Bogleheads.org

I use different institutions for different things.

Ally - "Hub" Checking and Savings Accounts
BoA/ME - Credit Cards and Taxable Account
Fidelity - Roth IRA, CMA, Credit Card

Ally is "good enough" for my banking needs. The checking and savings rates are rarely the best, but definitely could be worse. I move money around for credit card bills, use credit for basically everything. Never carry a balance. I find using these 3 institutions covers all my bases and is simple enough.

Been happy with the setup.

My spreadsheet tells me my personal contributions are approximately 60% of my gross salary. That's contributions to 401k, Roth IRA, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Health Savings Account, and I-Bonds. However, I bring in a considerable amount overtime compensation every year that isn't calculated into that. The number is closer to 50% of real gross income including overtime. Employer contributions are about 9% of salary (pension contributions and 401k match). That would be in addition to my personal contributions. Basing your retirement goal on expenses does make the most sense, but I find that to be difficult to achieve. Accurately estimating your retirement expenses is hard, particularly when you are 30 years from retiring. So focusing on a...

Yes, it is acceptable. You're likely overthinking this. I've seen posters promoting "saving until it hurts"... I don't advocate for that. It's extreme. A lot of people that do this end up miserable and give up on it. Instead, save what makes sense to you. Set a goal and take action to achieve it. Personally, I set a goal for savings rate. Whatever percentage of your income you want to save, make sure you meet that mark. Make it automatic wherever possible. When your income increases, you'll automatically save more and have more to spend. No dilemma. Also suggest that you leave some space in your budget. For example, my budget is set on base salary... so any overtime worked is money I get to spend/save as I see fit. This may preven...

My plan, once I acquire this high-income job, is to 1. Build up 6 months Emergency Fund 2. Max out all of my tax advantage accounts (Employer 401k etc, Backdoor Roth) 3. Transfer my old employer Roth 403b into my Vanguard Roth Account. 4. Defer on paying down loans for now Now I plan to save money to eventually pay off this student loan/start paying off the student loan once the pause of student loans ends (whenever the government decides) My question is whether I should store the money for future student loan repayment in a high interest savings account (Marcus Goldman Sachs) or should I put the money in a taxable brokerage account. If I invest in a taxable brokerage account I plan to invest in VTSAX & VTIAX. In order to keep my desir...

As long as you aren't missing out on employer matches, I don't see why not. I contribute to 401k a percentage of every paycheck, and maxing out early would mean not getting the employer match for the rest of the year. I'm sure there are other people with similar 401k setups. I understand some posters are badgering you about having cash on hand, but that's a personal preference. I budget pretty well, but I typically have some extra money at the end of a year. Not everyone is so regimented about investing every dollar not allocated to their budget. I prefer a bit of breathing room in mine, and flexibility for any extra cash. My employee stock purchase plan matures quarterly (2 year holding)... which I sell and transfer to a taxable account. S...

I dabble with tilts. In my Roth IRA and HSA, so any rebalancing won't trigger capital gains. Both accounts are 100% stocks, and hold 3 funds. 30% S&P500 Index, 30% Extended Market Index, 40% Total International Index. My other accounts are basically the typical 3-fund portfolio. Funds are allocated for tax efficiency. Currently the tilts take my total stock holdings to about 70% Large, 20% Mid, and 9% Small. *GASP* It's a miniscule tilt when compared to the about 75% Large, 18% Mid, and 7% Small of VTI holdings. I don't understand some of the criticisms of tilting. Like that it overcomplicates or increases the chances of fiddling with a portfolio... those are emotional factors. In my opinion an investor is just as likely to change their...

I think there is some mis-understanding. The mega-backdoor Roth does not involve tIRA at all. If your MBR goes through tIRA, you have done it wrong. That may or may not turn into a problem. Turbo-tax can handle both the backdoor and mega backdoor if you know how to answer the questions correctly. Not sure you are there yet. Let's start here. 1. Does your 401k plan offer after-tax (not Roth) contributions? If yes, can you convert the after-tax account to Roth 401k or roll it out to Roth IRA? If the answer to either of these is "no", you cannot do the mega-backdoor. Better yet, let's back up and start even before that. Are you able to fill a traditional 401k account and Roth IRA (via the backdoor) and and maybe an HSA if you have o...

