Search found 4367 matches

by Outer Marker
Wed Mar 27, 2024 7:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How would you change my 401k?
Replies: 46
Views: 1688

Re: Starting to regret hiring Facet

JET1005 wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 6:59 pm ....I hired them to help me with some other complicated financial decisions too, so while I was at it I asked them for investment recommendations on my existing portfolios. . . .
Based on the extremely poor quality of their investment advice, I would certainly not trust them on any "other complicated financial decisions." Whatever those decisions are, I strongly recommend you seek a qualified second opinion.
by Outer Marker
Wed Mar 27, 2024 12:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Father Has Passed; Do we need an Appraisal?
Replies: 25
Views: 2703

Re: Father Has Passed; Do we need an Appraisal?

toddthebod wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2024 7:44 am I would call around and find the cheapest appraisal. It will cost about $400.
Last one cost me $600 which was the cheapest I could find. It was within a few thousand dollars of the Zillow estimate. Current RedFin and Zillow estimates for my house are very close to what I think it's worth. I'd print those off and save a copy in your records for a reasonable estimate of value and save yourself the appraisal fee. I doubt IRS would challenge that. If you think the online estimates are way off (and not in your favor), then could be worth hiring an appraiser.
by Outer Marker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Missed the boat? Need help!
Replies: 11
Views: 2478

Re: Missed the boat? Need help!

40% international is rather on the high side. 20% is closer to the consensus view around here. Taylor provided a thoughtful recommendation on this point. viewtopic.php?t=196956.
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 7:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 139
Views: 8854

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

This leads to the question of how big the EF needs to be . Yours seems to be 2 months expenses and mine is close to 8 months Don’t you have to pay taxes on capital gains each time you sell from your portfolio for bigger expenses?. But I see your point . May be I should keep a smaller EF, 4 months rather than 8 months. I will not be comfortable with only 2 months worth This is an important consideration to think through. I have 2-3 months of cash spending needs on hand in taxable, but I don't consider that an emergency fund. It's just to smooth out spending needs. I have ten years worth of expenses in safe fixed income assets I can access if needed without touching equities. It is expensive and inefficient to hold a separate stockpile of ca...
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 6:47 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 139
Views: 8854

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

This leads to the question of how big the EF needs to be . Yours seems to be 2 months expenses and mine is close to 8 months Don’t you have to pay taxes on capital gains each time you sell from your portfolio for bigger expenses?. But I see your point . May be I should keep a smaller EF, 4 months rather than 8 months. I will not be comfortable with only 2 months worth This is an important consideration to think through. I have 2-3 months of cash spending needs on hand in taxable, but I don't consider that an emergency fund. It's just to smooth out spending needs. I have ten years worth of expenses in safe fixed income assets I can access if needed without touching equities. It is expensive and inefficient to hold a separate stockpile of ca...
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 139
Views: 8854

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

The above is separate from my EF. Why? As a late stage accumulator, your portfolio is your emergency fund. A separate dedicated EF for people with wealth is a silly mental accounting exercise that leads to under-exposure to equities and lower returns. May be you are right . But I use the EF for house and car repairs , car purchases when needed, travel and unexpected bills It helps to keep this separate I do not plan on selling my portfolio for things like above until I enter the draw down phase in retirement and I plan to let the portfolio keep growing till then I keep 2-3 months of spend on hand in checking and vanguard settlement to cover car repairs, trips, etc. For big expenses like new cars, home renovation, etc. I have no issue pulli...
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:19 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 139
Views: 8854

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

Jimsad wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 5:08 pm The above is separate from my EF.
Why? As a late stage accumulator, your portfolio is your emergency fund. A separate dedicated EF for people with wealth is a silly mental accounting exercise that leads to under-exposure to equities and lower returns.
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Missed the boat? Need help!
Replies: 11
Views: 2478

Re: Missed the boat? Need help!

