Search found 774 matches

by jrbdmb
Mon Mar 11, 2024 2:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare Part A and prescsription drug discount cards / coupons
Replies: 5
Views: 502

Re: Medicare Part A and prescsription drug discount cards / coupons

Some things to consider are whether having Medicare Part A potentially saves more than not having it, i.e., depending on what you have to pay for a hospitalization through your employer insurance could be subtantial with a deductible and then a % coinsurance or copay versus maybe zero with Part A since your employee insurance supposedly covers the Medicare deductible?. Then, factoring in the Rx savings you mentioned needs to also be considered. Also, and very important, is whether your employer REQUIRES those who turn 65 to enroll in Medicare A and B. I believe I have heard of this because it saves the employer insurance money? Your HR Dept. should be able to verify one way or the other. My understanding is that since I work for a company ...
by jrbdmb
Mon Mar 11, 2024 12:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare Part A and prescsription drug discount cards / coupons
Replies: 5
Views: 502

Re: Medicare Part A and prescsription drug discount cards / coupons

billfromct wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 12:53 pm Do you contribute to a “health savings account” (HSA) tied to your employer high deductible health insurance plan?

I have never had a high deductible health insurance plan or contributed to a HSA, but I have read that you can’t contribute to an HSA while on Medicare. I would assume (you know what happens when you assume) that would include Medicare Part A. If you do contribute to an HSA, you may want to check “the google”.

bill
Yes that is another limitation of taking Medicare, my wife would have have to stop any HSA contributions before she signs up. But since I'm not planning to enroll in Medicare yet I can continue to put money in my HSA.
by jrbdmb
Mon Mar 11, 2024 11:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare Part A and prescsription drug discount cards / coupons
Replies: 5
Views: 502

Medicare Part A and prescsription drug discount cards / coupons

I have a question about my wife enrolling in Medicare Part A as she is turning 65 this year. I understand this is a good idea even though we are both covered by my employer’s high deductible medical plan – my employer has over 20 employees and Medicare Part A would be secondary but it would cover out of pocket costs over $1632 if my wife were hospitalized. My question is how this would impact my wife’s prescription access to manufacturer discount cards for prescriptions. In searches here and on other sites like AARP it is stated that due to anti-kickback laws you cannot use manufacturer discount cards with Medicare Part D, or with Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans that include prescription drug coverage. However, the language on the website...
by jrbdmb
Mon Mar 04, 2024 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help with Medicare rules if still working at 65
Replies: 33
Views: 3117

Re: Help with Medicare rules if still working at 65

My wife is turning 65 this year and I have been investigating whether she should sign up for Medicare Part A even though she is covered under my employer-provide health insurance. I had read that Medicare Part A might cover some costs not covered by by employer's insurance in the event of a hospitalization, so I was considering having her do so. 1. Does the "no more contribution to an HSA" rule apply to both of us or just for her since I will not be Medicare eligible for a few more years? I currently contribute the max to an HSA family plan. 2. Something I had not seen mentioned above is that most if not all prescription drug savings cards are prohibited for those on government insurance. Most don't care if it is Part A, B, C, or ...
by jrbdmb
Tue May 02, 2023 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents of College Students Beware, Marginal Tax Rate of 34.5% or higher from 160k to 180k
Replies: 36
Views: 4364

Re: Parents of College Students Beware, Marginal Tax Rate of 34.5% or higher from 160k to 180k

1 post on the original issue (loss of a tax credit based on AGI).