Similar to retiredjg's post, there's a page from the same site that covers the MBR in turbotax. I refer to it at tax time to help myself out. https://thefinancebuff.com/mega-backdoor-roth-in-turbotax.html I'd advise that you have read through your 401k plan documentation and make sure you thoroughly understand any limitations your plan may have. I'm able to do it, but have a restriction of 1 transfer per year and suspended after-tax contributions for 6 months after. No in-plan conversions so I have to direct rollover to Roth IRA. Moral of the story... every 401k plan can have unique rules and hang-ups that you could get caught on. In-plan conversions from after-tax 401k to Roth 401k are typically preferred, if that's available to you. Autom...

It's about balance. I'd say there is such thing as saving too much. I really pushed myself to save as much as I could last year, and depleted my cash reserves a bit. However, I spent much more than I typically would last year (a friend's bachelor party in Vegas and wedding in California, a trip to Cancun, and an engagement ring). I don't regret any of that spending, and am happy for the opportunity to spend on things that I enjoy and people that matter to me. I think I'm actually right where I need to be when it comes to savings rate, I just need to dial back some of the big spending if I continue. If you're saving or spending too much it'll start to feel uncomfortable. At least for me this is true. As I see my reserves shrink, I start re-e...

Hello,

Here's a link to the general advice https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Priorit ... nvestments

Assuming you have an emergency fund and no high-interest debt, I'd recommend:
1) maxing pre-tax contributions to 401k.
2) max out HSA contributions (if you have one)
3) perform a backdoor Roth IRA
4) perform a mega-backdoor Roth conversion (if your 401k plan allows it)
5) invest in an employee stock purchase plan (if available and worth it)
6) invest in taxable account

Roth IRA is probably the best place to start and the backdoor process isn't hard. Worth the effort.

Not much. Preparing for a wedding in fall 2024... proposed to my fiancée this November. So that's exciting. Lots of financial decisions to be made there. Thankfully she and I are both modest people, so I don't expect that to change. Kids will likely follow. Big life changes. Plan to keep maxing 401k, Roth IRA, and HSA contributions. My employee stock purchase plan purchases quarterly, which I sell after 2 year hold period then transfer into a taxable account that is diversified. That's all been accumulating slow and steady which feels good. I plan to keep taking advantage of mega-backdoor Roth conversions. I figured out I could do them 2 years ago. It's supercharged my Roth IRA savings which I'm excited about. I have reached the comfortable...

Hey! I remember your last post... I recommended suggesting Ally. Sounds less "shady" than that guy Marcus. Would a money market fund with a CMA at Fidelity be an option? Their cash management system is easy to use once set up, money would be accessible. It's basically a banking alternative. Rates are competitive and update more frequently. If you're not familiar, there's a thread called "Fidelity as a one stop shop" that goes into more detail. Frugalprofessor has a guide about setting it up as well... he is a fellow boglehead with a blog. I agree it's a perspective issue. It also seems to be a bit of a trust issue. But you're not alone. My parents manage their own money... they'll sometimes mention something about their ...

Depends a little bit about how much you value travel rewards vs cash back vs transfer points. Chase cards might be better for the travel rewards and transferring points to partners, if you're willing to search for good deals. It's definitely competitive and they offer cards in different ranges depending on how often you travel. The "Chase Trifecta" is real. Bank of America has good credit cards for cash back, if you can drop 50-100k into Merrill Edge for preferred rewards bonuses. Premium Rewards Card is good for unlimited baseline cash rewards, bonus categories in travel and dining, and some basic airline rewards that can cover the fee. No foreign transaction fee. Their Cash Rewards card is good for groceries and a category of yo...

