Search found 94 matches

by northernisland
Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Primecap Admiral advice
Replies: 5
Views: 1174

Re: Vanguard Primecap Admiral advice

Yes, they sent me a message saying I would need to meet the minimum within a certain timeframe (I still have about 10 days to decide). I think if I don't meet it they'll just shift to investor class.

Would you just replace them with Total Market or something like that?
by northernisland
Mon Oct 30, 2023 7:54 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Primecap Admiral advice
Replies: 5
Views: 1174

Vanguard Primecap Admiral advice

I have an inherited roth with four funds in it totaling around $100,000. One of them is VPMAX Vanguard Primecap Admiral. I think perhaps because I inherited it I am now falling under the cap for admiral shares (originally there was more but now it is split among several of us). I think I have just under $25,000 in the fund, and would need $50,000 to maintain it. Options: (1) I think I probably should just move the money to VTSAX or something like that. (2) I guess my other option is to move some of the VTSAX I have in the account and get VPMAX over $50,000 again. (3) Or, Vanguard would transfer it to investor shares. Any ideas on what to do? I understand you can't buy Primecap anymore and I guess I just wanted some outside thoughts on how/w...
by northernisland
Sun May 07, 2023 6:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: US friend abroad: looking into social security/Illinois education benefit
Replies: 11
Views: 938

Re: US friend abroad: looking into social security/Illinois education benefit

Thank you all for the help. I'll start calling around. I found out that he maybe is getting around $500/month in SS, although he never mentioned this. I will still try to find out if he'd get a higher amount through ex-spouse. It's helpful to have the Illinois piece clarified. I think that ship has probably sailed. It looks like if he returned to the US with the intent to stay as a resident he would qualify for SSI after 30 days.
by northernisland
Sat May 06, 2023 9:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: US friend abroad: looking into social security/Illinois education benefit
Replies: 11
Views: 938

Re: US friend abroad: looking into social security/Illinois education benefit

Thank you both--this is super helpful. I'll try to have the friend create an online account to check. If his ex-wife had the ten years but he didn't, how would he know?

Also: I don't understand the Illinois-specific piece. It's very possible that being in the Illinois system meant neither he nor spouse paid into SS. If they didn't I wonder if the Illinois system has a mechanism similar to the SS divorcee benefit. I've searched and haven't found anything clear.
by northernisland
Sat May 06, 2023 8:51 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: US friend abroad: looking into social security/Illinois education benefit
Replies: 11
Views: 938

US friend abroad: looking into social security/Illinois education benefit

I have a 70 year old friend who moved abroad in his 40s to take an academic job. He was married for 25 years to a spouse who also (I believe) worked in Illinois higher ed. They divorced fifteen years ago. He's horrible with money. He never saved money and fell for several scams so has no retirement fund, as far as we know. I had two questions: 1. I want to help him inquire about the possibility of social security benefits. He doesn't think he's eligible but I don't think he's ever researched it. Can we see how many credits he has work he did in his teens-thirties before moving abroad? I believe most/all of his work would have been in Illinois educational system, so he is probably out of luck, but I still think he should check. 2. He cashed ...
by northernisland
Thu Jul 28, 2022 8:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Inherited Roth IRA, non-spousal, options and best practices?
Replies: 2
Views: 372

Inherited Roth IRA, non-spousal, options and best practices?

I'm inherited a Roth IRA from a relative (non-spousal) along with several cousins. I believe he held it with TRowePrice. I think that I am wanting to:
-Do a trustee-to-trustee transfer from TRowePrice to Vanguard
-Take the minimum distributions over ten years
-Probably rebalance the asset allocation

Has anyone else done this and can they share their wisdom? Would Vanguard talk this through with me? Will the ten year withdrawals automatically bring me down to $0 in the account in the last year? Is there a way to automate minimum distributions or is it something I put in my calendar?

I live overseas so I am also curious if there's anything I will have to have notarized, etc.
by northernisland
Wed Jan 12, 2022 6:50 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Listing foreign address on W2?
Replies: 7
Views: 1297

Re: Listing foreign address on W2?

I pay US taxes, and the employer is clearly providing a W2 which includes my SS and withholding.

I was kind of hoping someone would say "the IRS needs a US address" or "I list a foreign address for my W2." I can't find either of those, so will probably just do what the employer asks.
by northernisland
Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:53 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Listing foreign address on W2?
Replies: 7
Views: 1297

Re: Listing foreign address on W2?

