Search found 448 matches

by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Jun 15, 2023 6:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone have a good battery operated weed trimmer?
Replies: 42
Views: 2986

Re: Anyone have a good battery operated weed trimmer?

I have Makita (mower), Milwaukee (blower/chainsaw), and Ryobi (trimmer/edger) cordless yard tools. All are excellent. No Ego tools, but I've heard great things about them.

I know many recommend buying the same battery platform, but I buy based on features meeting my needs. Keeping track of different batteries and chargers is manageable.

My trimmer/edger is a Ryobi 40V. As much power as my gas trimmer and much easier to use, operate, etc. With the added bonus of being able to easily edge the driveway and walkways.
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Jun 15, 2023 6:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I am doing it. FIRE
Replies: 30
Views: 8363

Re: I am doing it. FIRE

livesoft wrote: Thu Jun 15, 2023 6:02 pm
Go backpack the Appalachian Trail Southbound, so you miss the snow in the winter in Main, NH, ....
Did you mean a city/town in NH called "Main" or the state near NH called "Maine"? :D
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: AT&T said they are upgrading me to fiber
Replies: 63
Views: 6029

Re: AT&T said they are upgrading me to fiber

We were able to switch to AT&T Fiber about 3-4 years ago. Big improvement compared to DSL as there were some issues with our DSL from time to time. The Fiber service started out at 100Mbps and a couple of years later they bumped us up to 300Mbps at no additional cost. Every time I've run the speed test app it has been higher than advertised.

The only outage we had was when a Bradford Pear in our backyard fell due to a storm. I called first thing the next morning (a Saturday) and they had a tech out in a couple of hours.
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bonds vs Bond Fund
Replies: 68
Views: 5533

Re: Bonds vs Bond Fund

vineviz wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2022 3:48 pm
willeric wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2022 3:34 pm
1. Is there a significant difference between buying bonds and buying a bond fund of a similar type and maturity.

No. Absolutely no significant difference. Even when you "need to sell".

I see a persistent misunderstanding about this.
I agree.
by Pigeye Brewster
Sat Apr 09, 2022 7:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Remove sticker from glass
Replies: 56
Views: 5568

Re: Remove sticker from glass

WD 40 and a new, sharp chisel with which tor scrape.
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu May 27, 2021 6:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Today I learned why VOO has that ticker
Replies: 28
Views: 5203

Re: Today I learned why VOO has that ticker

Dated Sep. 13, 2010...

https://seekingalpha.com/article/224969 ... -supremacy
When I first saw the ticker symbols for the new Vanguard ETFs, I thought they were just a hodge-podge of letters with Vs and Gs stuck on the end to distinguish Value from Growth. Then someone pointed out that the letters on the front are derivatives of roman numerals: V for 5 and VOO for S&P 500, IV for 4 and IVOO for S&P 400, VI for 6 and VIOO for S&P 600. I have them memorized already.
by Pigeye Brewster
Mon Apr 19, 2021 4:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What does "won the game stop playing" mean in practice?
Replies: 250
Views: 39069

Re: What does "won the game stop playing" mean in practice?

Op here: I understood that it meant take less risk, but was unsure what was really what the action should be to "take less risk". Shift to all cash, shift to a high bond vs stocks asset allocation, buy a SPIA? To me, equities and bonds (or CDs or cash in a mattress) both have risks, they are just different risks. By holding some of each, you diversify the risks (volatility vs. inflation and interest rate risk), and accept lower expected return. My current plan is just to shift my AA towards more bonds. With my current AA, I do have more in bonds than needed for 25x base expenses - guaranteed income (like SS). I just wanted to know if there was a more clear definition of "stop playing" that what I understood. Essentially...
by Pigeye Brewster
Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Power tool storage in non-conditioned, detached garage
Replies: 21
Views: 3553

Re: Power tool storage in non-conditioned, detached garage

Helo80 wrote: Sat Feb 27, 2021 3:47 pm If you have anything on battery, I'd probably keep those on the inside of the home.
I agree 100% based on personal experience. I keep all batteries in the house.
by Pigeye Brewster
Mon Feb 08, 2021 10:27 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Math of a donor advised fund
Replies: 53
Views: 5615

