Search found 4743 matches

by talzara
Tue Mar 12, 2024 6:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block Online Software - Schedule B
Replies: 26
Views: 1273

Re: H&R Block Online Software - Schedule B

Hyperchicken wrote: Tue Mar 12, 2024 9:53 am So are you saying there is no point in reviewing the printed version? Thank you but I'd still rather review mine.
No, I'm telling the OP not to do anything unless the IRS sends a letter. That's why I wrote:
talzara wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:08 pm The OP should not assume that there's anything wrong with the e-filed return. Don't do anything unless the IRS sends a letter.
A Schedule B that doesn't print out is different from a wrong number on Form 1040.

The IRS Modernized e-File (MeF) system checks for missing forms. Since the OP's e-filed return was accepted, it has already passed the checks. If the IRS wants more information, it will send a letter.
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block Online Software - Schedule B
Replies: 26
Views: 1273

Re: H&R Block Online Software - Schedule B

For one, I would not file a return without seeing what I am actually filing. That's one thing you could do differently next year. That means seeing and reviewing every form and every page before I electronically sign and file my return. No consumer tax software in the United States allows you to review what you are actually e-filing, which is an XML package. They only allow you to review the printed version of the return. XML and PDF are different code paths that behave differently. When the IRS rejects an e-filed return, the PDF usually looks correct. If the PDF looks wrong, the XML may still be correct. The OP should not assume that there's anything wrong with the e-filed return. Don't do anything unless the IRS sends a letter. Canadian ...
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 9:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Question about Turbo Tax
Replies: 8
Views: 685

Re: Question about Turbo Tax

physics911 wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:18 am That's good info. I've always used Premier (online) but if I can take a step down and still be able to do the investments and K-1, that would be great. I've got ours done but haven't filed yet. Maybe I'll chat with their helpdesk and see if there is a way to downgrade before I file.
You cannot downgrade to TurboTax Online Deluxe. Intuit removes features from the lower editions of TurboTax Online to force you to upgrade.

You must use TurboTax Online Premium. It is no longer called Premier. https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-ta ... e/premium/

You can also use any edition of TurboTax desktop. The desktop version includes every form in every edition, even Basic. Only the interview is different.
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 9:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Affordable "____@domain.com" email creation
Replies: 10
Views: 1157

Re: Affordable "____@domain.com" email creation

Find a domain name you like and buy it from a domain registrar like GoDaddy. ... Between the two, you get more bang for your buck with Microsoft. But regardless of which, make sure to enable DKIM and SPF as various email services will block/reject your sent email if you fail DMARC. Microsoft 365 will automatically set up the domain for email if you buy it through GoDaddy. This is easier than setting up all the DNS records manually. I don't know if it also works with Exchange Online. It may be worth the additional $2 a month for Microsoft 365. The OP is "pretty tech-illiterate," so it is less likely that something will go wrong during the setup. Follow these steps to automatically verify and set up your GoDaddy domain with Microso...
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 6:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting off cruise ship a day early
Replies: 20
Views: 3326

Re: Getting off cruise ship a day early

sureshoe wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 8:30 am So this is all anyone needs to know before "getting creative". I just don't know why anyone would fool around.
The OP is not fooling around.

The OP is going to get off the ship with their luggage, show the immigration officer their passports and flight reservation out of Beijing, and get a 144-hour visa-free transit sticker with a 2D barcode. Then they're going to tour Beijing, go to the airport, get the barcode scanned by the immigration officer, and get exit stamps in their passports.

The people who are talking about fooling around don't know what the OP is doing. None of them posted on the OP's 144-hour visa-free transit thread last month: viewtopic.php?p=7693487
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 6:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting off cruise ship a day early
Replies: 20
Views: 3326

Re: Getting off cruise ship a day early

The most-common Tianjin 144-Hour Visa is "no Beijing." The expertise of a China-specialist travel agent could save you -- not only money -- but considerable annoyance. The OP already got two pages of advice about the 144-hour visa-free transit last month. In fact, the OP started two threads and a moderator had to merge them. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7693487 The OP can go anywhere in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei under the "coordinated 144-hour policy." Under the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated 144-hour policy, foreign travelers can choose to enter or exit from any of the following ports: Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beijing West Railway Station, Tia...
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you decide air travel priorities? Flight to CDG
Replies: 38
Views: 2602

