Bogleheads.org

I did the transfers in January and July but that was just my choice. My plan did not require a minimum balance so I transferred everything and kept it in cash as there was a $2000 minimum to invest anything. It's best to keep it in cash because if the funds were in equity you would have to liquidate to move them anyway.

For HSA's check your plan docs, but many allow you to transfer out. In my case there was no fee. If you do a trustee to trustee transfer you can do do as many transfers as you like. If you do a rollover, which is where the funds are sent to you directly and you deposit them into an HSA you can only do one per year.

Had Wex previously and I transferred every six months to Fidelity. I had to have the HSA there as that is where the employer contributions went.

If you have an EZ Pass they now work all over Florida so no need for a Sunpass. If you only go to Florida occasionally and don't have an EZPass, then a Sunpass with suction cups works well.

Depends on the size of your family. If you can let it dry overnight, just let it do that. With 5 people plus with guests sometimes we run the dishwater 3-4 times a day. We also only rarely eat out.

As for the availability maybe it is based on location as I can't seem to find any in-stock nearby except the 800. I am keeping an eye out now.

The 800 is about 2 DB quieter and has Crystal Dry which supposedly dries better than a regular dry.

I know someone who has the 500 and I can barely hear it run so the noise doesn't differentiate for me. The real question is, how soon do you need it? If you buy a Series 800 you can get it within a few weeks. The 500, you might have to wait 6+ months.

If you have the time, wait for the 500. If your current washer suddenly dies, then you should go for the 800 which is more available.

Also in a MA house from the 1940's. It depends on the town, but some don't even require permits for electrical work. Getting the panel upgrade, a new line to the house and a new ground are fairly easy. It was about $4000 for me. The real cost was everything else. Everything was 2 wire BX using the shielding as a ground and it wasn't done very well. None of the basement outlets had GFCI and there was only 1 circuit for the whole upstairs including all lights and the bathroom. This can cost anywhere from $20k-$40k depending on if the floor is accessible from the basement and if you have attic accessibility. If the basement has a ceiling and you have no accessible attic it will be on the higher end. If you plan to sell, look at the house you h...

Electric and Gas ranges absolutely should be vented outside. It's not the fact that electric has no emissions so it doesn't need to be vented, but the highest unhealthy indoor air quality comes from what you're cooking. All that smoke has to go somewhere as well as steam and other things. Gas adds to the mix and in the winter you will get the highest indoor air pollution from the gas burning emissions such as NOx and CO due to the windows being closed all day. I have lived most of my life with a vent and it's so much better. I've lived in places with no vent, and the tops of cabinets are coated in greasy film.

So in short, always vent especially with gas. It will reduce incidence of asthmas in kids as well.

Does your home have water supply pipes that run in outer walls? If so, 60F is a safer bet. Without good insulation pipes in exterior walls can freeze at 50F. We had a place where that happened and after a bathroom renovation and adding sufficient insulation and foam board on the exterior it is less of a problem. I still personally wouldn’t go below 55F.

The other option is to turn off the water as suggested above or have a plumber put in a shutoff valve and drain valve to drain water out before you lower the temp.

Another Apple Watch lover here. I use mine every day and sometimes at night to track sleep. Some features do require a new watch, but WatchOS 9 added Sleep Tracking to Series 4 and up. I've had the Series 1 in 2015, a Series 3 in 2019 on clearance after the S4 came out, and a Series 7 on sale in 2021. I love how it has tracked my VO2 max and show over time where I have gone down in performance and where I have improved. It's great to see all this data. If you only use it for running and don't care about scratches get the Aluminum and use a screen protector. I have seen the stainless steel which others have purchased and it has a much harder glass. No screen protecter needed, but you need to get cellular wether you want it or not. As for the...

Went to Orlando area a few months ago. I used to have a SunPass but the battery died. I checked with Google and the site says they now accept EZPass everywhere in FL. Always add the car as a rental to your own account with an end date so you don't get billed for the next users tolls. https://www.cfxway.com/e-zpass/ I only paid tolls and no daily fees while I was there for two weeks. Also, check which EZPass you are getting to see the fees. Some places charge a monthly fee, some don't. For example, one authority that issues EZPass in NY has a fee, another doesn't. Maryland charges a fee, Virginia doesn't. If you're state doesn't have tolls, get a free one. If you live in a state with EZPass, check the fee's because you could save money even ...

The answer to the question above will see if it's worth it. My employer has either single or family options only, so kids were added on day 1 because it didn't cost anything extra and when we wanted to start going, it was already set up.