Re: Math of a donor advised fund

Hi All Thanks for the feedback. It was really helpful, rather than respond to individual posts I thought I would try to capture everything in one post. A number of you validated my 'basic outline' and agreed that I have it 'broadly correct' which is exactly what I was looking for. I took a few shortcuts in some of the calculations to avoid making it overly complex but you've done what I had hoped and verified I've got a general idea right. A few of you mentioned the fees. I was surprised as that really isn't much of a concern to me but in re-reading my original post I can see how some of you might have inferred it, my only point was the fee is the only real downside I could find to this approach for charitable giving. As someone else noted...
by Pigeye Brewster
Sun Feb 07, 2021 7:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Give electric wheelchair to veteran---liability
Replies: 39
Views: 3947

Re: Give electric wheelchair to veteran---liability

SrGrumpy wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:12 pm A Seinfeld episode covered this. Didn't end well, of course.

The wheelchair salesman: "This is like - you're almost glad to be handicapped."
That came to mind as soon as I saw the title of the thread. :D
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Does it make sense to buy houses worth $3M and pay almost $50K each year in property taxes
Replies: 61
Views: 9149

Re: Does it make sense to buy houses worth $3M and pay almost $50K each year in property taxes

TSR wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:31 am (Background: I'm a lawyer who practices a good deal of constitutional law, so I promise I'm not just saying this stuff as some personal political opinion.) No, a message board that prohibits political discussion is not violating the First Amendment's free speech guarantee. Only action by a state or the federal government (or a surrogate of either) implicates the First Amendment's free speech guarantee.
Very well stated. This is so often misunderstood. :beer
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PolyLevel for concrete lifting?
Replies: 9
Views: 1907

Re: PolyLevel for concrete lifting?

I need to find a contractor who's able to level a concrete sidewalk/porch step which has sunk at my foundation due to settling of backfilled soil around the foundation. There are various terms for this work: slab-jacking, mud-jacking, and concrete leveling are a few. I have found a local PolyLevel franchisee who uses a two-part, expanding foam to level concrete. Supposedly, it is a light-weight product that's easy to work with and "sets up" quickly. Have any of you Bogleheads had experience with this product/technique? If so, can you comment on the experience? Our concrete front porch step was sinking when we moved into our older home a little over 4 years ago. I found a local poly lift/level contractor by googling (turned out th...
by Pigeye Brewster
Sat Jan 16, 2021 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Annual limits on cash gifts and taxes
Replies: 26
Views: 1610

Re: Annual limits on cash gifts and taxes

Annual exclusion gifts are per individual. So yes, you can give $10K to each person of a couple.
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pragmatic "audiophile" receiver recommendations
Replies: 105
Views: 8882

Re: Pragmatic "audiophile" receiver recommendations

jrbdmb wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:27 pm BTW, what is he best way to get music from my iPhone to a stereo system? Direct connect would work but require the iPhone to be next to the system. Perhaps a bluetooth receiver with audio out?
I use Apple AirPlay via an Airport Express unit connected to my receiver (an older Denon). Works well and is generally considered to be higher fidelity than Bluetooth.

Apple discontinued the Airport Express but many newer receivers have AirPlay built in.
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Share your net worth progression
Replies: 4288
Views: 1082001

Re: Share your net worth progression

sapper1371 wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 9:01 pm Hit $1M in investments after today’s gains! 41 so many years left to go so on to the next million 🍺
I found that after 40, time speeds up and so does net worth progression. :beer
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:49 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks continue to soar!
Replies: 22381
Views: 2139464

Re: U.S. stocks continue to soar!

case_of_ennui wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:23 pm
I'm following Cabernet futures. They're up this evening on strong demand. I expect the same tomorrow.
My sample size =1, but I can confirm the strong demand. :beer
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Roth 401k to Roth IRA rollover
Replies: 13
Views: 1444

Re: Roth 401k to Roth IRA rollover

If one 1) is over 59 1/2 and 2) has had a Roth IRA for over 5 years, does the 5 year rule on conversions matter?
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What is the purpose of being both a trustee and beneficiary of an ILIT
Replies: 17
Views: 910

Re: What is the purpose of being both a trustee and beneficiary of an ILIT

samsoes wrote: Wed Dec 23, 2020 3:06 pm What's an ILIT? What is HEMS? :confused
Non-intuitive acronyms are ubiquitous on this site.
ILIT = Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust
HEMS = Health, Education, Maintenance, and Support
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Dec 22, 2020 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Got Samsclub membership -- give me your best tips!
Replies: 77
Views: 8785

Re: Got Samsclub membership -- give me your best tips!

mkc wrote: Tue Dec 22, 2020 1:33 pm To follow up on the Scan n Go issue, I did end up having to drive back to the club to get it resolved.

