus ES Hybrid this summer. We paid MSRP and the dealer was able to search nationally for just the car we wanted. Apparently they engage in swaps to find what is needed. There was no trade-in in this case.
by Northster
Sun Nov 13, 2022 1:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How did you find your risk profile and AA ?
Replies: 75
Views: 5007

Re: How did you find your risk profile and AA ?

I had a 60/40 allocation for a time, but retirement and the 2008 financial meltdown convinced me that 40/60 was more comfortable. Still there.
by Northster
Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Constant Surveys Annoying
Replies: 35
Views: 2715

Re: Constant Surveys Annoying

I don't mind the occasional survey but bail out of the overly-long or poorly designed ones. Sometimes it's an opportunity to vent.
by Northster
Tue Nov 01, 2022 8:12 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dividend Stocks: Port in a Storm?
Replies: 433
Views: 45668

Re: The “Free Dividend Fallacy” Fallacy?

I think more interesting than spending timed directly to dividends is the case of people, like my brother-in-law, who treat dividends as a steady income stream. So between a pension and dividends he meets his expenses. Same mode of thinking.
by Northster
Tue Oct 18, 2022 4:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Making QCDs and avoiding solicitations/junk mail
Replies: 8
Views: 887

Re: Making QCDs and avoiding solicitations/junk mail

I had some of the same fears before I made some fairly large QCDs. To my surprise, I was not deluged by solicitations at all. Actually I as a bit disappointed their thanks were not more effusive. YMMV but I had no problem. Do be sure to keep any receipt from the charity as Vanguard does no record keeping.
by Northster
Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Financial Tools
Replies: 21
Views: 1918

Re: Financial Tools

I second the idea of making your own spreadsheet to track investments. Everyone's needs are different so you can make it specific to what you want to accomplish. Does not have to be complicated. The trickiest thing I use is 'Google Finance' to keep values up to date, so I have to do very little maintenance. If you need budgeting, that is a different issue. .
by Northster
Sun Oct 09, 2022 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any BH retirees with no pension?
Replies: 134
Views: 17611

Re: Any BH retirees with no pension?

My university had a pretty generous 401 and I added my own savings. Comfortably retired at 75.
by Northster
Sun Sep 04, 2022 9:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving with a warm hand to kids Tips?
Replies: 72
Views: 6476

Re: Giving with a warm hand to kids Tips?

I have a nephew and a niece who will inherit a tidy sum from us, some of 'old' family money, some of it newer. I've been open about what they should expect. And it seemed to me that they could make better use of at least some of it now rather than 20 years down the road. They did not object. So they get a 'Christmas bonus' of cash each year. Only seems sensible to me. Also like the idea of warm hands.
by Northster
Sat Aug 13, 2022 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What all do you track on your spreadsheet?
Replies: 118
Views: 17211

Re: What all do you track on your spreadsheet?

My main interest is seeing amounts invested by fund and then by category (equity vs. fixed) so I can make appropriate withdrawals or re- balancing. I find very useful the GoogleFinance function in Google sheets. By entering just my number of shares owned I can keep continuous tabs on the total value of my holdings for that fund, because the function calls up the latest price. No ongoing data entry needed unless there is a trade. Excel has a similar function.
by Northster
Wed Jul 06, 2022 1:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best products/materials for maintaining area under shrubs
Replies: 11
Views: 1050

Re: Best products/materials for maintaining area under shrubs

We have 1" gravel under our shrubs. So far no maintenance, though perhaps you don't care for the appearance.
by Northster
Sun May 29, 2022 8:25 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA Traditional Guaranteed Annuity? Any good?
Replies: 90
Views: 10753

Re: TIAA Traditional Guaranteed Annuity? Any good?

When I started working in the 70s TIAA/CREF was the only option. It formed the core of my investments for many years and with the guaranteed rate in TIAA it was a useful anchor. When I reached age 59 I moved the CREF portion into my IRA but kept the Traditional, tapping the interest income as a bridge to SS at age 70. Eventually the interest was not enough to cover the RMD so I switched to an RMD. It is not now a large part of my portfolio but the income is useful and I have no regrets. An annuity would sure be a good option too.
by Northster
Thu May 19, 2022 7:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Who retired during the last recession? How did it go?
Replies: 16
Views: 3041

Re: Who retired during the last recession? How did it go?

I retired in 2009 when there was talk of ten years of recession. I held the course, even reallocating into the teeth of the decline. It was a tense time, but I had an inherited annuity as a bridge to Social Security and subsidized health care til Medicare. You sound well set. But of course, no one knows the future.
by Northster
Tue May 03, 2022 4:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Easiest way to donate anonymously
Replies: 66
Views: 7148

Re: Easiest way to donate anonymously

I too value my anonymity and use my DAF when I can. Paypal Giving also offers this feature for small amounts. I would add that when I did a QCD (which cannot be anonymous) I was surprised by the muted response of the recipients, even for gifts of thousands of dollars. I doubt that mailings are any worse than before.
by Northster
Fri Apr 01, 2022 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Often Do You Measure Your Net Worth?
Replies: 229
Views: 19772

Re: How Often Do You Measure Your Net Worth?

I check my spreadsheet weekly, so that gives me a measure of investments. With no debt the only other items are the house and personal property. I sometimes do a quick mental calculation of investments+house but have never actually totaled everything. That's for my estate executor to figure out.
by Northster
Sat Feb 26, 2022 4:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it worth it to buy a E-Reader when I already have a Ipad Mini?
Replies: 41
Views: 3736

Re: Is it worth it to buy a E-Reader when I already have a Ipad Mini?

