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BogleFanGal

My worst money saving move was letting the tax tail wag the dog. Exercised options, held onto the stock because selling would create a big tax hit that year. Stock tanked big time a couple months later and never recovered. Sure glad I saved that tax hit.

BogleFanGal

I'm pretty sure alcohol related deaths are due to alcoholism, drunk driving, etc., and not due to people having a beer or a glass of wine with their dinner. Most recent research says that any alcohol consumptions (yes including your glass of red wine) is unhealthy. It is a very minor effect for the...

BogleFanGal

There is no dealing with dealerships nowadays. You copy paste several emails, 3 lines,mostly copy pasted. 3-4 emails a day for several days. Decide on the best offer, show up at dealership, sign the papers. In 1-2h you are out with the car. Of course, no trade in, that is another way of losing mone...

BogleFanGal

I used Carvana and was satisfied. Wouldn't recommend them if you want the best rock-bottom deal. They are higher priced than what I could likely find via local dealers, but no dealer fee. Depending upon your region, that could be a huge or negligible benefit. I find their inventory is cleaner overal...

BogleFanGal

Thanks for the suggestion, but not sure it's worth it. I already have a fairly involved return I do myself - including my regular business income. Adding yet another layer like a separate LLC just to write off a few hundred bucks a year is too much work for lazy ole' me. I hate tax time as it is: th...

BogleFanGal

Sure wish this was offered as a benefits choice to federal employees. Has anyone purchased this plan on their own at full price or is it only offered through employers?

BogleFanGal

Thanks all...appreciate your help. Couple of answers to questions posted "1099 style" - to clarify, I don't actually receive a 1099 - the amounts are never high enough - we're talking $100 or so per event and every event has a different promoter/director - so basically I'm just a freelancer getting ...

BogleFanGal

Thanks for the comments and link...definitely don't see this as a business, as the IRS is defining it in that link. It's just a few extra bucks of income. But it's not a hobby either. :confused. Even though every expense is legit, maybe I'll leave some out, so they don't exceed income and just pay t...

BogleFanGal

Hoping someone can clarify IRS rules re: side income and expenses associated with earning it. If I earn some extra money (few hundred a year tops - 1099 style) by helping out backstage at a few sporting events and incur expenses to work those events (mileage to get there, tolls, parking, etc.), I th...

BogleFanGal

OP: hope you don't mind if I piggyback on this post by asking a related question? If you already have a small portion of TIPS and REIT in tax deferred (less than 5%) and don't necessarily need to sell, but want to simplify, any potential disadvantage to getting rid of them now?

BogleFanGal

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Much appreciated. Today's tax rate vs retirement - always comes back to that and it's a big question mark for me. But agreed: won't be filing anytime soon and may even consider an extension - which I've never done before, just to see how this plays out. Hopefu...

BogleFanGal

No problem...hope it was of some help!

BogleFanGal

Thanks to OP for thread. I consider myself fairly intelligent except for taxes - I seriously believe I have a learning disorder about it: takes me 3x as long to wrap my brain around stuff I know is easy to most of you on here. So this may be a stupid question, but bear with me: From what I gather so...

BogleFanGal

I've written several for others - here's what I suggested to them and will pass onto you for best results: Do some of the upfront legwork. Invest a weekend or day off to do some research online and take a stab at rewriting the first draft yourself. Linked In or CareerBuilder likely has tips. Then ju...

BogleFanGal

The only value I'd see in an extended warranty is the one thing it doesn't cover (without paying a ridiculous premium,) which is all the electronics. I had two different electrical issues (bad modules) under original warranty that would have run me $1500-2000 if replacing out of pocket. I have full ...

BogleFanGal

Aldi's must be a lot better in some markets. We tried a couple of times years ago and gave up. Their prices do seem great, but I'll cut my food intake in half before I'd ever step foot in there again- the selection and quality was very poor and the customers were - ahem - interesting. Big families w...

BogleFanGal

Thank you

BogleFanGal

As a 1099 contractor expensing occasional business driving on my personal vehicle via the straight 54.5 cents per mile method, will there be any difference from a tax savings standpoint if I choose to use my older or newer vehicle for biz miles in 2019? Since I'll have to specify name and year of ve...