Member services cashier said it's been happening a lot, and she had the same problem herself 2 days ago.

Lesson learned - check those item quantities before you click "pay".
Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye out for this. The only time I've noticed more than one quantity is when I actually bought more than one of an item and keyed in the quantity.
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Dec 22, 2020 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should a roth conversion be within or external to a 401K?
Replies: 5
Views: 436

Re: Should a roth conversion be within or external to a 401K?

hollerg wrote: Tue Dec 22, 2020 1:48 pm -- The Roth content of the 401K account grows and later when I reach 72 the RMD calculation for the account will include the Roth 401K amount, or so I am told by Fidelity. That will increase the RMD I must make unnecessarily.
You can avoid this by rolling the Roth 401(k) to Roth IRA prior to reaching your RMD date.
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 17, 2020 4:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bernstein's 25x after 60
Replies: 95
Views: 11723

Re: Bernstein's 25x after 60

Bernstein explained it in a WSJ article back in 2015. RLE (Residual Living Expenses) = expenses, including taxes, less social security, pensions, etc.

In the article, his rule of thumb recommendation was to have assets of at least 25 times RLE at age 60, 20 times RLE at age 65, and 17 times RLE at age 70. For asset allocation at age 65 and 20 years RLE, he suggested no more than 50% equities. At 35 years RLE, up to 70% and at 50 years RLE, up to 100% if you can handle the volatility.
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Dec 11, 2020 5:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Got Samsclub membership -- give me your best tips!
Replies: 77
Views: 8785

Re: Got Samsclub membership -- give me your best tips!

Since the pandemic started, I've been using the "Scan & Go" feature of the Sam's Club app tied into a Sam's Mastercard. Love it. :beer
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 10, 2020 6:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Mega Back Door Roth - Tax Question
Replies: 27
Views: 2207

Re: Mega Back Door Roth - Tax Question

I am the plan administrator for my company's 401(k) plan administered through Fidelity Investments. During the set-up phase of the After-Tax account, we activated a feature that allows for After-Tax contributions to be automatically recharacterized as Roth at time of contribution by the participant. In so doing, the participant has to only make a one-time call to Fidelity and request the auto conversion feature be activated. It works perfectly. I know from personal experience. All investment earnings are then accrued under the Roth. I'd recommend those wanting to automate their Roth conversions to check with their 401(k) plan administrator to see if this feature has been set-up. If not, I'd suggest you contact your HR department to see if ...
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 10, 2020 4:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Mega Back Door Roth - Tax Question
Replies: 27
Views: 2207

Re: Mega Back Door Roth - Tax Question

I am the plan administrator for my company's 401(k) plan administered through Fidelity Investments. During the set-up phase of the After-Tax account, we activated a feature that allows for After-Tax contributions to be automatically recharacterized as Roth at time of contribution by the participant. In so doing, the participant has to only make a one-time call to Fidelity and request the auto conversion feature be activated. It works perfectly. I know from personal experience. All investment earnings are then accrued under the Roth. I'd recommend those wanting to automate their Roth conversions to check with their 401(k) plan administrator to see if this feature has been set-up. If not, I'd suggest you contact your HR department to see if ...
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 10, 2020 12:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Hit our Number - Change Allocation?
Replies: 61
Views: 6225

Re: Hit our Number - Change Allocation?

