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banhbao

1) I don't follow the reasoning behind the delay other than you've already maxed out 2020 contributions. By contributing in 2021, if you are trying to avoid the pro rata rule, it seems to me it might start applying to you for 2021 or later years. We've already contributed toward a backdoor ROTH in ...

banhbao

The SEP IRA is also an employer plan, so the other employee would also have to have theirs funded too. So you want to "mess up" their Roth conversions too? :oops: Two points: 1) Following the advice of retiredjg, establishing the SEP IRA in January 2021 and funding towards 2020 should avo...

banhbao

AlabamaPaul wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:48 am You probably want to look into a Solo 401k rather than a SEP IRA...

Thanks for the solo 401(k) suggestion, but my spouse has a full time employee, so I don't think it is possible. And for a very small business a full 401(k) is really costly and burdensome compared to the SEP IRA.

banhbao

Thanks for your response, maybe I am confused about "paying taxes twice". Yes, you are confused on this. It only seems you are paying tax twice. You are not. It is correct that the pro-rating will cause some of the contribution to be taxable. What you have missed is that it also results i...

banhbao

Thanks for your response, maybe I am confused about "paying taxes twice". Here is an article about backdoor roth, the scenario that I am considering will trigger "pitfall 1" in the article. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-why-you-may-want-to-reconsider-doing-that-backdoor...

banhbao

Sorry, I probably should have posted to "personal finance" as this is mostly a tax-related question.

banhbao

Hello everyone, It's been a while since I have posted to this forum, but I always appreciate the advice here and I have a rather complicated situation that I wanted to run by the experts. The question is basically this: is it a good idea to pay taxes twice on a portion of backdoor roth due to overal...

banhbao

Thanks for the advice everyone, this forum is a great help. You should probably use the SEC Yield of VWIUX of 1.59% for your comparison. Yes, your advice is well taken. Recalculating at 1.59%, the FV of Scenario 1 is $55,382, so only marginally better than Scenario 2. Why did you buy the CD in the f...

banhbao

Hello, We have a brokered CD at Vanguard in our taxable account that was purchased in October 2018 ($50k principal, 5yrs at 3.35%). Since that time interest rates have declined and the value of the CD has increased, showing on our dashboard currently at $52,755. I'm trying to evaluate (1) whether to...

banhbao

I'm a fan of Florsheim. There are a lot of different style options, and you'll find a ton of brogue wingtips. (You can try them on at Jos A. Bank, but check their website price as they offer free shipping and free returns.)

banhbao

I completed this a few weeks ago on an old lenovo running windows 8.1, eventually it was successful. As others have said, there are legitimate free upgrades still available from Microsoft. I used the "Windows 10 Media Creation tool". You can download directly from the Microsoft website. At...

banhbao

50% chance of promotion 50% chance of firing are you feeling lucky? I respectfully disagree. The way I see it... 5% Promotion 45% Status Quo (but wants to put a face to the email) 50% Steps to remove/fire I really don't see any big upside in meeting. I tend to agree, Seems like the only reason for ...

banhbao

traveling: I don't have great advice on your exact questions but you might want to consider doing some roth conversions if you're going to have a year of low income tax. The conversions would be taxed at lower marginal rates and even 0% for some of it if you have no other income. This is a great id...

banhbao

Question: Have you thought about reducing or eliminating your savings account and moving it over to your Vanguard settlement fund? We pulled the plug on that recently once we realized VMFXX return is +2% for the past 12 months. It totally beat the return we were getting from our bank. And you can se...

banhbao

mocorroco wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2019 3:36 pm ...bond prices have nowhere to go but down from here.

