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Thanks to the Boglehead forum for your responses to date. WOW......I knew that this would be a complicated situation to deal with & the simple approach would just be to "get out of Dodge".....i.e. leave NJ & move to Florida (not the worst situation I can imagine). Since my wife &am...

I am estimating that (assuming I don't screw-up), total assets when my wife & I both pass will be in the area of M$5. Thanks to recent changes in the Federal Estate Tax appears our son is covered by the M$5.1 exemption - plus the A-B Trust that we have established effectively doubles this exempt...

Thank you Livesoft....have added request for bank contact person & phone number to my request of real estate agent. More that puzzled why the real estate agent is not taking the initiative in this matter & instead is indictaing that I should carry the ball forward ?!? Get the feeling that th...

All, I have been attempting to purchase a home listed as a Short Sale for the past 3months & am frustrated. Home is listed at $156,000.....found out later this price was set by the real estate agent.....not the bank or home owner. Agent suggested that I have the home appraised & we submit of...

I am usually the one asking financial questions in the forum, now my first opportunity to make a contribution about something I know from personal experience. I am 70....when I retired 4 years ago I weighed 235 lbs at a height of 5'8"". Decided to lose weight & at the same time become ...

Dear Bogleheads, We are qualified buyers living in NJ looking to purchase a home in Florida as a cash purchase. This may seem like a strange request but I am looking for forum member recommendations for reliable & interested real estate agents in two areas - a) Orlando, Florida b) Palm Coast, Fl...

Dear Bogleheads, Just an update on my original posting in February, 2013. Took "user DC" advice & constructed an AA analysis using Excel spreadsheet that indicates 8.9% stock (incl stock portion of VNG balanced funds), 62% bonds & 29.1% cash (FDIC insured MMs); also segregated inve...

Thanks to all for your comments & guidance; confirms much of my own research & adds a few points that I may not have considered.
Happy Easter !!!
Jim

Dear Bogleheads, Hope that this question is allowed on the forum......will give it a try; Considering purchasing a home in FL that we will rent for a few years before moving & occupying as our full time residence. While renting the home, my internet research indicates that the following costs ca...

Dear Bogleheads, I am invested in VNG Wellsley (65% Bonds/35% Stock), Wellington (35% Bonds/65% Stock) as well as a variety of VNG Index Funds (S&P500, Mid Cap, Small Cap, Lifestrategy Growth). I have sufficient investment in bonds - municipal & short/mid-term commercial bonds - to feel that...

No responses to date on my posting requesting advice on IRA CD maturing in 01/2014, et al. Suppose asking for guidance this far in advance on an investment doesn't make much sense; will try to post again in 4th QTR 2013 & see what feed back is received. Still open to suggestions on my overall pl...

Dear Bogleheads, I am a VNG Flagship member & have gotten excellent advice over the past 12 months from my Flagship advisor as well as the Boglehead forum. Primary question is where best place to invest funds from an IRA at PenFed CD (6.25%) that matures in January 2014; also open to additional ...

Dear Brian, To answer your question...............I am retired. Still have a significant amount of my retirement saving in the 401K because it offers the VNG Stable Value Fund..... currently paying ~ 1.9% - but with no downside in share price if interest rates rise in the bond market. I am gradually...

Thank you for the response. You are correct......checked with VNG & they confirmed that I cannot selectively put the ~K$50 portion of the IRA (on which taxes have already been paid) once I moved the funds from my 401K into the Traditional IRA. Not sure that I could have established the Roth IRA ...

Thank you for the response. Sporry.....I am still struggling with the terminology & IRA rules............... the ~K$50 in question is from earnings on which I had previously paid federal & state income tax & had accumulated in my employee 401K plan. When I initially transferred a major s...

Dear Bogleheads, I have approximately K$500 in a Traditional IRA that is invested in a 6.5% CDs maturing in early 2014 that was offered by a credit union about 7 years ago. Of the K$500 total, ~ K$50 is composed of pre-tax money on which IRS Form 8606 has previously been filed. When these CDs mature...

Thanks to all Bogleheads responding to date.....found the detailed information supplied by "bsteiner" to be particularly illuminating.......thanks again "bsteiner" ! As an aside.....believe that the home in NJ will qualify for K$500 exemption from NJ Capital Gains Tax if "du...

Dear Bogleheads, Despite all of the warnings about high humidity & hurricane threats, decided to take the plunge & am in the process of purchasing a home in Northeast FL. Wife & I are both 70......wife refuses to move to FL at this time, so the plan is to have agent manage renting the ho...

Dear Bogleheads, Considering investing ~ 5-10% of current cash & VNG Total Bond Index Fund holdings into VWEEHX. I have been cautioned against chasing yield - however, with current Fed policy on interest rate stability through 2015 & 5.2 avg bond maturity / 4.4 year duration, the interest ra...

Thanks to all Bogleheads for your thoughtful replies. Based on the majority of responses - and my wife's opinion as well - we will rent a condo in the St. Augustine, FL area for the month of January, 2013. This will give us our first extended taste of the area. Could argue that planning for an exten...