Both of the above reasons are plausible. Maybe for the employer it makes sense to use a different US address and/or they want a state connected to us for when we return. Part of my concern is that when we return we will likely be in a different address from the family one we could provide.

I asked the finance person and was told it has to be my "legal/tax US address." That seems strange to me, because it certainly seems like in tax software you can enter a foreign address and I'm a foreign resident and thus don't have a legal US tax address (at least when abroad, as we have been the last 2+ years). We tried initially to do list a foreign address and were told we couldn't.
by northernisland
Tue Jan 11, 2022 6:18 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Listing foreign address on W2?
Replies: 7
Views: 1297

Listing foreign address on W2?

I am an American working for a US organization abroad. For the last 10+ years my employer had listed my address as c/o Employer with their address. They are pushing us to use another US address now (the address we use when in the States), and don't want to list our foreign address.

Has anyone encountered this? I suppose I can just use parents' address, but was curious whether there's any downside to using a US address for W2 living abroad.
by northernisland
Sun Feb 07, 2021 2:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Expat with address in California
Replies: 19
Views: 1928

Re: Expat with address in California

To me this sure seems to answer your query:
viewtopic.php?t=110773

I don't believe it's illegal, only that the major funds see it as too difficult to maintain compliance and paperwork with only an overseas address.

On the US side, I think the concern only comes when you have to pay taxes, which takes a little bit of thinking but not that much. For us, with FEIE the taxes we pay on regular mutual funds are quite reasonable (and they're not taxed during the periods, sometimes for years, when we are abroad).

The specifics may matter for you. For instance, where we live the local government doesn't collect taxes on mutual funds held abroad below a certain amount.
by northernisland
Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Expat with address in California
Replies: 19
Views: 1928

Re: Expat with address in California

Many of those I know living overseas do continue to use a US address so that they can hold funds with Vanguard, Fidelity, etc. I think with the foreign earned income exclusion we only regularly have to pay taxes when we are in the US and then we have a state of residence.

I don't know why the big companies don't like to have investments by Americans living abroad. As far as I know it's not for legal reasons.
by northernisland
Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Put everything in retirement funds while living abroad?
Replies: 1
Views: 442

Put everything in retirement funds while living abroad?

We live abroad making modest income via a US employer. Our main investment vehicles are 401k, Roth IRA (when in the US), and 529 accounts for kids. We're in our 40s and should have dual pension and SS in retirement at retirement. Kids start college in 6-8 years. Our current portfolio is about + 250,000 in 401k roth [100,000] and roth ira accounts [150,000] + 70,000 in mutual funds + 25,000 in 529 +30,000 in cash Originally we'd kept more in cash figuring at some point we might need to return to the US and buy a house/car but that's seeming less likely. I also just like having more in savings. At the same time, I am thinking that it might be smart to move more of the mutual funds into our retirement accounts, since I've heard it can be bad t...
by northernisland
Mon Jun 10, 2019 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Parents' Investment plan--ages 75, both with illness, contemplating retirement home
Replies: 13
Views: 2337

Re: Parents' Investment plan--ages 75, both with illness, contemplating retirement home

Hi All, I just wanted belatedly to say I am *so grateful* for the advice and you all were a big help. I looked at the actual numbers and it was more like 400,000 in taxable stocks, 200,000 in taxable bonds, and then another 90,000 in stocks in roths and iras. Their big concerns were feeling stressed out by the current asset allocation (with the market run up) and some caution about capital gains. It did help to remind them that their pensions + house provide some extra safety, and I also realized that moving stocks-->bonds in their IRAs would save them some capital gains but provide a more conservative asset allocation. What they will do is sell 100,000 in stocks (capital gains should be around 7,000), and then move most of the stocks in th...
by northernisland
Fri Jun 07, 2019 6:41 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Parents' Investment plan--ages 75, both with illness, contemplating retirement home
Replies: 13
Views: 2337

Parents' Investment plan--ages 75, both with illness, contemplating retirement home

Hi All! It's been a while since I posted here. My parents are both 75, still married, live in the south, and both facing diseases with iffy prognosis (dad is newly diagnosed with cancer, where the survival rate is around 50/50 and mom has major challenges moving around and has a kind of heart hypertension that has her on oxygen). I am not asking for any medical advice. ---------------- INCOME/INVESTMENTS Income: They both have social security and pensions. Dad says they're receiving around $70,000/year. If something happened to him, it would only drop to around $60,000 for mom. Pension is safe. They own a house (~$200,000) All of their investments are in taxable accounts at Vanguard, split roughly 60/40 between Total Stock and Total Bond an...
by northernisland
Tue Jun 26, 2018 8:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: university admission issue
Replies: 27
Views: 3986