My question is should this be thrown out and go to a more simple 3-fund portfolio including my bond exposure. And with that possibly adjust my international exposure down? That again basically feels like chasing gains in the US markets. Int'l will catch up at some point I'm thinking - history tells us this, right? :? Also, took the quiz on Vanguard and suggested Equity/Bond split is 80/20 so will at least move towards that. Thank you for the suggestion. As a reformed long time slicer and dicer, I'd recommend simplifying to a streamlined 3-fund portfolio. All that extra effort probably produced a small disbenefit after 20+ years of tending the portfolio. 70/30 is fine for your age, and I wouldn't go more aggressive than that. I've been 70/3...
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 6:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New employer; should I direct rollover my 401k?
Replies: 11
Views: 826

Re: New employer; should I direct rollover my 401k?

SwiftKey wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2024 12:35 am The catch: funds are transferred via paper cheque, with manual paperwork, meaning the ~$100k of the old 401k will be out of the market for some indeterminate period of time, I'm guessing ~2-4 wks, please correct me if I'm wrong. Obviously a lot can happen in that time
I'd consolidate the accounts. I think you're being very pessimistic in the amount of time it would take. 2-3 day to have your funds sent by check via overnight courriour, 2-3 days to have them redeposited. It's always possible, but unlikely, that there's a market move in that period, and 50/50 chance it could be in your favor. Get yourself positioned for the long haul and don't worry about the minutia.
by Outer Marker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 8:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement and AA advice for my 24 yr. old daughter
Replies: 60
Views: 4007

Re: Retirement and AA advice for my 24 yr. old daughter

I’m not sure I understand Klanfool’s point. If she can’t max out her 401k without spending down the taxable account that might make sense. But I would like to see some access to readily available funds in taxable. If you don’t have to liquidate the taxable account, don’t.
by Outer Marker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 4:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement and AA advice for my 24 yr. old daughter
Replies: 60
Views: 4007

Re: Retirement and AA advice for my 24 yr. old daughter

I'd roll the old 401K to her new one (assuming at least one decent fund choice). Putting untaxed 401K money into an IRA may cause problems in the future if her income rises and backdoor Roth remains available. And her current taxable account? Sell or spend down? I'm not sure what's prompting the question about the taxable account? Her change of employment doesn't affect that at all. If it were my kid, I'd advise them to simplify and hold only Total Stock Market and Total International Stock Market & I Bonds in her taxable account. Might as well do it now for the long haul. I would keep it invested unless she has an urgent need for cash. I think buying $10K in I bonds would be a good idea to provide a bit of safe saving that can be used...
by Outer Marker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement and AA advice for my 24 yr. old daughter
Replies: 60
Views: 4007

Re: Retirement and AA advice for my 24 yr. old daughter

I'd roll the old 401K to her new one (assuming at least one decent fund choice). Putting untaxed 401K money into an IRA may cause problems in the future if her income rises and backdoor Roth remains available.
by Outer Marker
Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW
Replies: 61
Views: 4663

Re: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW

Well, had a tight connection in DFW last night during a major thunderstorm event. I got in 30 mins. late and did (barely) make my 45 min connection. My ski buddy connecting from a different city was not as lucky. Very frustrating since they closed the boarding door "on time" to meet DOT performace metrics, but then sat at the gate for 1:30 waiting for the weather to clear and would not reopen the door to let my buddy on. Oh well. Stuff happens. Any operation can fall apart during weather, but worst case, he's 12 hours behind me and we'll still have a good ski day. I book tight connections hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst.
by Outer Marker
Thu Mar 21, 2024 7:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you tip hotel staff when checking out?
Replies: 145
Views: 6939

Re: Do you tip hotel staff when checking out?

I usually leave $3-5 for the maid.

I was taken aback recently when checking out of the Sofitel Cartagena when I was invited to leave an “optional” 10% tip on the entire hotel bill for the staff. At $400/night! I had already tipped individually all of the staff that had actually served us - and politely declined.
by Outer Marker
Wed Mar 20, 2024 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: MBR [Mega backdoor Roth] vs Pay Raise
Replies: 51
Views: 2415

Re: MBR vs Pay Raise

MrsDaisy wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 5:27 am
rationalactor wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 5:22 am I think the real question may be which job you would prefer more/for how long could you see yourself at each company/will you look for a new job when you try to return to the United States? The answers to these questions probably will give you a clearer answer than weighing incremental mega backdoor Roth opportunities versus an incremental base pay bump….
Thank you for your response. Honestly, I don't even have to change my work seat to switch employers. The job functions are identical. Only difference is benefits & pay rate.
It's pretty much a no-brainer to take the 20% raise. In addition, going forward, it sounds like the new employer is more attune to the market and is more likely to give you fair COL and merit increases.
by Outer Marker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 2:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Simplify My Life (Portfolio Review)
Replies: 14
Views: 1901

