Bogleheads.org

I would like to know when you plan to die. I think that is the operative question, and the last time I looked, we didn't come with a time stamp...

Not to be flip, but THAT is the big question...

Buffet just blasted bonds. His reason is that "some guy is buying 85 billion a month" to support it and that you can lose a lot of money. Said it was a bad investment, esp with long term securities.

I wonder how this statement will reverberate in the bond market...

In the right situation, cash is like hot chocolate with marshmellows. A cold one after cutting the lawn. Look at some other financial considerations. 6-9 months of emergency funds? Long term care insurance? Rule of life? I would reward myself with a weekend trip or a nice overnight and dinner for a ...

Went to the Wiki and printed out the written plans.

Ok, need to kinda start over from the beginning at least conceptually where I am. Looking at changing to 4-5 fund/ETF for model portfolio.

thanks for stressing the importance of putting it in writing.

The responses in this post are just great and insightful. It has answered many of MY questions as to what to do as I near retirement.

Had my wife read the posts. Said..what are we waiting for...

I think this should be a mandatory read for all visitors to the forum.

thanks...

mb

With about 600K invested in a mix of tax deferred and taxable account (safe money in Gfund and BND), I find myself about 100K up since Jan in these equities. Looking at 3 options: 1. Do nothing. Wait until end of year to rebalance or rebalance now and keep "the money in play in equities." ...

First, Any comments on.... AAII article in April 2013 on rebalancing and that author of the article rebalances either in November or May, since historically the highest rises in the market have been from November to May. Gotta rebalance some time I guess. Also, he, the author, rebalances when alloca...

Why do all this work. Do a search on this forum either on "backtested portfolios" or just do a search on Ferree. This will or should get you to an excel spreadsheet of the many backtested portfolios, i.e., Rick Ferree Core 4, Coffeehouse, Bernstein, etc. If I knew how to post a link, I wou...

Back in 2007 there was a link to many of the different portfolios (Rick Ferree Core 4, Coffeehouse, etc) in a backtested excel spreadsheet.

Does anyone know if there is a current version of the same spreadsheet using 2011 or maybe 2012 data?

Thanks in advance for any help.

MB

I did a search on Google and came up with a Bogleheads string, but there seemed to be conflicting advice there, esp regarding costs/expenses. Just wondering if there are better options or if this is worthwhile to explore. Here is situation. Wife govie already retired and drawing SS. I, 65, still wor...

What would be the affect of a .5% FOMC interest rate hike, and then a 1 % interest rate hike on this fund. Whenever I (or anyone else) posits the question, the Bogles say then that I/we am trying to time the market, and they never answer the question. If the NAV is 11.00 or thereabouts what is the a...

OK, some answers. Never could do Roths as salaries too high then. Still in 33% bracket, figure will be at 25 when in retirement. Wife has best of all worlds. CSRS Offest, a retirement mix of old CSRS and FERS. She paid into SS and gets almost her full amount. CSRS was offset just a few hundred dolla...

Looking for obvious, glaring, tax saving strategies as I go down the random walk towards retirement. Am 65, still working, had to get Part A&B Medicare, wife is 63. I am retired military will do SS at 66 (next year) and either work p/t or stop, she is retired govie + SS. Retired income all COLA ...

Besides scouring the BOGLEHEADS.ORG\WIKI, which will lead you down the righteous path, I have found that the American Association of Individual Investors is a pretty smart financial mag. This months has a great article on Rick Ferree's Core 4 portfolio and they analyze it into oblivion and it still ...

Sorry

Go ahead and delete this.

Mea culpa

We have these conversations at work all the time. One thing resonates from our very patriotic group. Many of us are first generation Americans (our moms and dads came here), and this is still the land of unlimited possibilities. It was, is, and continues to be. More rich, educated Asians (am I allow...

Anyone have any great ideas (not that it matters) on what the Fed said today and any prognostication on September? Talking heads said something like they are going to keep rates low with the possibility of QE3, 4, and possibly 5. Any hints of interest rate rise? Impacts. Just nice to know stuff. Tha...

