Bogleheads.org

I forgot to mention that there is an OON deductible of $2000. To me, that means the patient's 30% liability for OON costs (the balance after 70% from the ins co.) would be limited to $2000, but potentially this applies only up to the capricious "reasonable and customary" limit.

Hospitals and surgeons bill what they can get away with, and then receive what they are given by Medicare, Insurers, etc. If you make it clear they aren't going to get the crazy amount from you without a big fight, they should give you the price they give insured people which is much, much lower. I...

I drafted a thread a few months ago regarding surgery that my girlfriend had, but wasn't sure if it was an appropriate topic for this forum. I have since seen several threads (most recently this thread ) regarding health insurance issues and figured I wouldn't be out of line discussing my problem he...

I like to hear these stories. I have a similar story that I posted on another forum that I will share here: I went for a flight in a Piper Seneca (light twin engine plane) with my college physics professor/pilot who I managed to keep in touch with after I graduated. I got to the airport before him a...

.07 This is IRA and taxable only, which is about 70% of my total portfolio. My 401k funds have no ticker symbols, but are very low expense also at ~0.01-0.10, and most of my $$ are in the S&P fund at 0.01%.

The phone will work on wifi with the full functionality of a data plan (and likely faster) without a SIM card. There are a number of apps that will allow you to use your google voice number for wifi calling, and it will be a fully featured phone. I did exactly this on a recent trip to mexico; I down...

I have no kids, nor do I own a house (yet), so take my words for what they are worth. I hear this refrain from my friends who are buying houses and have or are planning to have kids. It is my opinion, based on what I've read on the subject, and my ideas on how I plan on raising children, that they w...

Otherwise, google for a foreign exchange in your city, and go and hand over the cash. I just found 3 in my small city, plus one at the airport, so you probably have one somewhere near you (unless you live out in the boonies, in which case save it for a trip somewhere!) Who cares at this point if th...

#3 is one I have had a really hard time convincing quite a few people about for some reason. I hope this is wrong: At companies where the 401(k) plan offers the option, workers aged 40 or over typically hold about 20% of their entire 401(k) account in the company's stock, according to EBRI data. Cr...

I currently have about 8-9 months of expenses in cash savings in my emergency fund, and about twice that number in a Fidelity Spartan Total Market Index Fund. (This is a taxable account, none of this relates to my tax advantaged accounts) In my portfolio review thread, I mentioned that this is for s...

my less-frugal-but-still-better-half stayed on AT&T while I switched to straighttalk and AFAICT there is virtually no difference in our coverage (I say "virtually" because occasionally I have had odd glitches which may or may not be related to using straighttalk). Edited to add: I wil...

I think last year, in my lack of understanding, I deducted it a second time in the above the line section of my 1040.

So, to make sure I have it right, I will file form 8889, but not include the amount in line 25 of the 1040?

The box 12 entry does indeed have a W code, but there were no employer contributions; only my own. Therefore, the amount I can contribute is reduced by zero, and it is below the annual limit for an individual ($3100 I believe). Is that the only reason for the 'W' code? If so, that would be an error....

I searched the forums and read several threads relating to HSA's and filling out form 8889, however I wasn't able to find an answer to my question. I don't understand why it is necessary to fill out form 8889 at all, or enter anything in line 25 in the AGI section of my 1040 since my HSA contributio...

If you can't handle it, turn off the TV. Time for the individual to take responsbility. To do anything less is a cop-out. I tend to agree with this, but there is a correlation between social and media pressures to consume, and actual consumption. It's not to directly blame these forces, but they ar...

What always puzzles me with these minimalist articles is that they just don't make practical sense. Think about it that way - whenever this guy travels, he has to stay in a hotel (not too many hostels in US), he has to rent skis, he has to rent bicycle, he has to rent camping equipment, and so on. ...

I don't know how the word "entrepreneur" escaped my mind while writing that post. Anyway, is it being obtuse to describe entrepreneruism as market timing? Im similarly nihilistic as Chan_va is, which is why I ask the question. It also seems reasonable that it is a combination of both, sinc...

