Search found 122 matches

by neo09
Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:33 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: RTP, NC Chapter Meeting Sat September 7, 2013
Replies: 6
Views: 2613

Re: RTP, NC Chapter Meeting Sat September 7, 2013

Thank you everyone on the NC chapter. Especially Steve for arranging the meet and devoting time to it. Special thanks to Ed for sharing his experiences on both academic and applied sides of finance.
by neo09
Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SEP Question
Replies: 19
Views: 1234

Re: SEP Question

Everything I have seen so far refers to 50,000 being the ceiling for TOTAL amount of money one can put away under all different types of Retirement plans. If I am wrong, I apologize in advance.
by neo09
Fri Aug 09, 2013 1:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SEP Question
Replies: 19
Views: 1234

Re: SEP Question

jared wrote:
neo09 wrote:We are an LLC, joinly owned by myself and wife.
Back up a minute. Is the LLC being treated as a partnership for federal tax purposes (Form 1065)? You mentioned K-1's, so I'm assuming this is the case. If yes, the LLC establishes the plan and makes contributions to SEP IRAs established by or on behalf of employees. For this purpose, the partnership is considered to be the employer of each partner/member.
Yes, that's the case.

Vanguard representative directed me to download "SEP IRA Kit" at the following link.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/litera ... _mode=true
by neo09
Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SEP Question
Replies: 19
Views: 1234

Re: SEP Question

MichDad wrote:I had some self employment income in 2012. When I prepared my taxes using TurboTax earlier this year, the program walked me through how much I could contribute to a SEP IRA. Vanguard helped me open it and it was simple to fund as well.
I will try this approach as well and post my findings back.
by neo09
Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SEP Question
Replies: 19
Views: 1234

Re: SEP Question

I will get those worksheets suggested by some here and run the numbers.

The way I understood it, I need to first file (or at least prepare) my 2012 taxes and get the number out of K1 (which is after deductions) and use 25% of that. I will be cautious and do only 20% which is not going to make much difference anyway.

Thank you for your help.

Vanguard confirmed with me that I can make 2012 contributions before the extension (IRS Tax filing date) expires and were glad to open the account for us. We are an LLC, joinly owned by myself and wife.
by neo09
Fri Aug 09, 2013 9:23 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SEP Question
Replies: 19
Views: 1234

Re: SEP Question

I "Think" my answer is here...

http://www.obliviousinvestor.com/sep-vs ... solo-401k/
SEP IRA

SEP IRAs work in almost the exact same way as a traditional IRA. That is, you are allowed an above the line deduction for any contributions you make. The only really important difference is the contribution limit. For 2012, if you have a SEP, you are allowed to contribute the lesser of:

25% of your net earnings from self-employment, or
$50,000
by neo09
Fri Aug 09, 2013 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SEP Question
Replies: 19
Views: 1234

SEP Question

Hi All, I recently moved to another state and last year was crazy and complicated in terms of settling as well as working. I had a situation where I took up self-employment for about 4 months and I am filing taxes on all of on an extension basis (Sep '13). Question is.... I know I can open up SEP IRA and put some money in it, but I don't know exactly how much I can put in. My income was 80% from a paycheck and 20% from self-employment. My understanding is that I can only put 25% of the 20% (self-employment) income, not to exceed $51K. Can someone please confirm if this is right ? As much as I want to defer tax payments, I know I can't do anything out of the legal bounds, it always comes back to bit one specially with IRS :). I am opening a ...
by neo09
Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rebalancing time
Replies: 8
Views: 1537

Re: Rebalancing time

achieved this rebalance in the past two weeks except for one speculative move.

i kept 10k cash and putting it in TAN (guggenheim solar ETF) feeling green.

thanks for your help, tyler
by neo09
Sun Jul 21, 2013 5:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rebalancing time
Replies: 8
Views: 1537

Re: Rebalancing time

oh ok, I now get what you're trying to say.

So I'll pull that money out, I'd rather stick with broad market index funds.

thank you
by neo09
Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rebalancing time
Replies: 8
Views: 1537

Re: Rebalancing time

Hi Tyler,

thanks a lot for looking at this portfolio.