14 posts debating the semantics of "lost credit" vs. "tax". Sigh. :?
by jrbdmb
Sun Apr 02, 2023 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help lowering dividends for lower tax bracket
Replies: 28
Views: 3663

Re: Help lowering dividends for lower tax bracket

My portfolio is 40% stock and 60% bond. It is spread between IRA and cash (taxable) accounts. In my taxable account I have VTIAX BND IYY and CVS My IRA account has VBTLX VTSAX and VGSLX VTIAX and BND produce high Nonqualified dividends in the cash account that put me in a higher tax bracket How can I mitigate this situation so I fall into a lower tax bracket? Most obvious answer would be to move your taxable bond money to a muni fund like VTEAX. All dividends are Federal tax-free, and may be state tax free. Note that your risk is going to be at least a bit higher than with a fund made up mainly of Treasuries, more so if you go with a single state fund to save on state taxes as well. For example, I will not invest in a NJ-only muni fund due...
by jrbdmb
Mon Mar 27, 2023 3:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Millennials: do you prefer debit to credit? if so, why?
Replies: 178
Views: 13194

Re: Millennials: do you prefer debit to credit? if so, why?

I’ve seen a number of articles stating that millennials and Gen Z’ers vastly prefer debit cards to credit cards. As an older millennial this was really surprising to me. This forum likely skews towards people who use credit cards for rewards/cash back, and not people who will carry balances, etc. but I’m curious if there are any millennials or younger people on here who do in fact prefer debit, and if so, why? I am not a millenial, but credit cards have superior consumer protections. I never use a debit card for purchases. This is really a myth. Debit cards have the same de jure protections as credit cards when run as credit. The difference is practical. When someone does a fraudulent debit purchase you’re at the mercy of dealing with the ...
by jrbdmb
Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cases where the "base model" is a steal, but the fancier models are quite expensive
Replies: 77
Views: 9043

Re: Cases where the "base model" is a steal, but the fancier models are quite expensive

R2D2 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:25 pm
H-Town wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 12:15 pm Almost everything in consumer market has this set-up.

- Store brand product is cheaper than brand name product. Their quality is hardly noticeable.
Clark Howard was claiming a few months ago that brand name foods had really run up in price, but store brand prices didn't go up much.

So if you like the store brand, it was even more of a bargain on a relative basis.
YMMV. In our case local store brand eggs (Shop-Rite) cost more than Eggland's Best. And saying that store brands are equivalent to name brands is true some of the time, definitely not true other times. That's what makes grocery shopping so interesting. :happy
by jrbdmb
Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dealing with thousands of one dollar bills
Replies: 88
Views: 9553

Re: Dealing with thousands of one dollar bills

Curious - where do you live that bank tellers are non-existent? I think there are at least five banks within a few minutes of me (suburban area) that I could use to get rid of excess cash.
by jrbdmb
Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare vs. Spouse's employer health insurance
Replies: 10
Views: 1167

Re: Medicare vs. Spouse's employer health insurance

Thank you for all the replies so far. Yes I am just starting for figure this out - but I have at least a year to make any decisions so I'm not under the gun (yet).

One thing I didn't realize is that I can contribute $1,000 HSA catch-up for *both* of us each year. BUT - looking at the IRS website she would need to have her own HSA set up to do this.I'll have to see if it is worth setting up a 2nd HSA to deposit an extra $2000 max.
by jrbdmb
Mon Feb 20, 2023 2:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare vs. Spouse's employer health insurance
Replies: 10
Views: 1167

Re: Medicare vs. Spouse's employer health insurance

My wife will turn 65 next year and so I am starting to think about the typical issues for someone turning 65 (SS, Medicare, etc.). I am a few years younger and plan to be employed for at least 5 more years. Thanks to Open Social Security I think I have her SS figured out, but I'm not sure how to analyze here medical options. Specifically, do I have her sign up for Medicare next year or keep her on my employer plan as long as possible? There is a separate premium for employee vs. employee + spouse, so I could potentially save money there, but of course I have to balance that out against here costs on medicare - which could just be Parts A and B, Parts A / B / D, Parts A / B / D and Medigap, or one of the multitude of Medicare Advantage plan...
by jrbdmb
Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Ebay as trustworthy as any other online place?
Replies: 25
Views: 1916

Re: Is Ebay as trustworthy as any other online place?

