Bogleheads.org

When checking out a registered investment adviser (RIA), I think it's always a good idea to look them up on the SEC Adviser Search website and look at their Form ADV Part 2. This document has lots of information about what the firm does, what they charge, etc -- without a lot of the sales-speak that...

If I'm paying somebody to manage my money, however, I don't want them simply choosing the simplest solution. If there is a practical way to increase the chances of higher returns, I want my money manager on the case. That (among other things) is what I'm paying him for. A relevant point here is tha...

I currently use a fixed allocation, but I'm well away from retirement. The plan as it stands now is to allocate more to inflation-adjusted lifetime annuities as I age, though not necessarily bonds. (Important factor: No kids, no bequest motive.)

What is an AUM? I am looking for advice--- perhaps management not sure . Roth conversion ? SS questions? Fixed income, pension rollover etc. I have far too many funds and need help consolidating dealing with capital gains. I will check out the reference above and I thank you. AUM stands for assets ...

Are you looking for just the financial planning (i.e., advice)? Or are you also looking for somebody who will actually run the portfolio for you? I'd try the Garrett Planning Network and/or NAPFA . Or, if you don't care about whether or not the person is local, you could try one of the advisors who ...

I didn't know you climbed Mike. You should come out sometime and we'll figure out a way to write the trip off. We (my wife and I) are still pretty new to climbing -- just got into it about 1.5 years ago. And we're still very new to actually getting out and climbing real rock. Our closest known crag...

I didn't know you climbed Mike. You should come out sometime and we'll figure out a way to write the trip off. We (my wife and I) are still pretty new to climbing -- just got into it about 1.5 years ago. And we're still very new to actually getting out and climbing real rock. Our closest known crag...

Coincidentally, I'll be buying this at the REI sale tomorrow (20% off one item for members): http://www.rei.com/product/831015/edelrid-boa-duotec-bi-color-98mm-x-60m-non-dry-rope But, I haven't used it before, so I can't speak to its durability. We've been happy with the durability of our 9.8 Sterli...

In line with what Bobcat2 said about discount rates. While you may believe this to be true, the definition of the discount rate in an NPV analysis is the opportunity cost of marginal funds associated with the beneficiary of the analysis. It is different for every business and for every person. Righ...

Nonsense, its all (except gold) included Is GLD (the ETF) not included? Nope. My understanding is that funds are generally not included in most plain-vanilla-type indexes. But, to actually check what is in a fund (or rather, what was in it a few months ago), you can look up its form N-Q on the SEC ...

I promised via PM to update this thread once I received a reply from Vanguard via Twitter. The explanation I received today is simply that "it was a reporting error." (You can see the full conversation here. There's not a lot of depth, of course, given the nature of Twitter.)

The higher return you can earn on your savings, the more appealing it becomes to claim benefits sooner rather than later. If you're assuming a 5% real return, then yes, taking early is going to look pretty good from a breakeven standpoint. (Though as Cut-Throat would rightly point out, breakeven ana...

But being a NMS finalist brings many "automatic" offers of very significant merit scholarships (from typically less selective institutions). If a parent isn't going to help much for college and need aid qualification isn't assured, being a NMF is one way to gain a traditional 4-year colle...

Our family's approach was to study like crazy for the PSAT. This was some years ago, but at the time, you only got one shot at it (whereas you can take the SAT over and over), and it plays a big role in determining whether you get National Merit or not.

The Road Less Traveled by M Scott Peck. I disagree with much (likely most) of this book. But the concept with which the book opens has stuck with me.

Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by Bogle

Aaand now it's back to normal (-1.14% SEC yield as of today). I did get a further reply on twitter that there is "more information to come." So we'll see!

G-Money wrote:
ObliviousInvestor wrote:In other words, I don't understand how the currently stated yield is possible or why it would have moved so significantly upward. Anybody have an idea what's going on here? Am I missing some obvious explanation?

I emailed Vanguard. I'll post the response here.

Thank you.

Bump. I asked on twitter and got a non-answer answer. (I could have phrased my question better, admittedly.) An SEC yield of 0.27% with an ER of 0.2% would mean the underlying bonds have yields of 0.47%. Based on current TIPS yields , that would mean going out past 20 years in terms of maturity. Yet...

Hi, Taylor. Thank you for sharing the article. I hope there are some Bogleheads who end up finding it helpful in some way.

If live-a-long-time scenarios are the most financially scary ones, it seems to me that waiting (for you) is likely a good idea. As far as the strategies that often apply to married couples, it's simplified somewhat by the fact that your wife cannot get a spousal benefit due to her pension. If she do...

Thank you for fielding those questions, archbish99. Can you explain that in more detail? I've worked past age 66 and not have not seen any additional benefit other than the annual COLA. (None of my post 66 yearly earnings replaced any of my highest 35 years) Any year that is not included in your 35-...

The national average wage index is the figure used to both a) index your earnings from prior years to see whether they are included in your 35 highest and b) increase the maximum taxable earnings each year . So, one year of maximum earnings is the same as another year of maximum earnings.* Similarly...

If I were in your position, I would do it. Having fewer bills is a nice thing. (Edited to add: Though my primary reason is that I don't think it usually makes sense to borrow money at one rate while simultaneously lending it out at a lower rate.)

To Epsilon Delta's excellent reply, I would add that the age 70 numbers provided on your Social Security statement assume you're going to continue working (at your current earnings rate) until age 70. If you retire immediately but then wait until 70 to claim benefits, your monthly check will be slig...