Re: university admission issue

Without adding a lot of specifics, you could still add something more, for instance "masters program with a practical component in education/professional studies/social sciences." I still don't really understand how this works, because usually degrees are not like this (where the job and the degree go together). I can think of PhD students who are guaranteed teaching positions or state jobs that might cover tuition, or fields like social work/education that often include internships, but I don't know what this is. Can you say anything more also about what courses were required? Would this be something like requiring several semesters of econ for and MBA or teaching credentials for a masters in education? How short were they of the...
by northernisland
Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Coming back to US: state residency for 2018 (OH, NJ, both?)
Replies: 5
Views: 1064

Re: Coming back to US: state residency for 2018 (OH, NJ, both?)

Bumping this. My basic question is really just about multi-state residency. Do I need to fill out multiple W4s, or do I just deal with it next April?
by northernisland
Tue Jun 19, 2018 2:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Coming back to US: state residency for 2018 (OH, NJ, both?)
Replies: 5
Views: 1064

Re: Coming back to US: state residency for 2018 (OH, NJ, both?)

We've been paying in Ohio. In practice, it is often for a fraction of a year (come back in for sixty days, and this is calculated as partial-year resident). I *think* I've been doing it right, although I've sometimes got an adjusted bill from Ohio and had to talk to them or pay a very small penalty.

I think probably both ways would actually work. For instance, if I list NJ for six months and show the form to OH, they would probably accept it. I'm just try to figure out if it's preferable/possible to pay two months to Ohio and four to NJ. I'm not trying to dodge anything--they tax rates will be nearly identical for us. I think going forward we will be NJ residents again, at least until the next time we return to the US.
by northernisland
Mon Jun 18, 2018 11:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Coming back to US: state residency for 2018 (OH, NJ, both?)
Replies: 5
Views: 1064

Coming back to US: state residency for 2018 (OH, NJ, both?)

I'm a longtime reader here. We live abroad. We've usually filed residency through Ohio, where my inlaws live and which has been our base when we're back. We'll be moving to NJ in September and have a lease in hand for a year for that. During the summer (July 6-end of August) there will be a mix of vacation, travel for work, training in another midwestern state (10 days). During the summer I don't think I'll spend more than 30 days in any state. Here's my question. My US-based employer wants me to fill out an NJ-W4 form for when we return. Here are my questions: (1) should I just be listing Ohio for the two months when we are back, since that has been the state where we were. In this case would I think fill out the NJ-W4 for September? (2) A...
by northernisland
Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:35 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 2 Years of Roth IRA at Once / Admiral Shares?
Replies: 6
Views: 762

Re: 2 Years of Roth IRA at Once / Admiral Shares?

Thanks, we can do this. Come to think of it, we may just either do one of the lifestyle funds or a retirement year fund, in which case admiral wouldn't even be an issue.

It also looks like for spouse we could set her account up online and then mail the checks in, right?
by northernisland
Thu Feb 08, 2018 7:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 2 Years of Roth IRA at Once / Admiral Shares?
Replies: 6
Views: 762

2 Years of Roth IRA at Once / Admiral Shares?

Hi All,

We're planning on contributing to a Roth IRA for 2017 and 2018 before we do taxes (probably early April). We're going to start with my spouse, who does not currently have a Vanguard account (we'd had some at T Rowe Price, but their fees are higher).

Could she register and then have us write one check for 10,000? Would it be better to write two checks for $5000?

For me, I also will likely invest 10,000. I already have an account with them. I would like to sell from a general bond fund and also put 10,000 into roth. Is that okay?

I haven't done a lot of moving funds around and we haven't done a new roth in a number of years, so while these are probably familiar questions to many here, we're really grateful for the help.
by northernisland
Tue Sep 19, 2017 12:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Calling out the not so rich bogleheads
Replies: 233
Views: 39431

Re: Calling out the not so rich bogleheads

I think there are different issues at different income brackets. Over the years here the advice I've most appreciated has been on: figuring out how to begin investing, how to weather market changes, which tools are better for which purposes, and how to think about money. We're 40ish with about 200,000+ saved in a mix of mutual funds, roth iras, and 401k. We don't own a house or cars and live abroad. There are a lot of people here with major $$$. In some ways, however, the advice is most important for those of us without a lot of money. If I can figure out how to take my $200,000 at age 40 and use it in 10-20 years to buy a modest house, with some money left over for kids' education and retirement, that's great. My goal is to keep adding to ...
by northernisland
Tue May 30, 2017 9:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Play Money for Spouse....
Replies: 138
Views: 17491

Re: Play Money for Spouse....