I use the Kindle app on my Samsung tablet. It works fine, though I get the impression that battery life is better with an E-Reader.
by Northster
Sat Feb 19, 2022 4:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: We are Retiring in 2022 during uncertain and turbulent times
Replies: 69
Views: 10985

Re: We are Retiring in 2022 during uncertain and turbulent times

I retired in 2009 at 60/40. Talk about uncertain and turbulent times. As a result I went to a more conservative 40/60 and things have turned out just fine, even enabling me to generously gift children and charities. Stay the course.
by Northster
Wed Feb 16, 2022 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Financing assisted living with limited assets - check my plan
Replies: 31
Views: 2478

Re: Financing assisted living with limited assets - check my plan

My parents went into assisted living at age 88 in a fairly pricey place. In the end they basically spent their house equity before passing away. I too like plan B.
by Northster
Tue Dec 14, 2021 12:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: qualified charitable distribution (QCD)
Replies: 27
Views: 1821

Re: qualified charitable distribution (QCD)

I found the QCD easy enough, though having to forward the check is an added step. Also, lacks the possibility of anonymity that my DAF affords. But I used both last year.
by Northster
Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Credit card rewards
Replies: 3
Views: 611

Credit card rewards

A question for those more savvy on this topic. I have an Amex card that pays 3% on grocery expenses, up to a generous maximum. Now I have an offer from Citi for 5% on the top spending category each month, up to $500 spent. If I use the card exclusively for groceries could I get 5% back each month?
by Northster
Tue Sep 07, 2021 7:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [Is it worth flying first class?]
Replies: 265
Views: 30339

Re: Never fly first class

Really enjoy the airport lounge that comes with FC for layovers.
by Northster
Mon Sep 06, 2021 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: For long time retirees, do you use a spreadsheet?
Replies: 52
Views: 6124

Re: For long time retirees, do you use a spreadsheet?

Retired 12 years. I don't keep a budget or track transactions but find it useful to have a spreadsheet to track balances and allocation of multiple funds across 7 accounts. It's fueled by the google function that pulls fund prices for the previous day's close and only needs to be updated quarterly to catch the drift in accounts that reinvest. I don't know how I would be able to re-balance or sell assets for major purchases without it, but YMMV.
by Northster
Sun Aug 29, 2021 3:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Greed and BH dogma getting the best of us? [Are you sticking to your plan?]
Replies: 87
Views: 12719

Re: Greed and BH dogma getting the best of us?

People have mentioned the difficulty of spending their excess income. I have upped my charitable giving as a result of my good fortune-- great fun.
by Northster
Tue Aug 24, 2021 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Password Manager Question
Replies: 64
Views: 7260

Re: Password Manager Question

I am interested in DiploInvestor's observation that he gives his master password once a day and is set to go. I am still shopping. Is this the usual functionality?
by Northster
Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Cash position needed/unneeded in retirement
Replies: 33
Views: 3803

Re: Cash position needed/unneeded in retirement

My age and portfolio are similar to OP. I got a little spooked last March as the pandemic took hold and moved a year's expenditures into cash, but normally rely on bonds, as others have mentioned. Not a great difference between cash and short-term bonds anyhow.
by Northster
Sun Aug 08, 2021 12:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What all do you track on your spreadsheet?
Replies: 118
Views: 17211

Re: What all do you track on your spreadsheet?

My main focus is asset allocation and re-balancing. Desired allocation (in % and $) for each fund is on the left, then I show balances for each of nine funds in each of seven accounts, and then actual allocation per fund on the right. I pay most attention to the percentage allocation in equities vs fixed income, re-balancing as needed. The actual fund allocations guide me on which specific funds to adjust.
by Northster
Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:36 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How much time does it take for you to monitor/manage your assets/money each month?
Replies: 42
Views: 4096

Re: How much time does it take for you to monitor/manage your assets/money each month?

As retirement proceeds I make an effort to spend less time on investments. Weekly I check my spreadsheet that gives me values of the 10 or so funds I have in 7 accounts, though that rarely requires action. Every quarter I update share holdings for accounts where I reinvest. With RMDs set there is little to do unless things drift too far. Only when I need money for a major purchase do I need to spend time adjusting things.
by Northster
Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: :::Kitchen Appliance Recommendations:::
Replies: 39
Views: 4714

Re: :::Kitchen Appliance Recommendations:::

I've had good luck with two Bosch dishwashers (in different houses). Bad experience with Kitchenaid refrigerator. I think the lifetime of appliances is declining.
by Northster
Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good (and affordable) Running Shoes for Concrete?
Replies: 38
Views: 4245

Re: Good (and affordable) Running Shoes for Concrete?

I second the importance of personal preference. I am sure Nike makes very fine shoes but they are all wrong for my feet. I stumbled onto Saucony which suited me well and I went through many pairs through the years, including marathon training on paved roads.
Give them a good test and check on the return policy. If you have a treadmill you might be able test them without too much wear.
by Northster
Tue Jun 22, 2021 7:40 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What Is Your Longest-Held Investment?
Replies: 147
Views: 15685

Re: What Is Your Longest-Held Investment?

TIAA Traditional since 1973, Now taking RMD.