In a WSJ article a few years ago, Bill Bernstein defined winning the game as acquiring enough assets to cover your basic living expenses for the rest of your life. Basic living expenses are net of taxes, Social Security, and any pension income. Bernstein refers to them as Residual Living Expenses (RLE). Once you have done that, he advises reducing the risk in your portfolio. How much reduction in risk? At a retirement age of 65, he writes that with 20 years of RLE, no more than 50% equities. With 35 years RLE, up to 70% equities, and at 50 years RLE, no limit on equities. For other retirement ages, he suggest 25 years of RLE at age 60 and 17 years at 70.
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 10, 2020 8:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Mega Back Door Roth - Tax Question
Replies: 27
Views: 2207

Re: Mega Back Door Roth - Tax Question

Rjs wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:25 pm Thank you all. For this year, I’ll just move everything to Roth and pay the taxes on the small gains. Do you know which tax form Fidelity would send for the tax on the gains?
Probably a 1099-R.
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Dec 03, 2020 10:11 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roth 401k and Roth IRA
Replies: 8
Views: 979

Re: Roth 401k and Roth IRA

Yes, you can.
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Dec 01, 2020 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Profit Sharing Retirement Plan (PSP) Questions
Replies: 1
Views: 286

Re: Profit Sharing Retirement Plan (PSP) Questions

Hello all and thank you all in advance for your help My wife recently took a job with a new company and I have been trying to wrap my head around their retirement plan. Quick background, we both are 30 yo, 1 child Max my 401k, his and hers backdoor Roth, HSA, and contribute to 529 to maximize state tax incentive We were maxing her 401k Debt only on primary home mortgage New job offers a profit sharing plan, which can be funded with pre or post tax dollars. Funds available include many Vanguard retirement plans and Index funds. My question mainly is if this is still treated as a 401k plan with a max contribution of $19,500 or is this a completely separate account with different tax obligations. Below is the only explanation from the benefit...
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Nov 25, 2020 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Alternatives to Vanguard, IT issues
Replies: 83
Views: 6769

Re: Alternatives to Vanguard, IT issues

One point would be that other fund firms and brokerages experienced the same or similar issues during recent days. That included Fidelity, TDAmeritrade, Schwab, Bank of America, etc.

For what it's worth, Amazon Web Services has been having outages today.
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is after tax 401k worth it?
Replies: 27
Views: 2760

Re: Is after tax 401k worth it?

If you are a highly compensated employee (HCE), your ability to make after-tax contributions might be limited. The reason is that after-tax contributions are subject to ACP discrimination testing even in safe harbor plans. I am HCE. I would appreciate others to comment on this. This sounds strange to me... I don't have personal experience, so I could be completely wrong, but my understanding is the "fairness" test relates to enough of the workforce participation in these plans. The way I've always thought about this, this mainly applies to "smaller" organizations which might have a small % of the workforce who are high earners and the majority making significantly less, maybe even nearing minimum wage. In these scenario...
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is after tax 401k worth it?
Replies: 27
Views: 2760

Re: Is after tax 401k worth it?

If you are a highly compensated employee (HCE), your ability to make after-tax contributions might be limited. The reason is that after-tax contributions are subject to ACP discrimination testing even in safe harbor plans.
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Nov 24, 2020 11:10 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Recommendations on a DAF provider
Replies: 26
Views: 2615

Re: Recommendations on a DAF provider

Another Fidelity Charitable user here. I've had a very positive experience with them, both in terms of making contributions from Vanguard mutual fund account and in making distributions to designated charities.
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Nov 24, 2020 11:04 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Understanding accessibility of Roth money
Replies: 18
Views: 1970

Re: Understanding accessibility of Roth money

I took a small withdrawal from each Roth account this year, as a test. It is clear to me (perhaps) that Roth 403b is not treated the same way as Roth IRA for tax purposes. The Roth IRA withdrawal was completely tax free, since the withdrawal came from contributions. The Roth 403b withdrawal looks like I'll get taxed on the earnings. As I understand it, you are correct about the different tax treatment. Non-qualified distributions (in your case, since the 5 year rule hasn't been met) are treated differently for Roth IRAs and designated Roth accounts (i.e. Roth 401(k) or Roth 403(b)). For Roth IRA, the ordering rules are such that contributions are used first. For designated Roth, the distribution is split between basis, which is non-taxable...
by Pigeye Brewster
Mon Nov 09, 2020 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Two $15,000 gifts to son
Replies: 60
Views: 5762

Re: Two $15,000 gifts to son

3funder wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:05 am Why not do the following?

Check #1: $7,500 (from Mom)
Check #2: $7,500 (from Mom)
Check #3: $7,500 (from Dad)
Check #4: $7,500 (from Dad)

Your son can deposit each check on a different day and be done by the end of the week. Also, I do not understand why any special record-keeping would be necessary.
What you propose is what is known as "structuring" a transaction to avoid currency transaction reports. Structuring transactions is illegal.

