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Husband is not currently on Medicare, but we are currently looking at our options also.

I have recently learned that the hospital that we would normally receive medical care does not take any Medicare Advantage plans, and they don't have any signed contracts with the Medicare Advantage Plans. You may want to check with the hospitals where you receive your health care to see if they take any of the advantage plans.

My father (who had an estate that was higher than what was mentioned) and my husband's mother (who had an estate that was lower than what was mentioned)--we paid nowhere near that amount of money to have their respective estates settled. Maybe because both lawyers worked in small towns.??

Hi Guys, I'm going through the motions of trying to create a monthly budget for all the extra maintenance of owning a ~2000 square foot 3-2 home. For people who have done this before me, mind looking at briefly glancing at these items, time, and costs? If there are other large items that I've forgotten about, don't hesitate to correct me. I'm not too worried about being accurate down to 10% level, but just ballpark for each. If I'm high on some, hopefully that will be averaged out by being low on others. And if I add enough guesses to the list, then it'll probably come out playing the right game long-term. Right now its at ~$350 average/month. Thanks, -b4xter Roof every 330 months at $20,000 27-1/2 years seems like a very long time for a r...

We took trips with our children when they were that young, but never flew. We would have driven to our destination. I'm sure we did this because, as you mention, there are a lot of items you need when traveling with a toddler, and it's just easier to pack the car than to try and put everything in a suitcase on a plane. We did not use the childcare options at any hotel, so can't answer any questions as to what that is like. I remember one flight we were on many years ago (our children were older) where the mom had to "chase" her toddler son up and down the aisle because he simply would not sit down. Finally, he did sit down, but with another family that was sitting behind us. :happy He was pretty calm the rest of the flight--that w...

Whichever bank you choose, you will have to go through the paperwork of setting up an account first and then do the transfer from Fidelity to the bank. The bank may be able to guide you through this. Now, I'm thinking that once your bank account is set up, then you can go into the Fidelity website and set it up to link your new bank account (usually bank routing number and new account number) and then do the transfer from Fidelity to your local bank. I like to have a local bank that I can walk into the lobby and that also has a drive-thru. I also like that I know the names of the people at the bank. I also like a bank where I can actually talk to another human being on the phone if questions arise, and many questions have come up over the y...

I think you should look at his statements with him to see what has happened.

You will be just fine. We bought a new 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD in 2010. It was when the new styling came out, and we spent around $33k for the vehicle only. I loved it when we purchased it, and I still love it 13 years later with over 150k miles on it. It does have some minor items on it that need to be fixed, but it has been very dependable over the years. Am no longer using it for ferrying kids around. It's just an allover comfortable vehicle and easy to get in and out of. At this point, since we don't put a lot of miles on it like we used to, we will keep it until it just doesn't run anymore.

We've been to Disney World twice and Disneyland twice. Disney World involves a great amount of planning; Disneyland not so much. You really need 6-7 days for DW and only about 3 days for Disneyland (not including travel time). It's been a while since our family of 6 went, but some of the best family pictures I have are from those vacations. Here's my thoughts and things we did: Stay on property. It's just sooooo much easier. The first time at DW (over the Christmas holiday---do not recommend that time of year to go), we stayed at the French Quarter which was centrally located as far as transportation and a smaller hotel/resort. We have a daughter with some mobility issues, so we didn't want a super huge resort to stay at. The room we were i...

OP, yes, this can work for you. The standard deduction for married filing joint is over $27,700, and you will probably still be contributing to a 401k/roth/brokerage accounts in some form, plus you'll have the child tax credit, plus you have a taxable brokerage account to fall back on if needed. We had kids that were the same age apart as your children. Of course, this was 2 decades ago. It's extremely busy, and she's not going to have time to be working 15-20 hours a week. And it doesn't stop being busy once they enter school. If your wife chooses to return to the workforce when your youngest enters school, I'm sure she would be able to find a position within your local school district where she/kids have the same schedule, if she chooses ...

Are you getting any money back on your tax return for 2022 taxes? Would this need to go to the IRS? Or can you work out a payment plan with the IRS?

Definitely try and get credit card #4 paid off. It's a fairly "small" amount.

Thanks for all the info. According to Zillow, the square footage of our home is close to what has been on the documents when we purchased the house over 2 decades ago, prior to the Zillow company being founded. It is basically the square footage of the main level of our home and does not include our lower level walkout. According to Redfin, the square footage is close to the amount of square footage of the main level of our home, plus the finished percentage of our lower level walkout. There was just such a large discrepancy on the square footage between these two websites. That's what led me to asking this question. And when I look on Zillow and it states that the homes have 3000 square feet, and I'm just not seeing where all that square f...

You can't; you have to call them, which is ridiculous in this day and age.

I've seen it a few ways and am confused.

