Bogleheads.org

I would expect Fidelity would have physical branches in Pheonix area, so she can use the Fidelity CMA as her bank. They also have fairly good phone support, at least for brokerage. I have no experience with CMA phone support but perhaps others can comment.

Fidelity should allow trading immediate when pulling $ in from banks, because settlement is 2 days later. You may want to confirm?
I know Vanguard allows trading right away when you pull in money, so 2nd option is switch to Vanguard.
3 rd option is to open an interest bearing checking account. A few are paying nice interest… there are several threads about them.

Check out Floydhome.com, the platform bed looks nice.

Why do you need savings with Fidelity? Savings = your brokerage. CMA covers your checking needs.
You can also check depositaccount for credit unions in your area/state. Some fintech accounts pays >3% with checking accts.

My savings bonus information has been updated as of today, but it's incorrect: Starting balance.....$0.50 on 01/18/2023 Offer enrolled.....Completed on 01/18/2023 Deposit funds.....Completed on 01/30/2023 Maintain eligibility.....Maintain until 04/30/2023 Receive bonus.....Estimated by 05/14/2023 I actually deposited $10,000 on January 19, so it looks like Marcus is forcing me to keep the funds on deposit for an extra 11 days. They must have just updated everything within the last couple of hours. Mine didn't say completed when I checked earlier today, but now it says Completed on 1/30 (I deposited the funds Jan 20). Mine still says “Complete by 1/29”, even though I deposited 10k on 1/19. :annoyed I hope I won’t get that disqualify email s...

I just opened a Primis Premium checking account, to check it out. I am not planning to replace Ally (hub bank) with it, but potentially it can take the place of other checking ones (like HMB).
It is rare for checking account to pay 5% APY, same as their savings account.
Opening process was smooth and interface is pretty good.
I was also impressed that a Primis employee went to depositacct site to answer questions that were posted. It shows they are serious about launching this new account and savvy enough to go where these things are discussed. Maybe they are reading this site now…

Wolveraider wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 8:08 am Thank you for all that replied. I have some good options and research to do based on your advice.

If you don’t plan to use the money for 5+ years, you may want to look into i-bonds… get you a bit more yield than simple high yield savings accounts.

Gash wrote: ↑Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:04 am Do they require a minimum amount for the direct deposit? Will say $10 meet the requirements? How many direct deposits are required and how many need to be made?

A single DD of any amount works. Really simple compared to other bonus.

HotWheels22 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 18, 2023 1:48 pm I did the $600 offer last year. I keep $1500 in checking and $300 in savings as minimums. This has avoided the fees. I will eventually close both; been waiting a few extra months as a buffer since getting the final bonus in October just to be safe from any clawbacks.

Now my wife is doing the $900 offer. Will follow the same process.

Thanks for your data point. I am doing the $900, but I do not want to keep $1500 in checking with no interest. So I am wondering if others have had success with one of the other “avoid fee” conditions, namely leverage the linked savings account to avoid fees in checking.
Any other data points?

This bonus offer seems to be back now: $900 if one opens both checking and savings and do all the requirements.

For those with recent experience: to avoid the monthly fees in checking account, one of the conditions is: “Keep an average daily balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of qualifying Chase checking, savings and other balances”. Is it enough to meet this requirement if one already have 15k in the (linked) savings account? I do not have recurring DD or want to keep $1500 in checking. Thanks for those who tried this.

To find a similar rare disease org: https://rarediseases.org/patient-organizations/

To find an ongoing clinical trial or research studies: https://rarediseases.org/living-with-a- ... al-trials/

Very sorry to hear about this situation. I have some experience with rare disease field so here are some thoughts re:#1. Gene therapy is a complicated new field, so you would want to work with experts and experienced drug developers to help you map out a strategy. Are there established org or companies working on similar diseases? If so, having a discussion with them may help, since you’d want to leverage their drug expertise. You may already know about NORD, National Organization for Rare Diseases https://rarediseases.org/. They maybe able to match you with existing orgs or open some doors. As it happens, FDA has an upcoming conference in Feb about this topic that may be of interest: FDA Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies OTAT Town H...

I visited the Blueprint website and noticed that the site has changed such that one can no longer see upcoming changes to MYGA rates. There used to be a “Upcoming changes” button check one could use on the MYGA table. This feature has disappeared.

Does anyone know of another tool that contains the same information? Is there a typical period (early, mid or late in the month) that rate changes tend to happen?

