Search found 4869 matches

by House Blend
Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TIAA Traditional rates (historical view)
Replies: 37
Views: 3968

Re: TIAA Traditional rates (historical view)

One other general comment: it's true that the usual spread between liquid and non-liquid rates has been 0.75% for a while now. Of course that broke down when very low prevailing interest rates pushed the non-liquid rates close to the minimum 3.0%. Also, if you go back far enough (20 years maybe?), the spread was 0.50%. It would be interesting to pinpoint when TIAA added 0.25% to the price of liquidity. No need for GSRA/SRA for now, it is easier to track just the RA, since the big picture is the focus. But if you can check to see if the 75 bp differential was already in place as of 1/2016, that would be helpful. I'm guessing 75 bp dates to just after the 2007-08 crisis. For the January 2016 snapshot there was one surprise, the 2009 vintage:...
by House Blend
Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TIAA Traditional rates (historical view)
Replies: 37
Views: 3968

Re: TIAA Traditional rates (historical view)

Anybody have a table of the rates declared on March 2021 or (crossed fingers) even before? Note that for archival purposes, the time to save a snapshot of the rate structure is in February, not March. Otherwise, you won't have a record of the rates that were applied to contributions in April through Feb of the most recent year. Of course those rates are fleeting since they will (potentially) be reset in less than one year. I started archiving these rates annually starting with the vintages that were in place for the March 2015 - Feb 2016 year. However, for that first year I hadn't thought things through clearly enough, and I took that initial annual snapshot in January of 2016. So I don't have the rate that was in place for new contributio...
by House Blend
Mon Feb 26, 2024 9:10 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service Mega-thread
Replies: 1512
Views: 167343

Re: What’s going on at Vanguard ?

In the past month I have had a bad time dealing with Vanguard phone reps. It has made me wonder if there are not internal problems going on. 1. My father in law passed away 9 weeks ago and we started the process to liquidate his trust by first moving it to a new Trust under the EIN of my wife. We did the process on the phone with the rep. All documents were done, including the very important “ step up in basis”form. A week later I saw it did not happen, but the rep I spoke to said all the paper work was in good order including the step up form. Another week went by and still no step up. I called again and the rep said there was no step up form on file The surprise is not about the step up rule existing, the surprise is that brokers keep tr...
by House Blend
Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:03 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Roth Conversions And State Income Tax Changes
Replies: 6
Views: 857

Re: Roth Conversions And State Income Tax Changes

In my particular circumstance, I now feel like I have prepaid a tax that will no longer be levied, but will be replaced with a non-deductible tax in which I will most likely be on the hook for in the future. Thus, my Roth account will not grow truly tax free. For 2023, my state tax on my Roth conversion was 3.64%. Previous Roth conversions are sunk costs. If your state increases other forms of taxation (sales, property), it will reduce the spending power of your Roth and traditional accounts equally. So it seems to me the only new factor in your conversion decisions is a new lower state tax rate. If that rate is constant for the range of incomes you are contemplating, then it is not a factor at all..... ...until the next round of tax legis...
by House Blend
Sat Sep 30, 2023 8:13 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TIAA Trad vs bonds in 2023
Replies: 14
Views: 2301

Re: TIAA Trad vs bonds in 2023

livesoft wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2023 4:01 pm 5+% money market fund? Then you can market-time buying bond funds later.
The liquid forms of Traditional are paying 5.75% (SRA and GSRA) or 6% (RC+) on new contributions, and unlike MMF, those contributions will continue to earn that rate for the next 5 months.
by House Blend
Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0
Replies: 22
Views: 2750

Re: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0

student wrote: Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:54 am I did not know that there is an option of income for a fixed period of time (different from lifetime annuity with a guaranteed period), or at least I don't remember. However, I don't understand the purpose of it. If someone wants income for 10 years, since GRA is liquid, one can just withdraw money himself/herself. Is it because of interest rates?
The GRA contracts are non-liquid (the term of art TIAA now uses is "delayed liquidity"). So one reason you might opt for a fixed-period annuity is to provide income until you file for SS benefits.
by House Blend
Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0
Replies: 22
Views: 2750

Re: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0

You talked about a TIAA 10 year annuity but I can't find any info on that. Do you have any info on it? Would that have allowed me to get everything out in 10 years or just get guaranteed annuity payments for the first 10 years? Secure ACT states everything must be out by year 10. It also enforces RMDs are taken in my case hence why I decided to go back into the annuity, get the high rate, then initiate a transfer payout. The TIAA website continues to find new ways to provide less information. :annoyed I did some searching and found nothing useful about annuitizing Traditional for a fixed term (not lifetime). In this FAQ, it is mentioned briefly in Question 24. https://www.tiaa.org/public/pdf/t/TT_FAQ.pdf Also, reading Question 18, it appea...
by House Blend
Fri Sep 22, 2023 7:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0
Replies: 22
Views: 2750