BogleFanGal

Lastly, the best assurance of the least worst care for your father will be frequent (and unpredictable) in person contact with your father. Working with your siblings to ensure that someone is in the facility several times a week will go a long way towards helping your father. +1000 A hospital soci...

BogleFanGal

OP: I empathize. In 2015, after reading stacks of bad reviews and horror stories about virtually every fridge model I was considering, I finally landed on a Kenmore Elite bottom freezer model praised by Consumer Reports and other review sources as one of the best buys. It had a lot of great reviews....

BogleFanGal

Unfortunately, the largest volume of spam calls originate internationally from what I understand - where US laws can't touch them. But it's great that some of you have gotten retribution via lawsuits on domestic calls. I've reported a bunch to DoNotCall. But many of the same players just change numb...

BogleFanGal

Love netflix - a boglehead-style bargain in entertainment if I ever saw one!

But think I'll take the opportunity to downgrade to basic - not that the cost is a big deal, but we have never really used the additional standard benefits at all.

BogleFanGal

If I understand correctly, the solo 401k is better than a SEP IRA in nearly every way. Particularly with contribution limits. So why would anyone open a SEP IRA? Or am I missing something? I don't think you are missing anything. I do not understand why SEP IRA's exist. Because some of us opened SEP...

BogleFanGal

If I understand correctly, the solo 401k is better than a SEP IRA in nearly every way. Particularly with contribution limits. So why would anyone open a SEP IRA? Or am I missing something? I don't think you are missing anything. I do not understand why SEP IRA's exist. Because some of us opened SEP...

BogleFanGal

2) Yoga teachers sometimes do community yoga classes for free. The different venues will not allow it unless there is sufficient liability insurance. The umbrella insurance ($150+/year) saves $$$ from buying specific yoga teacher liability insurance ($50/month=$600/year) Be aware that some umbrella...

BogleFanGal

I see a lot of remarks on the water bill. Without knowing how many gallons the op uses per month, it is a little bit of a waste of time to go after. I've lived in many cities across the us and typically use between 1200 gallons to 2500 gallons a month in most cities I lived in. This resulted in wat...

BogleFanGal

The cost and hassle of travel keeps most people from doing it. Airports, security, long flights, hotels, restaurants, transportation can turn the most curious person into a home body. So I'd say take one or two max short trips a year and make it somewhere fun. Or just kick back and watch the travel...

BogleFanGal

Anyone have any luck with "cooling" mattresses? If anyone feels they actually work, please mention here.

BogleFanGal

I'm not sure an entire night free is justified based upon this experience: in my opinion, these are pretty minor things. If you lost a night's sleep due to disturbance or something major affected your stay, I'd say otherwise. We recently stayed at a chain where the safe didn't work and there was a f...

BogleFanGal

Most here will advise against it as many don't like American brands, but you may want to test drive a 2016/2017 Buick Verano - I just bought a 2015 and we've taken it on several long road trips already. If you're looking for powerful acceleration and sporty handling, not the right car for you!! You'...

BogleFanGal

Sure wish this applied to solo 401ks - hate being overcharged investor ER rates on total bond when I've met the admiral threshold a long time ago. The rate isn't competitive with Fidelity or other broad bond index funds. I really need to transfer to another company- but many have closing fees or do...

BogleFanGal

Sure wish this applied to solo 401ks - hate being overcharged investor ER rates on total bond when I've met the admiral threshold a long time ago. The rate isn't competitive with Fidelity or other broad bond index funds. I really need to transfer to another company- but many have closing fees or don...

BogleFanGal

I wanna play.

Wine. (made from grapes, so it's a food to me.)
Natural Peanut Butter - I crave the stuff.

BogleFanGal

Another big transition is normal DR visits, instead of paying $20 copay, get used to paying an office visit charge. This is ~$200 for my doctor. This has sort of mentally deterred me from going to the DR unless its really really necessary. Not sure the long term prognosis of what the HDHP will do.....

BogleFanGal

Skiffy wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 28, 2018 3:14 pm
No alcohol consumption.