Regardless, checks are not subject to the $10,000 currency reporting level. Only cash. So there would be no need to structure it anyway.
by Pigeye Brewster
Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:18 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks continue to soar!
Replies: 22381
Views: 2139464

Re: U.S. stocks continue to soar!

GoldenGoose wrote: Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:10 am
Stinky wrote: Mon Oct 12, 2020 10:30 am The market is just powering up and up and up so far today.

Amazingly, new all time highs are in sight.
Not really, I think we are just getting back to the pre-virus level, right?
Pre-virus all-time high was 3,386.15 on 2/19/2020.
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:10 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Post your Financial Milestone Announcements Here
Replies: 3621
Views: 568916

Re: Post your Financial Milestone Announcements Here

BV3273 wrote: Fri Oct 09, 2020 6:50 pm
HootingSloth wrote: Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:49 am I was happy to tell my wife this morning that our net worth had joined the two comma club, and asked her if she thought she would be a millionaire at this age. She responded "No, but what is the number if we don't count our home equity or retirement accounts?" (She has always told me that she doesn't view either of these as real assets). Well, I guess we have more milestones to look forward to.
Tough crowd lol
No doubt. After all the "do you include home equity in net worth" discussion on Bogleheads, this really raises the bar.

My net worth just took a big hit... :beer
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Oct 09, 2020 6:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity U.S. Bond Index Fund (FXNAX)
Replies: 13
Views: 1441

Re: Fidelity U.S. Bond Index Fund (FXNAX)

Similar situation with Fidelity Investment Grade Bond (FBNDX). NAV dropped 0.23 or 2.6%. It went ex-dividend on combined capital gains of 0.227 per share.
by Pigeye Brewster
Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 1st Time Transferring Stock to DAF
Replies: 12
Views: 878

Re: 1st Time Transferring Stock to DAF

I'd appreciate it if someone who has done this could answer some questions about the process. I'd like to open a Donor Advised Fund and transfer 3 appreciated stocks into it. They total about $80k with a basis of around $15k. Unfortunately they are held by 3 different companies - EQ shareowneronline, Broadridge, & Computershare. From what I've read, I first open a DAF account (thinking Fidelity), then fill out paperwork to transfer all shares and get medallion signatures for each, which I'd send to Fidelity. I don't currently have any accounts with Fidelity but I like their plan better than Vanguard's. I need to get this done before year end because my income will drop next year upon retiring. Questions: 1. Is this the process as I des...
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Question for Microsoft Money users - Converting from Fund to ETF
Replies: 6
Views: 510

Re: Question for Microsoft Money users - Converting from Fund to ETF

Could you "remove shares" of VTSAX and then enter a buy of VTI with the purchase price being the cost basis per share?
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Aug 19, 2020 6:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security Jitters Anyone ??
Replies: 87
Views: 8888

Re: Social Security Jitters Anyone ??

egrets wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:32 pm
El Greco wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:12 pm Who wants to be the political party in power when these proposed cuts are instituted? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

Stop worrying. Ain't gonna happen.
That's if people realize that's what's about to happen. How many people realize that "stopping the payroll tax" is the same as reducing Social Security and Medicare funding.
Does it violate the forum rules against political comments to say that it was a bad idea under the previous administration and it's a bad idea under the current one? :beer
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Aug 12, 2020 1:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Short Term Treasury vs. Short Term Federal
Replies: 15
Views: 1801

Re: Short Term Treasury vs. Short Term Federal

The bigger risk of government-backed MBS is call risk. If mortgage rates go lower, people refinance their mortgages, the high yield MBS get called, and new ones are issued at lower yields. Yes, call (or more generally, prepayment) risk. MBS tend to have negative convexity. When rates drop, prepayments typically increase, and the duration shortens. For MBS bought at a premium to par, the effect on the actual return on the MBS can be significant. Plus you are then having to reinvest at lower rates. Likewise, when rates rise, prepayments typically decrease, and the duration lengthens. And in a rising rate environment, you obviously don't want duration to lengthen. Depending on the structure of the actual MBS (or CMO/REMIC) and the price paid ...
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Aug 12, 2020 8:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Short Term Treasury vs. Short Term Federal
Replies: 15
Views: 1801