I suppose this is an investing theory question. This is about the set of people who are very successful with investing their money in various ventures, businesses, etc. and increase their net worth at rates well above the "market". Are these people lucky? Is it as simple as "hard work...

20% retirement 30% savings 20% taxes 30% all expenses I can't seem to get over the hump of moving funds from savings to IRA. I would like to buy a house in the next few years, as well as get married and everything that comes along with that. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned "pay now, or ...

livesoft wrote:Even the first 1099-DIV includes line 1b into 1a, doesn't it?

I don't know. Is this always the case, and its just noted on my second 1099?

Form 1040 line 9b is not added into AGI again, is it?

No, but since it is already included in the amount entered in 9a, doesn't it contribute to AGI anyway?

I received two 1099-DIV forms this year from separate institutions. One looks like this: 1a Total Ordinary Dividends..........$X.XX 1b Qualified Dividends.................$Y.YY The other looks like this: 1a Total Ordinary Dividends (includs line 1b)..........$X.XX 1b Qualified Dividends................

All I know is I used to love my Space Legos and will forever hate the day I got rid of them after I thought I had outgrown them in my teens. :( I still have major regret from giving away my lego bucket. I've been searching craigslist recently, and found someone selling a huge lot of lego kits, many...

As a kid, I had a lot of "I see what you did there" moments when building kits according to the instructions. I learned a lot from those designers, and incorporated some of those techniques in my own unique builds. I think the kits have a lot of value in that respect.

Normally, the effective rate is calculated as follows: eff = (1 + APR/n)^n - 1 In the case of 3.72% APR and monthly compounding, the effective rate is: (1 + .0372/12)^12 - 1 = 0.0378 (or 3.78%) This is why APR is lower than the "rate" (what I am calling "effective rate"), but thi...

I don't intend on withdrawing any of my IRA funds before age 59.5 (via that 72T rule), however I have considered funding a Roth with the intention of withdrawing the principle for home down payment in lieu of cash savings or taxable investments. As for the international stocks in 401k, at this point...

This link should answer the first part of your question your question. It is for 2011, but should be close to the 2012 numbers. It doesnt appear that you are eligible for deductible IRA contributions http://www.irs.gov/publications/p590/ch01.html#en_US_2011_publink1000230549 (Someone correct me if I...

Maybe you weren't even implying this when recommending a Roth, but I just became aware of the existence of non-deductible traditional IRA contributions. I havent fully figured my AGI for 2012 yet, but it might just be under the IRA deduction limit. If I am over the limit, the wiki article makes it c...

Glad to hear that some of the cynicism may be unfounded. I can see that for a flat fee, an agent wouldnt be interested in spending much time with you, even less so than a commission-based agent. The theoretical difference, I would imagine, between fee-only financial advisors and fee-only realtors is...

What about certified checks? I still have a B&M attached to my ING account which I used for a recent car purchase, but they do not offer certified checks : No. We cannot send a certified check on your behalf, like when you’re closing on a home. In those cases, we recommend transferring the funds...

I'm not exactly in the market for a house at the moment, but I am trying to learn as much about the process as I can. I came across this thread while searching "fee only realtor". There seems to be an even split on the utility/necessity of using a realtor. Having someone who knows the mark...

I use ING as my banking "hub". I have a credit union and a brick and mortar bank attached to it, as well as my Fidelity account. I'm considering ditching the bank and using ING for checking/debit, since I have made it so I never have to actually visit the bank to have someone try to sell m...

1. I think you should max out a Roth IRA every year and then go to taxable investing. That said, I don't think you need 8 months in cash either so maybe 3 months cash and the remainder in a short-term bond fund might be a good idea. 2. I think if you save close to 50% of your income you will defini...

I've been browsing the forums for about 6 months and have learned a great deal. I hope to be able to contribute something to the folks around here in return for what I have learned. The metrics are below, but for those who don't read all that, here it is in english: I am 29 years old, and have becom...

Flying. I earned my private pilot certificate in 2010, after beginning training about 15 months before then. It's about the only thing I spend discretionary money on. The first question I get when I tell people I am a pilot is "isn't that expensive?" It sure can be, especially when fuel is...