The only real "gotcha" I can think of would be if you were deemed a Highly Compensated Employee. If you need the money earlier than 59.5 or within 5 years if rolling into Roth IRA. We aren't allowed to speculate on tax law changes. I think I can say that previous proposed legislation had the backdoor and Mega backdoor Roth targeted for changes. So that's worth some consideration. I figured out that I could do a mega-backdoor Roth last year. In the last months of the year I contributed about 5500 bucks as a test run. This year I managed about 23000. That nearly doubled the existing account balance (I'm 31 years old). I can't manage to max it at my pay rate... but I'm also very unlikely to be considered a HCE at my company. I'm thri...

I use Ally. It's typically competitive for checking, savings, and CD rates. No complaints.

With money market rates right now, I'd also consider the "Fidelity as a one-stop shop" thread. I should be re-evaluating this as well, but I've been procrastinating. I've got the groundwork laid out but when money market rates bottomed out, Ally was a better option. Overall it's not a significant impact on my finances though.

This “problem” is rarely discussed in the “How To” properly execute a Mega Backdoor Roth in an employer plan that offers a match. It is a real disservice to investors. This should be highlighted as a pitfall. There is a relatively new page on the wiki that attempts to describe the process. https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Mega-backdoor_Roth The issue is that 401k plans have different rules and caveats that make the process difficult to put into a cookie-cutter process. For instance, my 401k does not allow in-plan conversions. However, it allows one withdrawal from after-tax per year. Then, after-tax contributions are no longer available for 6 months. So I need to plan pre-tax contributions for half the year and after-tax for the rest. I typ...

Hello, As I understand it- You can contribute up to 19500 of tax-advantaged (Pre-tax or Roth) to 401k in 2020. You can contribute up to 20500 of tax-advantaged (Pre-tax or Roth) to 401k in 2021. However- Total contributions to a participant’s account, not counting catch-up contributions for those age 50 and over, cannot exceed $58,000 for 2021; $57,000 for 2020. After-tax generally counts towards that contribution limit. Since you contributed after-tax, you didn't overcontribute. In the future, consider contributing your tax-advantaged space prior to performing the mega-backdoor Roth. See this link - https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Prioritizing_investments There can be other hang-ups with solo 401ks though. I'm only familiar with the proces...

Hello, I've been using ME for a couple years. Usually buy a couple ETFs (VTI and VXUS) quarterly when I sell my ESPP and move it over. Just crossed the 100k mark in the last month or so. Hopefully it stays there :greedy 1. The sweep fund isn't any good. I've heard people will buy money market funds or short-term bond ETFs as an alternative. ME isn't great in this respect. 2. I'm not sure about direct deposit, but I would assume they'd support that. Bill pay can be done in plain-old BoA if you want that. 3. Mutual fund trades will likely trigger more fees than you want. Use the ETFs to avoid fees. They are essentially the same but trade differently. My experience with Merrill Edge has been good and the credit card rewards are nice. A represe...

Hello, I know this post has pretty much played out, but I wouldn't take a whole life policy. The reasons are simple, and they are personal to me and my personal experience. 1. My aunt is trying to get out of a whole life policy, which has been terrible for her. She's made the "guaranteed rate" and nothing more since inception. She deeply regrets it and admits that she was too trusting of the salesperson. When you're locked in to that policy, you are locked in. I don't want that commitment from anything in life outside of a marriage. 2. The people I know that sell life insurance can't justify it. Most salespeople can't answer simple questions that I pose, let alone the real well-informed type of "gotchas" that people can ...

Cool. I’d just have some sympathy for your accountant who sent you a really cheap bill Hopefully you will continue to work with her, and she, you. You are fortunate to have her, and now she has your file and trusts you You and she are doing the same thing as to billing, the only difference being she has no minimum that a third-party will pay. She instead is just solely dependent upon the good will of her clients OP No sympathy required. You were grossly overcharged based on the estimate received. That was not a cheap bill. Hopefully you will do it yourself next time and save money. You are fortunate to have learned this lesson, and now you know for next time. You continue to do your job, which has absolutely no relevance or association wit...

