Bogleheads.org

Don't answer the phone unless you know the person calling. Perhaps that was rude at one time, but it's normal practice in 2023. You don't owe anyone the favor of answering their unsolicited call.

Good grief, the outrage over pennies on here...

There's a tip jar at Starbucks and DD for the 1% of customers that pay with cash. Everyone else uses the app, with which you have to explicitly select an extra tip if desired. There's no pressure, no tipping culture, and no automatic 20%.

If that $1 customers occasionally tip makes a difference to a single mom making $11 an hour at her second job, well, good. It sure as hell isn't hurting most BH in their wallets. Refusing to tip bartenders, baristas, and takeout isn't going to promote some social good by overturning the idea of tipping. It's just being cheap.

Quick plug for a balance bike rather than a pedal bike with training wheels. Seems to work well for our youngest and the other neighborhood kids.

The part they need to learn first is balance and steering, not pedaling, after all.

NAND flash and DRAM are essentially commodities and have price swings accordingly. Right now flash is exceedingly cheap and there is ample supply. However, it doesn't really have any bearing on automotive sensors or refrigerator controllers; the fabs to build one type of microcircuit are vastly different from another and capacity can't adjust for market needs. So, I would still expect to see issues on some products even when others have a glut.

lillycat wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:21 pm

dukeblue219 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 2:33 pm

lillycat wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:38 pm A cup of coffee costs $6 at SB? No.

No it doesn't. A regular coffee is $2.65 at SB and $2.19 at Dunkin.

Yes, it does. I witness my DH order a giant cup at the SB drive thru all the time and it’s $6.
I have no idea what coffee costs at DD.

Then it's not coffee he is ordering, but some sort of latte, cappuccino, frappucino, or maybe a nitro cold brew that would be $10 at any sort of local cafe.

lillycat wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:38 pm A cup of coffee costs $6 at SB? No.

No it doesn't. A regular coffee is $2.65 at SB and $2.19 at Dunkin.

Not usually, but occasionally I do it as a nice gesture. Maybe 20% of the time?

No, I don't think it's common.

You need to call them to do it.

mike_in_ny wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:55 pm This has been on my mind as well. How do responsible companies manage this?

I work for a $8B revenue company that at one point I heard had a payroll of nearly $3B. While
not all was US, it would imply that its biweekly payroll was somewhere around $100M.
To stay under FDIC limits would require 400 banks! Or do big companies just go with big
banks that are "too big to fail"?

They don't have all $100M in a business checking account at BoA. It's constantly moving around in short term commercial paper and other highly liquid instruments, some of which are routinely turned over every day to meet various payroll or accounts payable needs.

Vanguard shows the annual returns for up to the last 10 years. Why don't they show performance beyond that other than with the "since inception date"? Basically every fund provider uses the same time periods. They have to draw the line somewhere. Many of your past posts seem to be skeptical of Vanguard. Here you state Surely this is an innocent oversight and not part of a ploy to hide the fact that index funds consistently and substantially outperform actively managed funds beyond the 10 years? And in your other thread today you asked: Surely this is an innocent oversight, and not part of a ploy to increase expense ratios without people noticing? Are these legit questions or are you suggesting there is an issue with Vanguard that...

GaryA505 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:57 pm

dukeblue219 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:02 am Merrill Edge is a crap platform with crap service, but it's pretty popular simply for the bonus you can get on BoA credit cards by holding $100k there, which can be any normal indexed ETF.

What kind of problems did you have with Merrill Edge?

I have an account there and it seems to be fine so far, what should I watch out for?

Not much in the way of problems per se, but the app is very limited in what it can do and the website is very non mobile friendly. It's not nearly as nice as Fidelity. But, it functions.

Reaching support is very hit or miss. It's typical big bank level of support, again, not as convenient as Fidelity or Vanguard, but it's not something I use much, either

Jags4186 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:58 pm

dukeblue219 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:52 pm I would. Others wouldn't.

But I also don't see how your $200k income supports spending $106k and saving $72k?

72k includes 7k employer match.

200 - 65 - 106 = 29k in taxes. If he lives in a no or low state income tax state, maxes out 2 401ks and say an HSA or FSA that sounds about right.

I always forget those exist

I would. Others wouldn't.

But I also don't see how your $200k income supports spending $106k and saving $72k?