Re: How do you decide air travel priorities? Flight to CDG

I looked on a random date and Delta operates using A330-900neo, while Air France uses a 777. If the same on your date of travel, I would definitely go with Delta. The aircraft is very new, and in coach it's a comfortable 2-4-2 layout. Air France uses 3-4-3 on its 777s, which is MUCH tighter. (The 777 has a wider fuselage, but by about the width of one seat; to squeeze in that tenth seat per row, they make the seats and aisles really narrow.) The OP is traveling in early July: We'll be there in early July before the Olympics get up and running. Air France downgauges to a Boeing 787 in July. However, the Airbus A330 is also more comfortable than the Boeing 787 in Economy. The Boeing 787 is 3-3-3 on Air France, but the plane is only half a se...
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 5:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you decide air travel priorities? Flight to CDG
Replies: 38
Views: 2602

Re: How do you decide air travel priorities? Flight to CDG

Usually, they are actually the same flight. Certainly the case for SFO-CDG . In the winter time, they are very competitive. It's been as low as $500 multiple times. For spring and especially summer, prices go way up. The OP is flying from Minneapolis, not San Francisco. In the summer, there are two MSP-CDG daily nonstops on the SkyTeam transatlantic joint venture. Delta operates the afternoon flight, and Air France operates the evening flight. The Delta flight is on an Airbus A330, which will be more comfortable than the Air France Boeing 787 in Economy. Both my sister and mother have taken Aer Lingus before on transatlantic flights, and had a poor experience. They said it was very hard to walk the corridors because of the cramped seat con...
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: International ATM fees (again)
Replies: 20
Views: 1527

Re: International ATM fees (again)

test123 wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 9:36 am Interestingly- Fido required I complete an identity verification using 3rd party public records (which, if any, of these addresses are associated with you or which car have you owned or eye color listed on your DL, etc). I failed twice—even tho I’m 100% certain of my answers. Weird.
There may be an error on your credit report. You need to give the answer in your credit report instead of the correct answer.

You should keep copies of your credit reports from all three credit bureaus. People who keep copies rarely have problems with credit-based verification.
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: International ATM fees (again)
Replies: 20
Views: 1527

Re: Watch out in Morocco

We just returned from Morocco. We are careful and use only ATMs from banks and have had no problems in declining DCC over the years. We encountered a Societe General bank in Morocco that forces conversion to USD. Since we had no MAD (Morocco currency), we had to accept the conversion and lost the ATM fee reimbursement from Fidelity. It was an effective charge of $5 on $100 currency. Later on we found that Bank of Africa ATM that allows you to decline DCC. Next time this happens to you, press the Cancel button on the PIN pad. Most of the time, this will cancel DCC instead of cancelling the withdrawal. This is a DCC dark pattern that is becoming more common. Instead of giving you a button on-screen to decline DCC, they just show you a Contin...
by talzara
Mon Mar 11, 2024 4:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: University California reducing pension payout for contingent annuitants
Replies: 19
Views: 3685

Re: University California reducing pension payout for contingent annuitants

Thesaints wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 10:25 pm 15% mortality reduction is for healthy retirees, if I'm not mistaken. If people retired earlier, their mortality would drop (on average)
Mortality tables are already listed by age. If you retire earlier, you start at a different row in the table.

The 15% reduction to table rates is not making you younger. It's changing the mortality rates in the tables. You still start at the same row in the table, but the mortality rates are 15% lower on average.
by talzara
Sun Mar 10, 2024 4:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: University California reducing pension payout for contingent annuitants
Replies: 19
Views: 3685

Re: University California reducing pension payout for contingent annuitants

Again, if they would just give a hint about the degree of reduction it would help with decision making. Here are the changes to the mortality tables that were adopted at the July 2023 meeting. These are not payout rates, so you'd have to do the calculation. The mortality improvement scale adds another complication to the calculation. 15% is a very large decrease for male faculty retirees. I don't know of any medical advances in the last 14 years that have reduced male mortality by 15%. Male faculty at the University of California must be much healthier than all male teachers in the United States. The Pub-2010 Teacher mortality table is based on mortality experience for all American teachers, including K-12 and college. Pre-Retirement – Pub...
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Greece in August 24
Replies: 31
Views: 2334

Re: Greece in August 24

Rowan Oak wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:05 pm Have you looked at Rick Steves' guide books? Very helpful information and updated each year.
The OP's children "are more interested in outdoor activities, beaches, and a bit of history, rather than museums."