Re: Simplify My Life (Portfolio Review)

For Taxable, suggest: -Total Stock Market Index Fund -Total International Stock Market Index Fund In your 401K: BR S&P 500 Index (0.0145%) MEL EB DL INTL EQ (0.0312%) BR TOTAL RETURN BOND (0.2087%) Thank you for the suggestions for those accounts. The MS Roth 401(k) is tricky . I can split the existing balance between VTI,VXUS, and BND, but I think I need something different for my monthly contributions as I will get charged a fee for each monthly investment . Any suggestions? Advisor recommended iShares S&P 500 (BSPAX) but it has a 0.35% ER. Is this MS Roth 401k enrolled in some sort of advisory relationship? If so, can it be cancelled? Having to pay a fee with each payroll contribution is absurd. Regards, I'm guessing this a &quo...
by Outer Marker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: funeral preparations
Replies: 48
Views: 4445

Re: funeral preparations

I would recommend doing no preplanning other than a rough outline of your last wishes and leave the rest to the discretion of your loved ones. Having seen three elder relatives off in the last decade, trust me, this is easier. What happens if you pre-pay for a funeral service, then move from hometown USA to Miami? What happens if the provider goes out of business? Just have enough cash on hand, more or less, for what you want. All of mine were very clear that they wanted no lavish spending, to be cremated, and where their ashes spread. I also hosted a nice lunch for closest family friends. With cremation ($1,500) and lunch ($1,000) all was dignified and in accordance with final wishes.
by Outer Marker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 10:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW
Replies: 61
Views: 4663

Re: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW

Should be fine. I'm traveling round trip to Aspen via DFW this weekend with 40-ish minutes connections both ways. There's going to be an occasional misconnect here and there, but it's not like it's the end of the world. Just don't have a job interview or heart procedure scheduled the next day.
by Outer Marker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help me with my car dilemma . . .
Replies: 36
Views: 2800

Re: Help me with my car dilemma . . .

If the car is in good shape and meets your needs, I would absolutely overhaul or replace the engine. Do not buy factory new and have it done at the dealership. That's a complete waste of money. A quality overhaul or good salvage motor is excellent value for your dollar.
by Outer Marker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 8:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 101
Views: 8725

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

As a 3-series driver and M-car wanna be, they’re not really in the same league. That said, I’d get the more fun and better handling six speed manual base model for $75k vs the higher trim AWD automatic for $100k. Good snows do wonders for winter conditions, and if it’s beyond that capability, you need a higher clearance vehicle built for rugged conditions.
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Simplify My Life (Portfolio Review)
Replies: 14
Views: 1901

Re: Simplify My Life (Portfolio Review)

1. In terms of AA, 75/25 is plenty aggressive, and, as others have said, I'd think about moving towards more conservative than less. I'm not far from you at 70/30 and find that to be the sweet spot on the risk/reward continuum. I'm 58 and plan to stay 70/30 forever. Percent international? I'd suggest around 20% of equity. 2. Ditch all of your high expense funds. Anything above 0.3 must go. Most equity index funds should be under 0.1 and I'd begrudgingly pay 0.2% for the bond/fixed income options in your 401K's. 3. Consolidate that thicket of holding down to just 2 or 3 funds per account. I definitely plan to ditch the high expense funds. It's the consolidating the thicket that I'm stuck on. My firm is somehow grandfathered in on "no A...
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Simplify My Life (Portfolio Review)
Replies: 14
Views: 1901

Re: Simplify My Life (Portfolio Review)