I have the same issue. Worse, I can't even buy TTTXX or TOIXX as a regular mutual fund transaction but have to navigate via a "cash management" tab on the non-mobile website. But I do what I have to to keep my BoA status. Everything else I have on ME is ETFs which behave as easily as expected elsewhere. You can't buy via the trade tab? I can if I click on "Full Trade". You can't do it under "Quick Trade". I just select Mutual Fund and enter in the ticker. Yeah if I enter TTTXX or TOIXX into the search or quote box from the Full Trade screen I get "We could not find any matching securities." I don't know if this is common or not. Only works from the website by browsing to Cash Management. I can do it ...

anon_investor wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:04 am

dukeblue219 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:56 am I have the same issue. Worse, I can't even buy TTTXX or TOIXX as a regular mutual fund transaction but have to navigate via a "cash management" tab on the non-mobile website.

But I do what I have to to keep my BoA status. Everything else I have on ME is ETFs which behave as easily as expected elsewhere.

You can't buy via the trade tab? I can if I click on "Full Trade". You can't do it under "Quick Trade". I just select Mutual Fund and enter in the ticker.

Yeah if I enter TTTXX or TOIXX into the search or quote box from the Full Trade screen I get "We could not find any matching securities."

I don't know if this is common or not. Only works from the website by browsing to Cash Management.

OldSport wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:29 am

dukeblue219 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:56 am I have the same issue. Worse, I can't even buy TTTXX or TOIXX as a regular mutual fund transaction but have to navigate via a "cash management" tab on the non-mobile website.

But I do what I have to to keep my BoA status. Everything else I have on ME is ETFs which behave as easily as expected elsewhere.

How specifically do you purchase TTTXX and TOIXX with ME? This seemingly very simple action is not clear at all to me, and have wasted a lot of time trying to get this to work. It is frustrating.

I have to go to Research, then Mutual Funds on the actual website (not app). The I click Cash Management Solutions, where a list of money markets is available. Then I can order.

Don't use TMobile phone support. It's garbage. Stores aren't any better. This won't be popular with a lot of BH, but you need to use T-Force support available on Facebook or Twitter. They are vastly better trained and given more power to make things right.

You can just make a throwaway Twitter account if you don't already have one, then send a direct message to @TMobileHelp.

Check the Reddit for TMobile as well - you'll see this is the only real way to get things solved.

An awful lot of wealthy people, like the population at large, aren't rational.

I have the same issue. Worse, I can't even buy TTTXX or TOIXX as a regular mutual fund transaction but have to navigate via a "cash management" tab on the non-mobile website.

But I do what I have to to keep my BoA status. Everything else I have on ME is ETFs which behave as easily as expected elsewhere.

enviroian wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:04 pm I see nowhere on the Merrill app what the name of my investment product nor what the interest rate is. Is there something I’m missing? It just says “total portfolio value $100,000 and underneath it says “$0.00 0.00%”.

Did you actually buy anything yet? The account is just an account like any other brokerage. You need to buy an ETF, mutual fund, money market fund, and so forth to have anything other than a pile of cash.

Another reminder that Merrill Edge is not the same as Merrill Lynch. I would never use a Merrill Lynch account.

I only use Edge because I can get the CC rewards and ATM refunds at BoA. If that program was significantly reduced I'd move it all back to Fidelity, perhaps chasing a transfer bonus once.

It's hard to say from the information provided, but a high profit-margin home business can have pretty big tax bills, yes.

The extra chunk of social security payments is significant.

tunafish wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:37 am Are you switching between systems? I believe xlsx is for a newer excel and perhaps older excels do not like it.

Xlsx came about in Office 2007 which realistically was a long, long time ago. Anyone using Microsoft 365 would be able to open any valid Excel file even if the extensions were mixed.

Fpdesignco wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 2:24 pm

enviroian wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 2:22 pm I'm divorced, no kids. I only have a BOA debit card. I hold a BOA checking acct (payroll ACH into it) and general savings account.

I'm concerned if I transfer a few hundred grand to a newly opened Merrill account I'll lose my preferred status with BOA (I can't remember the balance minimum tiers).

Merril counts into your BOA status. I keep almost nothing with BOA and eveything in Merril to keep my rewards tier.

And quite frankly, this is the only compelling reason to ever use Merrill Edge - it's not a bad service but it's not nearly as user friendly as Fidelity or E-Trade or Schwab.

Not to lock it, no. You can set "quick taps" on the back as short cuts for various actions but none are to lock the device. You can also tap the screen to light it up (to check notifications and such) but again not to lock it.

Edit - the power button can do this if course, I assume you meant tapping the screen specifically

bikechuck wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:51 pm

dukeblue219 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:47 pm Are you thinking of MLB.tv? That's entirely different from MLB Network.