We have some funds to invest and wonder if we should buy now or wait for the next Fed meeting…. Want to get a feel from this group.

Guaranty myga will be decreasing In today's economic climate, rates are always changing and here at Blueprint Income we want to keep you informed. Below you will see that our current top fixed annuity rate will be decreasing soon and we wanted to give you time to take advantage of this great rate. Upcoming Rate Change The rate for this fixed annuity will decrease on December 7,2022. Applications submitted after December 4, 2022 may not be eligible. RATE EARNINGS Current 5.60% December 7th 5.20% Decreasing -0.40% Does the group think this is the beginning of MYGA rates coming down? 5-10 year CD rates have not changed much and trending downward. I would be interested in hearing the group’s thinking whether one should lock into current rates ...

You need a government online form completed before boarding…. They will issue a QR code.
For the latest requirements check here: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html.
Cathay should have a comprehensive website as well. If you have a long layover you may need to check entry requirement there also.

Thanks for the update, I just checked blueprint and noticed several companies are going to raise their rates soon by 10 basis points. New York Life is going up to 4.90% for 5, 6 and 7 year. Brighthouse (A rated) is going to 5.50% for a 7 year and 5.45 for a 5 year. I went to Blueprintincome and I see Brighthouse showing 4.8% for 5 years, going to 4.9% soon. Where do you see 5.45% for 5 year? Are you in California? And what amount are you quoting? The rates quoted upthread for Brighthouse are available in most states on MYGA purchases of $100k or more. Brighthouse pays less on annuities of less than $100k. (Many, but not all, companies have higher rates on larger annuities). Brighthouse also pays less on annuities sold in California. A like...

retireIn2020 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 11, 2022 9:06 pm
Thanks for the update, I just checked blueprint and noticed several companies are going to raise their rates soon by 10 basis points. New York Life is going up to 4.90% for 5, 6 and 7 year.

Brighthouse (A rated) is going to 5.50% for a 7 year and 5.45 for a 5 year.

I went to Blueprintincome and I see Brighthouse showing 4.8% for 5 years, going to 4.9% soon. Where do you see 5.45% for 5 year?

There is a nice calculator in deposit account .com you can use to see for yourself. Search “Break Cd calculator” in the sitr.

Banks do not care if you break CDs. I used to be able to break CDs in Marcus online, but when I broke my most recent CD about 6m ago, they made me call them. So never again at Marcus.

Finally received a reply via secure message. For the record my question was: I want to open a new CD (eligible account type) on 11/10/2022. I want to fund it with money I had moved into my Savings account prior to the funding deadline of 11/4/2020 (the Savings account is eligible and existed at the time of registering for the promo). Will this transfer from Savings into a new CD on 11/10/2022 count as a withdrawal that reduces the amount eligible for the promo? and the reply: Thank you for messaging in to Ally Bank. My name is Cassandra. I apologize for the delay in my response to your message and any inconvenience it may have caused. I would be happy to assist with your Cash Bonus Promo inquiry. For the GETPAID Cash Bonus Promo, you can m...

I asked the same question as phillip30 above.

Seems the consensus in this forum is to stay put, not to risk the bonus. Over in DoC comments, the trend seems to be “go for it” given that Ally provided an official response to the moderator there. Ultimately it is YMMV of course.

It is actually more than $60-ish difference if one has 2x accounts and $$ in savings before the bonus.

Guess what I would do is to wait for my own questions to be addressed by Ally in secure mail, so Ill have direct evidence in case there is dispute. Hope they catch up on the message backlog this weekend.

Now that the funding period has ended, is it safe now to transfer the new $$ into the higher rate NP CD? I plan to hold $$ in the NP CD, unless they raise savings rate above the NP CD rate.

I tried to chat with CSRs the last 2 days and couldn’t get a live person for >1 hr. The responses they gave after hours were useless (cut n paste from templates). I also sent 2 inquiries via secure mail and got different results. So wondering if the smart folks in this forum can advise. Thanks.

The Ally bonus is capped at $500 max, so there is no advantage to move more than 50k (1%).

I appreciate all of the responses. I should have clarified that even if they gave me free rein over their finances, I wouldn't have them in anything other than a mix of treasuries, cds, high yield savings, etc. As it stands, my father-in-law was 100% stocks/0% bonds until early this spring and every dollar they have is in Bank of America checking earning 0%. They definitely won't read a book or see an advisor, so I'm hopeful I can at least get them to move to a high interest savings account. I don't need them to leave us anything or turn a profit, I just feel terrible seeing them pass on free money. Here are some other ideas, given that your in-laws are used to banking with BofA (as were my in-laws): 1) Roll your MIL’s 401k into an IRA at ...