I used a one time Vanguard financial planner (free from my company 401K), and he recommended some Vanguard Funds and some Fidelity. I went to Fidelity and they basically did the same. Recommended VG funds and ETFs. Fidelity website and planning tools pretty easy to use. I can walk to the Tyson's Cor...

No, I always think that letting some uninterested third party decide who gets my stuff is always best. Wrong...

Start with a google and boglehead search on wills and trusts.

You'll get smarter...

Agree, but if I am basically going to get bonds and TIPS and keep in a tax deferred fund, isn't there value in getting and keeping the VERY low expensed institutional shares in my company's 401K plan? Otherwise, I might just transfer the Mass Mutual 401K into an already existing Fidelity IRA, which ...

Am switching jobs from a Mass Mutual 401K to a company with Vanguard 401K. Can I plug the Mass Mutual into my Vanguard 401K account? Who should initiate? Does Mass Mutual push to Vanguard? or do I go to Vanguard and have them contact Mass Mutual. I would assume that I would be eligible for instituti...

No new cars. Pay off these and drive them til they die. Promise yourself no new cars...ever. 4yr olds are just fine. Pay down debt. 2nd and 3rd. already covered. Wife has to be earning. Come up with Plan...by time kids are in school, wife has a skill, degree whatever to get into work force. Best is ...

Does anyone have more information on this? Does anyone have any favorites and reasons why. I would assume it depends upon your personal asset allocation model, and wonder if there is an update that includes 2011 data. What would be a good portfolio for a 30 yr old 50 yr old 60+ retirement yr old??? ...

Altho a totally different threat, wouldn't I have to keep my hands off any Roth converted monies for 5 years, or does this not apply for those over 59.5.

Ok....I erred when I said that wife gets max of SS. Wife gets about half of the max (around 1200 and I should get around 2400, so I think that we may be bumping up against the max household amount. Second, wife is CSRS Offset, which allows for social security (full amount that she is due-not max amo...

Great replies and thanks to all. For all the reasons you have stated, do you see any advantages of delaying SS benefits at 66, taking them at 70, and at 66 start drawing down or spending from my tax deferred accounts in those interim years. I think in previous posts around the blog I have mentioned ...

Suggest you read the books

Halftime by Buford

or

the Man in the Mirror

Talks about leading a life of significance vs pursuing endless success...

If you are defined by your job/work, you will have difficulties with/in retirement.

Just wondered if you have seen this article by Prudential

http://www.prudential.com/media/managed ... tegies.pdf

I think since I am at the 85% rate, what stands....stands....

I am not there yet, but was looking at the tax implications of tax deferrals withdrawals (401K, TSP, IRA's) while drawing social security (SS). Apparently, once you start drawing SS and start making withdrawals from your precious savings, you compute your taxes on a totally different basis. See IRS ...

Do all the math you can, but..... there is nothing like waking up, taking your mugs of coffee and chairs to the beach overlooking the ocean, lake, stream or river with your honey. You or she may not be able to do this together forever. As a cancer survivor, you are promised nothing in this life, and...

Wife and I are going through the planning process. She retired one month ago. I used a VG financial planner and very satisfied with the results, which we modified, but still kept within the bounds of the boglehead philosophy. Bogleheads Guide to Retirement a must read. search on my name to see what ...

10 min commute for possibly an hour + commute. I am quitting my current position because of that. Quitting in lieu of the hour commute. Secondly, cash flow aside, you can no longer rent this new place for let's say the next 10-15 years, live in it for two years, then sell for gains. Or do the same w...

Just got my new SmartMoney mag in the mail today and they rated VG the lowest for customer service. A one star. Fidelity was a 3 star out of 5.

Somebody must be noticing this, and just not Bogleheads....

While I have a VG account with which I am happy (or is it, I am happy with....), I am in no rush to change all of my accounts over to VG from Fido. By the way, there is a lot to be said for having a FIDO office right up the street. I am sure that if Fidelity had a whole following like the Bogleheads...