Rick Steves likes museums, history, and a bit of outdoor activities, rather than beaches. Some Rick Steves guidebooks include 50 pages of museum guides in them.
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Greece in August 24
Replies: 31
Views: 2334

Re: Greece in August 24

andyandyandy wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:33 pm But this time, we've finally booked our trip to Greece for this August!

We'll be flying into Santorini first and departing from Athens. We have a total of 9 nights and 8 days to explore.
If your ticket can be changed, it would be better to time your Santorini visit to avoid the cruise ships.

In August 2024, there are days with 13,000 cruise ship passengers in Santorini, and there are days with 2,000. You will enjoy Santorini much more on a day with 2,000 cruise ship passengers.
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure
Replies: 63
Views: 4442

Re: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure

I haven't done that, but did find a policy with an unusually high deductible (5%). Most insurers seem to cap out at 2% (at least in my area, the last time I shopped it a few years ago), but there are a few that will go higher if you ask. (It isn't always listed as an option in the online quote tools.) At that level, I am effectively self-insuring my roof, and self-insuring most other losses short of the house burning down. Most insurers offer 5% deductibles now. It is not unusual to have the option, but it is unusual to take that option. The most common homeowners deductible is $1,000. It may be hard to find a 5% deductible in your state. There may be low demand for high deductibles in the market. Why offer a 5% deductible if almost nobody...
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure
Replies: 63
Views: 4442

Re: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure

Cancel the umbrella policy if you go self insured on the house. If you read the umbrella policy, you will see that it requires an auto insurance policy AND either homeowners insurance or renters insurance policy. Each required policy has required minimum liability coverage. Most umbrella policies do not say that you need homeowners insurance or renters insurance. They say that you need personal liability insurance. For example, State Farm's umbrella policy requires "personal residential liability." State Farm writes a Premises Personal Liability policy that meets this requirement. RLI's umbrella policy requires "personal liability or homeowners liability." It doesn't matter which one. There are insurers that require hom...
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure
Replies: 63
Views: 4442

Re: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure

runswithscissors wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 6:59 am Also no coverage for liability, flood, windstorm or hail?
You can buy personal liability insurance.

Homeowners insurance does not cover floods.

Wind and hail are the main reasons for insurance price increases. If you believe you are being overcharged for wind and hail, the only way to avoid paying the wind and hail premium is to drop your homeowners insurance.
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases
Replies: 118
Views: 8841

Re: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases

madbrain wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:30 pm As to 5% value theft, it really depends on what you have. My piano has an MSRP of $191k new, which is about 10% of the value of the home.
Of course, it is not new anymore, and I didn't pay anywhere near that price for it. It still might now be worth more than what I paid for it 12 years ago.
It is pretty hard to steal given that it weighs about 1200 lbs.
The theft premium never gets reduced to zero. The insurance company always charges you something for the risk, even if it's less than a dollar.
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure
Replies: 63
Views: 4442

Re: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure

What you would need is liabliity only, and I've never heard of anyone doing that. It must be possible. Personal liability insurance is uncommon because homeowners insurance is usually a better deal. If homeowners insurance costs $1,000, then the personal liability coverage is usually only about $100. If a personal liability policy costs $300, then you're getting a $200 discount for bundling. $200 is a significant discount when you're only paying $1,000. However, if homeowners insurance costs $5,000 or $10,000, then a $200 discount is insignificant. There are a few Bogleheads in Florida who have dropped their homeowners insurance. They need personal liability insurance to qualify for umbrella. $200 is a small price to pay. It is not easy to...
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases
Replies: 118
Views: 8841

Re: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases

Amanda999 wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 5:34 pm I'm be very interested to hear if you can buy an umbrella policy without a homeowners policy - that covers liability related to the home.
You can buy a personal liability policy.