Re: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0

It's good to know a real world example rather than wondering what will happen here. It seems like they "made up" for the drop in guaranteed rate with an increase in additional. Did this remain that way even when additional amounts changed over the years? Eg. always .05% above your old contracts on the additional side? Yes, each time the additional amounts for accumulators in RA contracts changed, the additional amounts in my TPA contract moved in lock step one month later. (March 1 for RA, April 1 for TPA.) Keep in mind that these changes in rates have a relatively small effect on the cash payout, and the effects diminish with time. Return of the principal is the dominant component of each payment. Also did you know all this befo...
by House Blend
Fri Sep 22, 2023 9:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0
Replies: 22
Views: 2750

Re: TIAA Traditional Transfer Payout Annuity Rates and Secure Act 2.0

My plan "was" to just do a transfer payout over the next 10 years to comply with the new Secure Act and keep getting the same decent rate. (I realize that the variable portion can go up and down but its pretty good guaranteed rate and variable rate now). Now I am being told that when I initiate a Transfer Payout its actually in a different Annuity and the rate on the remaining funds actually changes!!? How can that be? Does anyone know where the details are on that and why TIAA doesn't tell people this? How do I get copies of the actual contracts where this would be in the fine print. All these details seem to be hidden away. Not even fine print but no print at all... As far as I know, Transfer Payout Annuities are available only...
by House Blend
Sat Aug 19, 2023 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What to do with TIAA traditional (3% guaranteed minimum)?
Replies: 32
Views: 2252

Re: What to do with TIAA traditional (3% guaranteed minimum)?

vtMaps wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2023 10:07 am We are early 70's, not concerned with legacy, and do not need the TIAA money to maintain our lifestyle. On the other hand, the money might be very important for unknown future health issues, long term care, etc.
Why the objection to annuitizing TIAA Traditional?

* Your RMDs will be starting soon anyway (if not already).

* Your accumulations are in what is currently the 2nd oldest vintage for payout rates. And that vintage is producing the 2nd highest payout rate. Those rates are the same across all TIAA contracts, not just their IRA contracts.

There's no harm in asking TIAA for a quote on the initial payout for a 2-life annuity.
by House Blend
Sat Jul 01, 2023 6:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Replies: 11037
Views: 2066226

Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?

bowtie wrote: Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:28 pm So if anyone has any "Showtime" recommendations, let me know, thanks.
I don't have Showtime, but I can *suggest* the series American Rust.

I caught the first few episodes of this (limited) series on an airplane, and thought enough of it that I plan to use my public library for the rest.

It's a small town crime drama starring Jeff Daniels. If you liked the HBO series Mare of Easttown, you'd probably like this.
by House Blend
Sat Jul 01, 2023 6:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good/reliable PM2.5 particulate monitor?
Replies: 11
Views: 1051

Re: Good/reliable PM2.5 particulate monitor?

Sorry that this doesn't answer your question, but if you live in a (sub-)urban area, there are probably monitors that publically report PM2.5 levels in your area. Some of the data is posted as often as once every 10 minutes.

If you haven't already, you should bookmark this website:
https://fire.airnow.gov/

I've been taking using it daily (we've had "purple" levels in recent days, although "green" this pm and "yellow" this am). My one frustration is that the hiking/trail running destinations that I favor are generally far from any monitors.
by House Blend
Sun Jun 18, 2023 11:39 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Guidelines for % of bonds in Munis?
Replies: 61
Views: 7370

Re: Guidelines for % of bonds in Munis?

martincmartin wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2023 10:52 am
House Blend wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2023 9:22 am

FWIW, I switched from VMLUX to VMFXX (Federal MMF) back in February when the gap in after-tax yields became too great to ignore. ... I will switch back if/when the gap closes.
Isn't this market timing?
Sure, I suppose it is.

When I sold VMLUX, it was at a net gain of $0.03/share. (Those gains will be absorbed by carryover losses.) At the moment, I could buy back those shares for $0.02/share less than the price I sold at. It's true that the yield on VMLUX has risen more since Feb., in relative terms, than VMFXX, so the after tax gap has narrowed for me.

I agree that there are more moving parts if considering a tradeoff between VMLUX and a Treasury fund like VSBSX that doesn't have a stable $1.00 share price.
by House Blend
Sun Jun 18, 2023 9:22 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Guidelines for % of bonds in Munis?
Replies: 61
Views: 7370

Re: Guidelines for % of bonds in Munis?