For our current home, it's around 1900 square feet, but that's the main level only. The lower level, a walkout, is probably 85% finished.

Then I see Zillow homes that are 3000 square feet but see where it states that there's around 1700 on the main level and another 1300 finished below.

I thought, from reading, that any square footage below the main level is not taken into square footage calculations, even if finished.

How does it work with 2-story homes with a lower level/finished basement? Would there be 3 levels of square footage? Or is it just the main level that is taken into account for square footage? Or main and upper level?

Hi, Had a car accident about 2 weeks ago. Was hit by a hit and run driver. Not my fault, the other driver made an improper lane change, hit my car, and then speed off rather than pulling over. Unfortuantely for the other driver, they had a magnetic sign with the phone number of the business that they run. I was able to memorize the phone number as they sped off. I filed a claim with my insurance and also filed a police report with WSP. I provided the information above in both the police report and the insurance company claim. My question is this - how much effort will the insurance company put into finding the other driver? It should not be complicated but I don't know if they will look or not. Is there anything else I need to do? I would ...

I've always got the feeling from people on this board that the vast majority live in cities where the infrastructure for EVs is already in place. That's great. But get out in the less populated areas of the country where there are long stretches of roads and less populated areas, and you aren't necessarily going to find charging stations and, in some areas, it's even difficult to have phone service.

People have built up Tesla's; however, the infrastructure for service/repairs just isn't in place yet for those smaller towns. We'd have to drive a few hours.

I can find a Ford, Chevy, or Toyota dealership in about any area of the country, especially in smaller towns, and a gas station is a few minutes away.

Whatever you decide, it might be a good idea to make loan payments now while the student loans are on pause as payments will go directly to principal.

So, when taking distributions in retirement, there are no taxes to pay at all as long as over 59-1/2 and held over 5 years. You just take whatever amount you need to live, etc. and be done with it.? And then receive a 1099-R which is reported on 1040, but not taxed.

It looks like he doesn't qualify for the Saver's Credit.

When making a contribution to a Roth IRA (not through 401k), just sending the money in, do those contributions need to be reported on the individual's tax return? This pertains to our son who is in his 20s.

For those who are in retirement currently (over 59-1/2), have held the Roth IRA account longer than 5 years, and are currently taking withdrawals, are those withdrawals currently reported on an individual's tax return?

I wouldn't do it. I would live with the awkward layout. When your kids are teens, starting in 6+ years or so with the oldest child, they are going to start wanting their independence and time away from you. The basement bedrooms won't be such a bad idea then. Don't plan on any of your children wanting to inherit the house from you. If they do, I'm sure that would be great, but just don't plan on it. If you decide to forego this project, I would put a good sum of that $600k cash since one of your main goals is to fund your children's education, maybe $250k or so into the 529 plan and then, I would think, that you would have their education basically funded and wouldn't have to add any more money. I would also put around $150k into the broker...

I don't think this is negotiable. And I'm not even sure it has to do with the amount of time you spent with the doctor. I believe it has to do with the point you made that you were a new patient and there is additional work needing to be done, as mentioned above. I'm sure you had to fill out new forms, etc., and that took time for the doctor to review.

I would pay the bill and move on. I would assume the next time you go, the bill will probably be lower (if you spend the same amount of time with doctor) because you will now be an established patient.

Option A - Cost of tuition: $44,000 can pay 1 lump sum vs Option B - 12 monthly installments with an additional fee of $1755 which covers tuition "insurance". So I am getting some additional benefit/protection from paying this extra fee in the form of tuition insurance (i.e. if student doesn't complete the year) Last year, I paid lump sum payment but with interest rates higher this year, it's a tougher decision. Getting about 3.3% in Savings account where I will likely keep the extra $ if I pay installments. Fed tax rate 37%, state tax rate 9% Suggestions? I don't understand. Can you not make a payment through, or has the college not partnered with Nelnet? We are able to make 3 payments for a one-time fee of $20. The only caveat ...

It depends. I can only speak specifically to receipts generated by Paypal (was just printing out one of the receipts yesterday). It very explicitly states on the receipt what the charitable contribution portion is. So, for instance, if I donate $50 and have $2 in transaction costs, the receipt generated will say "your contribution is $52," and then says, "your tax-deductible contribution is $50." We also have charitable contributions to our church where I might donate $50 and then there is another $1.75 in transaction costs, but it asks if I would like to basically help the church with the transaction costs and prints the receipt with the entire amount as the donation. The year-end contribution statement from the church ...

When our son rented his first apartment back during 2020, he had to have annual income that was 3x the annual rent. I think he had to get a letter from employer also because he had just started a job.

However, they also wanted us to co-sign. We had just retired, and they wanted to see that we had 5x his annual rent in a savings account, and then they forgot to have us co-sign. Anyway, he is in a better position financially. My guess is they will want to see proof of savings for "x" amount.