Maybe suggest Ally instead? Doesn't sound as shady as your friend "Marcus"...

Just kidding. Although it may be frustrating to explain things with her, it does sound as though she leans on you to make financial decisions. She's likely to listen to your suggestion. I think your original solution to show her it's no different from other bank accounts might be prudent.

Do you have a Marcus account? Then you could show her how it works and put her mind at ease.

Tell her this is the simplest way that her cash could earn more interest while still having easy access to it. After all... that's what she wants!

Good luck.

So I keep reading throughout this thread of people just keeping enough at Merrill to stay in preferred rewards, while they do all the other banking/trading at Schwab or Fidelity. I have all of my accounts at BofA and Merrill and an very happy with the interface, rewards, and non-existent fees. Am I missing something by not having Fidelity or Schwab? Is BofA that bad that I should not? I have never had an issue in 10 plus years, and just wondering why I see no one talking about BofA as a one stop? It's all about optimization. If it's not a hassle, why not have different accounts for different things? Ally account for a hub checking account and savings. Fidelity account for retirement funds, 2% cashback card (I can beat it now, but a good ba...

Hi. I have a question on evaluating investing program profiles. I have an inherited IRA that came with a financial advisor who wants me to make changes. I do agree that it is currently invested conservatively. He gave me 3 alternative programs to look at. I am currently stuck on how to evaluate these. I have educated myself on personal investing and feel comfortable with the theories behind investing, but need help on application. The marketing material he gave me seems to have generic names that I cannot research (i.e. JP Morgan Moderately Aggressive). The documents show me the strategy, the allocation, and the last 2 years of performance results. I am looking for some advice on how I can research these or if I need to get more informatio...

I haven't needed help lately but my past experience has been fine. I prefer the chat option when available.

Wish you the best. I agree 48 hours is a long time to wait on a message, and an hour hold is quite long.

Contributions New annual Contributions $20500 Pre-tax 401k ($3342 Company Match) $20500 After-tax 401k (This is a goal, if I can. I managed 5500 last year by maxing contributions in closing months, which I rolled into Roth IRA.) $6000 Roth IRA (backdoor) $3650 Health Savings Account $11140 ESPP/Taxable (Maximum ESPP is sold quarterly after 2 years and put into Taxable) $5000 Paper I-Bonds when submitting taxes <snip> 4. Is my retirement goal to reach approximately 5M by 55 reasonably achievable? I've managed to pay off all my student loans, buy a new car, get a mortgage, and accumulate wealth in the last 7 years. Started my big boy job when I was 23. It feels like I'm off to a good start but I sometimes wonder if I could be doing more. You...

4. Is my retirement goal to reach approximately 5M by 55 reasonably achievable? Yes and no. Too many variables between now and then to know one way or another. Your best bet would be to save as much as you can, as early as you can, i.e., now and through the next few years, then reassess as you get closer to 55. If you really want to get to $5m by 55, and not just have your belly scratched by some anonymous people on the internet, I suggest you work towards saving $8 or 9k/month for the next 25 years. Yes, that means both putting off a lot of spending now, and growing your income so you can actually save that much. But that's probably what it will take. I swear I'm not looking for a belly scratch lol... but I know what you mean. 5M is the d...

Why TIPS? I don't know enough about them to advise, but they don't seem common for someone your age. I decided to add them a couple years ago as a small inflation hedge. I figure I can adjust holdings as I get older. I wouldn't hold VTPSX in this account because it would complicate tax loss harvesting, due to potential wash sales, if you ever wanted to TLH VXUS in your taxable account. You can increase international in other accounts. I generally only contribute to the HSA once a year to max it out, and I contribute quarterly to the taxable account. Haven't TLH'd yet, or sold anything, so I'm admittedly somewhat clueless about this. Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to research properly should I decide to TLH. In general, more than 1 fund...

