Bogleheads

There is some info here on the annuity side of the 403b.

Please see [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/403-b]403-b on the [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Main_Page]Bogleheads Wiki.

I don't like this fund. I'll take equity risk and offset that with TIPS/treasuries, thank you.

That is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - and it is the majority view of the Bogleheads. ...

Please see [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Health_Savings_Account]Health Savings Account on the [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Main_Page]Bogleheads Wiki.

I don't like this fund. I'll take equity risk and offset that with TIPS/treasuries, thank you.

Mel, or anyone else one more question. (Thank you very much for answering my questions -- this is my first time with Ibonds).

I already have an account at TD w/ access card. How long does it take ...

Thanks Mel. I guess worst case scenario is a 1.68% commitment for 11+ months, which is higher than my 1.39% savings acount (which is also taxed by the state).

I guess by design I make things comp ...

Mel,

What do you think of waiting until towards the end of April to buy them vs. now?

I would still get the 3.36% rate for 6 months April 2010 - October 2010, then I would know what the CPI upd ...

RedTail,

Have you considered I-bonds for your emergency fund? They are paying 3.36% now and you can postpone the taxes for up to 30 years and avoid state taxes altogether. Seems pretty tax effici ...

Mel,
Thanks - I misunderstood Steve. I read semi-annually compounding as credited interest every 6 months since that was my experience with EE's. Must mean you get paid compound interest on that in ...

Thanks. So to make sure I understand:
If I hold the I-bond for 12 months and cash in, I get 9 months interest due to the 3 month penalty.
If I hold for 15 months, I get 12 months interest due to 3 ...

I have been reading a lot about I-bonds recently due to the nice 3.36% rate. A few questions I have before I jump in:

1) Does the interest compound to the bond's value monthly or every 6 months li ...

I'm not an expert on this, but I think I read in pub 590 that conversions are subject to a 5 year holding period in the Roth before penalty-free withdrawals can be made.

...my idea so far was to open a Roth at birth with $1k, and put small amounts of money in there on holidays...
It's a great idea, but it will have to be something other than a Roth IRA (unless your ...

Not even close.

Please see [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Real_Estate_Investment_Trust]Real Estate Investment Trust on the [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Main_Page]Bogleheads Wiki.

I-bonds are paying 3.36% and you have to hold them a minimum of one year. Even with the 3 month interest penalty you would pay to cash in July 2011 they are probably better than other short term alte ...

Thanks, i did review the Wiki and didnt see my questions answered. I'll look again.

Also, on the FICA issue, my understanding is that if my wages will exceed the FICA limit (after all 401 (k), HSA, ...

Yes, you can do this but beware the contirbutions to your HSA through payroll dedcution are exempt from FICA taxes.

There is plenty of reading here that should answer all your questions: Please see ...

Consider the Balanced Index fund: https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0002&FundIntExt=INT

However, no international. Why don't you want international?

CapitalOne money market savings with checkwriting and ATM card, open through costco.com and you'll get a higher rate. I also link with the savings which I move back and forth when I go over/under 10K ...

Please see [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Health_Savings_Account]Health Savings Account on the [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Main_Page]Bogleheads Wiki.

EDIT: I'd also say to max the HSA ...

Based on this limited info, why not a target retirement fund that suits your allocation with only 5K? What is your desired allocation? Is this in tax-advantaged? Why the annuity?

If you put good ...

Somewhere I read here that a 20/80 stock/bond portfolio is less volatile than a 100% bonds portfolio. Something to consider.

LarryG,

I think we will need more info to answer your question. Please follow the format outlined in http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6212 and we could better help you out.

Than ...

See this thread and the other threads this links to.
http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42792

Where there's high return, there's always high risk.

I have 3 credit cards and would like to go down to two, replacing two of the existing with a new one. I want to do this without negatively impacting my credit rating. I'm OK with the combined credit ...

Any hit to your credit rating will be trivial. If you are planning to apply for a significant loan soon you should probably wait to get the new card. Otherwise, just do it.

