Bogleheads.org

sbaywriter

I liked them. I got used to them quickly and found they worked fine in most cases - not perfect but good enough. I used glasses over contacts while working at the computer for long stretches of time. Otherwise I could do without. Until eventually I had to return to glasses because eyes got too dry f...

sbaywriter

I found a URL that seems to clarify the question of whether the charity needs to receive/cash the checks before the end of the year for the QCD to be considered to be taken in that year. Or at least clarifies one scenario. https://www.financial-planning.com/news/charitable-contributions-from-an-ira-...

sbaywriter

Regarding the house, another thing to be considered is long-term incapacity versus death. I would check with the lawyer that the financial POA gives the authority to sell the real estate, if it is not under a lady bird deed or trust.

sbaywriter

Florida does not have TOD for a house but they do have something called a "lady bird deed" which may be applicable in your case.

sbaywriter

If outdoor activities and moderate temperatures are high on your list and you are considering Santa Barbara (pricy), you might also consider Ventura, one of my favorite places in terms of physical environment. But little going on culturally - there is a community college but um.... But you can do a ...

sbaywriter

Re the Roth:

The 5 year wait period for Roth withdrawal applies only to the earnings on the amount contributed, not to the contribution. Regular Contributions can be withdrawn at any time with no tax and no penalty.

sbaywriter

Sorry to bring back bad memories, yes, can't get much grimmer than Nevil Shute's On the Beach. Don't worry, almost all his other books are the opposite, obstacles are there but are overcome, people face adversity but win through, etc, uplifting.

sbaywriter

I second Ngaio Marsh. More modern style: Kerry Greenwood's mysteries featuring Phryne Fisher, set in Australia in the 1920s, the TV series is also great Also not mystery/police procedural but good novelist who wrote many novels, some set in Australia: Nevil Shute, pen name of Nevil Shute Norway, Eng...

sbaywriter

I'm surprised no one has suggested dollar cost averaging back in. Choose an equity allocation per the many good suggestions above, then invest 10 percent a month or something like that. Although it's possible you want to pause a while in the months leading up to the next election so that you won't b...

sbaywriter

I like the smaller size phone for my uses.I've been using SE for 3 years but this is second one - the first one I got 16gb which wasn't quite enough and then I dropped it and cracked the screen and the replacement screen never worked as well. Then I switched to consumer cellular last year and they w...

sbaywriter

I moved to hurricane country. I am sticking with laptop so I can take it with me easily should I need to evacuate. I use it just like desktop otherwise - use external monitor and external keyboard/mouse.

sbaywriter

If I am understanding you, the following is not correct: I think this means that if you cash out the month before it compounds you do NOT receive the interest. I believe the semi-annual compounding refers to changing the principal amount on which interest will be paid by adding to it the interest fo...

sbaywriter

I pay around 5k in interest, property tax payment, which is around 60k expense yearly. If i sell the house in 5 years, it has to go upto to 2 mn for me to break even (300k interest+prop tax, transaction costs). If you are not paying this 60k yearly in mortage etc, you would be paying rent, so you w...

sbaywriter

Also, there is Medicare Part D.

sbaywriter

I don't think any one has mentioned the possible "perceived as too old" issue. Is it possible that they are looking for younger candidates in some cases so they kind of write you off at the beginning of the interview but don't say anything because legally they are not supposed to consider age. There...

sbaywriter

Another non-connoisseur here. I upgraded from years of drinking instant coffee to old drip type Cuisinart 4 cup machine. No recommendations on the expresso options, but on the beans, I couldn't tell much difference between buying a small bag of pre-ground and buying beans and grinding my own in a ch...

sbaywriter

No comments on individual communities but as a general statement: For hurricanes there are 3 main factors: storm surge, inland flooding, and winds. The maps seem to show they are far enough inland so you don't have to worry about storm surge, so that leaves inland flooding and winds. I would think t...