Counterfeit goods can be an issue on eBay. But then again Counterfeit goods can be an issue on Amazon as well.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/20/birkens ... urge.html

I'm not normally in the market for Birkenstocks, :happy but I've made it a point to buy SanDisk memory cards only from local stores due to the number of counterfeits sold online. I don't know if that would extend to sunscreen, but at minimum only buy from eBay sellers with a long history and a lack of negative reviews.
by jrbdmb
Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare vs. Spouse's employer health insurance
Replies: 10
Views: 1167

Medicare vs. Spouse's employer health insurance

My wife will turn 65 next year and so I am starting to think about the typical issues for someone turning 65 (SS, Medicare, etc.). I am a few years younger and plan to be employed for at least 5 more years. Thanks to Open Social Security I think I have her SS figured out, but I'm not sure how to analyze here medical options. Specifically, do I have her sign up for Medicare next year or keep her on my employer plan as long as possible? There is a separate premium for employee vs. employee + spouse, so I could potentially save money there, but of course I have to balance that out against here costs on medicare - which could just be Parts A and B, Parts A / B / D, Parts A / B / D and Medigap, or one of the multitude of Medicare Advantage plans...
by jrbdmb
Thu Feb 16, 2023 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pre-college programs
Replies: 78
Views: 5547

Re: Pre-college programs

I don't think those paid college summer programs offer much value to the application, as long as the student can find something else to do during the summer. One of my children conducted research with a college professor he was fortunate to meet when attending one of those 'College-for-a-Day' programs hosted by Learning Unlimited. https://www.learningu.org/current-programs/ Most of the classes are taught by undergrads so my son was lucky to enroll in a class taught by a prof and that the prof was receptive to the idea of research. Research was unpaid, but the only expense I incurred was his train fare. I love the idea of the local hospital programs you mentioned. If nothing else, this could provide him an inside look at the health care fie...
by jrbdmb
Fri Feb 10, 2023 9:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions
Replies: 41
Views: 4667

Re: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions

These are probably my two favorites. First one is busier due to the chronograph functions, but probably more practical.

The second one apparently isn't a US model, but I first came across it on eBay and definitely fits "minimalist." But missing tick marks isn't my preference (one thing I don't like about Movado).

Image

https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/prod ... 0-51A.html

Image

https://www.citizenwatches.co.in/beta/p ... au1060-51a
by jrbdmb
Fri Feb 10, 2023 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions
Replies: 41
Views: 4667

Re: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions

(deleted ... found something I like better below)
by jrbdmb
Fri Feb 10, 2023 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions
Replies: 41
Views: 4667

Re: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions

simplextableau wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:59 am Look at Nomos: https://nomos-glashuette.com/en
Agreed this is probably the closest I could get to the A. Lange "look" - but at a starting point of about $2200 for the Orion 38 it is possible but still a bit of a splurge for me.
by jrbdmb
Fri Feb 10, 2023 12:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions
Replies: 41
Views: 4667

Re: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions

mrmass wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:05 am Takes a lickin'

https://www.timex.com/fairfield-41mm-le ... te&start=1
I actually do like the look of that, but there are a few too many reviews complaining about poor build quality / poor timekeeping.
by jrbdmb
Thu Feb 09, 2023 7:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions
Replies: 41
Views: 4667

Boglehead minimalist watch suggestions

I am looking for a "minimalist" style watch, preferably with a white dial, to add to my collection. I was wowed by the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin ...

https://www.alange-soehne.com/us-en/tim ... ld-201-027

... but I was also wowed (not in a good way) by the $21K price tag. Another watch I found more in my price range is this from Nordgreen ($214):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HZ53WH6

Any other suggestions for a minimalist watch with a moderate price tag would be welcome. Extra points for any qualifying Citizen Eco-drive (it's great not having to change out batteries, but I haven't found any that are this style).
by jrbdmb
Wed Feb 08, 2023 12:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Anyone feel like they missed out by not buying real estate?
Replies: 232
Views: 38144