I don't know why the numbers are adding up to 104.5%, I guess I made a mistake copying stuff from PersonalCapital.com to Google Docs and then locally to an excel sheet.

I'll add the numbers again and report back. I can see what you're suggest though.

So, is it generally speaking a rule that most people want to be in REIT for about 5% of portfolio ?

thanks
N
by neo09
Sat Jul 20, 2013 2:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rebalancing time
Replies: 8
Views: 1537

Re: Rebalancing time

hi neo, trying to go to a 70/30 allocation or may be 80/20 looking at the advise against bonds lately . i believe you have misunderstood the lessons of the many recent discussions about bonds. replacing bonds (the stable, "fixed income" portion of your portfolio) with equities (the volatile portion of your portfolio) doesn't make any sense. it's like filling your fire extinguishers with gasoline. you might consider alternatives to bonds -- low- or no-risk instruments like CDs, I Bonds, Treasuries -- but don't change your stock/fi ratio just because interest rates are low at the moment. anyhoo, some clarifying questions: what is your desired international stock allocation? what is the capital gain/loss situation in your taxable ac...
by neo09
Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rebalancing time
Replies: 8
Views: 1537

Rebalancing time

Hello All, I had decided to put my portfolio on autopilot for a year from May 2012 to June 2013 and recently cashed some of the gains (in retirement accounts, mostly bonds) and trying to go to a 70/30 allocation or may be 80/20 looking at the advise against bonds lately. Here's what have have currently, the first column being % allocation in each of the funds. Advise on first steps to start rebalancing would be appreciated very much. Him Retirement/ROTH at Vanguard His Rollover IRA 1 0.7 Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX) 2.1 Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTIAX) 10.2 Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Admiral Shares (VWIAX) 6.3 Vanguard Wellington Fund Admiral Shares (VWENX) His Rollover...
by neo09
Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1565089

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

bengal22 wrote:
nisiprius wrote:Almost finished with Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals. Did not like it as well as his World War II books, but perhaps that's because I've never really been that much into the Civil War. You'd think I'd enjoy it because while I sort of know the names of the battles, I don't really know any details--not even who won.

Am just about to start Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth. It's a book I really ought to like. But it came out when I was a little too old for it. But now that I am older, perhaps I am the right age for it.

About 1/4 of the way through The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation.

Regarding Civil War - North won.
'merica, we always win.
by neo09
Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Opinons on buying a car from a rental company such as Hertz?
Replies: 33
Views: 4208

Re: Opinons on buying a car from a rental company such as He

sdaehelgob wrote:a guy I used to work with had a personality defect ...
I do not work with him any more.
because how he treated rental cars ?
by neo09
Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Really simple point and shoot cameras?
Replies: 17
Views: 1994

Re: Really simple point and shoot cameras?

To me, it seems like there's reasonable amount of frustration with photo transfer.

why not try something like an eye-fi card ?

does the transfers automatically...

https://www.google.com/search?q=eye+fi& ... e&ie=UTF-8
by neo09
Fri Sep 14, 2012 9:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 14
Views: 2073

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

sscritic wrote:note:
I sent them the rollover check from my 401k
Mine was handled trustee-to-trustee; I never saw a check. When you mailed them the check, did you give them the account number of the Rollover IRA you had established and ask specifically that they place the proceeds in that account? Did you keep a copy of the letter of instructions?
I got the check from old 401k, and mailed to VG as-is. they took over the process from there and apparently, opened up a "new" account for me as an IRA account. I haven't touched that account since, just reshuffled the moneys in it.

thanks
by neo09
Fri Sep 14, 2012 7:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Morningstar X ray help
Replies: 5
Views: 794

Re: Morningstar X ray help

MegaLuke,

you can find most of the terms you described on

http://www.investopedia.com/

Everyone reads about these things, even if they don't implement their portfolios using the ideas. Just plug in the terms you want in the search box and fire away. In so many words, these are vitals on an individual company, how they have done in past years and a projection of future. Most bogleheads participate in indexed or total market investing, a different, simpler animal.