Hello Bogleheads, I wanted to post a portfolio review today. It's a relatively basic portfolio that has a slight small/mid cap tilt in my Roth IRA & HSA accounts. Overall it doesn't make a big difference in my overall portfolio weighting, but I wanted to tilt more aggressive in those accounts over the long run. I've got a lofty goal this year for the mega-backdoor Roth, I've got close to 18000 saved pre-tax so far this year and have switched to After-Tax today. My 401k puts a 6-month hold on after-tax contributions after a withdrawal, so it takes careful planning. Will rollover to Roth IRA in early December then finish off pre-tax maximum with the rest of the month. Max employer match requires a minimum 6% contribution all year. My goal...

I have a question regarding personal budgets...I have created my own personal budget in Excel, but unsure of how to record gift money. would you count that as part of your income and then track it accordingly (maybe count it as part of your discretionary spending as you spend it) or would you consider this as money to be looked at as outside of your budget? In other words, if I budgeted $2,000/year for money to be spent at my own discretion (going out to dinners, movies, buying nick/nacks, etc.) then would you just label this money as such or would you think... okay this was money I wouldn't have normally spent if I didn't get it so I'm not going to count it in my budget? Personally, I don't record anything in the budget for gifts. Given o...

Please let me know if this topic already exists. I was wondering if there were a few good sources to find a 30 year forecast for US and non US Stocks. I am invested 100% in stocks - 75% US (VTI) 25% Foreign (VXUS), though my net worth is not very high (about $250K, which $170K is equity in my house, $60K in IRAs & 529 and $20K cash, and plan to fully fund Roth IRAs every year). I am in early 30s and I have around 35 years to retirement. I am not a high earner, but my job is steady. Point is, that based on my understanding of Boglehead philosophy (I read The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing ), and using the Vanguard Investor Questionnaire, given my personal situation, I can take a lot of risk (i.e. 100% stocks at this point in my life), a...

For many forum members, managing investments is easy. Just a matter of owning a small selection (1 to 4) of low cost index funds, and rebalancing a couple times a year. After initial set up, it takes maybe an hour or two of work most years. If you ask someone else to do this for you, it’s likely that: 1. You’ll pay the advisor around 1% of your savings per year. If you’re retiring and planning to withdraw (say) 3% of your savings per year for expenses, then 25% of your annual expenses goes to paying the advisor. 2. Advisor will put you in high expense funds that will chew up an additional and completely unnecessary 0.5-1% of your savings per year. So now, we’re talking about one third of your expenses going towards managing your savings. 3...

I am new this is my first post. I’ve got a question that I’ve noticed has been a part of posts throughout this forum regarding the displeasure of working with financial advisors. I’m just curious, what is the angst? I’m only asking is that I should be retiring soon and was thinking about going that direction. Thanks everyone If you've read enough old posts, you'll see how many financial advisors have spent years fleecing their clients. Often a person's first posts on this forum is someone who's realized their predicament and wants help setting up their own investments. It's a sad reality that many financial advisors are in the business of making money, not helping their clients. Once you've realized this, you'll want to manage your own inv...

UnLearnYourself wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 9:26 am

Brianmcg321 wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 2:54 am Yesterday

OP, what do you mean the 1/3 time that DCA wins? Curious if you have a source to back that up because I'd argue that for the average investor (and also many pros), DCA will be the better long terms strategy like 90%+ of the time.

He must be comparing to lump sum. Studies show lump sum beats DCA most of the time (I don't know the ratio).

Consistently contributing what money you have to invest, when it's available to invest, is the DCA that you must be thinking of. That is still considered optimal as far as I know.

You should have in December. You're 21 years old? Just get started and don't look back.

Set up automatic investing so that you're never faced with this dilemma again. Savings habits are more important than market timing.

Have you read any of the Bogleheads suggested reading? https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Book_re ... nd_reviews
OR
The Bogleheads investment philosophy? https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Boglehe ... philosophy

Educate yourself on the basics, develop a workable plan, and get started. It's easier than you're making it!

