Bogleheads.org

Interesting. I just deposited the check from my house sale at Citibank. The teller seemed quite concerned that I only had a 0.01% interest rate checking account, but at least the only thing she tried to offer was a savings account. I already have next-day transfers set up from my Schwab brokerage a...

My Fit is down to twenty percent. I plan to wait until it's down to five percent. Great little car. Had one of these (sold as "Jazz") in Brussels. Could practically park that thing on a doorstep and the inside was really roomy. I called it "the clown car" because we could keep s...

I called today and got my rep within a couple of rings.

Do these reviews/audits normally involve your most current return? How often, if ever, do they review prior years? Based on my experience, it is not uncommon for them to review prior years. Last summer, I closed out my 2009 audit (no assessment) and I am in the middle of my 2010 audit now. I would ...

You do not need to file this form. Retain it with your records.

See page 35 of IRS publication 575. It describes what is allowed.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p575.pdf

I have to admit that I haven't had to use "customer service" at financial institutions for quite a while. A couple of years ago we moved our checking account from BofA to USAA and never looked back. BofA made mistakes and charged fees. So far, we have never needed to interact with a human ...

The problem with this is that you may lose your security questions, or not have them when needed. If you log onto Vanguard from an unrecognized computer (for example, while visiting family), Vanguard asks for a security question, and if the answer is at your home or on your home computer, you won't...

For most sites (that need a cookie to function) I only allow the browser to set a cookie for that session. The browser flushes these when it is closed.

-too much of a hassle having to log in everywhere again. just delete the cookies for that one site. i know how to clean chrome browser of cookies. i do not know how to prevent cookies at 1 site. please inform me -thanks Deleting and preventing are two different things. I suspect that you would not ...

gerrym51 wrote:-too much of a hassle having to log in everywhere again.

just delete the cookies for that one site.

obgraham wrote: If I don't find my name in the obituaries, I figure it's okay to get dressed.

Always good to check. These days, with everything in the cloud you want to make sure that YOU aren't in the cloud.

Subway is easy to navigate. Check at a major station to see what kind of passes are available. Last time I was there, I got a 7-day pass that worked out well. I used to do a lot of sailing in Boston Harbor. The view of the city from the water is, in some ways, better than views from land. If there i...

Have had one with VG for a few years now. Online access. Easy to transfer securities to them. No complaints.

Another option that I REALLY like after staining is a simple oil treatment, such as Tung Oil or Danish Oil. Years ago I used tung oil on a couple pieces. A couple of techniques advised by a friend who did a lot of woodwork. Rubbed it on with my bare hands -- the heat from the hand helps drive the o...

This was in today's NYT. I didn't see if it had been posted earlier. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/08/hedge-fund-impresario-plays-host-in-las-vegas/?ref=business The explosive growth experienced by the industry a decade ago has plateaued. For four consecutive years, the average hedge fund has ...

dickenjb wrote:There is one (very) small downside to this approach. You have to fill out Form 8283.

Yes, I am still lamenting the minute I lost in 2011 on this form.

In many cases an astonishing amount of electricity is drained out due to inefficient construction and 2-3 major "appliances." We had our attic sealed and extra insulation put in and all the HVAC ducts sealed. When our 30 year old heat pump died, we replaced with a 2-stage compressor/ varia...

then I think the answer is to Dollar Cost Average a small set percentage each month or quarter just to get started as you seem to be doing. I don't think most are challenging DCA per se. What isn't clear is what the target allocation is and whether the OP has the staying power at that level (given ...

eucalyptus wrote:With 6 million people or so living in the area, Miami isn't just a seasonal destination for tourists ....

Right, it is also a major connection point to Caribbean and South America.

Also, if the market were to take a huge step down (which I think it could at any minute) I don't want my retirement account to go down by 20-40%--could take me until I am retired to make it back up. The market will very likely take a huge step down -- we just don't know when and from where. My slee...

To:Jazztonight: you probably have the right idea--slowly funnel into funds like GLRBX, AONIX, BUFBX, FASIX, VWINX, and smaller amounts into SWDSX and SWDGX and funds of that sort. What is your desired end-state allocation and is it something you will be comfortable with? Sneaking up on it by dribbl...

livesoft wrote:You give away $3 million now today, so that you stay under the estate tax limit.

Unless you live in Maryland (and maybe other states).

Chase has issued some guidance on this: http://www.theonion.com/articles/after-checking-your-bank-account-remember-to-log-o,32260/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=standard-post:headline:default when you’re finished with your online banking session, we recommend thr...

Such a system would be illegal in many states, where water tables are much higher than 30 feet. For example, in Fl where I live, the water table is only about 12inches below grade during the summer months. Also it would do no good to put a 30 foot pit in clay or solid rock. Not sure I would want to...

We have a septic system that has been in place for at least 30 years and still works fine. Admittedly, it is large (1,500 gal) and for most of the time, serviced a household of 2 adults. We have owned it for nearly 6 years. It was pumped before we bought it and then we pumped it for the first time l...

I printed out form 5329 for 2012 and need to fill out part VIII: additional tax on excess accumulation in qualified retirement plans for the sum total of untaken rmd and submit a written request for penalty abatement and refund with the form? There isn't a lot more to it. You submit the form with a...

