Search found 454 matches
- Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:48 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard upgraded my accounts - angry [Brokerage Services]
- Replies: 159
- Views: 25224
Re: Vanguard upgraded my accounts - angry [Brokerage Services]
I just got this email today: You'll soon receive an email from us asking you to transition your current Vanguard account to a Vanguard Brokerage Account at no additional cost. We're transitioning most of our accounts to the new account structure to significantly streamline our operations and help us...
- Thu Feb 02, 2017 10:48 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: When to file income tax
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1943
When to file income tax
I believe I've finished preparing my 2016 return (it's asking me whether I want to e-file), but when I start up my H & R Block software, it tells me that "not all federal forms are final", and that they expect an update Feb. 9. I recall from last year I kept seeing repeated notices about updates but...
- Sun Oct 30, 2016 7:07 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Instant oatmeal vs "regular" oatmeal
- Replies: 76
- Views: 8746
Re: Instant oatmeal vs "regular" oatmeal
What kind of oatmeal do you use in haggis? I'm guessing steel cut.
- Wed Apr 06, 2016 6:24 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: H&R Block 2015 Deluxe + State Tax Software + Refund Bonus Offer - Windows Download from Amazon price cut
- Replies: 0
- Views: 264
H&R Block 2015 Deluxe + State Tax Software + Refund Bonus Offer - Windows Download from Amazon price cut
Just now on Amazon I saw that:
H&R Block 2015 Deluxe + State Tax Software + Refund Bonus Offer - Windows Download has decreased from $29.99 to $19.99
H&R Block 2015 Deluxe + State Tax Software + Refund Bonus Offer - Windows Download has decreased from $29.99 to $19.99
- Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:41 am
- Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
- Topic: 457(b) Deferred Compensation distributions pain
- Replies: 7
- Views: 1036
Re: 457(b) Deferred Compensation distributions pain
So maybe I should start taking distributions now, as presumably I'll have to withdraw even more later? Distributions? No. Roth conversions? Probably. Will you have SS income as well? Do some projecting to see what tax rates might be applied to your actual RMDs 8+ years from now. And remember that y...
- Tue Mar 22, 2016 6:55 pm
- Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
- Topic: 457(b) Deferred Compensation distributions pain
- Replies: 7
- Views: 1036
Re: 457(b) Deferred Compensation distributions pain
I should've explained that I retired (early) four years ago and moved from IL to CA.Dutch wrote:Retire earlier?
- Tue Mar 22, 2016 4:53 pm
- Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
- Topic: 457(b) Deferred Compensation distributions pain
- Replies: 7
- Views: 1036
457(b) Deferred Compensation distributions pain
This is regarding a State of Illinois 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan. (edit: I retired early four years ago and moved from IL to CA.) Although the age of mandatory distributions is 8 years away for me, I've just run the numbers on H&R Block, and if I had taken a 1/27.4 distribution in 2015, accor...
- Sat Mar 05, 2016 8:58 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Vanguard TurboTax - Not Available 2015?
- Replies: 327
- Views: 53230
Re: Vanguard TurboTax - Not Available 2015?
I dropped TurboTax and switched to H&R Block downloaded from Amazon, but I'm a bit disappointed. I liked the interface on the online TT I had been using better. For one thing, I sometimes highlight technical terms I don't understand and look them up on the web. The downloaded H&R doesn't allow me to...
- Tue Feb 23, 2016 1:22 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Being dunned for Illinois payment
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1984
Re: Being dunned for Illinois payment
I actually already had experience with two other agencies in the last couple of months. What I did in one case was to offer to pay one insurance-negotiated rate of $200 in two installments (that agency was highly unsympathetic), and in another to pay the insurance-negotiated rate $300 in full (this ...
- Mon Feb 22, 2016 6:59 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Being dunned for Illinois payment
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1984
Re: Being dunned for Illinois payment
This is for medical.WindycityDDS7 wrote:Is this for medical or dental?
- Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Being dunned for Illinois payment
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1984
Being dunned for Illinois payment
I'm one of the unfortunates whose health insurance is with the state of Illinois, which is currently not paying the insurer. This means the insurer is not paying providers, some of whom are starting to demand patients pay not only what the insurer bargained, but the full amount. In one case, that me...
- Mon Dec 07, 2015 5:29 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Vanguard TurboTax - Not Available 2015?
- Replies: 327
- Views: 53230
Re: Vanguard TurboTax - Not Available 2015?
