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Iorek

If you use the same tax software this year and next year the software should automatically carry over the prepaid amount (at least turbotax does). I don't pay estimated tax so sometimes if I have a refund coming this year and extra income coming next year I will throw $500-1000 at next year's taxes....

Iorek

You haven't provided many facts so I would just caution you to be careful about assuming you can decide where you and your wife are resident. You may have researched it thoroughly and reached that conclusion but IME the state laws can be tricky here and one usually has less flexibility than one migh...

Iorek

I think if they were purchased at various dates but all the dates are over a year ago, TT will let you use "various" as the date. (Even if they don't, you could override the form to use that and file a paper return).

Iorek

Personally I would put it in a target retirement fund but others will chime in to say you should indicate what the rest of your savings are, where they are invested, and what your preferred asset allocation is.

Iorek

With 4 kids no way would I do that. Realistically how much time could you spend with/being responsible for your kids?

Iorek

I guess you could try to cost it out for a better apples to apples comparison but it does not sound to me as though it is worth it (but admittedly I am a little biased against change because of the uncertainties). You will face increased demands, and a huge commute, which have the potential to add a...

Iorek

If you were concerned about it, couldn't you avoid the problem by purchasing the mutual fund and converting to the ETF?

Seems like if there was an effect on share prices from your purchase that would spread it across the entire mutual fund. Or am I thinking about that wrong?

Iorek

I did it myself. My state allowed UI to be paid online each quarter, and for federal I upped my withholding and filed schedule H on my 1040. SSA also lets you file electronically (and even generated a nice W2 for me to give to the employee). I understand not everyone wants to do it themselves, espec...

Iorek

I don't have experience with the others but I went with Schwab because that's where the securities we wanted to donate were held and we've been happy. It's very nice to think "I'd like to give some loney money to this group" and then I can open up the Schwab app, type in the charity and amount (and ...

Iorek

I agree with backdoor Roths for 2017 and 2018 (I actually wouldn't bother converting until you've made the 2018 contribution and if bonuses might put you over the income limit there's no reason not to err on the safe side and just do a backdoor Roth). I think you have enough that you could sensibly ...

Iorek

Just in case you hadn't seen this thread,

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=241787&newpost=379 ... ead#unread

Iorek

I would second Windstar as a possible cruise line (although Azamara and Ponant I think also tend to have interesting cruises). If you sign up for their emails you will see they sometimes have repositioning cruises, where they need to get the ship from the Mediterranean to Asia or North America which...

Iorek

Do you have a mortgage on your residence (and any possibility of refinancing it)? IIRC having property in trust complicates borrowing on it. In general I think living trusts are overrated but it can be state-specific and it sounds like you are at least doing your homework to make an informed decision.

Iorek

True, but you just have to live there for 2 of the last 5 years. You can rent for two years, list in spring/summer 2020, and then sell. Because of DC laws I would be cautious about this approach. Which DC law(s)? The ones discussed already-- primarily TOPA but also landlord-tenant law in general. T...

Iorek

DVMResident wrote: ↑
Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:27 pm

True, but you just have to live there for 2 of the last 5 years. You can rent for two years, list in spring/summer 2020, and then sell.

Because of DC laws I would be cautious about this approach.

Iorek

We faced a similar decision and decided to sell which for us was probably a financial loser but still the right decision. The questions I'd ask are whether you have considered all the issues related to being a landlord. This is a very good thread, ICYMI https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php...

Iorek

I use Utah because of the ability to design your own target date allocation and the low fees (I don't think their fees are higher than NV, & might be lower). I started with them before DFA became available and consider that a bonus.

Iorek

I would at least wait and see what rules come out about this-- without straying into forbidden areas I think it is accurate to say that this possibility was on the minds of Congress and Treasury and they discussed various ways of addressing it(but I admit I can't say I know how it came out in the en...

Iorek

As far as TurboTax, I've noticed that it (along with other tax software) will occasionally ask for information that is not actually needed. They generally show it on a worksheet somewhere but not always. I find it helpful to look at the forms it is producing and see how/if it is used on anything go...

Iorek

This is not tax advice, but IIRC you only need the basis if you owned the shares for less than a year. That said, I would just call VG again and ask.

Iorek

The TSP's target date funds realize their terminal allocation of 20/80 at the target date, which is much more conservative than even Vanguard's terminal allocation of 30/70, which isn't realized until 7 years after the target date. I've wondered if L funds get so conservative near the target date b...

Iorek

I think for feds the TSP annuity offers a better approach for converting between lump sum and annual income. I also think he fails to discuss entirely whether feds need to take additional risk by investing heavily in equities. If (!) you can meet your basic needs from your annuity plus social securi...

Iorek

I think someone should be able to get advice about how to engage in socially responsible investing without the thread being taken over with 95% responses on why SRI is a bad idea. I don't jump into threads about how to slice and dice portfolios and say three fund is better (and I certainly wouldn't ...

Iorek

I would agree with getting a realtor. I'd caution even against letting the neighbor match the bid of other people-- if they want it they should have the highest offer.