I just did the math and it looks like the group's recommendation of switching from Total bond to half VMLUX Vanguard Limited-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares and half VCLAX Vanguard California Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares would indeed save me a considerable amount of money. In your shoes, for the time being, I would use VUSXX (Treasury MMF) or VSBSX (Short Term Treasury Index) as a substitute for VMLUX (Limited Term Tax Exempt). You could also consider VMSXX (Tax Exempt MMF) although the current SEC yield (after state tax) is less competitive. SEC yields: Fed tax CA tax VMSXX 3.05% 0% 9.3% VMLUX 3.25% 0% 9.3% VSBSX 4.53% 32% 0% VUSXX 5.06% 32% probably 50%-ish of 9.3% The issue with VUSXX and CA is the use of repurchase agre...
by House Blend
Sun Jun 18, 2023 9:13 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: VMSXX Entirely Tax Exempt?
Replies: 9
Views: 1609

Re: VMSXX Entirely Tax Exempt?

Does VMSXX ever generate any Federal tax liability (besides AMT)? Are all VMSXX distributions exempt from federal taxation? All MM funds have the potential to distribute short term capital gains. Fortunately they do tend to be rare and microscopic. On the other hand they are fully taxable, and are not reported on Schedule D. They are reported on the Form 1040 as taxable interest non-qualified dividends. I looked up the last 10 years of VMSXX distributions, and was very surprised to see that they had (microscopic) long term capital gains distributions in 2021 and 2022. I've never seen this happen for a MMF, but at least these get reported on Schedule D and can be cancelled against capital losses. They also had a short term CGD in 2021. ST L...
by House Blend
Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TIAA ‘loyalty’ bonus for annuitizing: Do you understand it?
Replies: 51
Views: 9715

Re: TIAA ‘loyalty’ bonus for annuitizing: Do you understand it?

I'm currently in the process of considering annuitizing (lifetime) my RA accounts, which otherwise would have to be taken out over a period of 9 years plus 1 day. Backing up, if I were to select the 9 year plus a day option, that would result in about $483 per month for the 10 years (assuming no more interest is earned, which I believe is the case for this option). You mentioned "no more interest" on the TPA of 9 years and a day. The interest rate gets frozen , it doesn't stop paying interest. But they refer to the payment stream as "substantially equal payments", which include interest. Thanks for the comment re interest on the 9 years plus 1 day withdrawal. I recall now TIAA saying there is interest, but it is much le...
by House Blend
Tue Jun 06, 2023 7:24 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Better mortality tables?
Replies: 22
Views: 2558

Re: Better mortality tables?

psteinx wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:50 pm The primary use case for me, at the moment, is whether to advise my elderly mother to convert her TIAA traditional to an annuity.

The rates within TIAA are better than what I saw on immediateannuities.com, so I'm not cross-shopping, just wondering how appealing (or not) it would be to exercise this conversion option.
Cross-shopping or not, it is worth noting that one factor favoring TIAA in this case is that their payout rates are unisex. (Consequences of ERISA.)

So, all else being equal, females seeking a one-life annuity will get a better deal from TIAA than from a provider whose payout rates are different for male vs. female.
by House Blend
Sun May 07, 2023 9:07 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Foreign Tax Credit Discussion - 'Potential' for a Vanguard Total World - Fund of Funds Equities ETF?
Replies: 9
Views: 995

Re: Vanguard All World - Fund of Funds Equities ETF

Everything I found via search (here & elsewhere) indicated the credit was not flowed through for VT. Is the Mutual Fund (given you hold VTWAX) treated differently than the ETF or do you expect the ETF to get the same treatment? Looks like you didn't find the best prior threads on this topic. Otherwise, you would have learned that the critical issue is that 1. Tax law allows a fund provider to pass the foreign tax credit through to shareholders only if at least 50% of the fund's assets are invested in foreign stocks. 2. Strangely, and somewhat contrarily, a fund-of-funds is allowed to pass through any foreign tax credits generated by the component funds to shareholders. (Circa 2010 or so, this was not true.) So, if the US market is > 50...
by House Blend
Mon Apr 10, 2023 8:14 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: All money market funds by 7-day yield
Replies: 152
Views: 34159

Re: All money market funds by 7-day yield

Some MMFs float by design and that is known upfront. (Personally, these do not interest me and I have never found a way to buy them and get the higher class institutional yields.) The others are not supposed to move away from $1 and if they do it's because of a problem. Yes. AFAIK, TIAA's MMF has always had a floating NAV. But I believe all (or at least almost all) institutional funds now have a floating NAV by regulation. Prime retail funds today with less than half the assets meeting liquidity requirements have liquidity gates where withdrawals will be temporarily suspended when fund liquidity is insufficient to meet withdrawal requirements. I'm new to this, but after parsing through all 800+ MMFs, it seems the TIAA-CREF ones are the onl...
by House Blend
Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:56 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TIAA Traditional
Replies: 96
Views: 9690