There are a lot of threads right now about interest rates... I doubt anyone knows whether they'll go up or down from here. Unless you have some specific insight, you are basically trying to time the market.

banhbao

I suspect there are a lot of women out there who prefer a smaller phone. For some reason, cell phones started out big, got small, now the trend is big again. It's not possible to fit a 5+ inch screen (or 6+ nowadays) in the pocket if you are petite. That's the main reason my wife chose this phone (a...

banhbao

Hello Pedro, I think you are referring to the "asset mix" tab on your dashboard? I've noticed this can be a few days behind on the Vanguard website. For example, when you make a purchase the amount that was previously in your settlement fund may still show up as "short-term reserves&q...

banhbao

Plus do most web browsing with Brave , a cousin of Chrome with a lot of security and ad blocking built in. +1 I recently discovered Brave while looking for a Chrome alternative. I got tired of all the trackers within Chrome, it just seemed like I got slammed with constant banner ads for products I ...

banhbao

Hello new2bogle, According to this article on ThePointsGuy website, you should target 160 days from your departure date for flights to Europe: https://thepointsguy.com/news/best-times-international-flight/ Europe: Prime booking window: About 1.5 months to a little more than 8 months Best time to buy...

banhbao

Thanks for this. If we use our Schwab ATM card, will we get a favorable exchange rate taking the money in CRC? Maybe it depends on the ATM network/bank? We generally use the Schwab card as they will reimburse any ATM fees. I don't know specifically about the Schwab card, but you typically get a com...

banhbao

Thanks Banhbao! We will look into venturing south from Manuel Antonio and seeking out the good meals that you mention! December is actually in the 'dry season' which starts mid-Nov, but we will be prepared for rain for sure. Yes, you are correct, I had the seasons mixed up. We went during Thanksgiv...

banhbao

If you enjoy nature and natural places, Costa Rica is really an amazing place to visit! First, I would highly recommend getting a recent guidebook like this one from Lonely Planet: https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/products/costa-rica-travel-guide-13 Second, if you are comfortable driving in an unusual ...

banhbao

...project your savings and growth into the future to get a feel for compounding. This is good advice because (1) it will help you get a feel for what you could accomplish by your target retirement age and (2) once you establish that baseline you can know each year whether you are over/under/on tra...

banhbao

Thanks for the link! Looks like we will have 4G coverage in most of the area we will be. Charge is $10 day on days it is used. How do we make sure the phone isn't used when we don't want to use it? Apple XR. Do you just put it to airplane mode or something else? That is quite a lot. $10 day for usa...

banhbao

FYI, it might be useful for you to compare the difference between CDW and supercover: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/reviewmodifycancel/templates/rentalTerms.jsp?KEYWORD=CDW&EOAG=FCOT50 My understanding is that CDW will have a "non-waivable excess" depending on the car type...

banhbao

FYI, there are a few different options for Verizon wireless: https://www.verizonwireless.com/solutions-and-services/international-travel/ Make sure you are set up for travelpass, because pay as you go will be very expensive ($2.05/MB!)... I think with travelpass you'll get 500MB per day and then aft...

banhbao

We just returned from a visit to Athens and the Peloponnese in May. We spent 2 nights in Nafplio and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We visited Mycenae and Epidaurus which are both about 1 hour away, and Palamidi Fortress just outside of the town. All of these places are well worth the tri...

banhbao

Just a bit of advice, If you do choose to pay in cash, don't reveal this information until you settle on the final price. First, I think the dealership makes some profit on financing, so they may be willing to give you a good deal on the car if they think you are going to finance with them. And seco...

banhbao

Assuming I put 100% bonds in 401k, do you think it's better to put the remainder of the bonds in taxable and keep VTSAX in my IRA? In any event, the Vanguard muni bond funds I have looked at are VWITX, VTEBX, and the regular bond fund I'd looked at was VBTLX. Admittedly, the intricacies between the...

banhbao

My personal feeling is that those ERs are too high... but what else do you have available to you? Anything less than 0.10%? If you must choose one of these I'd go with MPBFX because of the ER compared to the others. Agreed. The lowest ER I have for an equity in my plan is .72% for BNY Mellon Large ...

banhbao

My personal feeling is that those ERs are too high... but what else do you have available to you? Anything less than 0.10%?