Hahaha... this is a funny thread. Here's another possibility
$10/year-of-age /month (50 years old = $500/month)
Maybe $15/year-of-age at 60 and $20/65

Anyway, you have to find some way to adjust for inflation and spending creep :)

My spouse and I have a "spend what you want, but don't flaunt it at me" policy.
by northernisland
Tue Dec 13, 2016 9:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax Software for 2016?
Replies: 24
Views: 6399

Re: Tax Software for 2016?

I'm doing taxes abroad and almost all the software says: "Downloading: Currently, this item is available only to customers located in the United States."

Does anyone know if this is true? I'm pretty sure I've downloaded it before, but I may be mis-remembering. I know I've used the CD abroad before with no problems.
by northernisland
Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mr. Money Mustache donates $100k to charity, writes about effective altruism
Replies: 112
Views: 22972

Re: Mr. Money Mustache donates $100k to charity, writes about effective altruism

It's also worth it to return to the author MMM mentions: Peter Singer and his "The Life You Give." Singer's a Princeton ethicist. It's an ethical discussion of why we give or don't give and how to give most efficiently with the greatest impact (a very boglehead sentiment). Singer's controversial because he leans in the direction of utilitarianism / "the greatest good for the greatest number." His advice is to give to one of the high efficiency poverty-directed programs. A while back he was quoted in a newspaper article where people raised a million dollars to rescue a dog that had been abandoned on a boat. I personally find him to be a challenging read but also very inspiring. Few of us put our money where our mouth is. ...
by northernisland
Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:28 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How the Internet Destroyed Actively Managed Funds
Replies: 24
Views: 4140

Re: How the Internet Destroyed Actively Managed Funds

It's an anecdotal argument, but rings true for me. I started investing with Vanguard about seven years ago. I had an aunt that had started me on a T Rowe Price roth ira, but the truth is it was a lot harder to casually locate investing info pre-internet. Bogleheads certainly makes do-it-yourself a lot easier. I wonder if I'd started at the same age but twenty years earlier whether I might have ended up with some high-cost bank product just because it was easier (at the time). Internet should also increase some of the efficiencies (i.e., maybe I used ten minutes talking with Vanguard on the phone when I set this up, rather than an hour/year in some guy's office).
by northernisland
Sun Sep 25, 2016 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Expat: Losing job and moving back to US
Replies: 10
Views: 2015

Re: Expat: Losing job and moving back to US

We just came off a period of uncertainty where we didn't know if employer would renew us living abroad. I think it will work out and you are in a good place (supportive family, emergency fund, no house to deal with). I think you're wise to look into negotiating severance and definitely find out whatever you can about benefits in returning to the US (figuring out insurance is probably high on the list, looking at cost of living in different places you'd move, figuring out which school districts seem friendly, etc.). I don't have much specific advice, but wish you well. Don't forget that there's some reverse culture shock coming back, that kids/spouse may "act out" in making a big change, and also that things will even out over time...
by northernisland
Mon Apr 11, 2016 1:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Living abroad, ESA Coverdell or brokerage account?
Replies: 4
Views: 614

Re: Living abroad, ESA Coverdell or brokerage account?

A lot will depend on the specifics--amount you have available, tax rate (if any), what part of your portfolio this is, and so on. For instance, we live abroad with a US employer. Initially we put some money into a 529 because we knew we'd want something there and it was one of the only tax free ways to invest. Now we have a roth 401k available, so we make that our priority. We always did a Roth IRA when we were in the USA. There are just a lot of different variables. We're relatively low-wage, so our goal is to save enough for retirement, to have enough in cash for a down payment if we come back to the US, and to save something for kids schooling. Does that make sense? If our income came from abroad, or if we spent more time in the US, or i...
by northernisland
Mon Feb 22, 2016 8:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding out about a kid 17 years after the fact
Replies: 59
Views: 13152