Well, good on you for wanting to clean up that mess. 1. In terms of AA, 75/25 is plenty aggressive, and, as others have said, I'd think about moving towards more conservative than less. I'm not far from you at 70/30 and find that to be the sweet spot on the risk/reward continuum. I'm 58 and plan to stay 70/30 forever. Percent international? I'd suggest around 20% of equity. 2. Ditch all of your high expense funds. Anything above 0.3 must go. Most equity index funds should be under 0.1 and I'd begrudgingly pay 0.2% for the bond/fixed income options in your 401K's. 3. Consolidate that thicket of holding down to just 2 or 3 funds per account. 4. Stick with the "three fund" core holdings of (i) Total Stock Market and/or S&P 500, (...
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 9:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Need to replenish Emergency Fund
Replies: 24
Views: 2148

Re: Need to replenish Emergency Fund

Our emergency fund in the money market use to have 240K in it so when I see it dwindling so quicky, I got panicky. It did pay for a down payment on a house, 2 cars in cash, a fence and much more . . . You don't need an "emergency fund." Those are not "emergency" items -- just normal consumption from savings. You might like having a lot of savings in cash, i.e. a low asset allocation, and that's okay. I haven't had an "emergency fund" in decades -- but I do have more than 10 years worth of spending from fixed income available from my portoflio if I need it. The $10,000 you have on hand should be more than enough to pay for a broken washing machine or new car transmission if you need it in a hurry. At your stage...
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:20 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP F fund question
Replies: 16
Views: 2169

Re: TSP F fund question

Claudia Whitten wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:53 am viewtopic.php?t=126127
You have a one-fund portfolio, and nothing could be simpler than that. If it makes you happy knowing you've got a pinch of this and pinch of that in your portfolio, all good. You don't have to manage it or tend the garden. At the end of the day, those tiny slices don't amount to much. Try backtesting a few model portfolios.
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:51 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP F fund question
Replies: 16
Views: 2169

Re: TSP F fund question

Trivial but not inconsequential. I've seen the difference with my own eyes. Plenty of professionally-constructed portfolios have asset classes with "trivial" weightings of particular assets, as you might say. Examples: the "S" moves to 3.9 percent ultimately. Jettison it? And Vanguard's income fund has just 8 percent in international stock. Jettison it? Those asset classes are there for a reason, though. Having a slice of F in my portfolio smooths out the ride and, quite obviously, gives me access to another asset class that behaves differently than the G fund. I'm glad F doesn't behave like G! F will be going up when the interest rate on G slides. Don't invest by looking in the rear-view mirror. Trivial and inconsequen...
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 10:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions around Dulles-IAD Arrival
Replies: 16
Views: 1642

Re: Suggestions around Dulles-IAD Arrival

rich126 wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 2:14 am Although from Maryland the Dulles area I rarely go to except for international flights. This time we will arrive from Europe around 9pm and with time to get through customs it obviously will be later.
Arriving that late and tired from a long flight, I'd stay at a Dulles hotel and start out fresh in the morning. There are plenty of good inexpensive options with transportation. If you rent from Enterprise or others off-airport, you can avoid a lot of airport fees and add-ons.
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 10:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: navigation system for car
Replies: 64
Views: 3371

Re: navigation system for car

If you like the existing system, I'd swap it out with a functioning used unit. About $250 on ebay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/285444048458?c ... khEALw_wcB
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP F fund question
Replies: 16
Views: 2169

Re: TSP F fund question

There's no reason to use F if you have access to G. Frankly, I'm jealous. I don't know about that. I like the TSP L funds in part because they include a chunk of F along with all the other funds (and G). I've tried two different approaches to constructing my portfolio over the years: the know-it-all, smartypants way (myself) and the way that the professionals who constructed the L funds did it. My smartypants way was more volatile and more distracting. The professional way, which includes a chunk of the F, results in a less volatile portfolio because there are times when bonds are rising and stocks are falling. I see that showing up in my L fund and like it. Take the F out, and you lose that. I've stopped being a smartypants and just let m...
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Check my work: Taking over management of my parent's portfolio
Replies: 23
Views: 3295