Re: Short Term Treasury vs. Short Term Federal

The bigger risk of government-backed MBS is call risk. If mortgage rates go lower, people refinance their mortgages, the high yield MBS get called, and new ones are issued at lower yields. Yes, call (or more generally, prepayment) risk. MBS tend to have negative convexity. When rates drop, prepayments typically increase, and the duration shortens. For MBS bought at a premium to par, the effect on the actual return on the MBS can be significant. Plus you are then having to reinvest at lower rates. Likewise, when rates rise, prepayments typically decrease, and the duration lengthens. And in a rising rate environment, you obviously don't want duration to lengthen. Depending on the structure of the actual MBS (or CMO/REMIC) and the price paid ...
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Funding A Living Trust: Re-Title or Payable/Transfer on Death
Replies: 15
Views: 1281

Re: Funding A Living Trust: Re-Title or Payable/Transfer on Death

smackboy1 wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2020 1:30 pm Also, if the account holder is incapacitated but not dead, the TOD/POD has no effect. If everything is already in the revocable trust's name, it's a relatively simple matter for the named successor trustee to take control and pay bills. In contrast a durable POA may be difficult to implement if the principle is incapacitated and the bank/brokerage insists on executing their own POA forms.
This is the reason to title assets in the name of the trust.
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Highly compensated employees(HCE) and 401K
Replies: 12
Views: 1685

Re: Highly compensated employees(HCE) and 401K

Is your 401(k) a safe harbor plan?
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Jun 16, 2020 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I sell my stash of dental floss now worth $3,000?
Replies: 123
Views: 18781

Re: Should I sell my stash of dental floss now worth $3,000?

This sort of reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Elaine has to decide if a guy is "sponge-worthy". :beer
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What to look for when buying a table saw?
Replies: 53
Views: 4872

Re: What to look for when buying a table saw?

Yukon wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 5:20 am
Pigeye Brewster wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 12:34 pm
tev9876 wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 10:34 am That goes on the Keter collapsible bench which is also good for temporary setups. https://www.amazon.com/Keter-Folding-Wo ... B001CWX26Y
I have one of those Keter workbenches. Excellent product.
How do you use it? Similarly to pigeye with the planer? I need to be more efficient in my garage!
For the portable table saw. And it's just a good, solid work bench that is portable and versatile.
by Pigeye Brewster
Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:12 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bernstein Calculation?
Replies: 20
Views: 2089

Re: Bernstein Calculation?

In a 2015 WSJ article, Bernstein outlined the framework.

Take your basic annual expenses (including taxes) less Social Security and pension to get what he calls residual living expenses (RLE).

His "good rule of thumb" is to have in "relatively safe assets" to cover the following multiples:-
1) 25 years of RLE in safe assets if retiring at age 60
2) 20 years at age 65
3) 17 years at age 70
by Pigeye Brewster
Sun May 24, 2020 12:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What to look for when buying a table saw?
Replies: 53
Views: 4872

Re: What to look for when buying a table saw?

tev9876 wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 10:34 am That goes on the Keter collapsible bench which is also good for temporary setups. https://www.amazon.com/Keter-Folding-Wo ... B001CWX26Y
I have one of those Keter workbenches. Excellent product.
by Pigeye Brewster
Wed Feb 19, 2020 10:11 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bloomber Terminal_Coca Cola Stock History
Replies: 5
Views: 1093

Re: Bloomber Terminal_Coca Cola Stock History

PopOff wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2020 8:44 am I don't want to have any data but I am curious to know if Bloomberg had historical data of the Coca Cola share before the year 1960...
1/2/1968 is the oldest date for KO prices on Bloomberg.
by Pigeye Brewster
Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Liability Claims and retirement accounts
Replies: 19
Views: 1110

Re: Liability Claims and retirement accounts

A couple of comments.

In an article titled "Can I (Should I) Combine My IRAs", Natalie Choate stated that IRAs that rollovers from qualified plans have "slightly better creditor protection" than non-rollover, i.e. contributory, IRAs. Therefore, she recommended keeping rollover IRAs separate if asset protection is a concern.

My insurance company required underwriting approval for umbrella policy amounts over $2 million. What exactly that entailed, I have no idea. They didn't ask for any additional information, but it was approved.