You want these to be paid post tax. I believe if the premiums are taxable your benefits are tax free. If they are pre-tax, the benefits are taxable.

https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/inco ... e-taxable/

jebmke wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 7:46 am My biggest gripe with VZ is that all three towers that are arrayed around us have their transmission beams focused such that they all three miss our house. The other day I was on my regular walk in a nearby neighborhood and there was a Verizon truck working on something. I asked him if they could lift the nearest tower and rotate it about three degrees but he didn't sound optimistic.

Which phone/frequency’s does your phone have? I found terrible coverage with my older 3G/LTE phone but went to a 5G phone and I now have service. It’s amazing when you wait a long time to upgrade how coverage can change so much with companies adding more LTE/5G frequencies.

Go with Visible. It is owned and operated by Verizon and I find better coverage for me on Verizon’s network than anyone else. They did just increase prices to $30/line per month for unlimited with hotspot from $25. The new plan includes roaming in the US and if you go to Canada or Mexico there is a plan for $40/month that includes service in those countries. If you don’t need a hotspot there are cheaper options. Also it is $5/month for a watch instead of $10/month that most carriers charge. If you want a promo code to try it out PM me. With the code it is $10/month for the first month. If it doesn’t work out, try another company. It is super easy to switch now and with eSIM’s you can transfer service in about 30 minutes. If you do have Comc...

Student success in schools is directly related to the average annual salary of the zip code in which you live. What is the average annual income of your neighborhood?

I’ve seen this a good amount in my area where parents live in a high income neighborhood but then still send their kids to private school. It makes no sense. If you’re in a low or middle income neighborhood go to private school. If not you’re wasting your tax dollars which are already supporting good schools and still paying for the private school.

https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/2 ... like-them/
https://apnews.com/1d856cd98d4c491e8443576b3a817740

Depending on where you live you may have what could be called Game Wardens, Conservation Officers or Environmental Police that deal with wild animals. They can help come up with a plan and if needed relocate the animal. Their job is to minimize human/wildlife confrontations and have the tools and skills to deal with it.

Not sure which state you’re in but if you post that it will be easy to determine your states agency you should contact.

I would go with the Toyota which seats the amount of people you want. My family has a few non- hybrid and hybrid CRV with the oldest non-hybrid from 2006 with over 175,000 miles and still going. Just go test out what you want now, get the specs you want written down, shop over the phone with a dealer in Colorado to place the order. Lots of these hybrids are not on the lot, so if you place your order now it should be ready when you want it and it will be in CO. I’m looking for a 7+ seater and there are no hybrids on the lot and all coming in have been spoken for. They do have gas only engines on the lot. I asked my local Toyota dealership about a hybrid Highlander and if I order now I can have exactly what I want in 4-6 months. Better get go...

honigvod wrote: ↑Thu Aug 11, 2022 9:07 pm 2004: Motorola RAZR

Didn't everyone have a RAZR in 2004? I still have my Verizon RAZR sitting in a box, maybe it's time to mount it to keep on my desk.

Jack FFR1846 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 11, 2022 10:27 am I plan to retire soon. I might at that point go from my current SE back to my 4s, which was my favorite.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the iPhone 4S will no longer work. All 3G networks will be shut down by the end of the year and the 4S never supported Wi-Fi calling. I belive AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile's networks are shutdown with Verizon shutting down on December 31st 2022.

Also a call to anyone using a 3G only phone, you need to upgrade now to maintain service.

I suggest 3 coach seats. If you hit turbulence you may not have a good grip on your baby and that could cause injury. The carseat is the safest place. Most airlines will require you to put the infant in the window seat as having the seat anywhere else will cause someone to be blocked in an emergency.

Also, some economy plus seats as well as first class may not accommodate a baby. When the seats get to a certain distance apart where you can't brace yourself on the seat in front of you, airlines have started installing airbags. If your seat has an airbag it will not be safe for a car seat. I've run into this on JetBlue E190's where the first 2-3 rows have airbags on the seatbelts.

Take the Roth double walled tank and get it inspected regularly. I know of a case where oil was not visibly leaking from a tank and contamination was found on the property and neighboring property. Owners had to pay for cleanup and then were sued by the neighbors for groundwater contamination. Owners with a property that was free and clear for over 20 years had take out a mortgage to cover the $250k judgement. Homeowners did not cover this. This was from an above ground tank in the basement? That is what is being replaced here. If so, that is scary. It was from an above ground single walled tank in a fieldstone basement. The state EPA found it had to have come from the property due to it being uphill. No one could prove where it came from ...