Re: Check my work: Taking over management of my parent's portfolio

Also consider: 1) not mirroring the account holdings to have fewer holdings in each account 2) not holding bonds in the Roth IRA 3) holding international in equity only 4) using VOO (S&P 500) rather than VTI (US TSM) in the tax-advantaged accounts to avoid inadvertent wash sales as the Taxable account holds VTI. Suggested portfolio: Portfolio Size : $924,000 Taxable: $275,000 - 30% 2% Vanguard Money Market - consider VUSXX if your parents have a state income tax 28% Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) (ER 0.03%) His Traditional IRA $377,000 - 41% 28% Vanguard Total Bond ETF (BND) (ER 0.03%) 13% Vanguard Total Int'l Stock ETF (VXUS) (ER 0.08%) Her Traditional IRA $135,000 - 14% 10% Vanguard Total Bond ETF (BND) (ER 0.03%) 4% Vanguard ...
by Outer Marker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 5:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anybody heard stories of well "prepared" retirees running out of money?
Replies: 210
Views: 23862

Re: Anybody heard stories of well "prepared" retirees running out of money?

The reason why I ask is because I saw quite a few sources mentioning that 2.7% or 3.3% is now the new 4%, including Morningstar in 2021 but possibly amended that later. Never heard of it. No friend, relative, or acquaintance has ever wound up eating cat food. If anything, I think the 4% rule is too conservative. With a 70/30 portfolio, over the last 100 years, its averaged about 9% nominal, or 7% real, so with a 4% withdrawl rate, you're more likely to end up with more than you started with than to go broke. I plan on spending 5% annually from retirement to age 70 when SS kicks in -- with 10 years of spend set aside in very safe assets. If I need to adjust from there, so be it. I think these hypothetical studies with people withdrawing 4% ...
by Outer Marker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 9:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 101
Views: 8725

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

I haven’t driven an M3 of recent vintage, but the older models I have driven were a blast. Don’t like what they’ve done with the giant grills in terms of styling, but to each his own. I drive the somewhat more practical 328i with sports package and stick. It has served me well for 17 years.

That said, not sure I’d buy a new M3 for “all weather” ski terrain. I’d want something with more ground clearance. Also, I really try to avoid taking my BMW out when there’s salt and sand on the roads. That’s a mission my significant other’s awd Kia. I’d be renting a car vs driving a new $100k M3 in those conditions.
by Outer Marker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP F fund question
Replies: 16
Views: 2169

Re: TSP F fund question

There's no reason to use F if you have access to G. Frankly, I'm jealous.
by Outer Marker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retiring soon. Please review of my portfolio
Replies: 5
Views: 1244

Re: Retiring soon. Please review of my portfolio

Desired International allocation: 20% of stocks (not sure here exactly. I think I want to reduce this) . . . I'm disappointed with how the international portion of the portfolio has performed and thinking I want to reduce that. I'm interested in other's perspectives on that. Your portfolio looks fine. Stay the course on international. Every dog has its day. International stocks are currently inexpensive compared to U.S. equity valuations. If anything, I'm tempted to bump my international from 20 to 30% -- but will resist the urge. If you read the Vanguard research paper, most of the global factors that led to outperformance of U.S. over the last decade point to outperformace of international in the future. More fundamentally, for me, is fo...
by Outer Marker
Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question
Replies: 48
Views: 4972

Re: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question

This would end up costing a net of around $250,000, in after-tax NPV terms. . . . I will have 63 days of vacation and holidays available to me . . . For me, the answer would depend a lot on how much the $250K amounts to in terms of overall savings. If you have $10M+ net worth, go, enjoy your time! $5M to $9M toss-up <$5M, I'd stay. The prospect of working another year with 12 weeks of vacation time in that period does not sound too daunting. If you start booking and taking the time, senior management is going to realize you've got one foot out the door, and you're probably not going to be assigned too many mission-critical highly demanding projects. Do your job, end on a good note, but don't kill yourself trying to be an over-achiever in t...
by Outer Marker
Wed Mar 13, 2024 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question
Replies: 48
Views: 4972

Re: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question

This would end up costing a net of around $250,000, in after-tax NPV terms. . . . I will have 63 days of vacation and holidays available to me . . . For me, the answer would depend a lot on how much the $250K amounts to in terms of overall savings. If you have $10M+ net worth, go, enjoy your time! $5M to $9M toss-up <$5M, I'd stay. The prospect of working another year with 12 weeks of vacation time in that period does not sound too daunting. If you start booking and taking the time, senior management is going to realize you've got one foot out the door, and you're probably not going to be assigned too many mission-critical highly demanding projects. Do your job, end on a good note, but don't kill yourself trying to be an over-achiever in t...
by Outer Marker
Wed Mar 06, 2024 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Second Tier Short Term Savings
Replies: 26
Views: 3576