I don't know whether to laugh or cry.livesoft wrote:A problem with Form 1116 with any of the programs that I have used AND with reading the IRS instructions and publications on filling it out is that no one will know if it is absolutely correctly filled out including the IRS.
- Wed Dec 02, 2015 12:19 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: structured banking paranoia?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 896
structured banking paranoia?
I want to wire US$100,000 to a relative abroad, and I've already transferred it from Vanguard to my local bank. However, my bank has a limit on wires of $50,000 at a time, so I'm thinking of splitting the sum into two wires of $50,000. My question: should I be worried about my Uncle Sammy deciding t...
- Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:10 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Watch under $100
- Replies: 46
- Views: 5930
Re: Watch under $100
I got a Seiko Men's SNKL09 Automatic Stainless Steel Watch on Amazon awhile ago for about $60. I love it, but it gains a minute every couple of days.
- Sat Nov 28, 2015 8:44 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Online prescription glasses good or bad?
- Replies: 13
- Views: 2851
Re: Online prescription glasses good or bad?
What about fitting? I always have to get my frames adjusted so they'll fit right. I guess either most fans of online glasses either don't have this problem or manage to do it themselves?
- Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:46 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: property after death of spouse
- Replies: 2
- Views: 587
property after death of spouse
Spouse is in hospice with limited time left.
All our property (mutual funds, bank accounts, car, house) is jointly held.
Will we need probate?
(edited to add) We reside in California.
All our property (mutual funds, bank accounts, car, house) is jointly held.
Will we need probate?
(edited to add) We reside in California.
- Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:27 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
- Replies: 3498
- Views: 986351
Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
"The Man in the White Suit" with Alec Guinness and Joan Greenwood (love her voice!). I wish someone had brought up the candlemakers' petition, though.
- Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:41 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: lock for $500 bike
- Replies: 27
- Views: 3588
lock for $500 bike
My previous bikes were WalMart bikes, but under the influence of wealthy bogleheads, I've spent the princely sum of $500 on a mountain bike. I don't live in a particularly high crime area, but say I want to occasionally park my bike for half an hour at Walmart, how much is reasonable to spend on a l...
- Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:25 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: People who know better than you
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1037
People who know better than you
American Failure: The 401(k) is hailed as the future, but it’s horribly flawed. A select few firms are trying to change that. Nearly 100 million people in America belong to a defined contribution (DC) plan. More than 80% of plan sponsors doubt their employees’ ability to manage their incomes once r...
- Wed May 06, 2015 5:31 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Nutribullet or Ninja extractor?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 3686
Re: Nutribullet or Ninja extractor?
We've been using the Nutri Cups that come with the Ninja 1500W Blender. The cups worked great, but after several months of use, the big one sometimes starts to work itself loose of the motor attachment while in use, and has to be held on by hand. This would not be an issue with the blender, which at...
- Tue Apr 14, 2015 8:12 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Auto re-enrollment in your 457 plan
- Replies: 2
- Views: 554
Re: Auto re-enrollment in your 457 plan
My 457 defaulted me into the target date. The article didn't mention this, but I assume the participants can choose other funds and also to opt out of the plan entirely. This is simply changing the default. Is this true? Yes, this changes the default but participants can change back to their prefer...
- Tue Apr 14, 2015 6:43 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Auto re-enrollment in your 457 plan
- Replies: 2
- Views: 554
Auto re-enrollment in your 457 plan
Illinois 457 plan sets auto re-enrollment The Illinois State Board of Investment is automatically re-enrolling all 52,000 participants in the $4.1 billion Illinois State Employees' 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, Springfield, driving members out of the most popular investment option in the process....
- Wed Apr 08, 2015 9:22 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Good Modern Science Fiction
- Replies: 278
- Views: 35805
Re: Good Modern Science Fiction
Like many "idea" SF writers, Dick had trouble with longer forms, but novels were where the money was. A lot of his novels are pretty bad, but usually in interesting ways and brilliant in places. In contrast, some of the short stories, like We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, seem perfectly crafte...
- Mon Apr 06, 2015 3:31 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Good Modern Science Fiction
- Replies: 278
- Views: 35805
- Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:06 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Restaurant tipping
- Replies: 200
- Views: 25373
Re: Restaurant tipping
Can we believe self-reported data? Here's something from Diner Beware : One researcher who studies tipping found that if servers had blond hair [10] or crouched next to customers [11] while taking orders, they got bigger tips. Finally, when female servers drew a smiley face on bills, tips increased ...