Consider routing the laundry discharge out the side of the house. Mine goes into a 30ft long piece of perforated 1.5" PVC that runs parallel to the house about 1ft away from the wall. It waters my side garden (decorative, not veggies) with no ill effects. Watch basement for signs of dampness i...

Are you sure it wasn't this tweet from the same hacked account?

Glee is a good show

You might want to contact someone at TaxAide. They could possibly put you in touch with a local coordinator in MA.

http://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/

Anyone know how to get the money back from IRS if filed for an extension? What I would do is file an amended return (1040x) and change the amount on line 68 from zero (which is what your return shows) to the amount paid with the extension. The 1040X would then calculate a refund due. File this amen...

pshonore wrote:The IRS does not usually notify people of an audit (or most anything else) via email. Perhaps this one is different but I would check that carefully.

Missed the email reference. You are right. They don't do email. Could well be a scam.

Do you know what questions the audit is seeking to answer? I can't really picture what could be audited, other than contributions being under the annual limit? livesoft has it right. This is similar to an audit of a corporate balance sheet. For example, the auditor selects some receivables and send...

Also, normally, before a return is e-filed, the taxpayer is required to sign Form 8879 authorizing the return to be transmitted. Did you do that with the accountant? The correct procedure is for this form to be signed after the return is prepared but before it is transmitted. This is what it looks l...

When they switched over to MEF, they did stop with the old "DCN" process but there should still be an E-file ID number associated with each return. The first thing I'd do is to call the IRS. If they have two returns with the same SSN (unlikely) they will need some way to determine which on...

Normally once a return is filed with an SSN, the SSN is locked from receiving another e-fling and the filing is rejected. Are you sure that the returns were filed with the same SSN? If so, I'd get the 8879 from each copy which has the DCN number and contact the IRS and ask them what to do. They shou...

Leesbro63 wrote:Up and down the hills of Pittsburgh, no one gets more than 30,000 and often just 18,000-25,000.

I lived in Pittsburgh in the late 70s. We lost a lot of hubcaps driving in Pittsburgh.

I'm kicking myself that I replaced a set of tires with only 13k miles on them... If it makes you feel any better, I only expect 15-18k miles from a set of tires... and that's running them a bit longer than I probably should... This is hard to believe. It's not the 1960's anymore; you must be doing ...

For a single room I found this solution to be more cost effective than Sonos. http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Audio-Cable-Splitter-1-Mini/dp/B00004Z5CP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366303216&sr=8-1&keywords=y+cable Plug one end into my IPOD Touch and the other into the receiver. Probably $5-6 wi...

For several years I was a corporate director as well as a pension trustee for a number of international subsidiaries. Initially I was told that I was covered by the D&O policies, when I asked for proof of coverage, I discovered that one major entity was not covered by the policy. This turned out...

Nice. I used to have a rule of thumb that I didn't spread anything on my lawn that I couldn't spoon up and eat (soybean meal, corn meal, alfalfa, etc.). I broke that rule the day I used Milorganite. We used it regularly when we lived in Milwaukee since it was available everywhere. We found that the...

mephistophles wrote: That way, you can invite your organic/green friends over for a picnic and just have them chow down by grazing your enriched lawn.

You do know where milorganite comes from, right?

Money can create illusions. I can't tell you how many people I see at my tax center who feel like they are worse off when they distribute funds from an IRA and pay the taxes. I try to explain to them that the tax part was never theirs to begin with but they can't grasp it sometimes.

Are you referring to a "regular" cellphone and not a smartphone? Are those the pre-paid kinds and are they appreciably less expensive than a smartphone? Thanks I use a Tracfone - regular clamshell phone. I paid $15 for the phone at Betbuy and I buy minutes every quarter (which I never use...

Just as a benchmark, here is what I use for time allowance at my TaxAide site. Times assume a returning taxpayer so some of the basic info (name, address, ssn etc is already in our system) Simple Return (W2, SSA-1099, 1099-R, 1099-Int) - 30 minutes Moderate (same as simple but basic Schedule A, more...

Anything I should be concerned about here? Not if your tax return is correct. I'm on my second desk audit in a row (now on 2010). You may get a specific request for supporting docs for some part of your return. If so, it can get time consuming but not onerous to reply to their information requests....

"Screwing" would imply the accountant or whatever benefits at the expense of the customer. Missing "head of household" implies crappy interviewing or incorrect answers - so it would seem to me either incompetence or an incompetent customer but not screwing. That was my take as w...

My company gave me a 535 turbodiesel to drive when I lived in Europe. When I drove in dry conditions it felt extremely stable -- all the way up to 200 kph with not even a mild vibration. On wet pavement (of which there is a lot in the Netherland and Belgium) it did feel a bit like the front wheels d...

I read everything a bit fast. When I saw "DRIP" I assumed it was a Dividend Reinvestment Plan" of individual stocks. All my non-muni bond funds are in tax-deferred accounts so I let it reinvest. My muni funds and all my equity sweep to a TEMM fund and if there is a build-up of a signi...

vasu100 wrote:After 25 years of filing my own returns, I am almost ready to give up and go hunt down a professional at the last minute.

Keep in mind that the "last minute" is October 15.