Re: Anyone feel like they missed out by not buying real estate?

runner3081 wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:24 pm Not passive enough for me.
A real estate ETF like Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund (VNQ) is always an option. But a cursory look at the past 15 years shows that real estate doesn't always go up.
by jrbdmb
Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is Vanguard's Recommendation For International Exposure Still ~40% VXUS?
Replies: 63
Views: 9825

Re: Is Vanguard's Recommendation For International Exposure Still ~40% VXUS?

scophreak wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 9:48 am Many here have already spoken of recency bias. Taking that one step further, here is the performance of VTI vs VXUS over the past year:

VTI: +6.90% YTD, -8.42% 1-year
VXUS: +8.74% YTD, -6.17% 1-year

In other words, your VXUS investment outperformed your VTI by +1.84% YTD and +2.25% 1-year.

Will this continue? Your guess is as good as mine...
According to Yahoo Finance, VXUS has outperfomed VTI by 14.2% since October 31. I'm OK with that. :beer
by jrbdmb
Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Need to spend $10,000 stat!
Replies: 147
Views: 14341

Re: Need to spend $10,000 stat!

I met my minimum spend once with a tuition payment for my child. There was a fee associated with it, but the cash back percentage was higher than the fee so it made sense.

I suspect that any payments that approach $10,000 will have a fee tacked on, as as said above purchases of gift cards may be excluded.
by jrbdmb
Mon Feb 06, 2023 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, Aged in Bourbon Barrels, 2021 Vintage
Replies: 15
Views: 2006

Re: Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, Aged in Bourbon Barrels, 2021 Vintage

Somewhere on the internet, there is a post asking about bourbon aged in wine barrels. The universe is in balance. I don't believe that can be done and still call it a "bourbon" but many varieties of American and Scotch whisky spend at least some of their aging in wine barrels. Ardbeg Uigeadail (aged in sherry casks) is my go-to at the moment. As for the OP, popularly priced wines tend to be meant for more immediate consumption, while the more premium reds are made to benefit from cellaring. But of course there are exceptions to this rule. Well, now I had to look this up since I know Angel’s Envy is aged in port wine barrels and is classified a bourbon. I learned that this is the case because it is aged in new, charred oak barrels...
by jrbdmb
Mon Feb 06, 2023 1:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, Aged in Bourbon Barrels, 2021 Vintage
Replies: 15
Views: 2006

Re: Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, Aged in Bourbon Barrels, 2021 Vintage

Kenkat wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 1:00 pm Somewhere on the internet, there is a post asking about bourbon aged in wine barrels. The universe is in balance.
I don't believe that can be done and still call it a "bourbon" but many varieties of American and Scotch whisky spend at least some of their aging in wine barrels. Ardbeg Uigeadail (aged in sherry casks) is my go-to at the moment.

As for the OP, popularly priced wines tend to be meant for more immediate consumption, while the more premium reds are made to benefit from cellaring. But of course there are exceptions to this rule.
by jrbdmb
Fri Feb 03, 2023 4:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: James Bond and Watches
Replies: 47
Views: 4581

Re: James Bond and Watches

Of course somebody has gone to the trouble of placing almost all of the watches has worn throughout the years. Mainly Rolex Submariners early on, then a short Seiko period, and since 1995 exclusively Omega.I'd like to own a Bond watch someday, but only if it has a (non-explosive) feature provided by Q.