As for high/low remark, it depends on which criteria you are looking at. ROI should be high, but Price/Book is desired to be low. :)
by neo09
Thu Sep 13, 2012 8:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 14
Views: 2073

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

I am genuinely (more) confused :(
by neo09
Thu Sep 13, 2012 8:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 14
Views: 2073

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

I actually opened the rollover ira account way before I sent them the rollover check from my 401k. they still went ahead and created a NEW IRA account and put all the rollover moneys in it. as for comingling other funds, I am not doing that and don't plan to. I had no clue about conduit ira account (?)

thanks
by neo09
Thu Sep 13, 2012 6:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 14
Views: 2073

Vanguard Customer Service

Hi Bogleheads, This one is a rant, for those who are into such things. I know I am not the ideal or perfect customer with a million bucks to invest and put things on autopilot with Vanguard OR to be able to afford /interested in an accountant who takes care of my tax returns. That said, I depend on Vanguard from time to time for "customer service" and per them I qualify for voyager level where I've been assigned a guy as my direct contact. I have yet to hear from him after numerous phone calls (short of harassment) since last week. I gave up on Friday, finally. He'd called asking me casually "how are things ? can i do something for you ? " a month ago though. :) What's the best way (other than having a million or more bu...
by neo09
Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to go for computer problems?
Replies: 33
Views: 3426

Re: Where to go for computer problems?

irrevalent reply
by neo09
Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

Update:

Found someone who is relocating to our state via internet. Professional, responsible and hopefully long term renters (at least 2 years). I did a credit check via a real-estate agent and no history of delinquencies or anything questionable on it. They didn't haggle on rent, deposits (2 months rent) and installed ADT at their expense.

I am not having to pay the 10% in maintenance fees, which I passed on to them as savings off monthly rent.

Hopefully it will work out.
by neo09
Sat Aug 25, 2012 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PC purchase advice
Replies: 50
Views: 6562

Re: PC purchase advice

mike143 wrote:Windows 7 runs great on 4GB of RAM, Windows 8 uses a little less. The only way I can use up all of my 4GB is by running a virtual machine and giving it 2GB of memory or more. There are very few instances that someone would need more than 4GB of RAM. About the best thing you can do performance wise would be add a quality SSD (Intel 520).
a 32 bit version can only address about 2GB RAM, so stacking the machine with a bunch of RAM is not going to do much in terms of performance.

You should look into a 64 bit version of Win 7, it can take a LOT more RAM, if that's the concern. On most systems, putting your OS on an SSD drive makes much more sense for improving speeds than doing anything else, dollar-for-dollar.
by neo09
Sat Aug 25, 2012 12:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PC purchase advice
Replies: 50
Views: 6562

Re: PC purchase advice

Just helped a friend buy a fairly stable, small form factor Lenovo. It hides behind the monitor yet has everything most users need. It has all the modern IO, HDMI etc. and I can't imagine it to be slow for any reason. I am using a similar, but older machine as media center with ubuntu (single boot) on it, back then XP wasn't doing well on anything less than 2GB RAM. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883108712 An expensive, more bells-and-whistles option could be a full fledged desktop, but I certainly won't build anything anymore. With the competition in desktop space, you ought to find a great pre-made desktop far less than what it costs to buy hardware and time put it together. I am moving away from desktops altogether...
by neo09
Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Using VOIP (internet phone)? Which One?
Replies: 63
Views: 8599

Re: Using VOIP (internet phone)? Which One?

tfb wrote:Ooma!
+1
by neo09
Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Countertops - value and durability
Replies: 45
Views: 8196

Re: Countertops - value and durability

I made my own, concrete countertop, which has a similar feel to a soapstone, may be not quite as dense. The materials are indeed earthy and it integrates very nicely (I dyed the concrete to give it a color we wanted). We have a very new, updated kitchen and the countertops are wearing very nicely, holding their own so far. It's almost time to refinish it. You apply a sealant every 2-3 years. The market rate of concrete countertops was about $89/ SQFT, but labor cost doesn't really apply in my case. We have an island about 2.5ft deep, in L shape and the regular countertop. Both surfaces are stunning. Highly recommended. HTH We are in the process of buying new counters for our home. We have ~20 year old cherry cabinets that are still in good ...
by neo09
Sun Apr 15, 2012 10:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