I don't know ... I did not know there was a difference I just want to be able to watch Chicago White Sox games in Central Ohio.

That's MLB.tv, the package you pay for (free with TMobile!) that streams out-of-market games. It's not changing. You can get it straight from the Roku app.

YouTubeTV dropped the MLB Network, which is like NFL Network or ESPN - highlights and analysis mostly. It's a single channel that only carries occasional featured games.

bikechuck wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:46 pm

Johnny Thinwallet wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 12:53 pm 03/16/23 update ...

Just got an email that YouTubeTV is hitting us next month with a sharp price increase to $72.99, up from the current $64.99.

Very disappointing, especially because they just recently dropped MLB Network.

I was planning on signing up for MLB network for the second time this season. Can I just add it as a Roku channel for the same price that it previously cost to add it on YouTube TV?

Are you thinking of MLB.tv? That's entirely different from MLB Network.

I dropped YouTube TV after their previous price increase. I don't know what disappoints me more: that they're continuing to raise prices, or that they have enough price-insensitive subscribers to permit them to raise prices. $72.99 is still a bargain compared to cable. The new multi-view feature has been awesome for the NCAA Tournament. It really depends on how many cables boxes or dvrs you had with cable. $72.99 is more than the cost of cable tv + basic DVR for a single TV when bundled with internet. However, there are a lot of households out there that pay over $200/mo for the cable alone, and those are the huge winners with YTTV. I'm still getting YTTV half price through TMobile but when that ends it will be hard to argue against droppi...

bling wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:44 am OP, make sure you mention the signup bonus. merrill edge has a $600 one right now which applies to you (>200k deposit).

Will that apply to funds transferred from BoA?

enviroian wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:27 am Thanks all. Good tips and will contact BOA today regarding a Merrill account.

Sign up for a Merrill Edge account. It's a plain old no cost brokerage. Don't let them sign you up for Merrill Lynch or any advisor led program.

Doing it online is the safest bet.

martincmartin wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:03 am Last night a friend mentioned an account at M1 for their 18 year old. It offers automatic rebalancing. Anybody have thoughts on M1, either for a kid who hasn't thought about investing, or for a Boglehead?

M1 isn't bad per se, just be aware that they explicitly describe themselves as a tech company that provides financial services. Their brokerage platform focuses on stocks, ETFs, and crypto. They do not allow you to buy, sell, or even transfer in mutual funds. That alone would be a problem for many BH but a total non-issue for most new investors.

Merrill Edge is a crap platform with crap service, but it's pretty popular simply for the bonus you can get on BoA credit cards by holding $100k there, which can be any normal indexed ETF.

Tracker968 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 11:33 pm Does SIPC have the $250k limit?

https://www.fidelity.com/trading/faqs-about-account

It is does ($500k actually ) but if Fidelity went under suddenly your stocks wouldnt disappear in the way a banks deposits do. You'd still own all the stocks or mutual funds you did before. They also carry excess insurance beyond SIPC. Read the link above.

Cost increase or not, the 4-in-1 multichannel viewing for March Madness is a killer feature. Try getting that from an antenna!

Of course, only relevant for about 4 days in mid March...

It's one of those things that isn't an objectively bad decision. This isn't putting all your retirement in crypto or co-signing for an old roommates's car loan bad. It just isn't necessarily optimal financially.

If you'll sleep better, it's worth it.

an_asker wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 8:00 am I'm surprised no one has told you to use tax software. Apparently once you start using it, all your tax filing issues will be solved. Or so I have been repeatedly told.

Scroll up.

It's true though. I don't understand all the angst over filing a schedule C. It's just a few more screens on whatever software you use.

If you're just getting a few royalty checks what receipts and deductions do you really have? You can drop all of that and just report the income. With something like TurboTax you're looking at 20 minutes tops.

Goldwater85 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:10 pm I-Bonds make for a great emergency fund; that's what I use them for (largely). But as a prior poster noted, there is a 1-year lockup, so you have to roll into them strategically.

Yeah, BH emergency fund is usually very different than a Dave Ramsey style emergency fund. The former tends to be six months or more in cash in case of a long term unemployment or crisis. The latter is more about a flat tire that stops you from getting to work or a pet that needs surgery.

If you're going to have your emergency fund in I bonds then it means your *true emergency* fund for timings happening right now is probably the extra cash floating in checking and credit cards with large limits.

They don't take commission on stocks either...

Honest opinion?

You make so much money that quality of life is not a concern. You've won the money game. Don't sacrifice time with family and friends just to make another 5.3% every year.

