Bogleheads.org

I'm guessing that big drop at the end of December was a distribution. The charts look the same from January on.

I believe Maryland has a 16% Estate Tax on estates over $1 million.

I just called and transferred from the dongle to the soft token. Took about a minute!

Let's say you have an existing S&D portfolio with significant capital gains. If you want to maintain your existing portfolio to avoid cap gains tax and just have them do re-balancing and provide general guidance/advice, is that something a firm would do? I would think they would want to take con...

I've been using the dongle for years and have been happy with it. The only thing is the security code is not integrated with their mobile site or when you call in. When you're on the page where you enter your security code, here's what you get if you click on the link for more info: FAQ for VeriSign...

I've been with AMICA for 30 years and can't say enough good things about them. They do not use agents/brokers so you need to contact them directly. They'll work with you to figure out what makes sense and there's no sales pressure at all. They may not be the cheapest (sometimes they are), but their ...

Domestic
15-20-18
5-7-5
13-14-4

Int'l
36-30-19
6-3-3
1-0-1

Total
21-23-18
5-6-4
9-10-3

I agree that the principles of managing our S&D portfolio (7 ETFs and 4 MFs) are the same as a 3-Funder. But for execution, I disagree. There is a difference for someone who doesn't work with spreadsheets, is not mathematically inclined, nor is experienced in placing ETF orders. For some, every ...

My portfolio is already down about $6,000 in two days - I don't even want to check my numbers anymore I can relate. When I bought my first mutual fund I used to call the toll free number each day (no web back then), punch in my account number and see how it was doing. Each day I was either really h...

If you did any selling around 2008 you ma have enough in carry-over cap losses to cover any cap gains for a switch in the taxable account. That's a good thought but I just converted my entire portfolio from active to passive at the end of the year so I'm essentially starting from scratch. It's comp...

Doc wrote:
1) Worry a lot.

2) Put Larry Swedroe's phone number in with my important docs list.

TANSTAAFL

I guess I should include my bogleheads username and password with my important docs

My goal is to retire by age 50 (the earliest) to age 55, (the absolute latest) then live off the interest from my investments (plus a partial pension from my job and, hopefully, Social Security, both of which would kick in at age 62). I earn about $70,000 a year. Recently, I started maxing out my 4...

What are your plans when you can no longer manage your portfolio? I'd like to include a specific plan in my IPS and am wondering how others address this issue. I'm 50 y/o with a 60/40 slice and dice portfolio consisting of 7 ETFs and 4 mutual funds all at Fidelity. I have a spreadsheet where I enter...

Can't you use FullView or whatever Fidelity calls it and have all your accounts (including all your Fidelity accounts) together? Haven't tried FullView yet but I just took a look at it and looks like it should do the trick and more. Yet another very nice tool from Fidelity! Thanks for the suggestion!

My current 401K is in and must be in Fidelity. However, I have the option of converting this into a "brokerage" account Is this an active NetBenefits account? If so, are you sure you can convert it over to a brokerage account? One of the frustrations I have with NetBenefits is that it can...

Thanks Valuethinker. Your responses are very insightful and I learned a lot. They're going to help me very much in making my decision. Thanks again!

Thanks Cruncher. That clears it up. I'm surprised Fidelity doesn't use the real rates for duration. Perhaps it's an oversight as this is a relatively new fund but it is misleading.

What's your reasoning for each of those funds? Seems like you just have a mish mosh of equity. Do you have an investment plan? Do those funds fit into your plan? If you want to keep it simple, I'd look at the tax consequences and then try to consolidate your equity to VTI and VXUS. I don't know how ...

Our's is an older FWD model. The reason I didn't go with the AWD is that there was no spare tire and they used run flat tires. Not sure if that's still the case. If so, run flats were very expensive at the time and didn't last very long. Also, I was very uncomfortable relying on those tires if I got...

I assumed the Fidelity and Vanguard TIPS funds were very similar: Fidelity's Spartan TIPS fund FSIYX: 33 bonds, weighted average maturity of 9 years, duration of 5.48 years . Vanguard's TIPS fund VIPSX: 32 bonds, weighted average maturity of 9.4 years, duration of 9 years . When comparing their char...

The problem is most corporate bonds don't trade much-- illiquid. But is this a problem with CSJ and VCSH? CSJ: assets: $9.7 Billion, avg vol 660K shares/day or approx $660 million/day VCSH: assets: $5 billion, avg vol 500K shares/day or approx $400 million/day I'd prefer a mutual fund as well havin...

I'm 60/40 equities/FI and looking for a conservative short-term investment grade bond fund to complete my bond allocation. I fall in the camp of taking risks on the equity side but want some diversification within FI. I initially thought about the Vanguard Short Term Index (BSV) but want a bit more ...

Frugal Al wrote: That Sienna seat system looks interesting.

I happened to see it at this year's Auto Show and it's very impressive!

The 2013 Toyota Sienna offers an auto access seat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMmrIQidXQQ

gwrvmd wrote:you have no capital gains except for the current year that you haven't paid taxes for. Currently your only capital gains are from Jan 1 2013 to today

He'd still need to pay long term cap gains tax on the difference between his sell price and his cost basis.

I was in a similar situation and converted everything over to index funds. I debated for about a year and then finally bit the bullet. I compared the cap gains tax of the active portfolio to the future savings in annual expenses. The break-even point was within a few years so it was worth it for me.

37.3% company stock 15.6% company stock (GDI) You have over 50% in two individual company stocks. This is way too risky! What would happen if something unforeseen happened at his present employer? Is it possible your husband could lose his job and the stock loses it's value? Too many eggs in one ba...