My neighbor, who'd tried selling was really depressed with how bad the market is, and buyers have no bottom as far as asking price. So I am left with just renting as an option, at least for the next year. I have researched my town's properties for rent. I can easily get $1800. Got a private party renter looking at the house as of Sunday evening, the two agents were both a no show, probably open house commitments being a spring sunday. Here's my cashflow situation. $1500 mortgage + Insurance + Taxes $0085 - $1800 * 5% (Vacancy rate) = $85 $0070 Home warranty $0100 Maintenance (Lawn + Snow + Odds and ends) --------- $1655 If I hire a full service property management, I'd pay $190 for them screening & placing a renter + caring for the prop...
by neo09
Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

"the decision to rent the house out just kicks that recognition down the road a bit" - true Thanks to the bogleheads, I have detached myself from the emotional trauma of this loss. I am fine loosing the money, I have stayed in the house for about 4 years and loosing about 1200/month for that time period. We can just say we rented a very nice house for the moeny we are loosing in this transaction. What I am NOT ready for is that even at my accepted loss, some buyers will want to further lowball the offers just because there are no comparables in my area. We had one house comparable to ours, who took the house off the market just for this reason. I am trying to escape that headache, but still open to the possibility if there's any p...
by neo09
Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

Comps are in and it seems we'd lose too much money, about 80% of what we'd put in in the house. Add to it, the 6month to a year's wait time to be able to sell this house. I am going to have to put it up for rent. Talked to two local property management firms and got a quote for 8% and 12% of the rent (deducted monthly) for a full service prop. management. They haven't seen the house and I have no clue about what maintenance will cover, but I am going to have to go this route, I think. In my town, rental vacancy rates are low, good single family homes are hard to find as rentals and in general, not many houses for even sale. I'd like to hear your recommendations oh how to screen property managers, even though they are established real estate...
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

Before the OP gets excited about the prior posts concerning the potential benefits of renting out the property, it's my impression that most Primary Residence Loans come with a standard contract that requires the home owner to notify the lender in case of a change of situation. When a Primary Residence becomes a 'rental' that change is a change to the original terms of the contract and therefore the loan could potentially be 'callable'. The OP should check the loan, if there is one, to determine any "callable" situations. Also, Homeowners Insurance Policies should be checked to determine whether 'renting' the property as a rental income situation requires a different underwriting or different type of insurance coverage. My insura...
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

I have had several young professionals rent from me with no problems. The key points are: -They represent one entity; you are not dealing with each of them separately (although some landlords do this, it is a big hassle with risk imo). One of them needs to be the point person who pays the bills and communicates with you. -Your lease agreement should have each/all of them on the lease. They should be "jointly and severally" responsible for fulfilling the lease; meaning, if one of them walks away, he/she is responsible and everyone left behind is responsible for picking up the shortfall. I have never had this happen. -in one case/scenario, my anchor tenant ended staying for 4 years and his roommates came and went. The anchor tenant...
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

Thanks Travellight, It's a strong case for building equity in long run. We are just starting out and it helps to be cautious. I think in higher rental brackets(our range), there are more trouble-free rentals than lower brackets. Though I have had some inquiries where two or three 35+ professionals want to house share and split the bills. I will try my best to avoid any such situations, though. We have no intention of coming back to this same town, even if we held the property for equity. So, if it goes on for a rental, it will be purely for equity building purposes, and I will sell it a few years down the road. Hopefully I can capture the losses then (because it's a rental property) ? The case for renting looks compelling if I can find good...
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

I see your point, DeanBrew. Thanks for that Thanks DeanBrew, I agree on having more than one choices, but 6% in this case isn't really that far off from 10% (management inclusive) and hence if I were to pay anything, I will take an all or nothing approach. It's good to know my options, though. I will be talking to two realtors for a possible rental vs sell discussion and see what they think my house is worth. The difference can be much greater than four percent. The 6% commission is only for the first year's rent (if negotiated that way). So, if you have the same tenant stay three years, which is not uncommon, the leasing commission equals only 2% of income. The 10% management fee is charged every month and would apply to the entire period....
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