For example, State Farm sells a Premises Personal Liability policy in California.

If your insurer doesn't offer a personal liability policy, it may allow you to use another company's policy. If it doesn't, you can switch to a company that does. You can also switch to a standalone umbrella insurer.
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases
Replies: 118
Views: 8841

Re: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases

It's possible. I have a $10k deductible with Farmer's. Premium is still $4k. I wish they allowed a percentage of replacement cost as deductible and not just a fixed amount. Say 1-5%. That would be up to $100k deductible on a $2M house. Farmers offers deductibles of up to 5%. If your policy does not offer a 5% deductible, it is probably a grandfathered policy, a former MetLife policy, or a policy from one of the subsidiaries. You can call and ask for a policy rewrite, but a Farmers agent in California may be unwilling to do it because of the quota. Grandfathered Farmers policies are usually worth keeping because the newer policies have more exclusions. Agree. A deductible of up to 5% of the Cov A amount would be helpful. For HC areas, this ...
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Florida insurance options
Replies: 123
Views: 15724

Re: Florida insurance options

Bcdkgf wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:20 am Florida's Citizens Insurance is the only option for a house, built in 1987, we are buying. The Liability amount is limited to $100,000. My Amica umbrella policy requires $300,000. Does anyone have a work around for this?
You can buy a personal liability policy.

State Farm Florida sells a personal liability policy.
by talzara
Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Home phone (copper) solution for parents
Replies: 26
Views: 2493

Re: Home phone (copper) solution for parents

CorradoJr wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 11:39 am I’m going to get them a hardwired Ooma unit (I don’t see a benefit from their WiFi option) and connect their existing Panasonic wireless phone into it. ...

a Y-splitter on the same line plugged into their old machine. Looking into tech options as well but I know they will likely have issues doing it via their iPhones.
(The faxes are mostly sheet music and business contracts)
Wi-Fi is a drawback, not a benefit.

Faxing over IP requires a low-jitter connection. Wi-Fi adds enough jitter that faxing is much less likely to work.
by talzara
Wed Mar 06, 2024 8:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: (H&R Block Desktop) Vanguard Treasury/Federal Money Market and State Taxes
Replies: 15
Views: 1170

Re: (H&R Block Desktop) Vanguard Treasury/Federal Money Market and State Taxes

Barkingsparrow wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 7:19 pm 1. Created a separate 1099-DIV entry for each money market.
jebmke wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 7:27 pm I take a simpler approach. I tally up the Treasury dividends by hand, divide it by the amount of total divs on the 1099-Div and use that percentage when HRB dialog asks me. I only enter one 1099-Div.
The IRS only matches the total on Schedule B, so it doesn't matter how you enter it. Do whatever is easier for you.

If you only have two mutual funds, it's easier to enter two lines on Schedule B.

If you have 20 mutual funds, it may be easier to enter one line on Schedule B for the entire brokerage account.
by talzara
Wed Mar 06, 2024 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: tax filing using PDF
Replies: 22
Views: 1422

Re: tax filing using PDF

Supposedly, the IRS now uses digital scanners to take the numbers off of the forms. That is a pilot program. Almost all paper returns are still being typed in. Only 35,000 returns were scanned in the 2023 Submission Processing Modernization pilot. SPM will be tested again in 2024, and the new Modernized Paper Processing System will also be tested. We don't know why SPM is being tested for a second year, but the error rates were probably unacceptable. They're hoping that MPPS will be better. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration wrote a report on tax return scanning at the IRS: https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2023-12/2024408013fr.pdf The IT bureaucracy at the IRS doesn't want to implement 2D barcodes, which...
by talzara
Wed Mar 06, 2024 6:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Foreign tax paid and H&R Block software
Replies: 6
Views: 1179