When it says 'four household members' does that mean that they have to share the same shipping address? My orders get shipped to my house, not to my daughter's. You have our own account, you use your own credit card, items get shipped to your address, etc. The only thing shared is the free 2 day sh...

I used to do my taxes myself but I found that having my CPA's signature at the bottom of the tax forms helps me sleep better at night. Why? You know your signature is there too, and that you are responsible for everything in the return, right? As I got older and life got more complicated, I just de...

I used to do my taxes myself but I found that having my CPA's signature at the bottom of the tax forms helps me sleep better at night.

We've had a Sienna for years with young kids and you can't beat it. Although the vans are the most family friendly vehicles by far, I'm ready for a change. For me, the only SUV that come close is the Ford Expedition (expensive and poor gas mileage) and maybe the Honda Pilot. But, every time I think ...

Some funds have short-term trading fees. You need to check each fund individually. However, Fidelity does have limits on the number of "roundtrip" transactions on all their funds: http://personal.fidelity.com/products/trading/Trading_Platforms_Tools/excessive_trading_policies.shtml I recen...

Thanks for the input. Is this a taxable or a tax-deferred account? It's for a taxable account. Originally I wanted to split my EM slice between VWO and EEMS. But since it's only 6% of my portfolio, I decided it's probably not worth splitting it between the two funds. Now with IEMG available it seems...

I'm about to convert from an active to passive portfolio (60/40). My plan for international allocation was: 6% Int'l Value (EFV) , 6% Int'l Small (VSS) and 6% Emerging Mkts (VWO). However, I just saw the new Emerging Markets ETF from iShares, IEMG (iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets er 0.18). It fol...

I'm with Fidelity and in process of converting over to a passive 60/40 S&D portfolio (24% VV, 12% IJS, 6% REIT, 6% EFV, 6% VSS, 6%, VWO, 32% Interm Bonds, 8% TIPS). For TIPS and REIT, I had planned on using these ETFs: TIP (er: 0.20) and VNQ (er: 0.10). However, I just noticed Fidelity's TIPS Sp...

Thanks for all the input. I've been trying to run some numbers but I keep going back to the drawing board. There are just so many unknowns, especially the federal estate tax. If she were to do a Roth Conversion she would save the estate tax on the income tax she pays on the conversion. Then she woul...

My 80 year-old mother-in-law (widow) who's in good health lives in a retirement community. Her social security covers all her expenses. She has a large estate that she's hoping to save for her heirs: Cash: $0.2M Revocable Trust: 0.1M Traditional IRA: 2.6M Irrevocable Trust: 1.1M total: 4.0M She does...

She does want to keep a substantial portion in her employer’s stock, reluctant to name in a public forum but it is a retailer in the S&P 500. In addition to the owned shares in this portfolio we have another 80,000 options and grants set to vest over the next 4 years with strike prices ranging ...

gift away some of these CG. You can gift them to a charitable gift fund and avoid CG and still have complete control over the distribution. Use future years former charitable contributions to buy back your passive portfolio. Excellent idea! Check the 401k for after-tax contributions and in-service ...

I've been long time buy and hold investor in active mutual funds. I've built up a nice nest egg by dollar cost averaging each month for many years. However, after considerable research, I'm contemplating converting from active to passive funds. Before I make any moves, I'd like to run my situation b...

If it makes her more comfortable she could fund $65k per beneficiary the first year in a 529 She's thinking about doing that and it's a great option. I would at least encourage her to invest in stocks in the taxable account, and a bond/money market account in the IRA. Absolutely, that's our plan. B...

How high, and does the state allow heirs to get back the estate tax as Income in Respect of a Decedent as the IRS does? 16% rate. I'm not sure about getting back the estate tax but will check with her CPA. And she may want to convert almost the whole amount in one year, to minimize the effect of in...

I'm assisting a relative who is an 80 year-old widow with her estate. Social Security (approx $25K/yr) covers most of her expenses. She lives very modestly so she's essentially investing for her heirs. Her estate: TIRA: $2.6 million (all contributions were deductible, currently in stock funds) Taxab...

The downside risk could be owning a portfolio that has higher volatility but also has lower returns. Since we can't predict the future, couldn't you say the same thing for 3-Fund? When Slice & Dice trails for a 3-5 year period over the benchmark 3-Fund return, will you stick with it? That was r...

Thank you...that's exactly what I was looking for! In the shorter-terms (< 20 years) average returns were about the same. However, the general consensus seems to be to only go with S&D if you have a 20+ year horizon. But since S&D produced the same returns as 3-Fund in the shorter terms, wha...

I'm trying to get a better handle on downside risk of Slice & Dice vs. 3 (or 4)-Fund portfolios. There's lots of reference to the upside -- seems to be about +1% (or less) average annual return over 20 year periods. But what about the downside? How much has S&D underperformed 3-Fund over sho...

What would the results be if shorter term treasury funds were used to decrease the impact of the duration?

I just noticed that iShares has a new bond fund: QLTA (inception date 2/14/2012). I've been looking for something like this. Does anyone have any idea as to how long it might take to develop good liquidity?

livesoft wrote:I would not use VOO myself

Just curious, why not VOO?

Cash wrote: I think you meant SCV and not LCV.

Yes, typo on my end. I fixed it. Thanks for pointing that out.

I'm in process of selecting equity funds for a 60/40 Slice & Dice portfolio. I've narrowed it down to two or three in each category and bolded the one I'm leaning toward (ER in parenthesis). Just looking for confirmation/opinions to make sure these selections looks good and would work well toget...