We have used levelized billing for well over a decade now. We have electric. As previous poster mentioned, we also haven't had any wild swings one way or the other--maybe $10-$15 per month if even that. I would talk to your utility company.

I think it depends on where you currently live and where you are planning on moving to. It's going to cost us the same amount of money, maybe even a little more, to downsize in the same geographic area.

I posted above but will post again. As the young man's uncle, you have more than enough standing to sit down with him and just talk. I would absolutely, if at all possible, travel to deliver that $8,000 check to him and have a nice, long supportive talk. If this is the end of the road in terms of money, then I think I would try and convince him to clean up his act and attend community college to learn a trade. You could also say something to the effect of, if he will spend the money on community college, then you would help with _________ (you decide what that would be). If not, and he blows through the money, then you will know that the relationship will fade. And, whatever you do, do not talk negatively about his mother.

Here, read through this. It may answer part of your question.

viewtopic.php?t=294827

At age 24, our oldest kid was starting to listen. At age 25, he's started listening more and calling for advice. I think you should extend him some grace, and, let's face it, $5,000 each for the previous two distributions over 3-4 years isn't all that much if he's had to use it for bills. Maybe the third time will be the charm.? He could seriously pay for a local two-year community college program with a little bit of assistance with $8,000. Are you distributing the money to him face-to-face or mailing it? I think the last sentence in your post is what you need to say, but, I would consider doing it face-to-face as I really think that would have more impact. Maybe even by zoom? Any way you are able to do that? What is your relationship to h...

I would put 1/3 toward the mortgage, 1/3 into taxable/index funds, 1/3 into 529 (and then I would not put another penny into the 529). But that's me.

I can confirm as of now, Vanguard website main page DOES NOT has a contact us link with phone numbers. In contrast, Fidelity main page lists its 24/7 contact number clearly. At the stage, I am really confused what does Vanguard top management wants to do about this "investors mutually owned" company?? 30 Million investors and 6 Trillion AUM, Vanguard's website and customer service quickly become a scary joke after John Bogle's death. 1. vanguard.com 2. Upper right-hand side of page is "contact us" button to click on 3. Skim not even half-way down and there are all the phone numbers. 1. fidelity.com 2. Top of page is "customer service" button to click on 3. Less than one-quarter way down, there is a "conta...

As a side note, in all the years we have done our taxes, we have never been able to make the deduction for medical expenses work, even when we itemized. And we've had our fair share of medical expenses. The vast majority of our itemized deductions were in the form of state taxes and mortgage interest.

Thank you, I'll do the rollover of the Roth 401(k) to a new Roth IRA. I suppose new contributions for 2022 and 2023 can go to this same Roth IRA, meaning the rollover amount (and earnings from it) can intermingle with new contributions and future earnings from these contributions? Yes, this is what you want to do. We went through this last summer in helping our son. However, ours was kind of messy, as our son didn't have a lot of money in the 401k program. It went from 401k at former employer (both pre-tax and after-tax monies) to IRA at former employer, and then we transferred from his previous employer into a Rollover IRA account and a new Roth IRA account at Fidelity. I asked the same question about new contributions going into the new ...

In all my years of having dental insurance, health insurance, vision insurance, and having gone to various medical professionals, this is the first time I've ever heard of someone being offered a discount on a co-pay. Your co-pay is your co-pay. It's the fee you pay to see the individual who is going to treat your medical issue. There is no discount. Maybe they were confused.? Or the OP misunderstood.?

I would pay the remaining balance of the co-pay and move on with life. It can't be that much.

I don't know if this income chart will help you because we don't know what state your mother lives in. I do tend to agree with the individual above who said that this is not a tax issue, but an income issue.

https://www.medicaidplanningassistance. ... ome-chart/

You probably are going to want to speak to an elder care attorney in the state where your mother lives to get a definitive answer in regard to that annuity.

Tuition and fees only in box 1. Does not include any housing costs. As stated above, detailed bill from college will give you the breakdown of the tuition and all the fees, plus the amount for housing and meals, if on meal plan.

They are correct Really? Wow. But how do you explain posts like this https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=382542 where people are saying it doesn't matter when you retire re. claiming SSA? Everyone, depending on birth data has a "retirement age" according to SSA; below that age, the benefit is reduced but 62 is the earliest one can actually draw the benefit. My retirement age (I was born in 1953) is 67. But I started drawing at age 70 because the benefit increased each year. If I had started earlier than 67 my earned benefit would have been reduced. Notice in the mentioned thread that nobody is mentioning any age prior to 62, and the main focus is on delaying past "FRA" which is your normal retirement age ac...