- Sat Mar 21, 2015 3:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Vinyl or wood fence
- Replies: 36
- Views: 4340
For Red-Blooded American Hipsters
Since wood doesn't last, and vinyl looks cheesy, I suggest some nice Western U.S. Vernacular Architecture.
- Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:19 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Is losing 0.02% to increased fees an enhancement?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 964
Re: Is losing 0.02% to increased fees an enhancement?
Those who wish are allowed to keep managing their own portfolios in the handful of other funds on offer, but investors in the Vanguard Institutional Index Fund and the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund will see their share classes changed from Institutional to Institutional Plus. That means the...
- Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:59 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Is losing 0.02% to increased fees an enhancement?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 964
Is losing 0.02% to increased fees an enhancement?
Those who have Deferred Compensation accounts with the state of Illinois have recently been informed that the "Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) is making several investment enhancements to the [State of Illinois Deferred Compensation Plan] in the coming months." I'm not sure whether it's th...
- Thu Feb 26, 2015 1:43 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Foreign film night recommendations.
- Replies: 124
- Views: 9214
Re: Foreign film night recommendations.
Tarkovsky Films Now Free Onlinenimo956 wrote: Tarkovsky:
Andrei Rublev
Stalker
(every film of his is really a masterpiece though)
- Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:03 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Genealogy
- Replies: 72
- Views: 7163
Re: Genealogy
A subscription to Ancestry costs $30 a month (more or less depending on how long you commit) for the U.S. edition. The world-wide edition is more. Access to Ancestry is free at most public libraries in the U.S. and all Family History Centers. That free access lets you view all the information in th...
- Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:30 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: To Fence ... Or Not?
- Replies: 93
- Views: 11065
Re: To Fence ... Or Not?
The estimate was for a black chain-link fence... I've got an old-style chain-link fence on one side of my property. Although there's no nearby neighbor on that side, and it's nice that I can see through it, I'm otherwise not that fond of it. Still, I can always pretend I care about historic preserv...
- Wed Feb 18, 2015 1:37 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Best albums from 2014?
- Replies: 63
- Views: 7823
Re: Best albums from 2014?
The Tony Bennett CD with LGG is a really great listen if you like standards. I gave it a try after a recommendation but I found most of it unlistenable owing to the too-great difference in quality between Bennett and Gaga. I like some of Lady Gaga's stuff, but I also listen/download a lot of earlie...
- Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:19 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: small-caps only 3% in retirement portfolio?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1266
small-caps only 3% in retirement portfolio?
A certain state's board of investment has sent a form letter to those invested in deferred compensation (457) plans, informing us of their concern over the outsized allocation of assets to the small-cap growth option, informing us that heavy allocation to small-cap stocks exposes investors to signif...
- Sun Feb 01, 2015 7:33 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: POLL: How Will You Complete Your 2014 Taxes?
- Replies: 69
- Views: 7211
Re: POLL: How Will You Complete Your 2014 Taxes?
One thing I discovered with TaxAct this year is that it was able to import my information from last year's return filed with TurboTax by reading the pdf copy of my return stored on my computer. Pretty handy. I gave TaxAct a try but it would not import my taxes from last year (&%#@$%*#$*@!!!), and w...
- Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:32 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: POLL: Do you personally own a cell phone?
- Replies: 92
- Views: 9105
Re: POLL: Do you personally own a cell phone?
For one, I periodically buy 3 months of time (60 minutes @ 90 service days), but use it so rarely I currently have 1200 minutes. If you buy the minutes through the tracfone web site then sometime during the checkout they offer a chance to buy a years service (but no minutes) for $50. Combining this...
- Wed Jan 21, 2015 3:43 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: $7 gas - what would you do?
- Replies: 125
- Views: 21823
Re: $7 gas - what would you do?
Yes.gkaplan wrote:You do realize that you reopened a thread whose most recent post was six and half years prior, do you not?Teetlebaum wrote:I'll wait till we get there to decide.
- Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:31 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: $7 gas - what would you do?
- Replies: 125
- Views: 21823
Re: $7 gas - what would you do?
I'll wait till we get there to decide.
- Sat Jan 10, 2015 3:58 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Emergency Road Service..........
- Replies: 36
- Views: 4756
Re: Emergency Road Service..........
Nope. I don't drive a lot, but enough that I might need it. I've decided to rely on a combination of my Garmin to check for the numbers of nearby wreckers and call them on my dumb tracfone. I'll save the annual fee.parigi723 wrote:Do you have an Emergency Road Service?