First of all, I have done the searches and can't find an applicable thread, or just get overwhelmed with the results. Big Question: Should I make any Roth conversions? Wife 62, new retired, civil service plus SS (don't ask - she gets both) Me 64, retired military, gets retirement, will get SS. Still...

And I thought it was marrying a woman who wanted to work for the government and have a nice COLA indexed pension. And she thought I was her ticket to see the world with my military career. Turns out we both made OK decisions.................... Most recent decision was finding this site and reading ...

Assuming you are going to have deferred income accounts (401Ks, IRA, Roth maybe) and taxable accounts, then social security (maybe), you might not drop that far down (maybe from 33% down to 25% tax bracket). You should always defer taxes to uncle sam. The reason he did the roth conversion is not bec...

I can tell you are young. Simplify, simplify, simplify..... The more things you own, the more they own you. One house...maybe even rent.........3 car garage. Rebuild a Mustang/Camarro or get a jeep. Go pick a year....come up with your own design. Get it done. Rent cabins. Start with the Potomac Appa...

NH Do a search on "Backtesting", go down the results to the topic that says something like excel spread sheet. Download that. Save it. Open up the spreadsheet. Click on the tab that says Lazy Portfolios. 1. Take a look at what model portfolios look like. Notice the differences. These are b...

Ok, we are AA'ing, trying to simplify, getting wife retired, met with VG financial planner, and bogle'ing. Big assumption here as to interest rate rise. Buying in wife's Fidelity IRA account some sort of TIPS, either VAIPX or TIP. QUESTIONS 1. Affect of interest rates increase (April-June?) on purch...

Dad always said pay yourself first, so first was to pay off the mortgage, support our church. Keep other stuff to small debt. Always thought I would be retired military, turns out not a bad move. Only one PH, so made it thru that one. Wife planned to not work so long (Fed Svc) but elderly parents ar...

You should always contribute the max to your 401K, as it comes off the top and not taxed. You match is your automatic profit. I am in the same situation. Have some bad funds. They do offer a guarenteed 3% return investment, so for now I am doing some of that. You might want to post the options that ...

Let's see.....the equities market have made an amazing two year run (not a 30 yrs run like the bond market, but a nice run), and are near all time highs. Shouldn't we be talking about getting out of the equities market because of the future price decline of equities? Personally....I like Brazil.... ...

BFG My wife and I are going thru the same process, as she is CSRS Offset. Go to the Bogleheads Wiki at http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Principles_of_Tax-Efficient_Fund_Placement Read this article, but if you can't get your arms around it, look at the right hand side of the page and start with the Bog...

Any other comments on this? Tax efficiency?? Simplicity?? Reason for a 64 yr who shouldn't need much of it??? TAXABLE (FID) .17/VTSMX/Total US Mkt/.094 .26/VGTSX/Total Int'l/.013 HER IRA (FID) ??/VAIPX/TIPS/.100 HIS IRA (FID) .22/VISVX/Sm Cap Value/.055 .17/VTSMX/Total US Mkt/.055 .26/VGSIX/VG REIT/...

I think in the long run that it would be wiser to open up Vanguard accounts if my funds are going to be Vanguard funds, as opposed to Fidelity accounts with Vanguard funds inside them ($75 cha-ching)

Correct. $75 bucks a pop. Tough if I am rebalancing every year...or maybe not rebalance....

Is there anything out there that equates Fidelity Funds with Vanguard Funds?

Like what are the equivalent Fidelity funds to:

VTSMX Total Mkt
VGTSX Total Int'l
VBMFX Total Bond
VISVX Small Cap Value
VGSIX REIT

Retiredjg - thanks for the time and effort on this. That looks like a decent portfolio construct. Adding the international appeals to me. Makes it a little more aggressive while staying within my AA. Will look at changing to VG accounts from Fidelity, esp if there is re-balancing there that is going...

When you buy any of the VG funds (Total Market or Total Bond or others), if you buy it in the wrong fund but let's say buy 25K of the higher ER fund, will it automatically kick you into the Admiral shares....?