You can retire whenever you want. My husband left the workforce at age 60. But, he would not be able to claim SS benefits until he turned 62. He will be 64 soon, and we are just now thinking about taking SS.

Here, this is SSA website. The question is answered in the first sentence.

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement ... 20increase.

When we bought our new Sienna back over 10 years ago, we purchased an extended warranty. We ended up purchasing from some dealer in Kansas, I believe, that sold the warranty for much less than our local dealer. We ended up needing the fuel pump replaced at 60k miles. It was an absolute pain. The vehicle was in the shop for a week, and some adjuster had to come out from a larger city and approve the work. The cost of the warranty versus the cost of the work done basically ended up being a wash. I'm not sure we would ever buy one again.

jebmke wrote: ↑Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:49 am Which calculator are you using? The latest version of AnyPIA has the 2023 adjustment, I think.

SSA's online benefits calculator. It does say that the calculator is updated periodically, but then goes on to say that that the most recent update was done in July 2022.

Does anyone know if the SS retirement calculator on the SSA website has the 2023 COLA adjustment of the 8.7% factored in? So, if the estimated monthly retirement benefit is, let's say, $1,000, is the 8.7% adjustment already figured in that number?

If you have access to an Office Depot or other office supply store in the area you live, they probably sell them.

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I have read your post a few times as we have a special needs trust set up for our daughter (not funded), but I don't necessarily have any words of wisdom for you, just further reading. I do believe the SNTs are much more restrictive than the ABLE accounts. With the ABLE accounts, the money can be used for many more things in daily living. Will post this link regarding terminating a SNT--depending on circumstances will determine if the SNT can be terminated. https://www.specialneedsalliance.org/blog/terminating-a-special-needs-trust/#:~:text=Once%20established%2C%20SNTs%20may%20terminate,the%20event%20of%20specific%20circumstances. If you do some googling, you will find that any inheritance received must be reported to SSI. Another link belo...

I'm not sure what your budget is, but for that age, I would look at small/mini Lego building sets.

As a side note, one of my sons, who is in his 20s now, went to a birthday party when he was around that age, and the mom had a small Lego set for each boy at the party, and the child was able to build their own set and take it home. I thought that was pretty cool.

Have not read all the responses. Why is no one mentioning any paper products (napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.) or personal hygiene products (body wash, hand soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) in their monthly budget? We include these in our grocery budget. My guess is people are putting these types of items somewhere else in their budget, thereby keeping their grocery budget low. We simply cannot, at least not in this current inflationary environment, keep groceries/household items below that number.

I'm going to focus on the part about never having a credit card before. Are you employed with "good" W-2 income? Are you a student? Fidelity's credit card is offered by Elan Financial. Since you are an existing Fidelity customer you can try and see what happens, especially if you have good W-2 income. If you don't have good income you might be advised to go with a starter or secured card instead. I'm sure there's a lot of searching you can do on the internet to gauge what your chances of approval are. I admit I can live rather frugally but is it really that unusual to not use a credit card? I'm employed with a job but I've never had a reason to use anything other than my bank account checking for bills and groceries and the rando...

We claim our daughter as a dependent.

Spring 2022 - We paid daughter's tuition, fees, and books at a community college. It was a few thousand dollars.

Fall 2022 - Daughter transferred to 4-year college. Received scholarship that was a few thousand dollars more than tuition, fees, and books.

We are thinking that the community college tuition that we paid we could take as an education tax credit.

For the 4-year college, which income tax return does the taxable income of this scholarship get filed under---her tax return or our tax return??

She has other income, around $7k, from part-time jobs.

Are you in any position to pay his COBRA for a while until he gets back on his feet? Or, I'm assuming he will receive unemployment assistance.? Maybe you both kick in one-half ($300 each) to help him stay on his COBRA, with him using $300 of his unemployment per month to help pay. Also, if you decide to stay with COBRA, please be "aggressive" about it and stay on top of company/administrator about getting the paperwork and getting premiums paid on time. I would suggest an ACA plan, but without checking prices first, it's hard to know. And, I also believe, that since you have to estimate his income for this year (2023) and it may be a lot lower due to job loss, they may shift him over to looking at Medicaid anyway--it just depends....

UPDATE: Actual bill is $205 after insurance adjustment. This is my HDHP deductible. Had I paid cash upfront, it would have cost $110 but now that insurance has been billed that option is off the table. Lesson learned! Thanks for all the comments. Perhaps “outrageous” seems like a bit of an outrageous adjective now :happy Back story … I developed sciatic nerve pain (severe!) after doing something stupid at the gym. My old physical therapist, who’s awesome, said she could fit me in for an appointment. I didn’t see my GP first because I knew the problem, and knew my PT could help. Her assistant explained that insurance might not cover the appointment but I told her I could pay in cash if not, and I thought: How much could one 45-minute appoin...