(Edit - link was just provided above.)
by jrbdmb
Fri Feb 03, 2023 2:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Citi including "bank promotions" on 1099-INT
Replies: 51
Views: 4802

Re: Citi including "bank promotions" on 1099-INT

Here's an article that discusses this at length: https://thepointsguy.com/2012/01/paying-taxes-on-points-citibank-sends-tax-forms-for-some-checking-savings-sign-up-bonuses/ So while it seems clear that the IRS doesn't consider credit-card signup bonuses to be valued as interest income, they seem to waffle on the kind of bonus I received here (from opening the savings account). Interestingly, this article talks about $0.025/mile valuation, whereas mine appeared to be valued at $0.0098/mile. You quoted an article from 2012. TPG seems to have changed its mind about this by 2018: So, some are wondering what's different about these accounts, and if bank bonuses should actually be taxable. Short answer: Yes. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/are-ba...
by jrbdmb
Fri Feb 03, 2023 1:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Citi including "bank promotions" on 1099-INT
Replies: 51
Views: 4802

Re: Citi including "bank promotions" on 1099-INT

tibbitts wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 1:20 pm
MrJedi wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 12:15 pm Miles/points are still taxable. Amex, Chase etc. are no different in this regard either.
At least as of a couple of years ago none of the many cards I've had bonus points/miles for ever issued a 1099, so I understand the OP questioning this, but not so much the anger aspect of the response.
Once again, that is because points / miles / $$$ on a credit card (Citi Double Cash for example) is considered a rebate or discount and therefore not taxable. Points / miles / $$$ on a savings account (Citi Accelerate) is considered additional interest and therefore is taxable.
by jrbdmb
Wed Jan 25, 2023 12:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: International Stocks return will be superior to US
Replies: 480
Views: 42654

Re: International Stocks return will be superior to US

US equities have outperformed ex-US for an extended period of time.

Some Bogleheads believe in "reversion to the mean" and expect a future period where ex-US will outperform. Other believe that the US has an intrinsic advantage over ex-US and will continue to outperform for the foreseeable future. As a result Bogleheads will recommend anything between 0% ex-US to 60% or more ex-US as "reasonable."

Since I really don't know who is correct, I am hedging my bets by owning ex-US, but at less than market weighting (35% currently). But I'm not sure there is a "correct" answer here.
by jrbdmb
Fri Jan 20, 2023 1:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: DFA new ETFs
Replies: 5
Views: 2852

Re: DFA new ETFs

I am interested in DFNM (National Municipal Bond ETF) - I like it's duration which is a bit shorter than VTEB and MUB. But my taxable fund is parked at Merrill Edge and this ETF is "blocked" - guessing it is due to it being an active fund. In fact it appears that many of the Dimensional Fund Advisors ETFs are blocked. :annoyed
by jrbdmb
Wed Jan 18, 2023 10:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it true that prior year capital loss carryover can be used with no limit to cancel out current year capital gains?
Replies: 26
Views: 5157

Re: Is it true that prior year capital loss carryover can be used with no limit to cancel out current year capital gains

If you have capital losses much larger than your capital gains, then I understand that you first use the losses to offset your gains. Then if you have any losses left over you then offset $3000 in ordinary income and carry over the remainder until next year.

But a bit of confusion ... I've read multiple places that you can offset up to $3000. But does that mean it is optional, or am I required to offset that $3000? I'd prefer to defer that $3000 until next year if possible.
by jrbdmb
Tue Jan 17, 2023 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sell all stocks, bonds, mutual funds in Fidelity rollover IRA and buy IRA brokered CDs
Replies: 33
Views: 2744

Re: Sell all stocks, bonds, mutual funds in Fidelity rollover IRA and buy IRA brokered CDs

I doubt that FDIC insurance would be worth much if things get ugly. Likewise your pension and Social Security might not be as secure as you might think in a financial Mad Max scenario. There are two things that make doing big shifts like this work well difficult. 1) In theory everyone knows as much as you do and the likely outcome is already priced into the market. You not only need to be smarter than most other people you also need to be faster. 2) You could be exactly right about your high level assumptions but it could play out in unexpended ways. For example interest rates and inflation could both get a lot higher so CDs would be one of the worst places to put your money. In uncertain times being diversified is likely a better approach...
by jrbdmb
Fri Jan 13, 2023 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pension valuation: is $100 really worth $18,000?
Replies: 92
Views: 11484

Re: Pension valuation: is $100 really worth $18,000?