No natural gas where we live (very rural suburb of Boston). We are both ~ 70 years old, and I doubt we'll be living here at age 85. No experience with heat pumps, or how our home's heating system would be retrofitted to accommodate heat pumps. Now that I see you're in MA, there are some hefty incentives to switch from oil to heat pumps. Do you have ducts at all? If so then it can be relatively easy and cost effective with a central heat pump. If not, you can install mini-split heat pumps in the home. The units mount on the wall or in the ceiling in-between joists and then the condenser line is run outside to the condenser unit which can handle multiple blower units. It wouldn't be less than buying a new oil tank, but you will save on the m...

Take the Roth double walled tank and get it inspected regularly. I know of a case where oil was not visibly leaking from a tank and contamination was found on the property and neighboring property. Owners had to pay for cleanup and then were sued by the neighbors for groundwater contamination. Owners with a property that was free and clear for over 20 years had take out a mortgage to cover the $250k judgement. Homeowners did not cover this.

$1500 extra for a tank that has a warranty of 30 years and if the inner plastic tank fails the outer tank can hold 110% of the inner tank, I'd do it. The only catch with a Roth is you can only use either a float gauge or a smart oil gauge due to the limited holes available on the top of the tank.

Broken Man 1999 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:24 pm Instead I signed on at Spectrum for $49.99/month for 400/400 service, 24 months price lock with no contract.

It's technologically impossible to get 400mbps upload with a cable provider. DOCSIS specs just don't allow for it, so you're upload is probably 20mbps or so on your Spectrum package. For most people at this point it doesn't matter too much, but for anyone who uploads a lot fiber is superior since you get symmetrical speeds.

As for FiOS the prices for TV are too high. I now stream everything. The streaming services cost about $40/month plus $40/month for Verizon 200mbps/200mbps (really 300mbps/300mbps). Also switched to Ooma for a landline, so that's only $6/month.

wander wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 1:37 pm Visible is your best option. It's Verizon prepaid plan with Unlimited for everything. You don't have to think about how much data has been used. All 4 phones for $100. For me, it's great deal.

+1 for visible. $25/line, $100 total for 4 lines.

For inner suburbs, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Arlington, Watertown, Waltham and Malden are generally good. Some more diverse than others. Cambridge, Somerville, the part of Medford west of the Mystic River and Malden will have many places on T lines. Framingham and Natick would be worth a look out Metro West. They are further out but also more affordable. North, Woburn is more diverse and less expensive. I'm less versed on the south of Boston so I will let someone else chime in there. The farther out places may have express bus service and commuter rail service. The commuter rail has been revamped due to the pandemic and instead of serving the rush in the peak direction, trains now run hourly in each direction with a bit more service i...

As somebody used to California climate you may also have to include in your budget winter escape *giggle* MA is a great state to live in, but really only for 7-8 months of the year. Going down to 39 degrees tonight where I live. You may be surprised and pick up some winter hobbies that keep you here during the winter. In fact, when I go somewhere in the winter, I go north to get more snow and cold. Definitely invest in good winter gear as you can be very comfortable below freezing with the right clothes. Also, don't forget to open a 529 in the Massachusetts plan with Fidelity if you do contribute to a 529. If you use the MA plan you get a state tax deduction. You can also get the state tax deduction if you use the pre-paid Tuition UPlan. B...

Just a heads up that Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts Health Plan are merging and re-branding as Point32 Health. You still have great choices with Point32, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, BMC HealthNet and Fallon Community Health. As for looking for a place to live, 45-60 minutes can mean lots of things. On the T (public transit) that would be Cambridge or Quincy. Driving depends on traffic, as you can live out by I-495 and it will take you an hour to get downtown outside of peak traffic, but 1.5 hours at peak. Once you figure that out, you need to pick one of three areas in Greater Boston: North Shore, South Shore, or Metro West. If your spouse's family lives South of Boston and you live North, the trip could be grueling. If you want diversity the ...

There is not really any renovation you can do that will get you all your money back. I see this said a lot and in many/most cases it is probably true. On the other hand, flippers buy houses, remodel, and turn a profit. So there are situations where you can do major renovations and come out ahead. How do they do it? What lessons can I learn from flippers when I think about renovating my own home before selling? It absolutely true if you have someone else do the work. They need to make a profit, so you have to pay for that. If you do it yourself, then yes, you can certainly come out ahead money wise by investing your time and effort. There is a home nearby that sold for $650k and was a cape with 2 bedrooms 1 bath. It is now a colonial with 4...