Re: Finding out about a kid 17 years after the fact

I think it's a chance to do right by a kid. The dad didn't provide anything the last seventeen years. My spouse had a biological father who came from a crazy family and basically was out of the picture from age 2 onwards. We've attempted several times to make contact and the biological father is very friendly in person but has made no sustained effort to be involved (no happy birthday emails, etc.). We view him as a kind but probably wounded man who has done his best to put his life together and is probably not going to be involved in our life. That's ok, but it's a little sad. In this case there are a lot of unknowns--how's the kid's English? are there other relatives in the US? what's up with the mom? why didn't she mention this earlier? ...
by northernisland
Tue Sep 22, 2015 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Martial arts for beginner adults
Replies: 45
Views: 7159

Re: Martial arts for beginner adults

I've heard it said that martial arts can be seen as (1) art, (2) sport, or (3) preparation for fighting/warfare. There's overlap between the three but most systems tilt in one direction or another.

As a kid I liked the clarity of karate and taekwondo. I also did some mixed martial arts, which I liked because it was more grown-ups and more varied. My own son now is doing wushu (which he doesn't totally love).

Martial arts can feel scammy, so it's good to look around and just recognize that a lot of it's not going to be a perfect match.
by northernisland
Mon Sep 21, 2015 5:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: foreign earned income
Replies: 17
Views: 1471

Re: foreign earned income

I know this is an area of investing where things quickly get so specific that it's a lot harder to offer generalizations. Still, it would be great if sometime there could be a wiki page for US expats that would deal with things like residency, pensions, taxes, IRAs/Roths, accounts, etc. I think OPs gotten great advice and I've also profited a lot from help here. It really is a tough area to get a handle on and there are no sites out there that offer the type of help that Bogleheads does.
by northernisland
Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: what reason should I give? [Job resignation]
Replies: 57
Views: 9451

Re: what reason should I give? [Job resignation]

OP also said they sit by the technical recruiter and so presumably part of the frustration is frequently hearing people being hired at a higher rate for more or at least realizing they're below market rate. Is that right? If you have an immediate boss or can put it an email (probably direct talk is best) I also wouldn't mind saying something like "When I came on board it seemed like a fair rate, but I now regularly hear about others being hired at ___ and realized most of the other employers are working for ___. It's no longer worth it for me to stay at this job any longer. If my rate can't be brought up to the company standard, then I think it's time for me to go." Part of the upside (one of the only upsides) to the gig economy h...
by northernisland
Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: what reason should I give? [Job resignation]
Replies: 57
Views: 9451

Re: what reason should I give? [Job resignation]

I'd probably practice saying something like "Currently I can't keep working here given the rate for the project. Is there any way we could renegotiate salary/cost?"

I think a lot of the advice has been good. I'd be aiming for a "how can we make this work?" approach rather than a "I quit unless..." or "If you don't then X..."

If you're quitting quitting, then you could just say "Salary has been an issue for me and I feel like it's best to move in another direction" or something like that. Good luck!
by northernisland
Tue Sep 01, 2015 11:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Student Loans and my house
Replies: 12
Views: 1986

Re: Student Loans and my house

Just to make you feel better about taking on the student debt, there's a nice New York Times article on how those with the biggest loans (often taken on for grad school) usually repay them because they have higher income longterm. It's the people who take on debt for part of a degree but can't/don't finish who have the biggest trouble.
http://nyti.ms/1UivC2p

I think you've gotten good advice on keeping it as student debt. Others here may also have advice on priority of debt (biggest loan? govt/private?) or whether to reduce retirement savings to retire student debt.
by northernisland
Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Have you ever encountered hostility because people think you're "rich"?
Replies: 71
Views: 9139

Re: Have you ever encountered hostility because people think you're "rich"?

One of the things that's had an influence on me has been some of the social science literature on happiness, wealth, and family inheritance. I've seen studies that say things like: -Break the median on local salary and you get some happiness bump. -Wealth translates into longer life. -There's some association between wealth and loss of empathy. -People who drive expensive cars are less considerate drivers. -There are large social differentials on who inherits wealth and status and these inheritances can have an influence hundreds of years later (I remember studies looking at the distant descendants of those from elite professions). The main upside of these studies is that in general I don't personalize attitudes about the wealthy. I'm aware...
by northernisland
Fri Jun 26, 2015 4:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Grade 6, Writing, Resources.
Replies: 10
Views: 1486

Re: Grade 6, Writing, Resources.

