Bogleheads.org

windhog

Hi and welcome, I understand your enthusiasm with passive investing, but you still cling to the notion that timing the market is an available strategy. I am going to figuratively pass you your Dixie cup of Kool-Aid and instruct you to close your eyes and drink up. When you do, you will pull the trig...

windhog

Hi and welcome, As you have almost certainly found in your reading, the reason to diversify is to mitigate risk. This is a major tenet of BH investing, and I am glad you recognize the need to do this. Let me just point out that the number of dollars you will have at risk over the next few years is q...

windhog

Hi and welcome, Your post has plenty of questions, but quality answers will almost certainly depend on how well you can modify it to conform to the format of Posting Portfolio Questions . Please note that you can use the Edit function to add information and thus present all of the needed data at the...

windhog

When reading this thread I am reminded of a truism from my own medical-group-employment past: when you have seen one income distribution plan, you have seen one income distribution plan. You seem to be quite clear that the plan under which you are being paid remains a mystery. I would urge you to fi...

windhog

Hi and welcome, My first reaction to your post is to offer welcome and encouragement, along with a warning to avoid and remove any information that might allow someone to identify you. You can re-visit your post and hit the EDIT button to fix that. Your first reply covers most of the newbie stuff th...

windhog

OK, I will ask. For whom does your BD work? For starters, use the Search box at the top of the page and type Asking Portfolio Questions. The format is long and detailed, but just about everyone who uses it comes away with a new appreciation of their own situation. I apologize for not including a lin...

windhog

Hello and welcome. I will start with the obligatory request that you revise your post in the requested format: it is the way to get the most in the way of thoughtful replies here. Look under Asking Portfolio Questions and take the time to gather the information. It is an excellent way to get you fee...

windhog

Hi, It looks like you have done lots of work to simplify your holdings: well done. The only thing that jumped off the page to me was the stable value fund you are thinking of dumping. I would do that and use the low cost bond fund that you have instead. You have small bond positions in both Roth IRA...

windhog

It seems you are pretty much set on putting money destined for your Roth accounts into the equity markets. You do realize that either of your choices represents a 100% stock position, and that when it's time to move those funds you could have lost 50% of your investment, right? As for whether you us...

windhog

You are on the right track. It seems you already understand that funds to be used in less than 7-10 years have no business in the equity market. Your priorities are safety and liquidity. Ally gets mentioned here frequently, and some free bucks from Discover does tip the balance. Remember, you can al...

windhog

It is pretty clear that you are in a good living situation: good income, a valuable place to live (in a spectacular city) and your monthly payment is well below the rental market. You seem pretty enthusiastic about stretching your indebtedness, adding a new career (landlord) and starting over with f...

windhog

When you agree to the terms of a mortgage, you are deciding whether you will be paying fast or slow . If you want to pay fast, you have higher payments, get done sooner, pay less interest to the bank and make a larger profit when you sell. If you choose to pay slow, you get lower payments, take long...

windhog

From what I understand, it is often (or sometimes) the case that the reason a particular drug is not on an insurance "formulary" is that the particular drug is not the recommended or better durg for prescribing. In other words, is it possible that (the medical judgment of the insurance pl...

windhog

Let me respond and react to a number of interesting comments that have followed my the-emperor-has-no-clothes post. We started with the misguided statement from a published financial author who conflates the rarity of successful investing with the notion that investing must be difficult to do. I wil...

windhog

Medicare Part D plans are private sector offerings that are subsidized by Medicare dollars, but they are driven by profits, and not by any respect for entitlement. This makes these plans a moving target from year to year, and why each plans formulary is an opportunity for profit. Large pharmacy outf...

windhog

Sorry, I need to disagree here. I have to say that I did enjoy a few of the observations here, but these two statements drew me to a full stop. If investing were easy, everyone would be successful. And if everyone were successful, there would be no more opportunity to exploit. So it's never going to...

windhog

I am a retired doc who has made my share of mistakes, but not this particular one. I have a good friend who does financial planning for physicians, and we have discussed this aspect of physician culture many times. Why is it that newly-minted docs who have delayed the gratification of the dream hous...