Re: Foreign tax paid and H&R Block software

Thank you so much for the link. It clearly shows H&R Block is deficient in this area. 1. You have to jump from the interview screen to the Form screen and check the box that says "Check here if you are using the adjustment exception". Who would know to do that? This is a recent bug. Looking at older versions of Harry Sit's website, it appears to have been introduced in H&R Block 2021. H&R Block used to not do the adjustment, so you didn't have to check the box for the adjustment exception. Then it started doing the adjustment by default, but it didn't ask you about the adjustment exception in the interview. I don't know why they did this. They should've defaulted to the exception. Most people who file form 1116 can el...
by talzara
Wed Mar 06, 2024 6:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Medicare Billing Questions
Replies: 4
Views: 757

Re: Medicare Billing Questions

So then I was curious and clicked on the email link despite the dire Boglehead warnings and... there was all the billing information, no login required (I'm assuming because I was logged on already in another browser tab?) Has anyone else experienced this? The reason clicking the link in the email worked could have been for a number of reasons - existing login session/cookies as you suspected - parameters embedded in the link that gave the web service extra information. Perhaps the parameters contained a unique key specific to your transaction We just had a thread about Windows Sandbox: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7749188 Copy the link and paste it into Edge inside the sandbox. If it works, then it's not because of the...
by talzara
Wed Mar 06, 2024 6:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases
Replies: 118
Views: 8841

Re: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases

Looked carefully-ish but did not see this - did anyone say that homeowners insurance gives you personal liability protection and (I think) the ability to get an umbrella policy? You can buy personal liability insurance. In California, you can also buy a Difference in Conditions policy that excludes fire. Since DIC policies exclude all fires, not just wildfires, you should take additional steps to improve the fire safety of your house. There are companies that write umbrella without underlying policies. It's going to be more expensive than the former simply because their loss coverage is higher. E.g., if you have $250k coverage on your home owner's, the umbrella won't kick in unless the award is over that amount. Without that underlying, th...
by talzara
Wed Mar 06, 2024 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: some turbo tax questions and paper filing
Replies: 30
Views: 2468

Re: some turbo tax questions and paper filing

sycamore wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:58 pm But if you file electronically your data is stored on their servers, at least for a time. There are laws & regulations that require tax preparers (TaxSlayer, H&R Block, Intuit, etc.) to maintain a copy of the tax return, and also require the data to be safeguarded.
If you e-file, Intuit will store a copy of your return until January of the next year.
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Ticket is only available as an award ticket, should I change my rewards strategy?
Replies: 16
Views: 1144

Re: Ticket is only available as an award ticket, should I change my rewards strategy?

But for some weird reason I can never find such ticket (IND-JFK-CAI) or (IND-EWR-CAI) when searching for cash flights. No aggregate flight search engine showing that ticket! I just checked two sites and see the same thing you do. It makes no sense to me why you couldn’t find a cash fare There is an end-to-end combinability restriction in the fares. You can buy an IND-EWR-CAI round trip for $3,600. It's a good itinerary: IND-EWR on United Express, 4-hour connection in Newark, and EWR-CAI on EgyptAir. However, the IND-EWR segment costs $2,700 because it is a Y fare, which is unrestricted economy. If you were flying IND-EWR, you wouldn't pay $2,700 for a Y fare. You'd pay $240 for a K fare, which is deep discount economy. However, the K fare ...
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases
Replies: 118
Views: 8841

Re: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases

geobrick wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 7:11 pm Based on the USAA website's eligibility requirements, the child of someone who served is only eligible if the person who served is a USAA member. For that reason, we are not eligible for USAA.
If it saves you a lot of money, it could be worth it for your parents to join USAA. They don't have to buy homeowners insurance from USAA. They can buy anything. It might even be enough to open a USAA bank account.
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 7:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases
Replies: 118
Views: 8841

Re: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases

fortunefavored wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:38 pm Wow, I went and looked it up and I can see why insurance companies are frustrated.. basically just a total serial set of objections. I'd be fired if I tried to review a document like that (when I worked :)
They won't be fired. The insurance commissioner doesn't want rates to increase, so they're just doing what the insurance commissioner wants them to do.