I'm married to a librarian. I wouldn't worry at all about grade level since kids vary, but there's a lot of good research that says family reading time and independent reading time give as much of a bump on reading/writing as do formal study. I'd talk to a children's or YA librarian and ask them to advise some series. Add audio books or reading on car trips. Gender can make a difference too. The stereotype is that boys like more non-fiction (DIY, encyclopedias, repair, design, etc). Find what YOUR kid likes and go with that. Is your kid extrinsically motivated? Perhaps do a summer reading program at the library. It's good to do a mix of reading: read below grade level, read popular stuff (comic books, graphic novels), do audio books, etc. T...
by northernisland
Sun May 31, 2015 1:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Ethics over income?
Replies: 23
Views: 4632

Re: Ethics over income?

It sounds to me like coworkers/underlings have been mistreated, cheated, or in some other way abused by management. I had this type of behavior, generally speaking, in my workplace. One coworker was let go in a shabby way and another quit in protest. What I did was to be as clear as I could about what I found unethical and to respond as widely as possible at the time (with some threat of being fired myself). Then, I've also begun looking and lined up back-up plans. In terms of giving advice, I think you could check out how management practices line up against similar companies, try to get a handle on how the key front line people are doing, and figuring out what, if any, interventions are possible. But it may be the damage is done and you c...
by northernisland
Wed May 27, 2015 10:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cost of a "free" PhD program is around half a million? How does anyone afford this?
Replies: 91
Views: 16173

Re: Cost of a "free" PhD program is around half a million? How does anyone afford this?

From the humanities side it also depends a lot on how you do it. If you get cheaper housing, a small stipend and work some, it's not a bad life. For us we pushed back kids a ways and spouse took forever to graduate, but still feels like it was a good choice. I finished at 30 but was able to spend a few years abroad during this time and take really interesting classes. I don't the payoff for the PhD is just credentialling, it really is also getting to talk to fascinating people and read great books for the better part of a decade. It's a quasi-monastic life. The caveat is that, especially for humanities and social sciences, it can feel like the academic job market is becoming a pyramid scheme. Agree with pretty much everything Nisiprius said...
by northernisland
Sun Feb 22, 2015 12:59 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bogleheads 2015 Annual Conference - Taiwan
Replies: 8
Views: 2447

Re: Bogleheads 2015 Annual Conference - Taiwan

Any way to register on site or to pay on arrival? The info you posted here was in English but the blog post is Chinese. Do you have an idea of what parts are in English and which are in Chinese? Thanks!
by northernisland
Fri Feb 13, 2015 1:05 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: EXPAT investing
Replies: 7
Views: 1646

Re: EXPAT investing

I think Jeffarvon's right. My experience is when I have paid taxes on US income (if, say, I was in the US for 6o days in a summer but still met the physical presence test because I was then back for most of the next 12 months) I try to invest in a Roth. Last year we could only put in two or three thousand each, so that's what we did. My current US employer offers a Roth 401k, which is great, so some options may vary based on employer.
by northernisland
Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What to do with 350K. Plop it in a 529?
Replies: 36
Views: 5912

Re: What to do with 350K. Plop it in a 529?

I'd still be tempted to pay off the house. People here sometimes treat mortgage as similar to negative bonds. If you can save yourself the 2.?% mortgage, you're probably doing better than bonds. After that I'd be tempted to do part this year for 529 and part next year. I don't know the optimum fill amount (100% to eldest this year, or 1/3 for each kid, etc.). Market-timing is anti-boglehead, but since the market is high now, I would kind of like the idea of putting the money in over several years. Good luck!
by northernisland
Mon Feb 09, 2015 4:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What to do with 350K. Plop it in a 529?
Replies: 36
Views: 5912

Re: What to do with 350K. Plop it in a 529?

Some of the answer depends on other options available to you:
-Pay off mortgage?
-Are you maxing 401ks/IRAs? (Did you for 2014?)

I don't know the exact calculus on financial aid, but I've heard house/retirement often count less against you, and that in general those are always a higher priority. If you and spouse could move 36,000/year into retirement I think that would be a good move. If the 529s are a tax deduction, at least fund them partially.
by northernisland
Sun Feb 08, 2015 8:31 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: iPhone 6 Plus: Too large or Do You Get Used to It?
Replies: 42
Views: 5662

Re: iPhone 6 Plus: Too large or Do You Get Used to It?