Apologies for resurrecting this thread, but I have a situation that seems to apply here.

I have a pension that will be starting in a few months (Age 60). Part of my benefit is a Personal Retirement Provision (PRP), which can be added to the pension or paid in a lump sum. In this case the extra pension benefit of $165/mo (Life Only) or $144/mo (100% Joint & Survivor) vs. a lump sum of $17,379. Rule of thumb tells me that no matter what I should take the extra pension benefit. Would this be correct, or is there anything else I should consider?
by jrbdmb
Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:42 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: To international stock or not to international stock
Replies: 154
Views: 16002

Re: To international stock or not to international stock

ebeb wrote: Sun Jan 08, 2023 12:37 pm If it does reverse in future which is unsure, then it seems to come in long cycles of 5-10years when ex-US may outperform US. Will give lot of time to market-time into ex-US. Till then am happy with 100% US stocks. :annoyed
Looking at Yahoo Finance, since November 01 VXUS (Ex-US) has outperformed VTI (US) by 13.6%. So how long and far does Ex-US have to outperform for you decide it is time to market-time into it?
by jrbdmb
Sun Jan 08, 2023 3:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: MTB [mountain bike] choice help
Replies: 36
Views: 2426

Re: MTB choice help

If you are riding a lot of paved surfaces but still want to go off-road a bit, consider a front suspension that can be locked so you aren’t wasting energy on smooth surfaces. The Trek Dual Sport (2?) is one bike with this option. The Trek FX3 has a carbon fork that saves weight and is supposed to absorb some rough terrain without a suspension. Hopefully you can find a full fledged MTB with these options if you prefer.

(Note I haven’t tried either of these, just read info on them when looking for a hybrid.)
by jrbdmb
Thu Jan 05, 2023 1:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Confusing 2022 Vanguard tax form info
Replies: 23
Views: 2975

Re: Confusing 2022 Vanguard tax form info

talltodd wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 10:44 am Email:
You may receive 2 sets of tax forms for 2022 Because you transitioned from our old investment platform last year, you'll likely receive 2 sets of 2022 tax forms (unless your accounts had no activity). Please wait until you have both sets of forms before filing your taxes.

Online:
You are scheduled to receive one tax form this year
Available by 1/24/23 — 3/12/23

Anyone else seeing something like this? I'm worried the system transition is going to cause me headaches. Thanks.
The real question is why it may take until March 12 for Vanguard to provide tax information. Generally I have everything needed to do my taxes by the end of January.
by jrbdmb
Thu Jan 05, 2023 1:41 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard site problems
Replies: 51
Views: 6080

Re: Vanguard site problems

H-Town wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 7:12 pm
Apathizer wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:43 pm
Bama12 wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:23 pm I have logged in more then 10 times today never had an issue.
I only logged in twice, but also didn't have any issues. I'm wondering if maybe it's the mutual fund specific site which I don't use and Vanguard is trying to move people out of?
Nah, there are some who hated Vanguard with a passion and love to broadcast it. I think some could do well if they upgrade their internet from dial-up to fiber.
And there are others who excuse any misstep by Vanguard. BTW my recent issues were over a wired connection, 89.2 Mbps per speedtest.net.
by jrbdmb
Tue Jan 03, 2023 4:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard site problems
Replies: 51
Views: 6080

Re: Vanguard site problems

Absolutely unacceptable. Let us know how your transfer to Fidelity or Schwab goes... Regards, 1. This is a retirement plan with my current employer. I have no option to relocate it. 2. Why do you think these types of issues are acceptable? I can't speak to Fidelity, but when I have used Schwab or Merrill Edge in the past I've never logged in during business hours and had my accounts disappear. I didn't say I thought they were acceptable. I thought that since you wrote that it was "absolutely unacceptable" that you'd be moving your account. I was just curious where you'd land. Regards, Sorry that I misinterpreted your response. I used to be a big fan of Vanguard, including its website. I still like their mutual funds and ETFs, but...
by jrbdmb
Tue Jan 03, 2023 12:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard site problems
Replies: 51
Views: 6080

Re: Vanguard site problems

retired@50 wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 11:50 am
jrbdmb wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 11:41 am
Absolutely unacceptable.
Let us know how your transfer to Fidelity or Schwab goes...