sbaywriter

I would suggest doing as much online research as possible on the types of lenses and so on. I have visited 3 cataract surgeons and none of them provided me useful information - I had to find it all out on my own. My optometrist was far more helpful in explaining to me what was occurring. There are s...

sbaywriter

Ok, you lost money from buying high and selling low – but I think you were right to sell – it was a rational response to recognizing that you had taken on an inappropriate risk with that money. So you should pat yourself on the back for being rational and recognizing that mistake. As many mentioned ...

sbaywriter

I just finished Circe by Madeline Miller, which I enjoyed tremendously - I've read a lot of junk recently, because I'm lazy and so read a lot of junky novels, but this was fascinating and original and also easy to read. Although it draws heavily on Greek mythology, particularly the stories in the Od...

sbaywriter

I have not found Vanguard customer service horrible - just some long wait times on the phone occasionally. But these days, I can do everything online anyhow. I have IRA accounts only, and at Vanguard, mutual funds only, old mutual fund "platform", have not converted to the brokerage platform. At Fid...

sbaywriter

It might help her to read the section in the wiki on getting a windfall, which will encourage her to take her time and not rush into doing anything with the money - in a way she is in a similar position of someone who suddenly has a lot of money and has to figure out what to do with it, and I think ...

sbaywriter

It probably dug out under the fence. Happens to our dogs all the time. I'd try the local shelter first, and if that doesn't work they can post some flyers around where it went missing. I just checked and it's not in our yard, and my neighbor says he hasn't seen it either. I did see a small tan and ...

sbaywriter

Option #5 Pretend the situation was reversed. What would you do if you were her boss? How would you want her to act toward you ? You might find you can reverse your present negative point of view. Perhaps you might want to congratulate her and let her know you will be doing your best to continue you...

sbaywriter

I think it was mostly that people upgraded without realizing what they were getting into - they were not just switching to a different web site - it was a different account type and if they had not had a brokerage account before, there were things that worked differently. For example, the settlement...

sbaywriter

Someone posted this link on a similar ongoing discussion - it's a good summary, especially the comparison table, and may answer all your questions:

Vanguard brokerage https://www.vanguard.com/pdf/vbafqm.pdf

sbaywriter

Regarding the Rule of 55 mentioned above - since you say the 401k was from former employer the Rule of 55 does not seem to apply according to an article I found on the web, which says: The Rule of 55 only applies to assets in your current 401(k) or 403(b )—the one you invested in while you were at t...

sbaywriter

I know nothing really, no hiring experience. But seems like this could be validly included as part of a functional resume versus chronological resume. Also, if there are opportunities for taking on your desired new role within company, that might be easier that external transistion. And maybe you co...

sbaywriter

I think they ran a bit late - got mine beginning of Feb. Once I got the paper copy I was also able to track it down a PDF download on the soc sec website - wasn't showing up before then.

sbaywriter

I retired to Clearwater recently. If you are thinking of Clearwater as a location that might work for commuting to both Tampa and St Pete - I think you might end up with 2 brutal commutes - maybe just go to St Pete so that at least one of you doesn't have the long commute. I guess suburban sprawl de...

sbaywriter

I spent hours in stores test driving mattresses a couple years ago. Finally bought at a big half price sale at Macy's after spending over an hour trying them out. The salesperson warned me that the mattress as delivered would not feel the same as the mattress in the store - it wouldn't be as soft. W...

sbaywriter

My CITI card makes it clear that if I schedule a payment before the autopay date, they adjust the autopay amount accordingly. For example right now I have a payment of $700 scheduled for next week and less than that is due on the autopay the following week, so their web site shows the statement: You...

sbaywriter

Nothing is perfect - you made the best decision you could at the time For an older house there will always be things that show up that need fixing after you buy. Usually you can prioritize and fix them over several years. Maybe making a list and identifying priorities to start working on would help....

sbaywriter

I only worked briefly in Fremont so don't know the parks there. I lived near Shoreline Park in Mountain View (near Googleplex), has some nice areas for families I think. When I lived in Sunnyvale I used to hike Rancho San Antonio park in Los Altos - it has beautiful hiking trails (heavily used these...