Either make it 100% remodeled or do nothing. It was pretty annoying to see half done houses as a buyer. I’m just some random person on the internet but I was pretty open to all sorts of houses. When it’s half done, your money is wasted since I have to finish it off and potentially undo your recent changes. When it’s 100% done, I am set. When it’s 0% done, I can finish it to my taste. I agree with this. I just bought a house and it was left as is which I preferred. Now I can make it my own. It was kept up along the way so the appliances are 4-10 years old but they all still work. The kitchen is very 1990's but now when we renovate, it will function as we want. The house was fully cleaned out and painted white so it was very easy to come in ...

protagonist wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 2:46 pm Verizon offers internet in my area (promo) for $40/mo.

FYI for anyone in Verizon territory, there is no longer promo pricing. Verizon now has Mix and Match, so the price is $40/mo with auto-pay for 200/200mbps, $65/mo for 400/400mpbs and gigabit is $89.99. There is no contract so Verizon could raise the price anytime, but at least there are no more games to be played. If you used to bundle it may not work out as well, but with everything going toward streaming the internet only prices are very competitive and you get the same speeds up and down.

Tingting1013 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 5:45 pm

mervinj7 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 5:42 pm

poppy42 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:59 pm Hi all,

I've seen some threads about who in a MFJ situation should take the dependent care FSA but I'm wondering about the scenario where both earners are above the $142,800 SS taxes threshold. If you have one earner making about $200K and the other making about $400K, does it matter which earner does the FSA?

Thanks!

In our case, both of us take the dependent care FSA since neither of them allow the higher limit for 2021.

How did you justify the qualifying event to fund the second one?

Check with your employer. Some employers allowed changes for any reason this year, most will allow a change/enrollment for a change in cost as a qualifying event.

I would go with the income over $250k as that will save you the 0.9% surtax for Medicare. Otherwise at that point all tax savings are pretty much equal.

Definitely check with your state to see if your home is protected. In my state you are automatically protected for $125k in equity in your home. If you file a declaration of homestead, then you are protected up to $500k of equity. Take the amount of home equity, subtract the amount protected by law in your state, subtract the amount protected in 401k's and IRA's and add in any other assets (cars, boats, etc.). That is the net worth which you need to protect. That should determine your umbrella.

Home size will also play a part in it. The smaller the home the more a heat pump makes sense. If you have two floors it is also quite easy to have two units installed which easily allows zones so you don't have to unnecessarily heat/cool parts of the house you aren't using. If you purchase the heat pump for your climate, you should do well. As mentioned earlier, heat pumps will have an electric heating element when it's too cold to work, but most cold climate heat pumps will work efficiently until 0F. Below that the electric heating element is doing the work. Also consider your electric service at your house. If you go all electric in the house you may need a minimum of a 200 amp service to power everything. Also, you may need to do better ...

If your state doesn't have any tax advantages or is a 0% income tax state, the Nevada Vanguard 529 and the New Hampshire Fidelity 529 are both great plans. Just pick your preferred investment house. The costs are low all around.

Should you move, you can always rollover to the new state plan should there be tax benefits. For example, Fidelity also runs the 529 plans in Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, and Massachusetts some of which have a state income tax deduction.

I generally try to pay cash with a bank check. If you need to finance, just go to a credit union and get pre-approved. Many will give you a check to fill in the amount once you have made the deal and you pay with that. Then the amount shows up in your loan account.

Once I find the car I want I put down the minimum on a credit card.

Generally dealer financing is horrible unless the manufacturer is pushing a fixed rate, ie. 0%, 0.9%, 1.9%.

This, exactly. Income taxes are one piece, and I’m aware it’s higher in NC. Property taxes are much lower, as are sales taxes. To my knowledge, there aren’t as many hidden taxes as IL- the alcohol tax in Chicago, added restaurant taxes, gas taxes (it’s always 50 cents a gallon more here than across the border in IN), vehicle registration, the list goes on. If you're moving to Raleigh, the sales taxes aren't that much lower. The state sales tax is 4.75% in North Carolina and counties can add on to that. Wake County is 7.25% and Durham County is 7.5%. Jurisdictions can also add a 1% meals tax. The gas tax is 36.4 cents per gallon in North Carolina vs. 38 cents per gallon in Illinois. The real savings in North Carolina is the property taxes a...

The Florida Pre-paid tuition plans allows you to buy credits for in-state tuition. The child must live in state to purchase and the purchaser can live in or out of state. Even if the child moves out of state, they get the in-state tuition rate. https://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/prepaid-plans/faqs/ What is not mentioned is you still need to get in the school and even then there is a percentage of students Universities want from out of state since they pay higher tuition. Should you move from Florida you count as an out of state student but pay the in-state rate. Most Universities would rather get accept a student from out of state and get the higher tuition. This isn't spelled out anywhere, but something to keep in mind should you purchase as...