Iorek

My kid is only at the start of high school but knows he has a college fund-- we started it pretty much from birth and have discussed it as an example of long term saving we are doing. I think he knows the fund is enough for state school but may or may not be enough for private, but even if it's not ...

Iorek

I think Langka makes a pretty good scratch removal kit (and they'll sell you touch up paint too).

Iorek

I don't want to minimize the difference between doing "substantive" work and being a manager-- some people are much happier doing one than the other and if you know you never want to manage and this job would be primarily management you shouldn't go for it just because you think you "should". On the...

Iorek

Since I contributed "only" $5500 to the Traditional IRA prior to conversion I'm technically still not going over the contribution limit, correct? Correct. I'm assuming the IRS rounds to the nearest dollar based on what I've seen on the tax prep software I've used in the past, so $0.14 shouldn't mak...

Iorek

Get a copy of Willmaker plus (book and software) and write yourself a will.

Iorek

We liked the tour of Parliament in Budapest but it took some effort/planning (ISTR you had to wait in line in the morning to get English language tour tickets, and then come back later in the afternoon).

Iorek

It is always an option not to try and exploit every dollar of advantage. You are certainly entitled to try and convert the last dollar of the 0% bracket while holding on to your Obamacare subsidies, but complaining that the fund companies don't make it easier for you to do it seems a bit much IMO.

Iorek

Their website still indicates you can contribute Vanguard securities thru Vanguard.com (or a mailed check) until Dec 31

Iorek

OP may still have time to open a donor advised fund with VG shares, but I think that has a $25k minimum (although once you open the account you wouldn't have to contribute the entire $25k in a single year or to a single organization). This is why many people, including me, opt to open a Fidelity DA...

Iorek

And at POF and gasdoc, yes it is too late to start the DAFs, at least w/ appreciated holdings. When I browsed the FAQ section of the Vanguard Charitable website, it had a list of cut-off dates, and I think it was 12/21 to start it w/ a transfer of holdings. This was the same for Fidelity's DAF. But...

Iorek

OP may still have time to open a donor advised fund with VG shares, but I think that has a $25k minimum (although once you open the account you wouldn't have to contribute the entire $25k in a single year or to a single organization).

Iorek

I also appreciate the WCF-POF discussion. I think under the circumstances of itemized deductions going away on Monday a DAF is a no brainer for us, but I guess a question for the future is whether we will work consciously to spend it down quickly or not.

Iorek

We will be doing an amount is probably about 7-10 years of past giving, but I have nothing to back that up as the right amount-- just seems like enough that I won't regret adding more or less (plus it happens to be what we have at Schwab, and those are securities I bought long ago and would be just ...

Iorek

Adding a bit more info on Schwab-- it seems comparable to Fidelity ($100 minimum admin fee, $5k minimum contribution to open, a few low cost investment options, a $50 minimum grant, and no explicit account balance minimum).

Iorek

Does anyone know the fine print/timing of Schwab's DAF?

Our last managed fund shares are there, but I haven't wanted to sell them because of cap gains, so this might be a good solution to that "problem."

Iorek

For what it's worth, in my Roth I have mostly stocks, in my 401k I have both stocks and bonds according to my general asset allocation, and for taxable I buy index funds and i-bonds (overweighting the i-bonds, which serve as EF as well). My 401k is the large majority of our investments. Personally t...

Iorek

That is good news. For a while I tried to complete my TSP investment with an emerging markets fund but quickly decided that was not for me

Iorek

I am not sure I understand why the question is being framed as an "either/or". I think you should always have a will if you have a non-negligible amount of assets. Don't forget, if you have any real property which you fail to properly deed into the trust (this can include property you don't know yo...

Iorek

You don't have to do the whole thing, but you will have to pay tax on roughly 95% of whatever you do put in the Roth. Might be better to leave it in the traditional.

Iorek

I don't disagree with you, but I can also say that there have been times when it has been very useful indeed. So I think I'd call it "occasionally pretty nice to have" (which isn't really very different

)

Iorek

what about straight talk? we used to have it

Iorek

Honestly it's never been clear to clear whether bonds belong in tax-deferred or taxable so I don't worry about it -- I buy i-bonds and then have about 10% on my taxable in bonds.

Iorek

If you would feel worse in 1o years not investing in bitcoin and having it go up 5x than investing it bitcoin and having it go to 0 and you don't need the money then I could see investing in bitcoin. Otherwise a Roth.

Iorek

We visited Cartagena and Santa Marta/Tayrona briefly this year but really enjoyed it. Cartagena was hot though, and they said 2 or 3 cruise ships were due in the day we left, which seems like a lot of cruisers in the old city.

Iorek

I would get Eiffel Tower tix in advance (there can be significant lines for security even if you have timed tix). For other museums I would look into a Paris Museum pass, but you don't need to buy one in advance. You can get them at CDG airport, or at a less crowded museum like the Cluny or St Chape...

Iorek

I have a Spark EV lease and a 240 Volt charger at home. This is a good combo for charging convenience but the car's range has been a limitation for me. if I had 200 miles (vice 80) I would be a happy camper. For ICE we have a small Mazda van. It is absolutely true with a little planning my Wife and...

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