Nah...you lost me there. A life without a glass or two of red wine is a life half lived.

(Luckily I like the cheap stuff.)

BogleFanGal

The easiest way to be frugal is to have frugal friends. Or to have no friends. Victoria So true...for many people, their only concept of getting together is a triple digit dinner or some other pricey event. Once in a while is fine, but seems like no one is ever willing to just hang out: play board ...

BogleFanGal

Stop vacations. If you live in a nice house, why pay for time away from it? You are paying double when you stay away from home. Umm...I'm a Boglehead. I bought a starter home that somehow became my forever home. I like my house, but we're not exactly talking poolside, oceanside, mountainside or any...

BogleFanGal

Had Aetna HDHP for 9 years, then switched to GEHA HDHP in 2018 after reading some comments and opinions on a similar thread last year. Neither is bad in my opinion. Noticed Aetna responds faster to questions than GEHA. Aetna = Payflex for saving/investing dollars and that gets you Vanguard funds wit...

BogleFanGal

Before this thread gets locked (if it accidentally veers into medical advice,) again, I want to thank everyone for sharing their opinions and experiences. Clearly, there's quite a bit of variation in (a) whether a preconsult is even required (which frankly, does seem prudent, given all that could go...

BogleFanGal

I can't speak to the financial aspects or insurance, but some are questioning this practice and it's not necessarily black and white. For example, the GI doc may want to evaluate you himself to see if you even need a colonoscopy, potentially saving you or the system from unnecessary cost or care. T...

BogleFanGal

You can die from a colonoscopy. The sedation can make you forget to breathe or stress your heart; you can bleed after a biopsy or succumb after a perforation of the colon. It is possible to identify people at higher risk for these complications and either mitigate the risk or perhaps decide that th...

BogleFanGal

Okay, do you really want someone to stick a camera somewhere from below while you are under anesthesia (can't speak up to advocate for yourself) WITHOUT knowing who you are or your medical problems? The PCP may know your medical problems but have no clue how they may affect your procedure. Only the...

BogleFanGal

I can't speak to the financial aspects or insurance, but some are questioning this practice and it's not necessarily black and white. For example, the GI doc may want to evaluate you himself to see if you even need a colonoscopy, potentially saving you or the system from unnecessary cost or care. T...

BogleFanGal

I wonder if insurers will be forced to cover this at some point or change their benefits doc language. To me, it feels like false advertising to state a preventative procedure is 100% covered if a consult that's required as part of that procedure isn't. Wonder if it's worth fighting the declined cla...

BogleFanGal

Interesting. Such variations place to place. Appreciate your responses. I don't necessarily fault gastro docs for wanting the pre-workup, but seems like insurance should cover as part of preventative service, since it's not optional for patient. If the whole point is to encourage wellness/preventati...

BogleFanGal

My DH had a routine annual checkup and his PCP reminded him that he was due for a preventative colonoscophy. He was given a list of gastro docs. We called around - every office we called required an initial consultation/office visit before they would schedule a procedure. They bill $150 or more on a...

BogleFanGal

$999.82 TOTAL That's really not terrible, depending upon the area you live in. We paid almost double that for a few extractions and were definitely ripped off/taken advantage of by this vet - a practice we had loyally gone to for many years until the original vet passed away and two new ones took ov...

BogleFanGal

And when you go onto Medicare, keeping it is a very good idea - you can drop into one of the lower tier plans and have a very high level of health care coverage between the two. I pay no medical bills other than prescription co-pays. Thanks, retiredjg: good to know. Haven't thought about Medicare o...

BogleFanGal

Can't thank everyone enough. Excellent info and so much detail - appreciate the time and thought you put into your replies. Will be exploring every link and suggestion each of you posted to better understand all the particulars - best days/months to retire, paperwork issues, mistakes to avoid, etc. ...

BogleFanGal

Kaufmanrider wrote: ↑
Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:52 am
Never heard of them but you might check out the Webinars and information offered through the National Active and Retired Federal Employees, NARFE. I happen to be a member.

https://www.narfe.org/federalbenefitsinstitute/

Thank you...I will look into this.

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