Dear Bogleheads, Will keep this short & can supply more details as requested. Wife & I are 70 - no immediate family (except for live in son) - in NJ; home paid-off years ago - all in good health; tired of Northeast winters & paying high property & NJ state Income Tax on pensions (K$9...

Thank you for the excellent advise of all on this somewhat controversial subject. It really helps to get a variety of opinions & input from so many sources on the Bogleheads forum; sometimes confusing...but enough information is gained to make a reasoned judgement on the "best" course ...

Dear Nisiprius, Thank you for your response, Yes....I was aware of the Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining Fund investment composition.......my apoligies for not being more explicit in my question & not making more of an effort to show that I really do research VNG fund data as you have correc...

Would like to invest some small percentage of my holdings (1-5%) in gold.
Any suggestions on where/how to make this investment ? VNG Precious Metals fund ?
Thank you.
JimD

Dear Bogleheads,
Any opinions on where the Federal Estate Tax Exemption will finally settle in 2013 ?
As you are aware, the current exemption of M$5 with portability is schedule to be reduced to M$1 without portability on January 1, 2013. Just like to get a feel from the group.
Thank you.
Jim D

Thanks to those that responded to my question regarding stretching an inherited Traditional IRA. Just for further elucidation..................this all started when an Estate Planning Attorney made the statement during a group presentation that "the original Traditional IRA owner started to tak...

Thank you for the response Alan.
I think that I will just sit on the side-lines & assume/hope that the Federal Estate Tax Exemption is negotiated to
a higher level than M$1 in 2013. If not....will just have to plan to stay around for a few more years (humor intended) !
Regards.
JimD

Dear Boggleheads, I have a Vanguard Traditional IRA and will begin making RMDs during 2013. When my son inherits this Traditional IRA are there any restrictions on his being able to stretch this inherited IRA so that he can reduce the amount of the RMDs based on his own age ? Would appreciate any ad...

Dear Boggleheads, I attended a estate planning presentartion last night in which the reduction of the Federal Esate Tax exemption from ~M$5 to M$1 was discussed by an attorney. The opportunity to gift up to M$5 to family members prior to 2012 Year-end was presented as a possible option to help reduc...

Dear Bogleheads, I am periodically holding significant sums (K$50+) in my Vanguard Prime Money Market Account; have read that a better alternative may be to switch these funds to the Vanguard Short-Term Bond Fund to receive a slightly higher return without incurring any significant interest rate ris...

Thanks to all the boglehead forum members who responded to my post;
can't say that I wasn't somewhat skeptical to begin with, however guess that I tend to take
"financial experts" at face value.
Appreciate the sobering return comments posted; live & learn !
Best Regards.
Jim D

Dear Forum, Attended a financial forum/dinner in Clinton, NJ sponsored by subject Questar targeted at retirees last month; presentation made by Anthony LoCascio (CFP). Primary pitch to me specifically was an opportunity to learn tax & estate tax saving techniques to the 60+ crowd. Anthony LoCasc...

Does anyone in forum have experience with GOV during the bad days of 2007-2008 when REITs, even Vanguard REIT Index Fund tooka big hit ? Looking to put a small slice of my Vanguard IRA in REITs - but am aware of major decline in 2007-2008 time period; hoping that GOV by nature of it's target market ...

I think a gradual shift to 60-70% bond and 40-30% stock would probably be best for my conservative nature at age 70; maybe split the difference at 35% stock & 65% bond !?! Will have to take into consideration significant amount of funds in individual municipal bonds that will gradually decline d...

With regard to K$500 IRA investment maturing in late 2013................
correction - would not invest any of these funds in Vanguard Tax Managed Index Fund since bond portion is invested in munbonds;
down to Wellsley/Wellington or Total Stock/Total Bond Funds with appropriate stock/bond split.

Thanks to all the forum members that have provided input on my question. To provide a bit more background on current investments..... a) ~K$600 in the Vanguard Stable Value Fund (401 K) - my "safe money" but only paying ~ 2.2% interest; b) ~K$300 in Vanguard Target Retirement Income Fund (...

Thanks to all forum members for your input & advice; really helps to get direction from experienced investors. Think that I am finally coming out of my "shell" & understand that taking on some moderate risk via balanced Vanguard funds like Wellsley &/or Wellington is needed ; a...

Any opinion/experience on using subject Vanguard REIT Index - EFT or Mutual Fund - for a portion of my IRA when high yielding CDs mature
in late 2013 ?
Other REITs that offer good opportunity/controlled risk for IRA funds ?
Thank you.
JimD

Thanks John..............what is an "SPIA" ?......as you can tell from the question, I am relatively new to the investment process ?!? After reading a lot on the Vanguard philosophy, I am thinking of investing the maturing CD funds into Vanguard's Wellsley &/or Wellington funds; want t...

I am 70 years old.
Have $500,000 in a PenFed 6.25% CD IRA that matures in 12/2013.
Concerned about best place to reinvest these funds & have some concern about investing 100% in stocks.
Looking for suggested options.
Jim