Thanks OP for posting this topic. I am struggling with the same thing with the CA version of tax exempt bond fund, which I bought 9-10 yrs ago. This past weeks it has been hitting all times low day after day. I see people writing that “if you stay the course for the fund duration, the fund will recover.” But I bought this 10 yrs ago and it is doing worse than it has since I own it. How should one react to this situation?

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around TIPS.

So if one wants to invest in today’s changing environment, since TIPS yield approaches nominal yield in the short term, how to choose between TIPS and regular Treasury? Does one just pick the best yield for a given duration?

OP, one of your statements give me pause:

“ And from an outsider I would say her parents are potentially to blame for the amount of debt they let her incur in the dark thinking it would all be covered under some grant. (Have to be slightly defensive... Not everyone has good mentorship with money early on).”

Any possibility her parents may be needing your help once you are part of the family?

I am very sorry to hear about your situation. Sending positive energy your way. In your original post you mention potentially going to long term leave first, and then stop working. I know that some bigger companies (most megacorps in my field) have re-entry programs for employees who take time out to care for family members. Especially for female employees in STEM fields. Does your company have such a program? If so, you may want to find out more about the specifics. It may also augment your support system to have some champions within your workplace. I feel that your immediate decisions may not be to retire permanently, but rather to focus on making the most out of the next 3-5 years with your family and without concern for finances. You c...

I purchased an 8 week bill yesterday, via VG brokerage it says purchased at $99.57 U S TREASURY BILL 0% 11/08/22 07/12/22 I'm unclear how to calculate what the interest would be , is it paying 0.43% ? I guess it doesn't appear in as cleared until the 13th in the VG brokerage? If so bit of a surprise, looking at https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/press_auctionresults.htm https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/instit.htm?upcoming https://home.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/TextView?type=daily_treasury_yield_curve&field_tdr_date_value_month=202209 was expecting 2.x% at least , or does this happen ? The charts show annualized yield. So you are getting 1/6 of that in 2 months. Annualized ra...

The YTM listed on Fidelity for the 1/15/23 TIPS is up to 3% (bid 3.39%). That seems astoundingly high. It seems like a gift. Is there a catch? Is there anticipated deflation, to the point of losing money in real terms? I don't get it. When things seem too good to be true there is usually a catch. There is no catch. In real terms, about $98.94 would be paid for each $100 of par value, including accrued interest, and about $100.06 would be received at maturity, including interest. In nominal terms, about $126.85 would be paid for each $100 of par value, including accrued interest, and the amount received at maturity will depend on future values of the CPI-U. If the reference CPI for the maturity date of 1/15/2023 is 2% less than the latest k...

sheople2 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 6:43 am OP again: I'm learning a lot.

Because it's been suggested to move CDs to treasuries for a better rate - would it also be wise for me to do the same for the Ally savings account portion of this transfer?

I have done this: I have $10 in Ally savings account just to keep it open. All my cash is in treasury bills (or notes) in various duration, or in Vanguard settlement fund.

By the way, your Ally CDs are at such low interest rates, while Ally savings is at 2% liquid, you may consider breaking them anyways.

I see this thread show up on my Active Thread list periodically. Have you still not invested this money? I’m not sure “procrastinating” is the word you’re looking for. Good luck. Ur right it isn’t procrastinating anymore. It is another word maybe too frightened to take action Maybe this was suggested before (sorry I have not read all pages): you can practice investing by buying treasury bills, either at auction (3 month or 6 month), or in secondary market. Do this once a week to get use to buying. You will not lose money if you keep t-bills thru maturity. And it can actually be ‘fun’ finding ever higher rates every few days. The cash will earn more than sitting in savings account. Then after a few months as the tbills mature, you may get c...

Can one have more than 1 Marcus account?
I read that if one signs up with a referral, you get current rate +1% for 3 month. Currently that is 2.7% which is better than anything out there. In 3 months other banks may catch up of course.
I have a Marcus accounts with $0 balance, but I am thinking about opening another with referral, if it is allowed. Or, I could cancel it and then re-open with a referral. Has anyone tried this?