Re: TIAA Traditional

As far as I can tell it's just listed among all the other mutual fund options, so I assume it's not a brokerage option. Interestingly, the TIAA MMF is paying slightly more than Vanguard's , but based on the history (e.g. YTD return) it seems it lags slightly. Regarding the bolded part, caveat emptor. TIAA displays stale (sometimes month old) data when looking up yields and returns of 3rd party funds available in your plan. My plan offers VUSXX (VG Treasury MMF, ER 0.09%) and TCIXX (TIAA MMF Institutional share class, ER 0.13%). Comparing them @ tiaa.org today shows an SEC yield for VUSXX dated 2/28 and for TCIXX dated 3/06. Fortunately the YTD returns are on the same date at the moment. When I last checked around March 1, the YTD return fo...
by House Blend
Sun Feb 26, 2023 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: TIAA Traditional lifetime annuity payments--what age can you start?
Replies: 13
Views: 1354

Re: TIAA Traditional lifetime annuity payments--what age can you start?

1)Will I have to pay a penalty for payments received before age 59.5? 1)Yes, that's an IRS rule, with no way around it. Many institutions have rather paternalistic rules that THEY have chosen, like no payments before age 62, or no payments unless you have terminated service AND are over some age. No, that IRS rule has many exceptions. One that seems particularly relevant for the OP is that if you retire in the year you turn 55 or later, then there is no 10% penalty on distributions from your employer retirement accounts. (IRAs do not have this exception.) See: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-tax-on-early-distributions (I agree that employers can still have rules in place that block distribut...
by House Blend
Sun Jan 08, 2023 8:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: RMD's used to pay taxes and new secure act
Replies: 44
Views: 4268

Re: RMD's used to pay taxes and new secure act

Three-ish questions: I know the IRS allows one to use RMD's to pay income tax if you pay quarterly taxes, but can you take your RMD's in January and designate how much of that RMD you want withheld for taxes if you don't use the pay estimated taxes quarterly? Yes. Same could be done any time of year since withholding is considered "timely" even when it is not. A strategy I had not yet considered. Take RMD in December, pay entire tax bill with it. Pretty slick. Not a bad strategy, but it may not be that way when you get to be that age. :happy If you have an inherited IRA, it doesn't require "getting to be that age". In my case, I have to empty the IRA out over 10 years. Am using it to pay all of my (estimated) income tax...
by House Blend
Fri Jan 06, 2023 7:07 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard’s Personal Performance results
Replies: 3
Views: 637

Re: Vanguard’s Personal Performance results

dkturner wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 11:14 am I was quite surprised when I viewed the “personal performance” of our Vanguard portfolios.
[Emphasis mine.]

Have you transferred any accounts out? For example, if you transferred an IRA to EBS (Elsewhere Brokerage Services), my impression is that their calculation excludes that account entirely,

If I remember correctly, the website will allow you to view "performance" on an account-by-account basis. I think it would be worthwhile to compare your calculation with theirs at this level to see whether the discrepancy can be narrowed down to a particular account or whether it is systematic.
by House Blend
Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are medical expenses tax deductible in the year paid or year incurred?
Replies: 11
Views: 2107

Re: Are medical expenses tax deductible in the year paid or year incurred?

You can include only the medical and dental expenses you paid this year, but generally not payments for medical or dental care you will receive in a future year. For a while I've been puzzled over whether this applies to health insurance premiums. I am billed monthly, in advance. For example, the due date for my January 2023 premium was December 20th. Dunno whether insurance counts as "future" medical or dental "care", but it seems more logical that this payment should be deductible for 2022, or else only 11 monthly insurance premiums per year would be deductible. Elsewhere in Pub. 502 it is clear that health insurance premiums (paid out of pocket, not on a pre-tax basis through an employer) are deductible, but there's ...
by House Blend
Mon Dec 26, 2022 8:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: VG Bond fund Dividends paid 12/23
Replies: 13
Views: 1380

Re: VG Bond fund Dividends paid 12/23

I have a holding in VG Short-term Treasury Index bond fund. I noticed that a dividend was paid on 12/23 which seems odd. Yes, there seem to be several bond mutual funds with an early final distribution date. The full schedule is here: https://advisors.vanguard.com/iwe/pdf/taxcenter/FADIVDAT_082022.pdf Other examples: Core Bond Admiral (VCOBX) Intermediate Corp Bond Index (VICSX) OTOH, many (most?) of the bond mutual funds do not list 12 distribution dates. They list two dates, one in March and one in December. For example, Total Bond Admiral (VBTLX) shows record dates of 3/30/22 and 12/21/22. To me these look like dates reserved for distributing capital gains, if any. (This year, for Total Bond, there weren't any such gains.) After spot ch...
by House Blend
Sun Oct 30, 2022 8:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: how to track distance run
Replies: 60
Views: 3921

