Bogleheads.org

Moderators, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Payments toward the principal of a loan are not directly expenses, but if the mortgage is secured against a commercial property you should be deducting depreciation expense which is based on the basis of commercial property.

Without digging into your son's activity it is not possible to determine if the income is "earned" and qualifies to be considered as such for IRA contribution purposes. Issuing a W9 does not indicate the income is earned (although it is likely taxable, even if an exemption to taxability applies). Th...

Besides the financial issues already raised (potential loss of a wad of cash, structuring issue, etc.) you should also be leary of automatically pay based on the projected completing timeline. If you agree to pay on the 5th, 10th, etc. and the workers don't show up for 5 days (which happens all the ...

I'm not sure what a "daf" is (maybe a donor advised fund?) or how your plan (to assign your income to someone or something else) would be analyzed under health care rules, whoever it sounds like it would violate the assignment of income doctrine (trying to lower your Adjusted Gross Income by assigni...

I'll let others chime in to explain if their is any exception to the requirement to report your gain. Beware, you appear to be attempting to structure your transaction(s) to avoid U.S. Bank Secrecy Act reporting - the act of structuring is illegal.

Would just add that “earned income” must be reported on the W-2 (or possibly on a 1099 if he were an independent contractor). If he made some money cutting the neighbors’ grass, no that doesn’t count. [/quote] I respectfully disagree. I am not aware of any requirement that a W-2, Form 1099, etc. be ...

A fireproof safe may be best, however most safes are not going to last for very long in a whole house fire. A "cheap" alternative to buying a low-to-mid range fire box that will not work when needed - put the documents in your freezer (in a zip lock bag). Heirs can quickly access and it will withsta...

This one is a largely dependent on personal preference. For me, I avoid oils and shaving creams (out of a can) and stick with shave sticks and soaps and creams out of a tube - all are essentially soap, but the shave stick can be applied directly to the face and then lathered (as can the creams but t...

I have heard of several brokerages that offer CD shopping services for small HOA's - for e.g. Merrill Lynch has a service. A search for Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (CDARS) providers may find some in the HOA's area. They typically don't do anything more than find the best availabl...

I'm not sure if all of these financial institutions lend in the state where your investment property is located, but the following generally offer HELOC's on investment properties (some of these have been mentioned): Hanscom Federal Credit Union, Navy Fed CU, Keybank, East West Bank, Lafayette Ambas...

I did not "do the math" to calculate the difference between retiring with 10 years (no-buy back) or 18 years (with buy back), but one additional consideration. You can buy back your time later than the first three years of civilian service - but you will also be charged an accrued interest amount (t...

I am considering doing some short term real estate investments (both fix and flip and potentially wholesaling deals if the opportunity comes up) and will need access to credit. Their are various ways to borrow money, but the Schwab Pledged Asset Line (low rates, no fees, secured by assets held at Sc...

You'll find a lot of good info on this site, however I recommend you check out the White Coat Investor (WCI) website (https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/the-other-guys-a-review-of-physician-financial-blogs/). Those are your people for career specific financial advice - bonus, the link takes you to th...

My experience: I entered active service before the Post 9/11 GI Bill was available. I chose not to buy into the Montgomery GI Bill when I started. When the Post 9/11 plan was created I became eligible and have used a small portion to attend graduate school. I elected to transfer the rest of the bene...

I have tried using the Retirement Plan Contribution Calculator from Vanguard (https://personal.vanguard.com/us/SbsCalculatorController?FW_Event=calculate&NavStep=1) over the past few days and it returns "This calculator is unavailable. Please try again later." I use it to check my math on the manual...

2019 S&P 500 Index YE close = 2607.12 (4% rise from 2018 YE close)

OP, Sorry to hear of your troubles. I practice in this area of law, however I am not taking on new clients and nothing I write should be construed as advice or a legal opinion. I suggest you speak with several tax lawyers with deep experience in international tax matters (to figure out which one you...

I have a Lumox steelcase that cost around $100 15 years ago - it is my "daily driver" and is very durable (before that watch I broke a series of Ironman, G-shock, etc. watches about once every 3 months due to an active fitness regime). I'd recommend the brand as an entry level durable watch.

I don't have any specific knowledge or advice; other than consider using a small % of your winnings to engage a competent tax advisor/preparer that can help you fulfill the reporting and paying requirements. One issue that sprung to my mind - if your online gambling platform is located "offshore" yo...

What type of school is she attending where the bill is $65K for the year? ($15K loan plus $50K scholarships?) A state university depending on where you live would be much more affordable... maybe $25K total for a year? If the issue is getting her a good education... there have to be more affordable...

Happy Birthday Devil Dogs.

You appear to be missing depreciation capture when considering the reportable amounts if the properties were sold. I have seen a few good posts on this subject and the calculation on BH - I recommend starting with the Wiki and searching the site. As a previous poster pointed out, it looks like you a...

Another option - I use Bank Of America's HSA service - fee free if you are a Platinum Preferred customer. I have all of the investable amount (anything over $1k) in a low expense S&P 500 fund. For me, it's easy and cheap.

I had air conditioning put in twice and heat once (different places) in the last 5 years. Most of the installation companies that provided a quote also offered some form of financing. I usually passed because I could get a lower price paying out of pocket or financing a different way, but did take o...

All, thanks for the input. I will post a fact based review on Yelp and update if I contacted by the company.

Curious what others would do. My story: I had a leaky pipe, engaged a local plumbing company that advertises heavily to do the repair. They charged $1,300 (mid range of the other estimates I received). However after the job was done they said the pipe had a second leak and gave an estimate of $1,800...

I appreciate any opinions shared - I self-manage a rental (condo) in San Diego, CA. The long term tenant (lived there 4 years) is getting ready to move. A few items will need to be cleaned or repaired and I am unsure if I should bear the cost, charge it to the tenant or share the cost between the tw...

Original OP here: Thanks all for the input. As several of the posters indicated, my parent reports the income and the amount is included in their gross estate which results in a step up in basis. I did some digging and came up with some authority if it is ever questioned. The case of Taylor v. Comm’...

I am the joint owner of an brokerage account, held at Vanguard that contains several Vanguard mutual funds. My elderly parent is the other co-owner. All of the contributions to the account come from my parent and they are they only one to receive distributions from the account. Two questions: 1) Wha...