If you really don't want problems, I echo the above and would say sell your house. If you don't sell the home be aware of the following: The following criteria, although not exclusive, can be used by state and local agencies and the courts to determine residency. By law, you are considered a Massachusetts resident if you receive a local property tax exemption, file a state resident income tax return or receive a rental deduction, register to vote here, enroll your dependents in a local public school or pay resident tuition for them at a state college or university, receive public assistance from the state, declare that mortgaged or insured property located here is your principal residence, or obtain any employment, benefit or privilege by c...

529 Plans are great and cover some things that a Pre-Paid tuition plan does not, so I do suggest money in both. The pre-paid tuition plan depends highly on the state that sponsors it. Most states will honor their commitments, but check yours to see if it is guaranteed by law. Also, in a state like Florida, should you move out of state you will pay the in-state rates for the pre-paid plan, but you may have a harder time finding a spot at a highly sought after University. In Massachusetts, the pre-paid plan is essentially equivalent to investing in Massachusetts municipal bonds. This means if you live in-state or in a state with no income tax on interest, there are no taxes paid and no penalties for taking the money out at the end. This makes...

The search function is your friend: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... t1F3v2cYJ_

Technically with the new $10.5k limit, you could contribute $1400 to your DCFSA, $5000 to your wife's DCFSA, and still get some deduction from the dependent care credit. You'll have to calculate your credit which goes down with rising income. Also, you don't specify your salary breakdown, but you'll end up saving more if you aren't over the Social Security wage base and if you have state taxes.

An update on actually enrolling, my Megacorp has been sitting on this for weeks now. I get the feeling they don't want to have to perform means testing so the easiest way to do this is not to allow a higher contribution. This stinks if you're a single parent, but if you have a two income family with DCFSAs, that seems to be the simplest way to at least get to $10k from $5k.

Scenario 3 - Reduce FSA to $0 FSA: not applicable Dependent Care Credit: $9,500 childcare costs * 50% = $4,750 Total Tax Savings = $4,750 Scenario 3 seems to be the clear winner if I’ve calculated this correctly. Am I missing anything or not understanding the full dynamics? Also, just for my understanding, should state tax rate be included in my FSA calculations? Appreciate any guidance! The only issue with scenario 3 is that you cannot reduce your FSA to $0 if you have already made contributions through your employer. You can only reduce $5000 - your current contributions. You can certainly still reduce your contribution if your employer will allow the change, but the final savings will need to account how much you have in the DCFSA now.

Don't pass up free money just because of those investment options. Even an S&P500 with an ER of .72 fund is worth it to get the employer match. You'll eventually leave and move the money somewhere else.

Tingting1013 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 12:17 pm Huh? Isn’t $5k / $10k the family limit?

Are you saying the previous limit for a DCFSA was $5k per individual/$10k per family?

If so that is not correct.

The Dependent Care FSA limit per family was $5k up until this law and will go back to $5k in 2022 unless there is a change in law. Medical FSA's allow you to enroll for up to $2750 and your spouse can do another $2750. That type of FSA is per employee. If you put $5k in your DCFSA and $5k in your spouse's DCFSA in 2020 or earlier you would have had an over contribution which would be caught at tax time.

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p503#e ... 1000203345

Did a little digging and spouse's megacorp allows you to enroll/change for any reason in 2021 to the DCFSA. So at the very least this is a possible option if your employer allows it.

Looks like at my Megacorp it's easy to change the amount contributed higher or lower if there is a change in cost of care, which did happen for me this year already. The only hurdle I see is allowing the limit to go above $5k which is the limit which I am already at.

I wonder even if Megacorp doesn't change, if you have a spouse that isn't using their dependent care FSA, could you enroll in a second plan if possible and get at least another $5k in a DCFSA? If you split the amount between employers, as long as you're under $10.5k that should work, correct?

If you just want to watch local TV via streaming, you can use Locast (https://www.locast.org). It's a non-profit so you can donate if you wish. The drawback is that it does not cover the whole US yet.

My Megacorp allows only a percentage taken out of each pay check and matches up to 5%, including on bonuses. They also match per paycheck so if you max out mid-year, you lose out on the employer match the rest of the year. I generally lower my contribution in March to just 5% to get the match on the bonus and then raise it after to get close to maxing out on the last paycheck of the year. Due to employee demand, next year my employer will allow employees to set a different 401k contribution percent from regular paychecks versus bonus checks. So it goes to show, when enough employees say they want something, it might happen. In the past I did work at an employer that would do true-ups such that if you maxed your 401k contribution, they would...