- Sat Jan 10, 2015 1:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Bilingual households
- Replies: 39
- Views: 6563
Re: Bilingual households
I think it's a great idea to try and I agree that the younger people are, the easier it is to learn a language. However, it seems to be difficult in practice. My parents were Americans who taught French and originally envisaged speaking French at home, or alternating between French & English, but en...
- Sat Jan 10, 2015 12:45 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
- Replies: 3498
- Views: 986351
Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Out of the Past. 1947 classic noir with Robert Mitchum, Krik Douglas and Jane Greer- considered by many one of the best noirs ever. Great 40s dialogue and cigarette smoking styles throughout.... I was at the edge of my seat until the ending, which was a bit of a "Then they all got run over by a tru...
- Fri Dec 26, 2014 10:26 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
- Replies: 3498
- Views: 986351
Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Flying Down to Rio Sumptuous and beautifully photographed, with high production values and several clever process scenes giving an unusually good impression of Rio de Janeiro, but the dancing on airplane wings is a bit contrived, and in the end the film is redeemed only by the fresh pairing of Ging...
- Fri Dec 26, 2014 9:12 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Who should pay for this meal?
- Replies: 79
- Views: 10134
Re: Who should pay for this meal?
My condolences.anonforthis wrote:I talked to my husband again and he told me not to bring it up ever again. So I think it's final that's we are going to pay for it.
- Sun Dec 07, 2014 10:24 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Bah Humbug [managing Christmas spending]
- Replies: 52
- Views: 6371
Re: Bah Humbug [managing Christmas spending]
How can you keep the spirit of giving.... The spirit of giving or the spirit of "gimme"? A few years ago a local paper published "letters to Santa" that they had solicited from local kids. I believe this was as a service to the kids (and parents), but it was letter after letter starting with "I wan...
- Sun Nov 23, 2014 9:03 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Do you use a phone book?
- Replies: 51
- Views: 3540
Re: Do you use a phone book?
Ask Jack Bauer (or Vic Mackey).
- Sun Nov 23, 2014 8:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: POLL: Do you personally own a cell phone?
- Replies: 92
- Views: 9105
Re: POLL: Do you personally own a cell phone?
I chose "flip phone". I actually have two tracphones. https://www.tracfone.com/static/common/images/phones/TFSAT105GP/small.gif For one, I periodically buy 3 months of time (60 minutes @ 90 service days), but use it so rarely I currently have 1200 minutes. (The other was for a visiting foreigner & I...
- Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:40 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: TOD/POD and estate planning
- Replies: 17
- Views: 2619
Re: TOD/POD and estate planning
In California, it's apparently possible to do POD/TOD for virtually everything except for real estate. I ran across mentions of the Enhanced Life Estate Deed aka Lady Bird Deed, which seems to be pretty much the same thing as a TOD. Most of them point back to http://theonlinelawyer.blogspot.com/200...
- Fri Nov 07, 2014 10:04 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Donating Your Body to Medical School, etc.
- Replies: 44
- Views: 6334
Re: Donating Your Body to Medical School, etc.
Well, we are made of meat.dm200 wrote:A common caution is that alternate plans should be made in case the donation is not accepted
- Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:49 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Car Maintenance
- Replies: 32
- Views: 5386
Re: Car Maintenance
If you have "das auto" I think you are getting ripped off. The manual for my car does recommend changing the spark plugs for my model at 40k mi., so I suppose the clerk was just going by the book, since it was was the 4th year. But he clearly knew I hadn't driven that much, and ought to know a litt...
- Fri Nov 07, 2014 1:59 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Car Maintenance
- Replies: 32
- Views: 5386
Re: Car Maintenance
I brought my new VW to the dealer for the first three "free" annual maintenances. Then recently I brought it in for the fourth annual maintenance, which I had to pay for. Although the clerk saw my car is fairly low mileage (21k), he pointed me to the recommended maintenance ($500), but cheaper less ...
- Sun Nov 02, 2014 9:38 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Donating Your Body to Medical School, etc.
- Replies: 44
- Views: 6334
Re: Donating Your Body to Medical School, etc.
I'm also a fan of "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers". Was it in her book that I read that medical students are required to treat the cadavers with respect? (If that's an issue with you.) While I had heard that anatomy was now learned via computer, it turns out I was misinformed: ...student...