The meaning is 5% of the entire portfolio. I feel this is simpler once all your retirement accounts are consolidated, and haven't stressed much about meeting this particular advice. I "slice and dice" a bit in my 401k. 20% of it is bonds, of which are split between US, ex-US and TIPS (8%/8%/4%). That's my smallest slices... the TIPS represent approximately 1.7% of my total portfolio (401k, Taxable, Roth IRA, HSA, Pension, I-bonds). However, I plan to keep these funds as I age and increase my bond holdings. So I don't mind holding a few more funds for this, as it will be easy to adjust ratios in the future. My 401k has 5 funds... the three mentioned, an all-country world index fund and a Developed Real Estate fund. The other accoun...

Depends what you want. You could hold VT or whatever you want. Here's a couple pages.

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Approxi ... ock_market
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Asset_allocation

I bought yesterday to even out my asset allocation in taxable. Ready to ride the rollercoaster.

Actually, there is another active/recent post regarding an indirect rollover at the end of last year that you might find interesting. The withdrawal you took will also need to go through an "indirect rollover" to avoid some taxes... so the OP on that thread is similar to you in that way.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=366131

Just thought it was interesting since I was just replying to your post on a similar subject.

Hello, The first thing to do is read the 401k's summary plan description. Understand the rules & restrictions surrounding After-tax conversions/withdrawals. Each plan is subject to different rules, so I can't give specific advise around when & how to do your conversions without knowing the rules. As an example, my 401k plan only allows one distribution from After-tax annually. Have you read the Mega-backdoor Roth page on the wiki? https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Mega-backdoor_Roth Lots of good information is on that page. Doesn't exempt you from reading the plan documentation, but it will help you to understand the concept and what hoops you will need to jump through. Regarding the withdrawal you took, do a 60 day rollover as descri...

I was hoping that the $1M properly invested could render enough income to live on when combined with my pension, my previous investments, and my gradually diminishing employment income. So my priority, I think, should be to conserve the principal and have it generating income that I can access and spend now so that I can work less (or income that builds up tax free while I spend down unsheltered savings). To that end I've been reading about "hold forever" strategies, which I understand to mean buying assets and being indifferent to their price fluctuations as long as they're doing their job of generating an acceptable yield of income. This is the gist of your OP. Don't get hung up on dividend and REIT/Rental strategies. I recomme...

Both are good.

I prefer Fidelity for their Cash Management features, index funds, and credit card.

Plenty of information on both of these brokerages on the Fidelity and Schwab "as a one stop shop" topics.

Questions: 1. We’re about $900 short of our monthly retirement savings goal and I’m not sure where to put that money. Beyond the 457b/401k, I do have both a Roth IRA and tIRA at Vanguard with a rollover in the traditional from a previous employer’s 401k. 2. Do people have thoughts on tax filing status? Or maybe a good article on how to decide how to file? The decision will be for 2022. 3. We also save a decent chunk in cash aside from the emergency fund for a future non-emergency short term goal. We’d ideally like to buy a lake house in upstate NY in the next ten years or so and are continuing to save with that generally in mind. Do people have thoughts on other vehicles for savings alternatives or since it’s relatively short-term do peopl...

I use Ally as my Hub checking and online savings accounts. Can't complain, haven't had any issues.

Also have:
BoA checking account - My original checking account, and I pay my BoA credit cards from here.
ME taxable brokerage - Good index ETF choices & helps credit card rewards.
Fidelity CMA/Brokerage - Mainly for free ATM withdrawals & cash management. Also have 2% credit card.
Fidelity Roth IRA - Very happy with index funds here.

Switched from Schwab checking account to Ally when the interest rate disappeared. That also prompted me to switch to Merrill Edge for my taxable account... although I had been planning for that eventuality for the credit card rewards.

Have been happy with this setup. Simple enough.