Sometimes the CEO has to put pressure on the insurance commissioner. Allstate's CEO said in December 2023 that he would start dropping auto insurance policies in California, New Jersey, and New York. Less than a week later, all three states had approved the Allstate rate filings.
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flying Through Munich While Lufthansa Ground Workers Are On Strike
Replies: 17
Views: 1628

Re: Flying Through Munich While Lufthansa Ground Workers Are On Strike

Almost always, there are additional options that the website doesn't show. You should be able to re-route via London, for example, without adding a stop, since Aegean flies there, too (and all the cities that UA serves to Munich are also served to London). Doesn't hurt to find the most desirable option on your own first on Google Flights, and then ask United nicely to rebook you on that. The ORD-LHR flight on March 7 is fully booked in Economy. Only Business Class is still available for that flight. All three EWR-LHR flights on March 7 are also fully booked in Economy. However, Premium Economy is still available. The ORD-MUC flight on March 7 has a lot of empty seats. A lot of the passengers had the same idea that you had. They've already ...
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flying Through Munich While Lufthansa Ground Workers Are On Strike
Replies: 17
Views: 1628

Re: Flying Through Munich While Lufthansa Ground Workers Are On Strike

lthenderson wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:17 am Our flight leaves this Thursday night on an America based airline and connects in Munich Friday morning with Aegean airlines.
Are you flying from Chicago to Athens?

It's much easier to find another routing from Newark because United flies to more cities in Europe. There aren't as many options from Chicago.
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases
Replies: 118
Views: 8841

Re: Is it Time to Self-Insure? CA Homeowners Rate Increases

As of August last year, USAA will not insure new customers in California unless their fire risk rating is 1 (On a scale of 1 to 32.) So that option is off the table though I may consider them for car insurance if I qualify with my wife's dad serving way back. USAA filed this underwriting change in April 2023 to take effect in March 2024. However, it hasn't been approved yet by the California Department of Insurance, so it is not in effect yet. If you qualify for USAA, you should get a quote while you still can. August 2023 is when Matthew Kupfer of the San Francisco Standard noticed the change. He appears to be the only newspaper journalist in Northern California who reads insurance filings. He's not going to write an article to tell you t...
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Undersizing whole house generator?
Replies: 62
Views: 4820

Re: Undersizing whole house generator?

When we did a lot of electrical work in support of our PV upgrade and batteries, we considered installing smart electrical panels. Our electrician, who admitted he’d enjoy the experience, recommended against it because it would become a single point of failure that nobody local would be able to help with. Good old fashioned breakers have a good supply and every electrician knows how to deal with them, smart panels not so much. We decided against it before COVID; in retrospect it was a lucky decision because of subsequent supply chain issues. That's why I mentioned that the big electrical manufacturers will be entering the smart panel market soon. The Schneider Pulse uses QO breakers, just like other Square D panels. It's much safer than bu...
by talzara
Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portugal trip
Replies: 19
Views: 1453

Re: Portugal trip

As far as a SIM card, you have a lot of options that will work. I do not have Tmobile but I believe their network is compatible with the European standard. I personally use Verizon and when going overseas, I switch to a Google FI sim and it works perfectly. As such, I always use the Google number when making reservations with cars, Airbnb's, etc. Download Bolt once you land in Portugal. The OP is having trouble receiving text messages to a US phone number. Using T-Mobile to roam in Portugal will not change the OP's phone number. Downloading Bolt in Portugal will not change the OP's phone number, either. That's why the OP asked about getting a Portuguese phone number. This is possible, but the OP has decided not to use Bolt, so the OP doesn...
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Undersizing whole house generator?
Replies: 62
Views: 4820

Re: Undersizing whole house generator?

firebirdparts wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:14 am You’ve had good advice. The only interesting thing I could come up with is to make everything manual and then you do the load management.

If somebody made a system to cut loads off with relays, you could automate it without so much wiring, I have not seen that.
There are smart electrical panels that can do load management. Instead of hard-wiring the critical circuits, you'd supply the entire house from the generator. The panel decides which circuits to turn on based on how you've programmed it.