Regards,
1. This is a retirement plan with my current employer. I have no option to relocate it.
2. Why do you think these types of issues are acceptable? I can't speak to Fidelity, but when I have used Schwab or Merrill Edge in the past I've never logged in during business hours and had my accounts disappear.
by jrbdmb
Tue Jan 03, 2023 11:41 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard site problems
Replies: 51
Views: 6080

Re: Vanguard site problems

Before I found this thread,I logged into Vanguard to check my Retirement Account balances and it show *nothing*. No Retirement Account, no history, no statements, no errors, no "we're having an issue" message. All it showed was a different individual brokerage account with a small balance.

Absolutely unacceptable.
by jrbdmb
Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Washer/Dryer - Miele long term? Other options?
Replies: 39
Views: 4643

Re: Washer/Dryer - Miele long term? Other options?

student wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:34 am I know you asked for those available in HD/BB, so my answer does not fit but it does offer another option. Speed Queen. They are more expensive but reliable. However, I have heard that one recent model wasn't doing that well because it was updated to meet some water usage regulations. In general, mechanical knobs one will probably last longer than those with fancy features.
Energy savings would rule out Speed Queen, their popular models purposely skirt around government Energy Star regulations. A full load uses 40+ gallons of water, way more than other modern brands.
by jrbdmb
Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:47 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Stocks, bonds on track for worst year since post-Civil War
Replies: 129
Views: 15688

Re: Stocks, bonds on track for worst year since post-Civil War

Every once in a while I'll get a message from somebody on facebook telling me something like this: This Month has five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays. This only happens once every 843 years. The Chinese call this event "Pistacio" and any pair of shoes will be lucky if you set off a firecracker in the left shoe. I am thinking seeking alpha may need to look into more this sort of material. Still better than Tuesday * 365 And it's better than annualizing the covid decreases. That was breathtakingly [Freudian slip sry] stupid, but that's exactly what happened at the end of first quarter 2020. Especially the government. They were all fired up about it. FYI from timeanddate.com: The 823 Years Myth If you have an email or a s...
by jrbdmb
Tue Dec 27, 2022 7:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cars for tall people
Replies: 37
Views: 5539

Re: Cars for tall people

I am also 6' 4" with most of my height in my torso - I ended up in an F150 as i enjoy the overall space and it has been easier to travel with my tall family (everyone including my wife is over 6') One piece of advice I can give, is that in general, getting a version of a particular car without a sun roof/moon roof, adds an inch or two of headspace which can make all the difference for comfort level. As mentioned above, I would just try as many different vehicles at a dealer a possible Good luck! Agreed. I am "only" 6'2" but have a long torso and arms, and need a Tall size for many shirts. The height of the car/truck doesn't necessarily translate into extra headroom. For myself I also have an F-150 without sunroof (the s...
by jrbdmb
Tue Dec 27, 2022 7:24 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: WSJ Reporter doing story on Retiring with $1million
Replies: 92
Views: 20205

Re: WSJ Reporter doing story on Retiring with $1million

I suppose one must factor in the WSJ audience, but I’d like to hear about the 90% of retirees who get by on less than $1 million - most of them significantly less. That would be an interesting article. Any way that suggestion could be passed along? I'd speculate that those 90% of retirees you're referring to have got themselves a nice, fat pension. You would be wrong. According to a recent GAO report: 29 percent of those who are retired or nearing the traditional retirement stage of life still have no retirement savings or a defined benefit plan, such as a job-based pension , and will need to rely on Social Security. “Many retirees and workers approaching retirement have limited financial resources,” the GAO noted in a previous report. htt...
by jrbdmb
Tue Dec 06, 2022 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does Bank of America have too many problems.
Replies: 75
Views: 10236

Re: Does Bank of America have too many problems.

