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johnny

Purchased a Roku Ultra on Black Friday sale, but eventually returned it due to HDCP flakiness. Realized that I really wanted Dolby Vision, so I went in on a FireTV 4k. It works more reliably than the Roku at 4k rez on my TV, but does have the aforementioned bias toward Prime. I go straight to Netfli...

johnny

Once is probably enough. There is a problem with inspecting when the outside temperature is too low, so make sure to inspect before winter.

johnny

My father told me a long time ago to never for a minute believe that an employer, even one that appears to be very nice, has any meaningful loyalty to its employees and that employees are only viewed as valuable to the extent that they are perceived to help the employer's bottom line. My experience...

johnny

Hard to believe that current cash value is anything close to the premiums paid. However if you consider the future you might call the insurance company and compare current cash value against the face value of the policies. You may very well decide that continuing payments is a better return (to the ...

johnny

I suggest you only move forward based on facts, not assumptions or predictions. In the two layoff situations that have affected me it was very obvious afterwards that there were financial advantages to sticking it out. In one case, if I had left early, I would have not been vested in retirement cont...

johnny

I'm in a similar situation with my wife as a substitute teacher. As I look into it, it seems she is eligible for participation in the state teachers plan, but not participating. Does anyone have a read on what the IRS means by "covered by a work plan"? Answered my own question... IRS is p...

johnny

I assume this might be common since they probably just auto check W2 box 13 (I assume W4 is a typo and not relevant here). Technically HR needs to correct W2. However, it is pretty rare that this box being checked would impact someone materially. Typically people that have the income to worry about...

johnny

I assume this might be common since they probably just auto check W2 box 13 (I assume W4 is a typo and not relevant here). Technically HR needs to correct W2. However, it is pretty rare that this box being checked would impact someone materially. Typically people that have the income to worry about...

johnny

Aside from the public figures already mentioned (Jack Bogle, Jonathan Clements...) I'm particularly thankful for a co-worker named John. One day John and I were talking and he casually mentioned that he planned to work until he was 60 and then he'd retire. We are the same age and it bugged me that h...

johnny

Typically people that have the income to worry about this are above the deductibility limit for IRA and a backdoor Roth can always be performed so not sure what it would restrict the average person from doing? People with this level of income are trying their best to stay within certain cutoff AGI ...

johnny

If your friend doesn't see a path to returning to her former employer, a rollover would make sense.

Sounds like the two choices of investment providers are quite low expense-wise, so do whichever seems simpler to your friend.

johnny

I agree they are very close. I purchased a Roku ultra on black Friday deal. It never quite worked correctly at 4k resolution. I wanted Dolby vision to work, but was constantly tinkering to keep DV turned on. So I returned it. Purchased a 4k Fire TV at half the price. It's much more consistent with o...

johnny

Probably HDHP. Here's some sample math - I was calculating with one person running up charges, but it basically doubles everything if 2+ people are spending money. In short - at lower costs, the HDHP comes out ahead because the plan is cheaper (and its not offset by the higher deductible), at highe...

johnny

I would apply using a term life agent rather than just the same insurance company you have. I think I used SelectQuote. They are a giant in the industry and may try to upsell you, so just say you only want term life. But my agent was easy to work with and I had a good experience. They will shop all...

johnny

This is what I love about Bogleheads -- when a conversation about boring finances can uncover simple change in approach that make a big difference. OP, reading through the post I get the impression that you need a financial planner, not a financial advisor. Sounds like yours is all about portfolio a...

johnny

Kids mostly don't have a concept of the money required for college. It's important to explain it in real terms. For my family that meant explaining the salary they can expect to make in their chosen career and how much will be going to loan repayments every month. I gave my son a choice about state ...

johnny

I worked for a company once that had a tight limit on its 401k for highly compensated employees. Because of this, they offered a deferred comp plan, essentially allowing employees to spread their taxable income across multiple years -- even to retirement -- to take advantage of lower tax brackets. ...

johnny

I worked for a company once that had a tight limit on its 401k for highly compensated employees. Because of this, they offered a deferred comp plan, essentially allowing employees to spread their taxable income across multiple years -- even to retirement -- to take advantage of lower tax brackets. I...

johnny

Good job putting aside a substantial portion of your paycheck every month! Now the question is where to put it. You would be best served in tax advantaged accounts, but am I right in thinking your employer does not offer 401k? So definitely max out your Roth. The deferred comp plan is a way for you ...

johnny

It is amusing to see all of the complex card arrangements that people have. Wouldn't be workable for my wife and I. For a long time we had only one card with no bonuses that we tried not to use. Now we have a 2% card for medical and other large purchases and an Amex travel points card for groceries ...

johnny

Taylor,

Very glad to hear the news that your treatment has been successful and you are back home. Thank you for your vision and contributions to this community! I and my family have benefitted immensely in just a short time from the knowledge that is shared here. God bless!

Johnny

johnny

TomatoTomahto wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 6:55 am We have, with various employers, gotten bonuses (cash and RSUs) paid/granted in January, February, and March.

OP, just ask HR. You’re entitled to plan your finances. Nothing weird about it.

+1

If you feel uncomfortable asking your manager about these details, get the info from the source.

johnny

3 fund portfolio, plus CDs for me. Occasionally I go through a phase of researching another asset class (e.g REIT). Then I re-read my IPS which says I will not overweight any sectors

johnny

For our family

$500 for immediate family
$500 for extended
$100-200 for friends

We give to charities throughout the year. Some years this is more than others, but not like other families that seem to hold off on big purchases until the end of year and call it a Christmas present.

johnny

joeblow wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 5:09 pm My first thought would be valve stems. I'd start there with a reputable tire shop. If you really want to "diagnose the problem" yourself you could get out the soapy water and look for the leaks.