Only a few companies make smart panels now, but the big electrical manufacturers are working on them. For example, the Schneider Pulse will be available soon: https://www.se.com/us/en/product-range/ ... lse-panel/
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10/11 Sandbox
Replies: 9
Views: 1099

Re: Windows 10/11 Sandbox

tallguy3891 wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:39 pm Interesting. So that sounds like a good security thing if one just uses the default, Edge. Does that make it worth it to get Windows Pro when getting a pc in the first place? Or upgrading to it? Or is it pointless with current antimalware? Thanks for the info!
Windows Pro includes a lot of virtualization features, including Windows Sandbox, virtualized Edge, Hyper-V, and Windows Subsystem for Linux. The more features you use, the more it's worth it to upgrade to Pro.
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Foreign tax paid and H&R Block software
Replies: 6
Views: 1179

Re: Foreign tax paid and H&R Block software

This is the first year I try to use H&R Block in addition to TurboTax, just to compare the two. I have $900 in foreign tax paid so Form 1116 is required. I breeze through the TurboTax interview and it handles Form 1116 at ease and I get a $900 federal tax credit with TurboTax. The H&R Block interview on this topic is extremely confusing and difficult to answer! No matter how I answer the questions, I cannot make it populate $900 into the "MINI-WORKSHEET FOR PART II, COLUMNS (q) - (t)". Apparently, $900 should go into box "a. ii. Not from K-1's/K-3's" (what the heck is that box?) in order to get populated into the "in US dollars Taxes withheld at source on: q. Dividends" of the same worksheet, so that $...
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portugal trip
Replies: 19
Views: 1453

Re: Portugal trip

2. We will be renting a car for part of the trip and I've noticed a lot of the rental agencies require a 900.00 + deposit for damages. Anyone have a problem with these deposits being used inappropriately or not returned? I rented from Guerin, the local car rental agency who contracts for National and Enterprise. I was not charged a deposit. The deposit is an authorization hold on your card. It is not charged to your card unless you actually bring back the car with damage. However, it reduces your credit limit until the hold is released. Europeans often have problems with the deposit because many of them use debit cards to rent cars. The deposit gets blocked in their bank accounts. They can't even withdraw cash at an ATM if the balance is l...
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portugal trip
Replies: 19
Views: 1453

Re: Portugal trip

3. Is it possible to deal with the toll roads, without too much hassle, without the - toll transponder? - the rental agencies rent? On roads that have toll booths, you can use the cash or card lanes. However, you must use a lane that only accepts cash or card. If it also accepts the transponder, then it will charge the transponder. Half of Portugal's toll roads use open road tolling with license plate readers. Your rental car will already be registered in the tolling system, so you won't be able to avoid paying the rental car company. I can only speak to #3. We have done two trips to Portugal in the past two years. In my view, the transponder is worth whatever they charge (however I am not sure they charge anything). Dealing with cash/coin...
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portugal trip
Replies: 19
Views: 1453

Re: Portugal trip

1. We want to use Uber and/or the Bolt car service while in Portugal. I installed the Bolt app on my iPhone but I can't create an account. The app wants to send me a sms to my number for verification but apparently, since Bolt doesn't operate in the US and I don't have a Portugal number, I can't receive the verification sms. Anyone know a way to get a verification sms or do I need to get a sim with a number in Portugal then create the account. We'll be using T-Mobile for calls/texts/data while in Portugal. If needed could get another physical sim as I don't believe phone numbers are associated with esims. I'd like to avoid swapping sims in and out. Bolt does not require a Portuguese number since it is available in over 50 countries. eSIMs ...
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 4:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10/11 Sandbox
Replies: 9
Views: 1099

Re: Windows 10/11 Sandbox

tallguy3891 wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:41 am So, why not get into the sandbox when surfing the internet just as an extra precaution since that seems to be where so much malware is encountered?
Windows Sandbox puts you in a clean VM every time. The only browser you will have is Edge, and you won't have your favorites, cookies, or extensions. As soon as you close the sandbox, all of the data gets deleted, and it starts with a clean VM next time.