Re: how to track distance run

rjbraun wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 1:38 pm Are there any low-tech options for this?
A simple but not real-time option is to use MapPedometer. Useful after the run (if you remember your routes), or before if you want to plan new ones.

https://www.mappedometer.com/

No apps involved, just a browser. Point and click to lay out your route and see how long it is. It can also produce elevation maps.
by House Blend
Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:07 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Deferring cap loss. Any reason to do so?
Replies: 4
Views: 713

Re: Deferring cap loss. Any reason to do so?

I did an intentional wash once. It was a question of choosing between
(a) having a wash and deferring some of the realizable loss, or
(b) having some of the recent dividends be non-qualified.
by House Blend
Mon Aug 29, 2022 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA future longevity bonus vs much higher current interest
Replies: 9
Views: 878

Re: TIAA future longevity bonus vs much higher current interest

It seems like a no lose situation with the traditional crediting rate nearly doubling. I have heard multiple references though to the longevity bonus that is supposed to reward one for investing a little at a time over years instead of a lump sum at the end. But the difference here is so great, I would guess it would outweigh any longevity bonus. Anyone understand TIAA enough to give an opinion? Keep in mind that the rates earned by every vintage are adjusted on March 1 of each year. Seems inevitable that next March, they will be adjusted upwards. There may still be an "inverted yield curve", but chances are it will be much flatter. So, the spread in rates between new contributions and old ones may evaporate in about 6 months tim...
by House Blend
Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:49 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New fee for Vanguard mutual [and brokerage accounts - July 2023 updates]
Replies: 2094
Views: 215546

Re: New fee for Vanguard mutual accounts

RJG, Since tax paid via withholding is considered timely no matter when it takes place, many BHs drawing from retirement accounts find it convenient to confine tax withholding to a single IRA transaction late in the year, at a time when one's tax liability is likely to be clearer. Yes, thank you, all of that would work. But it is also way more work than just increasing the withholding from other income streams (which is easy to do). If I do that, I won't have to pay estimated taxes, or do a special IRA withdrawal just to cover taxes, or go through the extra steps in taking RMDs or doing Roth conversions. Seems like a win win to this very lazy investor! :happy OK, but now I'm confused. If that's the case, then why are you upset about how mu...
by House Blend
Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New fee for Vanguard mutual [and brokerage accounts - July 2023 updates]
Replies: 2094
Views: 215546

Re: New fee for Vanguard mutual accounts

Further update. 1. Withdrawal from IRA - sent to taxable account, withholding taxes. Did the withdrawal on Monday. Money finally arrived in settlement account on Wednesday. It will be Thursday (3 days after my withdrawal) before the money is finally invested. Logins Monday, Tuesday (twice) Wednesday, and Thursday. On the old platform, this would have all happened overnight with one login. Two extra days. Several extra logins. Ridiculous. Boo! :annoyed I know it would be a change for you but depending on how often you do this is might be a lot easier to not do withholding and just pay estimate taxes. Once setup, that’s one log in and less than 5 minutes each quarter. It might seem that way to people who pay estimated taxes, but my situation...
by House Blend
Sun Jul 31, 2022 8:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Replies: 11037
Views: 2066226

Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?

Heavenly Creatures (1994).

This is one of the first movies directed by Peter (Lord of the Rings) Jackson. Also the film debut of Kate Winslett.

Based on a true story. Set in New Zealand in the early 1950s, it concerns two schoolgirls that develop an intense relationship. When the parents intervene, tragedy results.

I rate it 4 stars out of 5. It had the feel of a 1950s-era Hitchcock movie. (Not top-drawer Hitchcock like Vertigo or Rear Window, but the next level down is still pretty damn good.)

I saw it on disk-by-mail from Netflix. I have no idea if any streaming services might have it.
by House Blend
Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:33 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Stress on Stable Value Funds
Replies: 23
Views: 2634

Re: Stress on Stable Value Funds

Sheesh. Seems like every time there's a discussion of stable value funds, multiple TIAA participants have to jump in and tell us about how wonderful TIAA Traditional is. 1. TIAA Traditional is not a stable value fund. 2. TIAA does offer stable value funds for workplace retirement plans. Here's a fact sheet: https://fluenttech.tiaa.org/pdf/factsheet/878094400.pdf 3. My former employer offers access to a TIAA SVF, but I've never paid much attention to it. I have not checked carefully, but my guess is that it is offered only within my TIAA accounts with non-liquid forms of Traditional. If you are a market timer, this might be more attractive than a MMF for temporarily parking cash. 4. The yield on the TIAA SVF will vary by institution because ...
by House Blend
Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:45 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA Traditional at 3% or Fidelity TIPS Fund FIPDX?
Replies: 373
Views: 32371

Re: TIAA Traditional at 3% or Fidelity TIPS Fund FIPDX?

