Bogleheads.org

Looks pretty good to me. Your allocation seems fine, I wouldn't tinker if you are comfortable enough with current allocation. Bond funds are fine. You may be able to fine more tax advantaged space with after tax 401k or HSA or Savings bonds. Do either of your 401k plans accept incoming rollovers? Yo...

Yes - he's graduating from a Top 50 school. :o Is this post legit? Who posts about graduating from a school that is not in the Top 10 for their major? I think that's shorthand for saying he graduated from a school ranked in the top 50 of the US News National University Rankings. And since he didn't...

In my state, the longest commute times are in rural areas that are relatively far from the cities and towns where the jobs are. My area, although rural, has an average time of only 19.2 minutes, probably because it's dominated to two small towns close together which have a fair number of jobs relat...

It's all personal preference.

I've lived in multiple story houses or buildings my whole life and I find the idea of a single story house depressing for some reason.

Mainly I wouldn't want to live in a neighborhood with single story houses - density is good.

I agree with some of these points, but I think you are way off with the Ford example. Ford is a global company engaged in the business of manufacturing, marketing, and financing vehicles, which is a completely different business with compeltely different risks from ownig a Ford dealership. A single...

I would strongly argue that owning a REIT and owning property directly are not the same. Which is appropriate for you depends on your situation of course. I'd be interested to hear this argument. There are many important differences, but I'd be interested to see which you are focused on. It's been ...

Clearly_Irrational wrote:I would strongly argue that owning a REIT and owning property directly are not the same. Which is appropriate for you depends on your situation of course.

I'd be interested to hear this argument. There are many important differences, but I'd be interested to see which you are focused on.

I also use GTM and turbo tax. I pay GTM to prepare the forms and then I input into Turbo Tax as necessary to produce an identical schedule H. Good point on the estimated payments - you don't want to miss those, although I think the IRS would fix that mistake for you if you did. I may eventually take...

You can submit a new W-4 any time you want to change the withholding from your paychecks, so your bonus tax talk is just that talk. If you find that too much tax is withheld from your bonus simply reduce the tax withheld from your paycheck. You can even do this ahead of time before you receive the ...

If she can get an internship at one of the "bulge bracket" (top 5-10) firms, she should definitely take it. At worst it's a résumé builder, and given that those internships are very selective, so it's a signal that she met someone else's high standards (a la her Ivy League degree). I also ...

I have no wisdom to share, but I'd be interested to hear the outcome, as I have a BCBS plan with minimal out of network coverage.

You probably signed something that obgligates you to pay this, but that doesn't make it right.

Excel is the perfect tool for this type of work - this looks like this was a breakdown of oversight and controls. Frankly, I'd question the wisdom of handing this type of work to a developer to implement a back end solution. Not only do you risk losing something in translation, but you are left with...

Vinny: But your honor, my clients didn't do anything. Judge Haller: Once again, the communication process is broken down. It appears to me that you want to skip the arraignment process, go directly to trial, skip that, and get a dismissal. Well, I'm not about to revamp the entire judicial process j...

Here's what I think ghost is saying: In a pre-tax IRA, you have $100 in fund A and $100 in fund B. In a Roth IRA, you also have $100 in fund A and $100 in fund B. Lets say fund A's value drops by 50% and fund B's value doubles. Within the pre-tax, you sell your $50 of Fund A and buy $50 of fund B. Y...

You are doing an excellent job. I don't think many people on this forum will tell you that you are saving too much, and I'm no different - kids and a million dollar house can certainly impact that savings rate in the future. You also may be due for a tax wallop when you start to file jointly. My gen...

Real estate can provide inflation protection and can also be an excellent tax shelter.

But it's also far riskier than treasuries, so I wouldn't view it as a replacement for TIPS.

My advice would be to come up with a formal asset allocation plan for your estate, It appears to me that, depending on taxes, you can come close to funding your retirement off your pensions alone. Set aside an additional amount to supplement any deficiency in the pensions (especially if they are not...

26.4%

This only makes sense if you are right that home prices are going to be higher in two years.

What's the upside in dollars if you are right?

What's the downside in dollars if you are wrong?

Can you afford to take on that additional risk? Even if you can, is it worth the headache?

I put most of my charges on an airline Amex. Given how often I travel and the multiplier effect and other perks that come with having status, I get a significant benefit from using this card, although I have never attempted to put a monetary value on it. I have an Amazon Visa that I use for all Amaz...

401k $17.5k
401k match $10k
401k after tax -> Roth $23.5k

401k $17.5k
401k match $6k

529 $10k state tax deductible
HSA $3250 (one parent and kids on non-hdhp)

IRA $5500
IRA $5500

Total: $98,750

Yes, you need to get a revised W2. My company is reissuing the W2 because of this. If you max out X your tax rate, is a sizable amount. Thanks, that's what I thought. I'll reach out to my payroll department. I think that you are cutting it too fine as a few hundred dollars might come out to $10 per...

A little history for those care: For years, the IRS has allowed you to exclude certain qualifying commuting expenses for mass transit and parking costs if your employer sets up a way to have these funded through a payroll deduction. The monthly limit is adjusted annually for inflation, and historica...

How do you intend home equity to fit into this calculation? That dramatically shifts the number I would enter... I consider primary home equity to be tax advantaged. It throws off a dividend every year in the form of shelter value (rent equivalent less interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance). I do...