+1

johnny

I believe the key to the article is the first two words DEAR FAMILY. Bogleheads have already figured out their int'l weights and probably don't own tons of FAANG shares, but plenty of investors are chasing yield. So for a typical investor that is now overweight on SP500 and NASDAQ stocks, this makes...

johnny

I don't have any knowledge of SC taxes, but it is common for pension lump sum withdrawals to withhold a flat rate for the IRS when they are not rolled over to a tax deferred account. Your final tax rate will be determined when you file your taxes, with payment or refund as appropriate. If you think ...

johnny

Reasons I still hold VBTLX: 1) contains a variety of durations. I can't necessarily foresee my horizon, so variety is good. 2) better yield than short to mid term treasuries 3) Not too heavy on corporates so correlation with stock market is reduced 4) get to own all of the good bonds purchased by Va...

johnny

Total Bond Market -- VBTLX (mutual fund) or BND (ETF). Perfect addition to a traditional IRA.

johnny

Not sure if I’m retired or not (I’m certainly not working), but: 10% or less. House is paid off. This made me laugh because I'm in the same boat. Underemployed is more accurate for me. To answer the question, 0% (renter), but when I do buy another house, which I believe will modestly reduce expense...

johnny

Welcome to the forum! Here's a post that you can refer to in order to lay out your situation for others to give you the best feedback: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6212 When I read your post I see 5% Total Stock market and 5% Total Bond. Did you mean 50/50? Thought there ...

johnny

For those more spreadsheet inclined, there is a great tool on the "Tools and Calculators" page called the Personal Finance Toolbox. I really only use it for Healthcare plan analysis.

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Tools_and_calculators

johnny

1) Estimate your cost per mile compared to a used car
2) compare depreciation loss in the first three years to your interest charges

Then you will know that the low loan rate doesn't matter too much

johnny

I agree with the comments about more communication on priorities and pay yourself first. My wife has very different thinking about money than I do and despite her disregard for financial planning, she pulls me in the direction of moderation. Earlier this year she planned a weekend getaway with our a...

johnny

I quit Prime six months ago but it remains to be seen whether I can continue. Since Amazon is so aggressive at pushing Prime, DW has a habit of rejoining any time she orders. For a while we had double-prime for our household

johnny

You might seriously consider selling your house to free up cash, rent for a while or buy a smaller house. It's a seller's market where I am. I sold last year before the recession and now rent. Lost my job in the spring, but monthly rent is appreciably less than my mortgage payment was and I have fle...

johnny

I purchased a Logitech mouse that connects thru unifying receiver. Had spotty connection from the start and was ready to replace. Then I read that Logitech's wireless dongle can experience interference from nearby USB 3.0 ports. I attached the dongle to a USB extension cord moving it away from the o...

johnny

I don't have a specific recommendation for you except that a book I'm reading currently may be helpful as you assess your direction forward. It's called "Designing Your Life" by Burnett and Evans. So far I'm finding it helpful as I tweak my own career direction. The design metaphor may als...

johnny

If you're already retired then there is probably not much difference in the accounts. 401k does offer the potential to use the rule of 55 for withdrawal.

I rolled my 401k over to an existing tIRA just for simplicity.

johnny

+1 on comments to look into your ISP service. I did a wifi upgrade earlier this year because of zoom problems only to find that I needed a bandwidth upgrade instead.

johnny

I think that imaginary portfolio drawdowns are somewhat helpful for deciding your bond allocation, but I actually prefer the "time to recover" metric myself. The article below has a chart showing number of trading days needed to recover after a market downturn. Some people don't have the p...

johnny

Hi, I’m hiking 5 miles each day in the woods, the ground is getting slippery with leaves and such. Looking for a light pair of trail sneakers, not hiking boots, have those,, Thanks! Consider the sale brookes cascadia. (the $65 ones if they have your size) I bought an on sale pair a few versions ago...

johnny

As a New Yorker, also on severance, I was advised that I could apply for unemployment benefits once my severance payments ran out. In my case severance is equivalent to full pay from my former employer for the severance period. This is different than the SUB package the other poster mentioned. With ...

johnny

The title of this post reminded me of this story recounted in a NY Times article below. When one of his employees drives up in a new 90k car, Mitt Romney tells him that he wishes he could afford something like that. At the time Romney had an estimated net worth of $200M. https://www.nytimes.com/2011...

johnny

Lots of ideas on this in the wiki: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Emergency_fund

I keep mine split between high yield savings account and no penalty CDs.

johnny

A friend of mine is a personal financial advisor and one of the most frugal people I know. I was talking with him about his business and he told me about one client that shared their annual budget for wine was about $5k. I asked how could anybody spend that much on wine and he just shrugged it off. ...

johnny

epicahab wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:27 pm I wonder when the Fed is going to change this trend.

Assuming the Fed does nothing to interest rates (target 0 - 0.25%), how low does Marcus savings rate go?

johnny

brad.clarkston wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 1:01 pm The TCL 5-Series (4K TV with HDR - about $400) or the or Vizio M-Series Quantum (the same) is good TV's to look at in your price range.

I'll vouch for the M series Vizio. Bought one a couple years ago, 50", great price. Note that it does not have a tuner (for those interested in OTA)

johnny

Renter with USAA here. They seem to have good coverage. I'm insured up to $50,000.

I haven't submitted the claim yet, but my daughter submitted a claim to USAA a couple years ago. She got full reimbursement for her stolen camera.

johnny

Jane Quinn Bryant's book: "How to Make your Money Last" is a good one. It covers many aspects - Social Security, Medicare, Estate Planning, etc. +1 This book more than others helped me understand the mechanics of living off of retirement savings, what options exist to manage expenses, and...

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