Would you rather hold TIAA Traditional at 3% fixed or the Fidelity TIPS Fund FIPDX for, say, the next 30 years while taking RMDs? Because you have accumulated far more than you need, I think it won't matter either way. Do whatever you are most comfortable with. That said, two considerations: 1. Those who have far more than they need should be factoring QCD's (qualified charitable distributions) into their planning. You are eligible once you reach age 70.5, and they can be used to meet RMDs once those kick in. HOWEVER, they can only be used with IRAs (yours or inherited ones), not 403(b)'s. That's an argument for shifting some 403(b) dollars into trad IRAs. 2. Your GSRA is a 403(b). You didn't say, but perhaps your other holding of (RA or G...
by House Blend
Sat Jul 09, 2022 8:10 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why TBM underperformed intermediate treasuries for past 20 years?
Replies: 23
Views: 2352

Re: Why TBM underperformed intermediate treasuries for past 20 years?

PicassoSparks wrote: Sat Jul 09, 2022 7:11 am If you slice the time from 86-2003 & 2003-present, then they look very similar again during the second period.

So I think the question is: what happened in March-Sept 2002?
In that year the fund managers for Total Bond flew too close to the sun and melted their wings. The fund return was 200 basis points less than the index.

Never anything like that before or since.

Might be interesting to compare the underlying benchmark indexes rather than the funds.
by House Blend
Wed Jun 22, 2022 8:41 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Where to see SEC yield history for bond funds?
Replies: 6
Views: 1093

Re: Where to see SEC yield history for bond funds?

Will be a bummer if they eliminate the old historical price and yield search. The notification at the new page says: The old version of this page will be phased out shortly, but rest assured the changes won't impact website functionality in any way. But I sure could not find that functionality: https://investor.vanguard.com/mutual-funds/profile/portfolio/0584 Historical prices there show only the price, no yield. FWIW, the new page for VMFXX (and presumably other MM funds) has this language: Historical prices Price history does not apply to money market funds because they historically have maintained a stable price of $1 per share. However, you can conduct a Price History Search to review historical yield information, which may be useful w...
by House Blend
Sat May 14, 2022 8:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: When is TLH worth it?
Replies: 16
Views: 2566

Re: When is TLH worth it?

The question ultimately comes down to current versus expected future tax rate. (Much like Roth conversions.) However, for a tax loss harvester, predicting future capital gains tax costs can be exceptionally difficult, one reason being that if you have a large bank of carryover losses, you may need to project the rates at which these carryover losses will be "spent". Consider the typical over-saving Boglehead. (You know the type -- "I can't retire with a withdrawal rate over 2%!!!!"). For them, their taxable accounts will still be large when they kick the bucket. There's no reason to assume that the shares bought after harvesting losses 10+ years ago will be sold during their lifetime. Much more likely they will be buyin...
by House Blend
Fri May 13, 2022 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Do RMDs *BEFORE* Rollover to Vanguard?
Replies: 12
Views: 1280

Re: Do RMDs *BEFORE* Rollover to Vanguard?

Nevertheless, I don't believe the RMD from a 403b can be taken from an IRA...which is what this person seems to be considering. Would you agree with that? Yes. :happy 1) may either (a) rollover the entire 403(b) account and then take the RMD from the IRA, or (b) take the RMD first and then do the rollover. OR 2) he must first take the RMD from the 403(b) before rolling it over In any case, the RMD amount comes out of a retirement account and into a taxable account. The amount is based on the end of 2021 balance. Probably best for an expert like Alan S to chime in, but it's pretty clear to me that 1(a) is not an option ("RMD amounts are not rollover eligible"). I don't see the difference between 1(b) and 2. A similar issue crops u...
by House Blend
Fri May 13, 2022 9:03 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Do RMDs *BEFORE* Rollover to Vanguard?
Replies: 12
Views: 1280

Re: Do RMDs *BEFORE* Rollover to Vanguard?

Also, the RMD from a 403b must come from that specific plan. It can't come from another plan. This is different from RMDs from IRAs- you can take the RMDs from any of your IRAs - it does not have to come from a specific one of your IRAs. No. Actually you can meet the RMDs for all of your 403(b) plans by taking them from any of your 403(b)s. That's one feature that distinguishes 403(b) plans from 401(k)s. (Although there is talk of new regulations that would remove this option.) See the answer to "How should I take my RMDs if I have multiple accounts?" in this IRS FAQ page: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/rmd-comparison-chart-iras-vs-defined-contribution-plans However, even if the OP has two 403(b) accounts and plans only to ...
by House Blend
Fri May 13, 2022 8:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Do RMDs *BEFORE* Rollover to Vanguard?
Replies: 12
Views: 1280

Re: Do RMDs *BEFORE* Rollover to Vanguard?