Microsoft Edge already runs virtualized on Windows Pro, even if you don't use the sandbox. However, the favorites, cookies, and extensions do not get deleted every time you close the browser.
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 4:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Making mistake on my tax return
Replies: 3
Views: 1411

Re: Making mistake on my tax return

senex wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 2:43 pm I think it's usually best to amend as soon as you discover the error.
You should not amend a return that hasn't yet been processed. The IRS cannot do anything with an amended return until the original return has been processed.

The IRS also reconciles payments automatically. There is nothing that needs to be amended on this return.
senex wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 2:43 pm If the error is for year 2023 taxes, I'd be surprised if you owe any additional penalties (beyond any underpayment penalty that would have been assessed if you filed your original taxes correctly), as long as you correct it and pay by Apr 15.
Interest is calculated daily. Every day that the OP waits to pay will increase the interest owed.
by talzara
Mon Mar 04, 2024 4:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Making mistake on my tax return
Replies: 3
Views: 1411

Re: Making mistake on my tax return

green tea wrote: Thu Feb 29, 2024 10:52 pm I filed my tax last month and mistakenly enter a $3000 estimated tax paid on line 26 which I thought I made but did not. This resulted in an amount overpaid of $400 instead of an amount owe $2600.

I am not sure of the best way to fix this error.
1. Should I file an amendment now and pay whatever I owe plus penalty?
2. Should I wait until I receive a correspondence from the IRS before I do anything? The IRS website says my return is in 'process' status.
3. Should I just log into pay1040.com to pay the $3000 now and receive the $400 refund later?
Do not amend a return that has not yet been processed.

The earlier you pay, the less interest you will owe. Interest is calculated daily.
by talzara
Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Free Online Tax Software - If it's free, you are the product.
Replies: 37
Views: 4321

Re: Free Online Tax Software - If it's free, you are the product.

Understanding how a service you use is paid for ... is wise. I don't know about OLT. Some of the other (e.g. TurboTax) have an agreement with the IRS to offer free tax preparation for low-income people... It's the other way around. OLT is a member of the Free File Alliance. Intuit isn't. When Intuit left the Free File Alliance in July 2021, it also shut down Free File Fillable Forms. OLT wrote a new FFFF program in 6 months, and OLT is still operating FFFF. OLT has done more with FFFF in three years than Intuit did in 10 years. For example, Intuit never implemented the carryover statement for the foreign tax credit. TurboTax has had the feature for years, but Intuit wouldn't port it to FFFF because it wanted people to buy TurboTax. OLT has...
by talzara
Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare: 64 Year Old Eyeing 2025 Medicare
Replies: 168
Views: 11471

Re: Medicare: 64 Year Old Eyeing 2025 Medicare

dodecahedron wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:05 am So for the OP, what is critical is that you read the rules in YOUR state (and any other state where you might want to live in the future.)
The OP is in Pennsylvania. The dead pool thread that I linked to is about Pennsylvania.

It is possible to move to another state that allows you to switch Medigap plans without medical underwriting. However, that is a big change. It's better to select the right plan at age 65.
Leesbro63 wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 7:10 am It's no secret that I'm in Pennsylvania.
by talzara
Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I got my tax refund today--and it doesn't match what I filed!
Replies: 31
Views: 5211

Re: I got my tax refund today--and it doesn't match what I filed!

bmr12 wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:42 pm Thanks. I’m waiting—it’s been about seven weeks so far. Any idea how long this takes (and yeah, I know it is the government).
No, but I'd wait until June.
by talzara
Thu Feb 29, 2024 6:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare: 64 Year Old Eyeing 2025 Medicare
Replies: 168
Views: 11471

Re: Medicare: 64 Year Old Eyeing 2025 Medicare

What is the "dead pool game"? Some Medigap insurers will only offer a plan for 5-10 years. Then they close the plan, and it goes into a death spiral as the policyholders get older and sicker. Anyone who is still healthy enough to pass medical underwriting will switch to a different plan that has a lower premium, which makes the risk pool even sicker. This is a "dead pool" plan because it is in a death spiral. They do this to start a new plan with a lower premium. They get a lot of customers because the plan costs less than competitors' plans. 5-10 years later, they close the second plan and start a third plan. Some companies have four Medigap plans in one state, only one of which is open. Here is an example of a Boglehe...