Oddly enough I cannot find the fees stated on the Equius Partners website, but perhaps someone reading this might know. An RIA's fee schedule can always be found in their Form ADV II, which can be located using the SEC Advisor Search website . Here's the applicable document: http://www.adviserinfo....

The other point that bothered me was that the problems that the "average Joe's and Jane's" they interviewed really didn't tie into the cost problem. Their problems were more about lack of savings and other behavioral issues. It's the sob story angle, but that part really didn't fit with t...

I was planning on asking my company to include index TSM/TBM options prior to this, but it made it a LOT easier. I got to work this morning, chatted with a coworker and found out he too watched this Frontline... I went to HR, explained that I was interested in more investment options in our 401k, e...

all I know is that I contributed to the Social Security system for 9 yrs. Then I started working at a government employer with a Defined Benefit Pension, therefore I no longer contribute to SS. I will likely retire from the government job. As of right now I will receive $0 from SS benefits. If I wo...

I don't know how the UK/US interaction affects things. ( This page may be helpful.) But if they had both worked in the US their entire careers, two strategies she would probably want to consider would be: 1) Claim benefits as your dad's widow at age 60, while allowing her own retirement benefit to ...

I don't know how the UK/US interaction affects things. ( This page may be helpful.) But if they had both worked in the US their entire careers, two strategies she would probably want to consider would be: 1) Claim benefits as your dad's widow at age 60, while allowing her own retirement benefit to g...

The program's actuarial neutrality varies over time as market interest rates move. When real interest rates are low, it becomes relatively more advantageous for people to delay taking benefits.

ObliviousInvestor is a student of sscritic.

The "primary insurance amount" (PIA) is the benefit (before rounding down to next lower whole dollar) a person would receive if he/she elects to begin receiving retirement benefits at his/her normal retirement age.

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/piaformula.html

Spouse B's benefit as the spouse of Spouse A is based on Spouse A's primary insurance amount and the age at which Spouse B claims that spousal benefit. It has nothing to do with Spouse A's age when Spouse A claims his/her own retirement benefit. See here: http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-033...

So, how do I determine if I am eligible for spousal benefits? You'd think that the ssa.gov would just have a place where they list the requirements, but apparently not, or at least it's not easy to find in a search. My suggestion is to go to Part 404 of the Code of Federal Regulations whenever you ...

My wife is older than me and she is already getting Social Security, she started before her FRA. Will I be able to start spousal benefits at FRA and then start my own delayed benefits at age 70? Yes, once you reach your FRA, assuming you are eligible for spousal benefits, you can file a "restr...

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/Contac ... sContact=p

Best customer service I've ever experienced: Bank of America for their online payroll service. They always answer the phone or online chat immediately, and the representatives are not only knowledgable about their product but also about the various tax-related topics. Not once have I encountered a r...

This article by Joe Tomlinson in Advisor Perspectives may be of interest:

"Choosing an Actively Managed Fund: What Works and What Doesn't"
http://advisorperspectives.com/newslett ... d_Fund.pdf

The following research paper from Vanguard may be of interest: https://institutional.vanguard.com/iam/pdf/ICRLSTPS.pdf The following comes from the introduction to the paper: Although, in practice, all TIPS securities receive the same CPI principal adjustment, short-term TIPS returns tend to most cl...

Geez, -2% nominal yield for the short-term fund. So that means if CPI at 2%, the real yield will be 0% right? If -2% was the nominal yield, and inflation was 2%, that would mean the real return was -4% (assuming no changes in interest rates). But, the SEC yield provides the real yield for TIPS fund...

Personally, I would be very comfortable tax loss harvesting with those two funds. Their holdings are meaningfully different. Also, coupon isn't really what you want to look at. Look at SEC yield instead. (-1.07 for the VAIPX, -2.26% for VTAPX -- just what you'd expect with the longer-duration fund h...

My understanding is that the SEC yield already has the expense ratio backed out of it. (For example, if you compare the admiral shares vs the investor shares of the fund you're talking about, their SEC yields vary by an amount exactly equal to the difference in expense ratios.)

It seemed to me pretty clear you were trying to argue AUM advisor conflicts of interest. Yes, that is what I was doing. I don't consider highlighting conflicts of interest to be advisor bashing though. I still think advisors (or rather, many advisors) provide a valuable service, despite the varying...

I don't think I engaged in any advisor bashing. So do you think I'm off base with my statement that hourly-fee advisors are less likely to say negative things about lifetime annuities? That really has been what I've seen, but my experience is obviously just anecdotal. And, just in case you do agree ...

This is an interesting position. I don't think I'd do it myself, but how do you propose selling the opportunity for "or more"? Let's say the goal is a certain amount of wealth. I think the statement about selling the opportunity for "or more" was in the context of assuming the g...

my discussion yesterday exemplifies a choice that anyone with substantial retirement savings will have to make when they leave the workforce. Do we maintain our current standard of living as best we can, or risk making it worse for an opportunity to make it better? Assuming that there are advisors ...

Sidney wrote:When I go to the store, the clerk never asks me "is this income or principal?"

I've never heard anyone put the "total return" concept this way before. I like that.

nisiprius wrote:Certainly, I find it difficult to see any way in which ten-year TIPS are better than series I savings bonds, for example.

They can be held in an account where an advisor is paid an AUM-based fee?

They are the same and essentially equivalent. In support of the above message... The following chart (made using Morningstar's website) compares the three funds' performance over the last 10 years. Yes, there really are three separate performance lines in that picture. http://i.imgur.com/cP5vgPC.png

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