PatrickA5 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 06, 2022 3:14 pm I'm thinking of opening a Chase Total Checking account in order to obtain the $300 bonus currently offered.

I have done their bonus offer a couple of times, usually for $500-600 to open both checking and savings accounts and parking 10k or so there for 3 months. You can do these once every 2 years. This $300 bonus is not the best offer, so you may want to wait for a better one.
Chase Checking account offers no interest, so you are better off with Fidelity where your money can sit in money market for 2%.

I’d like some feedback on how to choose which T-bills to be sold from my account. I'm planning to sell the T-bills to buy some longer-term TIPS. To my understanding, in order to get the best price for my T-bills I would want to (1) minimize the YTM of the bids, while (2) minimizing the remaining term of the bonds in order to limit any cumulative loss from the bid/ask spread. I should ignore the gain or loss from sale, as that is more a function of when I bought the T-bills. Here are the bonds I have to sell. I want to raise $20,000: $20,000 US TREASU NT 0.125% DUE 12/31/22 Bid YTM 3.251 (Gain 0.13%) $10,000 US TREASUR NT 2.0% DUE 11/30/22 Bid YTM 3.039 (Loss 0.79%) $10,000 US TREASU NT 2.625% DUE 02/28/23 Bid YTM 3.231 (Loss 1.06%) I’m tem...

You can keep the CDs at Ally until they mature, why move them? Ally saving can be $0 balance. I do not think there are fees. Hi, the OP here. BlackcatCA - I was thinking of moving the Ally CDs over one at time as they matured, but Vanguard said that I don't have to wait because theirs won't have penalties for the switch. I don't know what you meant by, "Ally saving can be $0 balance." They'll have to guide me on what CDs to select that are comparable to what I have. - are their fees with Vanguard CDs? They're brokered CDs and I don't know what that means for me. Please explain it to me like I'm eight. :confused All comments helpful as usual. Change makes me very anxious, so I appreciate the feedback. OP, What I meant is that you ...

OP, I have done what you are describing — moving all cash from Ally to Vanguard — since June. It is much more convenient to have deployable $$ in Vanguard since their Federal MM fund yield is always ahead of any banks in respond to Fed rate increases.

You can keep the CDs at Ally until they mature, why move them? Ally saving can be $0 balance. I do not think there are fees.

rockstar wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 9:42 pm
Rates are going up. You're likely to experience a drawdown in VTIP too in the future. What problem are you trying to solve?

Do you have munis in a tax deferred account? If so, why?

No, muni funds are in taxable. I was using them to get tax free income instead of CDs, did not pay too much attention to bond funds generally, until last week when I saw that these muni funds had dropped closed to 5 yr low. So now I am debating if I should switch them out to Treasuries or leave them alone.

For IRA, a similar question whether to leave Vanguard total bond fund or switch to VTIP (of fund equivalent).

For retirement accounts, is it too late to switch from BND to VTIP?
Is there other benefit to move muni fund (state specific, also doing poorly) to VTIP?
We are about 10-15 yrs from retirement.

Is it market timing when one is switching 1 kind of bond with another? At this point with BND fund down so much, it is almost like harvesting loss though without tax benefits since it is in IRA.

Thought?

Also realize that your yield now is not 2.4%, but whatever the yield is on your bill now; 4-month bill yield is about 2.8%, so you'd only be earning 20 basis points more annualized at 3.00%. Is the CD a 4-month CD? If not, do you want to extend your maturity to whatever it is now? You would lose a bit to the bid/ask spread if you sold, so factor that into your decision. Kevin Yes the tbill that I have is now yielding 2.8% if purchased today, but I thought the yield is locked in when I bought it at auction in June? (because I paid a discounted rate and will get the full amount at maturity). I did not realize it is a floating rate? The CD is for 2 year, 3.5%. I cannot find any 2 yr treasury that best the rate, even with California taxes fact...

Tom_T wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 9:44 pm It's quite possible that the return you get from "jumping ship" early on your bonds and putting the money into a 3% CD will be less than keeping your bonds, earning 1.2% for six months, and buying new ones when they mature four months from now.

Yes there are many moving parts, which is why I want to use the Deposit Account “break CD” calculator to compare the 2 options. Normally that calculator is used to compare 2 different CDs. I am asking if I could think about 6 month Treasury as a 6 month CD.

Back in June, like many others on this board, I was simply parking cash that I didnt want to buy stocks with (burnt by a lump sum earlier in the year). Now there is a (potentially) better investment in the high rate CD.