I have a sony xperia ultra, which is an android and is even larger than the iphone 6. I really like it. I use it like a kindle, tablet, and phone. I have big hands and find it easier to type on. The only thing I'd think about is case. Today's phones are slimmer than just several years ago, so to me it isn't even such a big change in my pocket.
by northernisland
Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:08 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roth 401k for expat under FEIE
Replies: 1
Views: 473

Roth 401k for expat under FEIE

I work abroad for a US company and make less than the FEIE. It sounds from what I've read here like if my employer offers a Roth 401k I can still contribute to it. Is that right? So, as for the details, let's say I spend the whole year abroad and make 60,000. Can I max my Roth 401K?

This should be a simple question but I'm having trouble getting the google to cooperate. Many thanks.
by northernisland
Sat Jan 17, 2015 8:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Instant coffee
Replies: 34
Views: 5956

Re: Instant coffee

I saw this in the newspaper a while back and realized that, for me, there's often not a huge taste difference between instant and regular. YMMV:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/won ... nt-coffee/
by northernisland
Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Options for calling the U.S. from International ?
Replies: 36
Views: 4702

Re: Options for calling the U.S. from International ?

I have an obi that works with Google Voice. There was a while when it wasn't working because of some conflict between the two, but now I have it set up again. It means free calls to the US and I can receive calls. If you have internet, something like this is your best option.

The obi is a little box that plugs into your modem and then you plug a phone into the obi.

For me, the main plus is that it's nice to not be tethered to computer and able to walk around while talking (do laundry while talking to family, etc.). I like it a lot and it's not super hard to get set up.
by northernisland
Tue Jan 06, 2015 6:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Would you pay for this level of (bad) service?
Replies: 26
Views: 3847

Re: Would you pay for this level of (bad) service?

I would also have understood the warranty to mean "if we haven't fixed it, we'll fix it or give you your money back." I'd probably say, "I would like you to fix it for free, since you diagnosed it and fixed the wrong problem. If you don't fix it, I would like a refund for the last repair. If you can't do that, I'll probably request a charge back."
by northernisland
Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bilingual households
Replies: 39
Views: 7590

Re: Bilingual households

There are some tips. I think it depends on the languages also. We have a kid at a bilingual elementary school and kids in local language preschool. We speak only English at home but we also have several contexts besides school for the host languages. My experience is that they forget the 2nd language quickly when we go home, but then get it back. In general, here are some of the challenges: -Kids can forget a language until puberty. -They can start learning a language at puberty and never lose their accent. -Some languages take longer to learn than others (especially if there are no cognates: no/non, table/table, etc.). -Kids will eventually get the language if they have longterm exposure. Ours are on the young side now but nearly bilingual...
by northernisland
Mon Dec 15, 2014 2:17 am
Forum: Non-US Chapters
Topic: Taiwan Local Chapter
Replies: 87
Views: 46136

Re: Taiwan Local Chapter

Hi, I know TW pretty well. I think you're probably right that none of the local financial vehicles meet the normal Boglehead sniff test. You could probably use boglehead principles in other ways, doing a self-assembled index, finding the absolute cheapest indexes available, etc. There's a Chinese translation of one of the books, so that might be a place to check to see how people do things. I just keep a US address and invest that way. My guess is that a large number of local bogleheads are using funds from elsewhere or have just adopted the strategy to mean "diversify and resist the urge to peek."
by northernisland
Tue Dec 02, 2014 6:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much homework is too much?
Replies: 14
Views: 1996

Re: How much homework is too much?

Well, I hope it doesn't get locked. It's a question with financial implications. We live overseas and our first grader has an hour most nights and two hours some nights. The most recent research seems to say that homework at lower grades doesn't seem to improve achievement. I feel like the homework often means less time playing with siblings or reading together at night. That said, this is a high achievement, education-focused culture. For us the dilemma is that the school we're at meets several needs. It includes a lot of activities and does our language and another language. If we moved him to a less intense school it would mean we'd likely have to teach one of the languages ourselves and also come up with more activities. My advice is to...
by northernisland
Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Obese airline passenger
Replies: 62
Views: 9041

Re: Obese airline passenger

OP, a quick search shows the obesity rate in Peoria is 30%, so good luck avoiding this on future flights. It also shows that under 5% of the population is 6'2 or taller, so maybe the airlines should move seats closer and charge exceptionally tall passengers a higher rate.

[OT comments removed by admin LadyGeek]