Re: Second Tier Short Term Savings

I was trying to do this: Emergency Fund - cash/money market/liquid. no loss of principle Secondary savings - 1-5 year savings horizon. would try not to use if investments are negative Long term - 10 years or retirement. won't touch until retirement most likely (VTI 'til I die :) ) I was just trying to find some middle ground so I don't lose out on return (cash and low returning bonds) and i don't have to sell for a big loss (VTI) if the market is down. I was just thinking of that middle tier as a separate fund (and was planning to keep it in a separate brokerage account for easier visualization). I think your advice is sage in that I should make sure I'm looking at my entire portfolio when I'm making plans and decisions. Thank you for the ...
by Outer Marker
Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flying to London - Delta or British Airways
Replies: 58
Views: 5613

Re: Flying to London - Delta or British Airways

Have you priced flights out of your local airport? For example, picking some random dates in May, price out of Grand Rapids MI is only $10 more to LHR than nonstop out of ORD. I'd do that if it's an option and save the time and expense of driving and parking.
by Outer Marker
Tue Mar 05, 2024 7:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I retire?
Replies: 41
Views: 4833

Re: Can I retire?

The tenor of these responses is not exactly welcoming to a first time poster who has obviously done a great job earning and saving. For someone used to working and saving, the prospect of no longer having an income could well be daunting. Not everyone spends their spare time looking at firecalc and open social security. Yes, OP can certainly retire, but a little reassurace vs. snarky answers would be more in line with the spirit of Jack Bogle and the general character of the board. I sense a bit of envy from many people who have not been as successful.
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity Full View?
Replies: 75
Views: 32150

Re: Fidelity Full View?

I use Full View and it works fine for me to provide a quick useful snapshot of my AA.

Vanguard has 2-factor identification, but those accounts update daily with no problem. Not sure what trouble others are having.

One thing that puzzles me about Fidelity itself is they don't take notice of all the info I have entered in Full View and routinely contact me to tell me I'm too conservatively invested. My Fidelity accounts are all 401K and 100% invested in Bonds. If they looked at the Full View info that is running on their system, they'd know I'm 70/30 which is plenty aggressive for my age.
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portugal trip
Replies: 19
Views: 1481

Re: Portugal trip

JackE wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:31 pm Thanks to all for the helpful replies. I think I'll play around with the Bolt app but won't stress about it if I don't get it going, sounds like Uber will work fine.
I was introduced to Bolt on Malta a few years ago because they don't have Uber. It was super easy to download the app and activate an account in less than 5 minutes. I did it from the airport on arrival when I first realized Uber wasn't available. Probably a jurisdictional thing. I'd just wait and do it there than jumping through all sorts of hoops to try and do it long distance from an out-of-coverage area.
by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I retire?
Replies: 41
Views: 4833

Re: Can I retire?

Welcome to the forum. You can easily retire.

Congratulations on your achievement.

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by Outer Marker
Mon Mar 04, 2024 7:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: At what point in a car’s life do you try miracle elixir fixes?
Replies: 36
Views: 3374

Re: At what point in a car’s life do you try miracle elixir fixes?

I replaced the gasket seal on my BMW this year. It was about $1,500 with my trusted independent mechanic. I'd be surprised if it costs $2,300 for a Camry at a comparably good shop. Maintaining a car at a dealership is an expensive proposition and the work is frequently done by less experienced techs. My guy has specialized in working on BMWs for 30 years. Check around and get a few quotes from good independent shops.
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting new car
Replies: 53
Views: 6456

Re: Getting new car

Insurance is pretty easy. You should be able to shop online quotes from Geico, Progressive, and State Farm in less than an hour. Put the policy into effect on the spot when you pick up the car. I'd recommend going with as high a deductable as you can live with - and give yourself generous liability protection.
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to best allocate vanguard funds [Question restated for clarity]
Replies: 9
Views: 1031

Re: How to best allocate vanguard funds [Question restated for clarity]