But AFAIK it's not required they take the 2022 RMD from the 403b account just because that's where the money was at the end of 2021. No, there's no option here. Amounts representing RMDs cannot be rolled over from a 403(b) to IRA (or trad IRA to Roth IRA, etc). You have to take the RMD out first. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/rollovers-of-retirement-plan-and-ira-distributions The way IRS publications express this makes it plausible that you could leave the RMD behind in the 403(b), rollover the rest, and then empty out the 403(b) later in the year at your leisure. While I have not found an IRS publication that explicitly forbids this, there are numerous secondary sources that do. For example, see https://ww...
by House Blend
Wed May 04, 2022 10:22 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Good news: TIAA Traditional interest rates are increasing 21% on average
Replies: 41
Views: 2986

Re: Good news: TIAA Traditional interest rates are increasing 21% on average

^ This month, there were bumps in the payout rates, in the range of 0.1% to 0.3%, depending on vintage. That's for annuitizing this month.

See: https://ybbpersonalfinance.proboards.co ... rollTo=605
by House Blend
Wed May 04, 2022 8:51 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Good news: TIAA Traditional interest rates are increasing 21% on average
Replies: 41
Views: 2986

Re: Good news: TIAA Traditional interest rates are increasing 21% on average

Anybody know if the interest rates on existing TIAA annuities is increased as well? I believe it has for new annuities, but don't know if they increase existing ones or not. I don't know for certain, but I believe that they will. They did. There’s a thread somewhere in here about it. Yes and no. "Old" money for accumulators earns interest at rates that are set on March 1 of each year. Those rates will vary depending on the age of the contribution and the whims of TIAA. Those rates continue until the next March 1 reset. Yes, there was a substantial increase in those rates this year. In each subsequent month an interest rate is announced for that month's contributions. That rate stays in effect until the following March 1. This yea...
by House Blend
Sun May 01, 2022 8:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Replies: 11037
Views: 2066226

Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?

Bacurau (2019). IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2762506

Award-winning Brazilian film set in a remote village. I would describe it as Seven Samurai without the samurai -- the villagers turn out to be the samurai.

Has a large mostly no-name cast (excepting Sonia Braga) and no lead roles.

Unrated and definitely not suitable for children.

A capsule review from The Guardian:
It is a really strange film, beginning in a kind of ethno-anthropology and documentary style, becoming a poisoned-herd parable or fever dream and then a Jacobean-style bloodbath. It is an utterly distinctive film-making, executed with ruthless clarity and force.
I saw it on DVD; have no idea if any streaming services offer it.
by House Blend
Wed Mar 23, 2022 9:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 fund has large drop in value]
Replies: 15
Views: 2659

Re: [Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 fund has large drop in value]

Another way to examine whether the large turnover/exit from the fund in 2021 had a negative effect on the return is to simply compare the total return against the benchmark. Here's a look at the past few years for VFORX: return benchmark tracking error 2021 14.56% 14.84% 0.28% 2020 15.47% 16.31% 0.84% 2019 23.86% 24.19% 0.33% 2018 -7.32% -7.23% 0.09% 2017 20.71% 20.86% 0.15% 2016 8.73% 8.98% 0.25% The main things that jump out at me are (a) why the big gap in 2020? (b) the tracking error on average looks substantially larger than the ER. (c) there's no evidence of unusual tracking error in 2021. My guess for (a) is that fund flows during the March 2020 panic made it hard to maintain their allocation, and [irony alert!] they chose to avoid r...
by House Blend
Sat Mar 12, 2022 9:34 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Understanding foreign qualified dividends for 1116
Replies: 9
Views: 1442

Re: Understanding foreign qualified dividends for 1116

It's my understanding right? Looking at 1099-DIV entries, you could guess some ranges of P1 and P2, and some limits for FINC, QFDIV. Unfortunately Turbo Tax doesn't do seem to do some of this checks I think this is how things should go 99.9% of the time, but expecting every 1099 to pass every sanity check you can think of 100% of the time is asking too much. Nor is it reasonable to expect tax software to run every sanity check you can think of. Looking at my Vanguard Consolidated 1099 for tax year 2020, there were two "interesting" anomalies. 1. Unlike 2021, there is a Foreign Tax page for 2020 which breaks out the Foreign Income on a quarter-by-quarter basis. Likewise, on the Dividends and Distributions page, there is a quarter-...
by House Blend
Fri Mar 11, 2022 9:29 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Can dividend reinvestment in IRA cause wash sale for ETFs sold in taxable funds?
Replies: 21
Views: 2199

Re: Can dividend reinvestment in IRA cause wash sale for ETFs sold in taxable funds?

yobery wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 11:22 pm Yeah, that seems like more work than could be expected of anyone, especially considering all the differences. I take the point that they're share classes of the same fund, but that doesn't make them substantially identical. It also doesn't make them not substantially identical, because "substantially identical" is nowhere defined.
The fact that conversion from VTSAX to VTI is a tax-free event is strong evidence IMO that they should be considered substantially identical.