If you must choose one of these I'd go with MPBFX because of the ER compared to the others.

banhbao

FYI, here are the ERs according to Morningstar: PIMCO Real Return R PRRRX (1.53%) Delaware Diversified Income R DPRFX (0.95%) BNY Mellon Bond M MPBFX (0.55%) For comparison, you could hold Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBILX) in your taxable account with an ER of 0.07%.....

banhbao

Here are a few simple "rules" but of course there are different strategies depending on your exact situation: 1) Select the asset allocation you are most comfortable with (I think you've done that already). 2) Fill your ROTH space with equities. (If there are no tax law changes in the futu...

banhbao

Fresh, good quality beans will make a larger difference than anything else mentioned in this thread. Look for beans roasted within the last couple of weeks, and only buy what you can use in a couple of weeks. Buy whole beans and grind them as needed. This advice is very important for espresso machi...

banhbao

I travel 2-4 times per year to Lyon for my work. For my next trip, I just happen to arrive on the weekend of the finals... it is very difficult to find a room right now. I would suggest taking care of this very quickly if you haven't already! My suggestion (if possible) is to find a hotel in the mai...

banhbao

After years and years of buying replacement inserts I finally caved and moved to a one piece beam blade. Most car manufactures are moving to this anyway. Nissan was the latest one I experienced. I now just order Bosh Icon blades (the best) from Amazon for all our cars. +1 for Bosch Icon Blades. I g...

banhbao

Have gotten contradictory information on this topic, so am posing the question here. Any given plastic container is designated by a number (1 through 7), shown in a triangle of arrows. Which of these are recyclable? Which are not? What about plastic containers that show no numeric designation? Stri...

banhbao

Roanoke, VA has an annual Memorial Day weekend festival:
http://www.roanokefestival.com/index.php
And also a lot of good breweries!

banhbao

If you have an account with Vanguard, you can put your emergency funds in the settlement fund (VMFXX SEC yield is 2.36% today with ER of 0.11%) and set up checkwriting services (https://personal.vanguard.com/us/whatweoffer/accountservices/checkwriting?lang=en). It's free, the only issue is that the ...

banhbao

YEs it goes on when key is in ignition, but also other issue, funny enough is I am having a problem with the battery it isn't secured tightly because the arm over the top of it broke, so it I hit a pothole when I turn the car off and back on, it will not work until I adjust the battery, then the ca...

banhbao

FYI, there are some great deals right now at Dick's sporting goods, in case anyone else is still looking for a new bike.

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/c/bike-sale

banhbao

Hello All, I wanted to update everyone who helped me with this decision and respond to a few especially helpful comments. I realized that my original two selections were flawed because the prices I quoted were likely grey market items. And, if I wanted a legitimate camera, these two options were out...

banhbao

Thanks for the advice everyone. I realize now that the tristate prices are probably too good to be true. If I still want to go with one of the two models I suggested, I will have to increase my budget. Looking at more reputable dealers it seems like the cost would be around $600-$650. With that in m...

banhbao

I have a G5X because I have a Canon dSLR and don't have to change mindset with the controls. The G5X has an EVF and a pop-up flash and a hot shoe. Thus I can use my 580EX II with it and radio triggers. Also I use the hinged screen all the time because I can put the camera in places where I cannot l...

banhbao

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VA according to https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-pocketable-enthusiast-cameras I would spend some time reading at DPReview.com The Sony DSC-RX100 VA is not within my price range. Looks like it is $700+. Anyway, I will read this article and look at the oth...

banhbao

Hello fellow Bogleheads and photo enthusiasts, I am thinking about purchasing a new camera. I currently have an older-model Canon Powershot S120. I have really enjoyed this camera but it is starting to show its age. I love taking scenic photos; this camera is great for printing 8x10 or even 11x14, b...

banhbao

I’ve been on it and its a great trip. You can buy the tickets in the states through the Eurail website. Surely there is at least a regional train between Paris and Avignon... I think it's easier to just book directly with the French railways, SNCF. You can even use their "Oui" app to stor...

banhbao

It is easy to take a train from Paris to Avignon, and then from Lyon back to Paris. Check out the Rail Europe website: https://www.raileurope.com/ A few points for your consideration if you plan to use the train: I don't belive there is a direct route from CDG to Avignon, you'll have to make a conne...

banhbao

If you can get there with only new contributions, then I would do that. I'm not a big fan of making big moves all at once. Directing new funds to accomplish your goal will be gradual and give the descision time to settle. +1 Whenever possible I try to rebalance by changing future investments rather...

banhbao

Curiously, the strongly negative reviews are only coming from single-post accounts. That could mean they simply haven’t had reason to post anything until now, but that coupled with the fondness for exclamation points make me skeptical, to say the least. I noticed the exact same thing... when you se...

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