Why not try a credit union that's part of the co-op network? With co-op, you can walk into any branch and do business as if it's your home credit union branch. Oh, and even before BoA started selling off their B&M offices, there were more co-op branches than BoA ever had. Same with ATMs. You will find that you won't get a lot of things BoA gives its customers. Like minimums or you get charged. Or charges for various things like teller use or breathing their air or looking at the BoA sign (yes, sarcastic). Credit unions are all non profit and are there to serve members unlike BoA who is there to make money for their CEO, Darth Vader or Overlord Sith. I've been a DCU member for over 30 years and have zero complaints. DW's aunt was in an ...
by jrbdmb
Fri Dec 02, 2022 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead Beer
Replies: 1071
Views: 204136

Re: Boglehead Beer

It seems like the market is missing an opportunity here, since the only true Boglehead Beers would be:

"Boglehead VTI Beer" - a market-weighted mixture of every beer currently made in the United States.
"Boglehead FTSE ex-US Beer" - a market-weighted mixture of every beer currently made outside of the United States.

We could then start endless debates on why some drink 40% VTI and 60% ex-US, while others vow to stick with 100% VTI forever. :D
by jrbdmb
Mon Nov 21, 2022 5:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Preferred Internet Radios?
Replies: 16
Views: 1453

Re: Preferred Internet Radios?

We use Logitech Squeezebox for our kitchen radio. It works well. One caveat is that it’s usually hard to turn up or down the sound volume as for some reason the uprocesser reacts very slowly to that command so you have to play with it to get it right. I don’t think they’re sold anymore. We also have a Grace but we quit using it because it was unreliable. I also have a few Logitech Squeezebox models (standalone Boom radio, Touch hooked up to stereo system). Unfortunately Logitech discontinued the product line and basically abandoned support. The last time I checked they still work but that could change at any time since they are dependent on external servers. :annoyed Because of this I am reluctant to move to another proprietary internet ra...
by jrbdmb
Wed Nov 16, 2022 8:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Merchants adding surcharges to pay with a credit card
Replies: 184
Views: 12409

Re: Merchants adding surcharges to pay with a credit card

runninginvestor wrote: Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:41 am Visa and MasterCard raised fees earlier this year after postponing changes during the pandemic. You'll likely see this a lot more as businesses try to offload as many costs a possible on the consumer due to inflation. Redoing label pricing will happen eventually to include the extra charge, but it's costly to relabel existing inventory. I imagine the separated charge will stay thoughas long as the consumer base bears it.
In my experience restaurants that have added extra fees for credit cards have been more than happy to also reprint their menus with increased prices as needed.
by jrbdmb
Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Merchants adding surcharges to pay with a credit card
Replies: 184
Views: 12409

Re: Merchants adding surcharges to pay with a credit card

I am seeing this more and more as well, particularly at restaurants. I am curious when Visa / Mastercard / AMEX decided they would no longer prohibit surcharges for using their credit cards, because I know at one time it was definitely a condition of accepting their cards for payment. I searched recently and couldn't find anything about this change.
by jrbdmb
Mon Nov 14, 2022 7:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When is a good time to buy a car?
Replies: 72
Views: 9837

Re: When is a good time to buy a car?

Watty wrote: Sat Oct 22, 2022 11:27 am
When is a good time to buy a car?
Before you have to.
Pithy but sage advice. I had to buy a car in January 2022 due to a problem with my wife's car that made it refuse to start at random times. Almost a month in the dealer could not resolve the problem. As a result I had to get a replacement vehicle on very short notice - I paid well over sticker price for it due to pandemic-related inventory shortages. I may give her my car and ride my bike to work in the winter rather than go through that again. :annoyed