If you *want* to live in Nevada or Texas go for it, but I'd let the tax savings be icing on the cake because it won't change your life meaningfully. Leaving behind your family will.

I buy CD's. Through my brokerage account I can choose from a number of banks and create a ladder. Admittedly, my goal is only to keep pace with inflation. Staying within a percentage point or two over a short term (1-3 years) is close enough. What little buying power I lose will not be noticeable. I'm sorry, but I must not understand the meaning of "not noticeable" after all these years of living on this blue ball of water and rock. By this point in time, I don't understand how ANYBODY does "not notice" inflation and the loss of buying power. Really? Everything has gone up 12% to 24% since the shutdowns. Everything includes insurance, food, college, housing, energy, clothing, medicine, and more. Maybe nobody does budget...

If I may make some assumptions, this sounds like someone who bought $10,000 worth of bond ETF that was listed with a 0.2% yield and expected to receive exactly $200 in dividends for the year, divided into monthly checks.

Is that possible?

Munir wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 10:04 pm

Doctor Rhythm wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 6:28 pm

For example, on the prices & returns page they list VWOB has having a 0.2% expense ratio, but if one was to click on VWOB and look at the overview page it’s listed as 0.20%. If it’s the same, why not list it the same to avoid confusion.

Really?

There is no confusion. 0.2%, 0.20%, and 0.2000% are all the same number. Basic math. (Re post by Shell921).

I mean, they aren't necessarily the same number. Significant digits matter.

But it isn't worth complaining about, either.

Glockenspiel wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 6:20 pm

iamlucky13 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:24 pm

Glockenspiel wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 10:23 am Lululemon are what the stylish slimmer men are wearing in my upper class part of town.

Definitely not the Dockers Pleated Pants suggested above.

Why not Dockers? Some of us have style literacy worse than the average American's financial literacy, so being specific would be helpful.

Yep. It’s the pleats. If you got flat front straight leg Dockers, I’m sure they’d be totally acceptable. Pleats make you look like you teleported from the 1990s.

And on behalf of the Millennials on here, I'll preemptively apologize to anyone thinking "the nineties are old fashioned now??" because we feel it too.

Even 1999 is as old today as 1966 felt in 1990.

iamlucky13 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:24 pm

Glockenspiel wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 10:23 am Lululemon are what the stylish slimmer men are wearing in my upper class part of town.

Definitely not the Dockers Pleated Pants suggested above.

Why not Dockers? Some of us have style literacy worse than the average American's financial literacy, so being specific would be helpful.

You end up looking like an old clothing commercial from 1999. Pleats, especially, are the problem more than Dockers specifically. Slim fitting clothes are much more "in" if the workplace hasn't gone over entirely to hoodies and jeans.

It's going to be a roll of the dice. You're buying not Chinese manufactured items sold by American companies (or major Chinese brands) like you would on Amazon, but directly from the wholesale manufacturers in many cases. Do not expect easy returns or surprisingly good quality.

It's an absolute race-to-the-bottom retailer. Legit, yes, but truly zero concern other than price.

I'll stick with Amazon or Target.

The TSP G Fund currently yields 4.125% for March and the F Fund SEC yield is 4.16%. Since it’s almost identical, would it be better to be in G instead of F for the gov 401k? Or is F better over the long term? I’m looking to rebalance with new contributions. Should not be an either-or question. Diversification is key, not guessing which one is better. Why not hold an appropriate lifecycle fund? In the TSP, you have professionally allocated funds that you can pick from based upon your age or intended retirement date. Use them rather than trying to be smarter than the professionals. If you're near or in retirement, use L Income. Then you'll have G, F, and a bit of equity. Plus you won't waste your time asking strangers on an internet message ...

The catch is that they'll want you to prepay with a prepaid Visa, Apple gift card, gas card, or whatever else.

It's a scam.

The easy way to tell is that they called you.

quantAndHold wrote: ↑Mon Mar 13, 2023 12:14 pm

dukeblue219 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 13, 2023 12:06 pm

AnnetteLouisan wrote: ↑Mon Mar 13, 2023 5:56 am $620/mo for utilities? (Counting gas & electric)

I assume that is gas in the American sense, as in gasoline.

There’s a different $350 line item for gasoline.

Exactly. It was being added to the $270 to come up with the $620 utilities total I replied to.

AnnetteLouisan wrote: ↑Mon Mar 13, 2023 5:56 am $620/mo for utilities? (Counting gas & electric)

I assume that is gas in the American sense, as in gasoline.