Does it really need to be one or the other? I think limiting X% of capital to HFEA. It's really up to you. I understand your concerns about panicking, but I believe it's called learning a lesson. Before I was so uninvolved I didn't have any sort of plan or experience. I don't think I'm the same person I was a year ago and want to take steps to be better, not just average (it's not my style). Fair enough. I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Just be mindful, you've missed significant gains from that mistake. I mentioned before, studies have shown that lump sum investments usually outperform DCA. I would rather not weigh in on your other questions, as I don't think there is a known correct answer without knowing the future. Good luck with...

Hi all, First off I just wanted to say thank you so much for the helpful replies. Works been busy and I've been doing some thinking and researching on concepts discussed. I'm convinced now to think about my portfolio as a whole and not just the small speculations that I missed on; I'm playing a different game than some people and that's okay. I love the concept of buy and hold forever. I'll be deploying this over index funds and DCA-ing into individual growth stocks for companies that I intend to hold forever, forcing me to do serious due diligence and limiting my cost basis %. I know that isn't very in line with the 3 fund portfolio but I'm human and it sounds actually fun to me. There's a few things mentioned that I'd love to touch on as...

FedGuy wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 7:01 am Jake, just out of curiosity, why continue using the Fidelity card if you have Premium Rewards? I understand that Fidelity's card has no annual fee, but you're getting higher cash back on the PR for all purchases (2.25% vs. 2%). I literally last week received my Premium Rewards card, and the first thing I did was put my Fidelity card and my Citi Double Cash card (also 2%) in a drawer.

I want to keep a few recurring transactions on the Fidelity card, and this was the easiest way. I'm keeping it as a backup card in case BoA's reward program changes.

Plus I just like the Fidelity card. It's a good one to hold onto.

I own 5 credit cards: Fidelity 2% Card - For automatic recurring expenses. Amazon Prime Rewards - For 5% back at Amazon BoA Premium Rewards - For travel/dining (3%) & non-bonus category expense (2.25%) BoA Cash Rewards - For Gas (4.5%) & Groceries (3%) BoA Cash Rewards (WWF) - For dining (4.5%) I might change the cash rewards category on the WWF card in the future, because the premium rewards card has good return on dining as well. Maybe use it for new furniture soon. Also hoping to get to the final tier of the premium rewards program at BoA to go from 50% to 75% rewards boost. I carry the three BoA cards at this time, but am hoping to cut down to just 2 cards in the future. Think I could get by with just Gas/Groceries card and Trav...

When March 2020 hit, I wasn't sure what to do due to plain inexperience- and expecting a second dip, I cashed out some positions in July thinking it was a dead count bounce. Whoops. I was also laid off and focused heavily on studying for interviews, tripling my comp. I wish I could say I liked the job.. but I'm still grateful some things have gone well. Sounds like your risk tolerance is not high. The fact that you sold on a whim like that says more than anything. Since the pandemic, I started reading a ton and developing a bit of a fascination, but every step of the way I feel like there's more to learn. For example I think I have a decent understanding of options (my preference would probably be LEAPS or selling options), and technical a...

Earlier in this thread we looked at the expense of the options i have within my 457. I didn't know if it was wise to get more diversity through the two ira . I understand that I need the diversity . It just seems like I would be paying alot to get that withing my 457 . I didn't know if it made more sense to get it elsewhere, for less expense I have read the link you have provided . I feel I understand it . I don't know exactly how to quote you so that it notifies you but I tried I see now. Ultimately it's up to you, but you could pick up an ex-US fund in your "new" Roth IRAs for a low cost, if your 457 doesn't have a reasonable low-cost option. Whatever works for you. Compare your options and make an informed decision. Glad you r...

I don't think Fidelity has called me. Not even once. I've contacted them with questions, but they've never bothered me.

Merrill Edge representative called me a few times (3 or 4), asking about my investment goals, my retirement accounts and transferring them. I told him no thanks, asked him about the transfer bonus (which he kindly helped me with), and that was that. Since then, no calls. Schwab called one time when I opened an account, basically to see if I needed anything.

None have been particularly pushy. My accounts are all relatively small though, so that may make a difference.