Thanks for many experts on the forum, I learned to use short term treasury to hold short term cash.

Back in June I bought a bunch of 6 mon t-bills at auction with zero coupon. Yield was around 2.4%, maturing end of the year.

Now, there is a time limited CD offer that I want to move to, yield is >3%. Without going into details of IRR calculations, can I think about selling treasury like breaking a 6 mon CD with some penalty? How much penalty should I approximate… 1-2 month of “interest”? If it is OK to equate selling treasury with breaking CD, can I then use one of these “break CD” calculators to help me make the decision whether to sell some or all of the treasury? Thanks.

Does anyone have experience with their CDs? Is a savings account required for CDs?

I am tempted by the CD rates but read some pretty bad reviews under their prior name. So interested in any experience from this group. Thanks.

Has anyone done a 2nd and 3rd round refi with Lenderfi? Curious if their “6 month no cost” offer still works for a second time.

Thank you all for comments so far. I will call for an in force illustration, but I may not get it until May via snail mail. I should note that my current employer has insurance plan that provides about $500k of coverage for about $60/month (I signed up for maximum allowed without medical certification). I have no idea why the pricing is so different. Should I consider it a 4% “investment”? That is better rate than any saving options out there including bonds. Do you need $650k of coverage? Or more or less? If so, for how long will you need it? Most folks do not need life insurance beyond the date when they have children who are dependent on them for financial support. If you’re looking for the lowest monthly cost, you’ll almost certainly be...

I do not know much about life insurance in general, so appreciate any advice and help. I recently changed job. My old employer (Company A) has a group policy that I can continue if I want to, but I have to decide by end of April. Some information about this group policy: - Big name insurer group policy that lasts through 2063 - have been paying since 2013 as part of benefit; I'm afraid I did not pay attention to it after signing up - Policy has a death benefit of ~ $650k - Current cash value: ~$7500 - Previous payment (when I was an employee): $200/month (pretax?) - Going forward to maintain policy: $350/month - In past statements received, it shows that old and new money interest rate has been stable at 4%. My current employer (Company B, ...

So ... 1) don’t know anything about solo 401k 2) don’t know anything about solo 401k 3) on 12/31/2021 any balance in your trad IRAs without basis (e.g. pre-tax contributions, rollovers of pre-tax 401ks, and earnings on non-deductible contributions) will impact tax on conversion per pro-rata. So if 1) and 2) are possible, I believe you can make non-deductible 2020 contribution now (report contribution on 2020 form 8606), convert anytime in 2021 (do not report conversion on 2020 form 8606, it will go on 2021), roll non-basis amounts into solo 401k before 12/31 (maybe including any earnings on non-deductible contribution). Report conversion on 2021 form 8606. 4) don’t know anything about solo 401k Thank for these clear steps. I messed this up...

BolderBoy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:53 am

BlackcatCA wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:20 pmI seem to recall reading about a 250k limit to solo 401k, but cannot find the reference by searching the site.

There is a $250k plan balance boundary on 12/31 each year for solo401k plans after which you need file a Form 5500 or 5500EZ with the IRS (easy to do online.) The form must be filed within 7 months of the end of the plan's fiscal year.

Is that what you are thinking of?

Yes it is. Can I do this using Turbotax? Or is it something I need to file with IRS separately using my EIN number?

placeholder wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:06 am You can't do a conversion for a prior year only contributions so you'll have to do the conversion on 2021 taxes.

If this refers to the backdoor roth part, I don’t understand. For 2020 taxes (which I have not filed yet), I thought I can contribute to nondeductable tIRA, then convert to Roth right away? All I need is to not have anything in tIRA when I do this. Have I misunderstood the procedure?

I opened a solo 401k at Fidelity in 2019 for a sole proprietor side business and contributed about 4k. There was no income from the side business in 2020. Unknown in 2021. Now, I want to try to do backdoor Roth this year (after stopping due to a filing mistake 5 yrs ago), and have the following questions: 1) Can I roll an existing tIRA from Vanguard (about 120k) to the solo 401k now (before filing taxes 2020), even though I don’t have any direct contributions from 2020? 2) Can I roll an existing, inacitve 401k into it from a former employer (about 150k)? I seem to recall reading about a 250k limit to solo 401k, but cannot find the reference by searching the site. Note I ruled out rolling these old accounts into current employer’s 401k due t...