Thanks DeanBrew, I agree on having more than one choices, but 6% in this case isn't really that far off from 10% (management inclusive) and hence if I were to pay anything, I will take an all or nothing approach. It's good to know my options, though. I will be talking to two realtors for a possible rental vs sell discussion and see what they think my house is worth. Now of course, they will tell me its worth more than "market" to get the sale/commission. You see where they wanna make me into a cynic here ? :) oh well, I will report back my experience and hope I learn (without loosing money) as well as help others learn. I want to make one clarification that might not be obvious. You have four choices when it comes to property mana...
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

That's what majority of us are saying. I appreciate your opinion. Generally speaking, I won't even consider any other option. But the way this market is, houses are just not selling (unless deeply discounted), so I have to come up with enough of a game plan for the worst case scenario. We have lost about 15% of the home value, which I am ok to forget about, but even that won't be "enough" to a property vulture. What you meant to say is "houses are just not selling (unless priced at market)" and that is true in any market. Thanks for offering correction. Even "At market" isn't enough for "Vultures", though. If I put this house to sell, I bet I'll get more vultures than buyers, I just somehow know it. ...
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

That's what majority of us are saying. I appreciate your opinion.

Generally speaking, I won't even consider any other option. But the way this market is, houses are just not selling (unless deeply discounted), so I have to come up with enough of a game plan for the worst case scenario.

We have lost about 15% of the home value, which I am ok to forget about, but even that won't be "enough" to a property vulture.
JDaniels wrote:IMHO, I couldn't be a long-distance-landlord. The stress of that would be much greater than the "stresses that come with living in northern suburbs". I would sell and have peace of mind.
by neo09
Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

Neo09, besides the headache aspect of landlording, does renting out your home make financial sense for you? In other words, would you be able to rent out your place for more than your costs of ownership? And do you make too much money to take the full extent of landlord deductions? That's a challenge for us - we make too much to take a passive loss deduction against our regular income because it phases out between $100K and $150K of modified AGI. NorCalDad, That's an excellent point, I apologize for leaving it out. I will have about $150 or so +Ve cashflow on the rental, which I am counting to buy a home warranty with. I am interested in knowing more about property management firms as well, but I believe it's not possible to give away 10% ...
by neo09
Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

It sucks to sell a house in a down market. I moved from the DC area during a housing slump, when the value of my house was less than I had in it (purchase + upgrades). I decided to rent instead of sell at a loss, and am glad I did. I ended up selling it four years later for a decent gain. In addition to seeing the market come back, the best part of the experience was the great tenants. I had one tenant the whole four years, a couple with no kids. He was a colonel in the army and wanted to rent a nice house while on assignment at a nearby base. He thought he would be there three years, but ended up staying an additional year. He gave me 12 checks at the beginning of each year, dated for the first of each month. He and his wife left the hous...
by neo09
Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Re: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

This winter has been delightful, agreed. But, the coming winter may make up for it, just like 2011's brutal winter.

Stress up here is on a lot of levels, jobs are an hour away from homes and good locales are not as affordable. Not meant to sound like whiny, because I am completely aware that a lot of people around the globe live in a lot worse condition.

I appreciate your insight on selling, it makes sense to take the loss and not being involved with renting, even at an upfront loss of capital.
by neo09
Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss
Replies: 38
Views: 3486

Putting up house for Rent Vs. Selling it at a loss

In search of a fresh start, I am really excited about the possibility but I have to make a decision about our house (within 5-6 months). I'd appreciate a word of advise on renting vs owning, the perils of renting and if it would be less "headache" selling at a loss and adding to my capital loss deductions over the coming years.

I really, really appreciate it.

Thank you
by neo09
Thu Nov 17, 2011 8:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Letter from IRS. They say I owe $13k!
Replies: 37
Views: 7681

Re: Letter from IRS. They say I owe $13k!

Thank you Taylor.