Unless there's an annual ...

In the HSA wiki page there is a link to a Treasury FAQ which answers your question.

http://www.treas.gov/offices/public-affairs/hsa/faq_eligibility.shtml#hsa7

My employer offers an FSA, can I ...

Thanks mas/Barry for fixing my mistake. I updated page showing yield details as I think that is a good addition to the page.

Mike

I expanded the REIT page today. Please review and comment on changes.

As for the requirement of dividend payout, I found one reference that said 95% and one that said 90% so I am not sure what the ...

Thanks for all the help, especially tfb who suggested the Wiki! There was a lot of great information on the Wiki.

Cheers,
Joppy

Joppy - You may notice some changes on the HSA page and the comp ...

Please see [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Flexible_Spending_Arrangement_-_FSA]Flexible Spending Arrangement - FSA on the [url=http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Main_Page]Bogleheads Wiki.

I have jumped in today and added to the HSA, HDHP, and FSA pages. This is a valuable resource that I don't want to see go away.

The Boglehead concept is to invest tax-efficiently, and no where els ...

There is a misconception that HSA's are only for the healthy. Most of the time, yes, but not everyone has to be healthy to benefit from an HSA. We have high medical expenses but the HSA still works ...

I would be very leery of promises like that from a credit card company in this market especially Chase. As far as I know they can change the rules on the fly in the 11th month.

Hi All:
Thank you for all who posted on this thread. We had a productive meeting with our HR dept. today to improve the HSA choices. Since we are with Mellon, I specifically suggested the Dreyfus ...

I would just use a 529 if I made too much income to use an ESA.

OK, you got me. Technically, we don't have an emergency fund. Instead we have an asset allocation that requires us to have some short-term bond funds held in tax-advantaged.

If I needed cash in a ...

@Greg - please look into tax calculation of HSA employer contributions on for CA state tax return (my comment above). I am pretty sure TaxAct did this wrong and I had to fix this myself manually (Cod ...

I had my first experience with a HD plan last year. I was rather startled at how it showed up, so I can provide one example.

I used payroll deductions to fund the HSA. The employer took them out be ...

I have not seen the IRS specifically address the issue of expenses incurred between the time the HSA is established and when it is funded. It is not addressed in the link provided.

It is addres ...

There is a misconception that HSA's are only for the healthy. Most of the time, yes, but not everyone has to be healthy to benefit from an HSA. We have high medical expenses but the HSA still works! ...

My impression was that the opening date of the HSA was the key, not necessarily that the funds had to be there in full, just that the expense had to be incurred after the account was opened. Best to ...

It doesn't matter which way you do it. You'll get the deduction either way. However, some employers cover part of the HSA fees for you.

It does matter which way you do it. If you do it payrol ...

the future of HSA's is very limited, perhaps even curtailed, in the health care bills being debated by congress...the WSJ reported today.

I think the fate of the HSA's future is still in the 'propo ...

One point to keep in mind when considering two HSAs instead of one family HSAs....the cost of the HDHP insurance itself.

Now, I'm making up the following numbers, but consider the calculation:

C ...

Here's a good starting point and includes several admins where you can get low cost index funds. Vanguard does NOT offer an HSA directly, they link you to a 3rd party site that adds their own fee str ...

They have this policy to drive the market timers to other companies. If you are a long term investor does it really matter? Don't put the order in until you are sure.

David,

I have a suggestion for the wiki, for those who want to invest their HSA in the 4 states that tax the HSA growth. A statement that placing the treasuries/TIPS of their overall allocation i ...

I see the Fidelity funds are "open for subsequent investments only". Do you know more the specific requirement on that? If I'm lumping in once per year from my high cost employer HSA to th ...

My Uncle gave me a book when I graduated college titled What Wall Street Doesn't want you to know by Larry Swedroe. It's the reason I index and am here today. I am glad he stepped out of his comfort ...