(In general, share class upgrades and downgrades -- if available -- are tax-free events.)

(Yes, I am aware that Vanguard does not offer tax-free conversions from VTI to VTSAX.)
by House Blend
Sat Feb 26, 2022 8:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Foreign Tax Paid statement for 2021 is gone
Replies: 23
Views: 3637

Re: Vanguard Foreign Tax Paid statement for 2021 is gone

international001 wrote: Sat Feb 26, 2022 6:58 am This info is gone for 2021. Is the info someplace, or do I need to calculate it manually?
I only have Vanguard funds/ETFs.
Yes, that part of the consolidated 1099 has been redesigned.

Foreign Tax Paid is (always) reported in Box 7 of the 1099-DIV, and is still there, on page 1 of your consolidated 1099.

The other two items, Foreign Income and QDI-eligible Foreign Income, are not part of the 1099-DIV and Vanguard doesn't report them to the IRS.

This year, in the section titled "Mutual Fund and UIT Supplemental Information", they reported these amounts as percentages of the total income produced by each fund. So you'll have to do some arithmetic to recover the dollar amounts.
by House Blend
Thu Feb 10, 2022 9:24 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Specific ID method makes most sense right?
Replies: 40
Views: 3974

Re: Specific ID method makes most sense right?

Setting aside (just for a second) which method is best/easiest to use for individual lots, can someone please confirm my understanding of the basic math in this situation: If one is selling *ALL* shares of a given holding, am I correct that all methods should yield the same result? In other words, that Spec ID = Avg Cost = FIFO, if you are selling off the entire holding? Yes. They should all give the same result. No. FIFO = SpecID, but need not yield the same tax liability as Avg. Consider a simple case where you have 900 LT shares with gains of $10K, and 100 ST shares with gains of $100. If you sell all shares, you have a capital gain of $10,100. However, using average basis, 10% of the gains -- $1,010 -- are considered short term. With F...
by House Blend
Fri Feb 04, 2022 8:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TIAA Traditional and Rising Interest Rates
Replies: 114
Views: 29034

Re: TIAA Traditional and Rising Interest Rates

-When I log into my account I see that money in Trad invested from 9/1/2020 to 12/31/2021 is getting a 3% rate. I have not make new contributions to TRAD in 2022 and the new 3.25% rate. When I look at my holdings of Trad, I do not see any amount getting 3.25%, should the daily interest be going into the new rate? I can't explain why my RA account shows accumulation of new principal derived from interest between 1/1/22 and 2/28/22, and yours does not. But since you are still working, and I have not for many years, I would speculate that your account's updating is driven more by the arrival of deferral money from your employer. Just guessing? TIAA moves in glacial time, so I can only suggest that you look again in a few months. The guarantee...
by House Blend
Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VMLTX, do frequent trading restrictions apply?
Replies: 7
Views: 855

Re: VMLTX, do frequent trading restrictions apply?

tomsense76 wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:21 pm Right all funds have this restriction with the exception of short-term bond funds. So am curious if there is a better definition of short-term bond fund and more specifically if VMLTX fits that definition or not.
Limited Term Tax Exempt counts as a "short term" bond fund for this purpose. (The prospectus could have and should have been clearer here.) That is, you can buy and sell it as often as you like. The frequent trading rule doesn't apply.
by House Blend
Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Target date funds ... so much for "set and forget" [and WSJ article]
Replies: 567
Views: 67518

Re: Target date funds ... so much for "set and forget" [and WSJ article]

I used them in my kids accounts but last year blew up the kiddy limit for me (I had tax gained during the year) and was not expecting a massive dist.... I just sold them all and swapped to primary funds... Not falling for that again. That's what I did for my mother's accounts. First thing this year. Of course this is when the market correction started. :oops: The only advantage is that I may be able to swap her out of an active fund and stocks with low basis with no tax impact due to tax losses offsetting those gains. Public Service Announcement: An annoying feature when selling shares of a fund after it has distributed capital gains.... Suppose you sell 1000 shares of Fund X at a net loss of $1500. Suppose further that you held those shar...