In my case, the balance shown is not $13K, its more. But regardless, it's not what I would agree with so numbers don't matter.

I had missed filling in my capital gain/loss section on 2009 taxes, and I would only agree to $51 (missed dividend). Everything else was a stock sale (IRS basis =0) and has a higher cost basis then what I sold them.

I will fill in the form and send it back.


thanks and have a good night,
N
by neo09
Thu Nov 17, 2011 7:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Letter from IRS. They say I owe $13k!
Replies: 37
Views: 7681

Re: Letter from IRS. They say I owe $13k!

I just got one of these CP2000 notices as well.

Since 2009 was the year when my daughter was born, I had very little time or organization for the tax time. I had not filled out any transactions (stocks) for 2009 and hence they are missing cost basis information.

I got one notice earlier, showing all the transactions, I had also missed ONE dividend event ($51). I replied by saying "I agree" and thought they will correct the return, not knowing they will use $0 as basis. :(

Now I got the second CP2000 and it's scary looking.

Should I say "I agree to some of the charges but not all" ?

Do I need accountant or a lawyer or a big-wig of any kind ?

PLEASE HELP ...
by neo09
Fri Oct 28, 2011 1:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: underwater mortgage question
Replies: 7
Views: 1197

Re: underwater mortgage question

I feel your pain, my friend.

There are some good programs out there, if you can keep LTV at 80% or more by paying down some of the balance on your old mortgage. If you can keep LTV at that level, and are willing to take upfront loss (considering you will sell at current valuation levels, not 2008).

To save on closing costs, there is Amerisave or Penfed, choose a program that gives you a rebate to close loan. Do your due diligence, but your interest rate is much higher than what you can get currently, IMO.

Not legal advise, just my opinion.
by neo09
Tue Oct 25, 2011 9:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where is the best price on K-cups?
Replies: 29
Views: 9572

Re: Where is the best price on K-cups?

There's also a thing called "my k-cup", following is a link.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... K4BEPMCMAI

Idea is, you can re-fill this and discard used coffee-grounds after each use. It sounds much better to me, because I one only needs to store a single cup and a bunch of coffee old-style in a jar. saves a lot of space, transporting and money, ultimately.

good luck ...
by neo09
Fri Sep 23, 2011 12:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone done DIY attic insulation? Any tips?
Replies: 28
Views: 4479

'some ideas

I just did a DIY attic insulation this year, so I can chip in for some ideas, not advise.

I tried cellulose, in going with the green theme, but it was awful between the machines I had to exchange and the material (felt moist) btw, Home depot gives free machine rental with 20 bags min purchase).

Then, we switched plans to use blow-in fiberglass. This, while it worked very well going in, I have yet to see the effectiveness this winter.

In all my research, Fiberglass was of superior quality but cellulose is more earth friendly. Also, the cost is really not a factor because of the coverage per bag of a fiberglass blow-in, specially for a small attic.

Any questions, just shoot
by neo09
Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Deleted
Replies: 9
Views: 1706

Re: Taking a tax-loss ?

letsgobobby wrote:
Taylor Larimore wrote:Hi Bobby:

If you sell your fund with a $3,000 loss and with no offsetting gains, you will reduce your taxable income by $3,000. That's a direct tax saving of $1,000 in a 33% tax-bracket.

Tax-savvy investors nearly always take a tax-loss when they have the opportunity.
Taylor - brevity at its best - thanks
+1
by neo09
Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VPU in a protfolio
Replies: 5
Views: 1580

An option

An option that works for my AA purposes is VWIAX. It's 70/30

But this is taxable account, do I buy Wellesley fund with this money in taxable or do I trigger a rebalance and all the joy that comes with it ?

How about VTMFX in case VWIAX isn't a good option ? This is 50/50, but can shuffle some moneys in IRA to shift more into a bond fund, making up the difference.

Thanks
by neo09
Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VPU in a protfolio
Replies: 5
Views: 1580

BND vs VPU

It didnt occur to me to check the charts etc performance that way.

It makes sense what you said.

I'll stick to my AA.

thanks,
Neo