50 bucks, plus/minus 50 bucks.

Earned income is earned income - your salary and bonus are not treated any differently when you go to file your taxes.

You may have federal tax withheld at a different rate for a bonus, but the amount of tax you actually owe on it is no different from your regular salary.

I agree that you should go with pre-tax 401k. Who knows what the tax scheme will look like 30-40 years from now, but unless there is a seismic shift away from a graduated income, I think it's pretty likely that your marginal tax rate will be lower in retirement. Based on your age, location, income, ...

Moot for now, but it's eating away at the AMT moat, so if OP sees income rise much further, the marginal federal income tax rate jumps to 39.6 plus phaseouts.

28% is the correct marginal federal income tax rate if OP is in AMT land and above the exemption phaseout. That certainly seems plausible given the high income and high state taxes. The deduction and standard exemption phaseouts don't apply if the AMT is being paid. That doesn't include the a medica...

OP here. Thank you all for the input. For this specific situation: - There is no flip tax - Renting is prohibited (except for hardship cases), but I think it is possible that I can structure this in a way that works for me by having the MIL as a shareholder and/or on the proprietary lease. I know my...

My wife and I are helping support my mother-in-law by paying the rent on her apartment. We are looking for a long-term rental in a new area closer to our house. We have looked at many apartments in the surrounding area, but there is a limited stock of multifamily rentals. Most of the multifamily bui...

Why not save yourself the worry, just put the $460 away each month, and then add it to the ROTH when you're free and clear and don't have to worry about it. 5 months isn't going to make a difference in the long run. I agree with this. Invest it in a taxable account the same way you would if it were...

It will be interesting to plug in the new AMT numbers along with the itemized deduction phaseout and new tax rates to see if I actually have to pay more in federal income tax (the end of the payroll tax holiday and the higher dividend tax rates will certainly sting me). The AMT gives me some "p...

I still do not follow. If the state income tax effect is independant of AMT or regular tax, why mention it as being quite a bit better than under the regular tax. Its a wash then. There is no specific AMT benefit. It can be better under the AMT, but it's a little convoluted. Let's say you itemize y...

Lids?

Keep renting.

The paper slipped under your door with the higher rent is pretty much the only downside to renting, so don't go buy a condo because its fresh in your mind.

If your willing to move, negotiate with your landlord. Otherwise, swallow the higher rent and sleep soundly.

You have your financial housr in very good order and it doesn't look like you would be stretching to me. You have the wealth and earning power to buy this home without putting your lifestyle at risk. But nothing comes for free, so by buying this house you have to consider how it will affect your oth...

We have three smartphones with three separate data plans so we'll save a little under the shared plan.

Also it lowers the bar to add a 3g iPad - I've steered clear so far, but $10/month is starting to be enticing.

There is no rule of thumb because it is so dependant on specific factors: 1) Your age and your spouse's age 2) your health and your spouse's health 3) your overall financial picture and ability to live off other sources 4) the difference in payout between the two options 5) whether or not any health...

If you decided to go 100% stocks some days and 100% bonds other days, I believe you'd get the same return as a 50/50 portfolio over the long run assuming: 1) you spend half your days in stocks and half in bonds 2) there are no transaction costs 3) there is zero (positive or negative) correlation bet...

There are plenty of things you can do to get to a lower tax bracket, but why is that your specific goal?

Quitting your job is probably the easiest way.

Refinancing is expensive where I live due to mortgage recording taxes.

I have only "refi'd" once since I bought my home over two years ago - I paid a point upfront to modify my 5/5 from 3.875 to 2.875 and extend out the reset.

Clean up that mess, then focus on buying a home. What mess? We don't have all the facts about income or savings rate, but the OP appears to be saving quite a bit by contributing to tax-advantaged accounts while also accumualting a sizable sum in cash just 5 years out of school. Long-term debt at a ...

The TD interface is a little clunky, but no more so than some privately run financial institutions i use. I've never had any problems doing the basic transactions necessary to buy-and-hold.

The old physical login card was annoying, but that's gone now.

Here's how I think about it: Its very unlikely your house will decline in value by more than X%. X varies depending on a lot of factors about the home (land value vs improved value, replacement cost of home, and supply/demand and economic health of region, metro area, city, and neighborhood). Typica...

Do you guys have any idea which retailers have the safest card processors? I don't, because it's basically irrelevant. Pick your retailer based on price, selection, and service and you'll be much better off than trying to only buy from the guy you believe is most secure. Your bank has a vested inte...

Mutual fund NAVs update at the end of the day, several hours after the market closes.

You are looking a yesterday's change in price of VTSAX an comparing it to today's index movements.

VTI is the ETF equivalent of VTSAX, so use that to get an idea of where VTSAX will end up.

I have the kindle Fire and it's a solid machine. I've never really thought about the privacy/security issue to be honest, I have it set up for one click but I never really let others use it. Its not as smooth as an ipad, but the form factor is perfect for me (fits comfortably in jacket pocket) and I...

Refi into the lower rate loan but continue to make the same monthly payment you are making now.

You'll pay the loan off in less then 9 years.

Confused wrote: People on this site don't seem to have a clue how good they've got it. Oh, you make $140k and you have a mortgage? You could just save up for seriously two years and buy a house in cash! This isn't true for most people. Most people making $140K are living in high COL areas and payin...