windhog

I would like to be helpful here, but I am having trouble understanding your situation as well as I would like. It seems I need to understand what your objectives are, and since your post lacks a clear statement, I will need to read between the lines. It seems you have decided to fund an IRA with a t...

windhog

Here is another vote for education for its own sake, particularly for an MD in an increasingly managed medical world. My choice on this path took the form of a mini-MBA course offered by the Medical Group Managers Association. The motivation was purely defensive, as I served as Division representati...

windhog

I generally limit my posts to positive suggestions, but I cannot resist sending a friendly warning. Whatever you buy, do not even consider a Samsung unit. I trashed mine after months of frustration with it's failed touch pad issues. You might consider doing a search using the term "SE error cod...

windhog

Yes, I see that you have posted an Asset Allocation. Is there a question?

Please refer to Asking Portfolio Questions and edit your post if you really want some input.

Thanks,
Paul

windhog

You are welcome, Maggie. I do not know what costs might be triggered by closing your Ameriprise accounts, but I would guess that if you use the Search function you could find many threads generated by former Ameriprise clients that might have that information. It seems there are two types of charges...

windhog

Hi, The fact that you have resisted the sales job you are getting about a variable annuity from Ameriprise says you belong here: welcome. Unclench your jaw and realize that you never need to deal with anyone at Ameriprise. Ever. Again. You can contact Vanguard directly and arrange for a custodial tr...

windhog

Hi, First, it is good to hear that you have escaped the clutches of Northwest Mutual and have chosen a DIY/BH strategy. The process will help you better understand what you have and what choices are in your best interest. With that in mind, let me offer a few ideas about your situation. One of the m...

windhog

If you really have 1M parked with a financial planner, you have bigger problems than what to do with some cash today. There is a sense of urgency about your ‘which-fund-should-I-buy’ question that does not bode well for you. The last thing you need to do is make a hasty decision based on an ill-info...

windhog

Back for some more specific ideas about your 401(k). Before diving into the investment side of things, I need to address your student loans @ 6.55%. Is this debt in some type of deferment now, or are you paying monthly at this rate? If so, you own a bond, a pretty hefty one with a negative interest ...

windhog

Hi and welcome, It has taken me some time to wrap my head around your use of DGI: dividend growth investment as a replacement for bonds. I think I understand the idea, but it seems you have missed a few salient points. Buying bonds is essentially lending money to someone who promises to return your ...

windhog

It's irrelevant at this point but I'm just still mad at them. It looks as though I got excited about a problem that is now nothing but some painful history: sorry. I would like to help you recognize a universally human behavior that is holding you back: loss aversion. The impulse to “wait for the m...

windhog

Yikes! There is not that much money in the IRA due to ML just cashing most of her retirement savings out rather than rolling it into an IRA. Sigh. Are you saying that her prior broker sold off a bunch of stuff that was in an IRA and sent you a check? If that is so, that entire amount is going to sho...

windhog

HSA accounts are unique: untaxed when funded and never taxed thereafter. Some refer to these accounts as stealth Roth accounts. Why not fully fund these annually and use your excess cash to pay for the medical expenses? Most custodians allow you to choose how the funds are invested (after meeting so...

windhog

Hi and welcome, I think all-in-one funds can be excellent choices for those starting out DIY investing, and I often suggest them to new posters who are feeling a bit overwhelmed by a major financial overhaul. The fact that you are three decades away from retirement suggests two things to me: your in...

windhog

Hi and welcome, I am guessing that you are new around here. (Many folks lurk the forum for weeks or months before they get around to posting.) I agree with the notion that you need some direction, so I will offer some, but it will be more generic than you are likely expecting. Let me first direct yo...

windhog

I assume from your question that your “fund manager” is in control of a managed mutual fund. If this is the case, then I find it hard to imagine that you would have any access to what he/she did on any given day with respect to any particular stock position. I would expect that much of the trading d...