The best funds to hold in a taxable account are generally: -US Total Stock Market fund or S&P 500 fund. I prefer Total Market for broader coverage, but the difference is so small it is hard to see with the naked eye. -Total International Stock Fund But, as has been noted, it makes no sense to talk about your taxable account in isolation. What you hold there is going to be (or should be) highly influenced by your tax-advantaged accounts. They should operate as a single whole. For example, if my 401K wasn't filled with 100% bonds, I'd need to hold muni's in taxable to maintain my 70/30 AA. Well so let's say for the moment I have a pension through my work and a Roth IRA with mostly US equities and a smattering of other things - coporate b...
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to best allocate vanguard funds [Question restated for clarity]
Replies: 9
Views: 1031

Re: How to best allocate vanguard funds [Question restated for clarity]

The best funds to hold in a taxable account are generally:

-US Total Stock Market fund or S&P 500 fund. I prefer Total Market for broader coverage, but the difference is so small it is hard to see with the naked eye.

-Total International Stock Fund

But, as has been noted, it makes no sense to talk about your taxable account in isolation. What you hold there is going to be (or should be) highly influenced by your tax-advantaged accounts. They should operate as a single whole. For example, if my 401K wasn't filled with 100% bonds, I'd need to hold muni's in taxable to maintain my 70/30 AA.
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting new car
Replies: 53
Views: 6456

Re: Getting new car

It seems that I am going to end up in Colorado and might need to buy a new car. I'll be getting off the parental insurance and their beater car as I establish my own adult life. What are the steps one should take in order to nail it after flying into Colorado? I've done this before. Negotiated the purchase over the phone. Flew into the new city and took a taxi from the airport to the dealership. In some ways easier negotiating over the phone where you can talk to several dealers and have a legit reason not to "come in and talk about it." Figure out what the true dealer cost is and negotiate off of that. It's easier to negotiate up from their cost than down from the sticker price. I usually tried to pay $500-1,000 over dealer cost...
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: At what point in a car’s life do you try miracle elixir fixes?
Replies: 36
Views: 3374

Re: At what point in a car’s life do you try miracle elixir fixes?

Worthless snake oil. If there's a "mechanic in the can" try to avoid going in there for at least a few minutes.
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much term life coverage to get for 50 y.o., DINKs, good savings?
Replies: 27
Views: 2944

Re: How much term life coverage to get for 50 y.o., DINKs, good savings?

I suppose to each his own, but “funeral cost” is not something I’d budget for. I’ve sent off three elder relatives with dignity in the last 10 years and never spent more than $2,500. $1,500 cremation cost. A stipend to the priest who said mass, and hosted a lunch at a nice restaurant for 10-12 closest friends after the service. It was the departed’s strong wishes not to incur big expenses on funerals.
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much term life coverage to get for 50 y.o., DINKs, good savings?
Replies: 27
Views: 2944

Re: How much term life coverage to get for 50 y.o., DINKs, good savings?

-My wife is 44. She earns about $130K per year. -We have about $250,000 in savings. -We bought a house in 2017 for $180K. We have paid off maybe a third? OP, it's laudable you want to provide for your spouse, and by all means do whatever you need to sleep well and feel secure. These are the factors that lead me to think you do not need additional life insurance. If you had kids and college educations to pay for, that would be an entirely different story. In my mind, the point of life insurance is to prevent harm to those that depend on your income. Your wife is young, and has a good job. You have a low balance on your mortgage. Financially, she will be fine in the unlikely event of your premature death. It will be sad and all, but she will...
by Outer Marker
Sun Mar 03, 2024 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting
Replies: 27
Views: 1656

Re: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting

"Unlikely" is not a sufficient definitive determination of someone's decision. It's only valid to you based on your own assessment and projection. To some people, they might not feel the same and therefore render a different assessment and projection. Some 90% of active funds underperform the S&P 500 index https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/business/stock-market-index-funds.html. I consider that sufficiently determinative to make my investment decisions - and is what Jack Bogle has been advising investors for decades. Of course there will be the occasional outlier in performance on a short term basis, but I would advise no investor to make decisions based on that, and hoping that the next spin of the roulette wheel is going t...