sbaywriter

Weather: It's temperate, but can get warm in the summer - if you are in an apartment without air conditioning you will wish you had it. Seasons: Summer is the dry season, winter the wet season (if California is not in a drought). You do see differences in vegetation - trees can change color, shed le...

sbaywriter

Had a friend who started doing this last year part-time for an agency in Calif - think it was some small independent tax prep company that had their own tax software, so her first step was going for classroom training in using the tax prep software - I think she spent at least 20 hours on that, mayb...

sbaywriter

I think this is a good post, OP, and well worth thinking about. Seems clear to me that these are individual decisions, there is no absolute right or wrong. Stay the course is a guideline that has to be applied with some understanding of the situation, and having first carefully thought out your cour...

sbaywriter

Would that be the RMD for 2019 (based on 2018 yr end balance)?

Yes sorry, edited to correct. I always think of it the other way and never can remember what age to use either!

sbaywriter

I think that before rolling over her 401k in 2019, she must first take the RMD for 2019 (based on 401k balance at end of year 2018). The 401k admin could confirm that.

Edited to correct that it is the RMD for 2019, based on the end of year 2018 balance.

sbaywriter

I know in some cultures the derivation/meaning can be important but in American culture, generally no one knows or cares. Maybe it will also help you decide if you think about the nicknames and which you would like of those. Daniel/Dan/Danny James/Jim/Jimmy/Jamie I like them all - have lots of good ...

sbaywriter

I live near a small airport and I knew it was there but thought I was far enough away. I was viewing the house in the mid afternoon - no planes overhead. Turns out they mostly fly in the morning and late afternoon. So if there is an airport nearby see if you can be there at the times of day that wou...

sbaywriter

To me, it seems like the same level of threat and chaos as it has for the many decades I've been around - which means not that bad things can't happen but that I just don't know when or if. So I take precautions but don't withdraw entirely. Newspapers have always made money by scary headlines. These...

sbaywriter

I likewise prefer the readability of the old style page and accidentally discovered how to get there quickly. I am still on the old mutual fund website, not the brokerage platform. When I log in on the mutual fund web site, it opens the Account Overview page, which is the new style page. Click My Ac...

sbaywriter

I'm surprised to see a recommendation to visit USC in downtown area, very long ways from west LA and UCLA and in not so great neighborhood. Likewise, Pasadena and the Huntington are a long drive.- I would recommend sticking on west side, or maybe as far east as Universal Studios which are fun and wo...

sbaywriter

Read Stout's novel The Family Affair - I think that's what you may be thinking of. Avoiding a direct answer to avoid a "spoiler". I found a bunch of "new" Nero Wolfe books in digital form, free, on Hoopla - they were quite enjoyable. If you have Hoopla access, search "Nero Wolfe" and you will find t...

sbaywriter

If your mental capacity feels limited now, you must have been brilliant before your difficulties because your post is so articulate. I agree with those who say you would do well to find yourself someone as backup and make sure all the legal stuff is also set up. For simple, if you have not previousl...

sbaywriter

I checked my account online just now - one fund was flagged as "eligible to convert", with a "convert to Admiral" link. But when I clicked on it, it then told me it was not eligible to convert. So UI looks a bit buggy right now.

sbaywriter

Do some online research to learn the best way to introduce 2 dogs together. This is something you need to educate yourself on. You may also may need to find a good dog trainer to work with.

sbaywriter

3)

Can one open the account(s) by exchanging or selling from an IRA?

I think you have to open the account first before you can exchange/sell into it. Could be wrong though - I only have IRA accounts at Vanguard.

sbaywriter

I wouldn't call it the worst - I had some good experiences and bad experiences at Vanguard, but most recently all good. Some definitely sounded clueless, others sounded really on top of things. Most explained things very clearly. For a while I thought Fidelity was better but that was because I was d...

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