windhog

Q 1. I would start by questioning your goal of having His and Her accounts that are identical and remain so over time. This notion suggests to me that you harbor the idea that there is one best way to invest. One could make an argument that having two parallel portfolios would give you (as a couple)...

windhog

Hi, Investors only control three factors: the amount they save/invest, the expenses involved, and the reduction of risk that comes from full diversification. Focus on these factors and logic will lead you to continue your wise choice of a Target Date fund. Your stated asset allocation is needlessly ...

windhog

I guess the tone of the article might quiet someone's anxiety, but this reads to me like standard financial sector reporting. Why didn't this guy predict this market correction if all of the factors he cites were so obvious? The subtext here is that if there is a good explanation for what has happen...

windhog

Roth conversions become a rational choice in a few situations. First, if your income for a particular year is much lower than usual, then taking a TIRA distribution and paying the income tax on it can be a really good idea. Your money will have been relocated from tax-deferred to a tax-free location...

windhog

Sell some stock. Many here would suggest that allowing your employment and your investment activity to be dependent on one company is a serious mistake, and you should be selling off your stock as rapidly as possible. Yes, you might have to deal with capital gains and possibly AMT issues, but buying...

windhog

Wow. Lots more time and effort expended here since I last dropped in. Let me see if I can help. The first problem I see is the designation of the Emergency Fund as a House Savings fund. Of course you can do whatever you want, but the EF is for job loss/business failure and unanticipated deaths of es...

windhog

Hi, I think the answer to your first question has to do with the variety of retirement systems in academia. Some state systems have been established ‘outside’ of the Federal Social Security/Medicare systems on the theory that most participants will do most of their work for the state and retire with...

windhog

Hi and welcome, You pose an interesting question when you ask if your personality is compatible with index investing. How would any of us know you well enough to answer that? Since I would like to be helpful, let me start by re-framing your question. You begin your post with the idea that investing ...

windhog

smokey joe robinson, I like your tenacity and the effort you have put into your post and responses. I cannot escape the feeling that you are pretty anxious about what amounts to a major make-over of your entire financial life, so I am hoping a little bit of perspective will cut this problem down to ...

windhog

Hi and welcome, My first suggestion is to keep the big picture in mind. You are young, you seem to have a good start with your own business and you have already learned the most important lessons about investment advisors. A passive investment strategy demands very little time and right now you only...

windhog

I understand your rationale for a second AA. If you are saving for purchases in a 5-10 year window, most Bogleheads would say that AA should be more like 0/100, and a lot less like 70/30. I find it ironic that you seem to have great confidence in the prospect of returns of the equity markets, while ...

windhog

Hi and welcome, I will start with just a couple of observations while I mull over your questions. It is a bit unusual for an investor to have more than one AA, since this number should be a reflection of one’s risk comfort level for long-term, buy-and-hold investing. It’s quite reasonable to target ...

windhog

Hi DebiT, Your post suggests a notion commonly seen on this forum: retirement investing should be oriented to dividend investing. You might wish to use the Search function to see how this has been discussed on previous threads. I will admit that I have never given much thought to this approach, not ...

windhog

The mortgage interest rate is fantastic. No need to touch it. I agree your first rate is quite good. If I understand correctly you have a second mortgage at 6%. My suggestion was that you might find something available as a doctor loan that will allow you to re-finance both at a better effective ra...

windhog

Hi and welcome, It sounds like you are off to a good start, paying attention to your debt interest rates and plans to keep renting. I understand your interest in buying a home and support your plan to save aggressively for that. Your plan of investment is pretty much an all-in bet on equities in tax...

windhog

Hi and welcome, Congratulations to your wife on completion of her training and your enviable status as a stay-at-home dad with two young children. My general response to your post is that you have a breathtaking amount of debt, both in terms of education loans and mortgages. I would suggest that you...

windhog

It seems to me that you are out to salvage your investment and are hoping that someone here can help you find the secret happy fix. The reality is that the industry has been working this deal for decades and has left you with no good options. Of course, their goals are to keep you: a) blissfully ign...

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