Search found 604 matches

by gouldnm
Tue Oct 10, 2023 9:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Trouble Accessing TSP Account

mhlambert wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2023 9:49 am I sent the TSP an email over the weekend. I received a reply today indicating they are aware of the problem and working to correct it.
Thanks, mhlambert. I was finally able to get in this morning. Hope you are able to do the same. Please keep us posted.

I guess the moral of the story is to always contact TSP by e-mail because at least that way, they can confirm that it's not just you!
by gouldnm
Mon Oct 09, 2023 8:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Strange TSP Login Issue

[Thread merged into here --admin LadyGeek] I can log into my account via an iPad and an iPhone. When you say you can log into the iPad and iPhone, are you talking about the TSP APP or through Safari? I can log into the TSP APP but there are limited things that I can do there. I cannot log in through Safari. If you are able to get into the full site on your iPhone or iPad, I'd be interested in more details. Thanks. Through Safari on both. Although the only reason I logged in was to retrieve my statement - - and that menu pick is the only one that won't work once I'm in. I'm simply assuming the site will be fixed later today or tomorrow once they realize it's having problems. You are luckier than I. I can't get in anywhere.
by gouldnm
Mon Oct 09, 2023 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Strange TSP Login Issue

Yooper wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2023 7:43 am [Thread merged into here --admin LadyGeek]
I can log into my account via an iPad and an iPhone.
When you say you can log into the iPad and iPhone, are you talking about the TSP APP or through Safari? I can log into the TSP APP but there are limited things that I can do there. I cannot log in through Safari.

If you are able to get into the full site on your iPhone or iPad, I'd be interested in more details. Thanks.
by gouldnm
Sun Oct 08, 2023 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Trouble Accessing TSP Account

Faith20879 wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2023 6:59 pm
gouldnm wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2023 10:21 am I have been trying for two days now from both Chrome and Safari, without any luck.
Have you tried incognito in Chrome? It has saved me a few times in the past. I have no actual knowledge why it worked, just a possible workaround from previous experience.
Yes, I have tried incognito on both Chrome and Safari. Thanks.
by gouldnm
Sun Oct 08, 2023 6:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Trouble Accessing TSP Account

mhlambert wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2023 1:58 pm
I poked around with this a bit further. The file mentioned in each error (api.rk.convergeoperations.com) is not reachable from my home. However, when I punched that URL into an online CORS Tester tool it was able to retrieve the file. At this point I'm assuming it's a DNS issue that will correct itself in time.
Could you please translate for a layman? What do you mean by a "DNS issue"? What does DNS stand for?
by gouldnm
Sun Oct 08, 2023 12:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Trouble Accessing TSP Account

I'm also having problems logging in. I insert my username and password, complete the 2FA, and then I get a blank screen. I've tried clearing cache and cookies, used two different browsers, Firefox and Chrome, on two different computers. Also tried a private window. All with the same blank screen after logging in. Tried on my tablet (Chrome). Same issue. I brought up developer tools on Firefox. The browser is blocking numerous Javascript scripts from loading due to Cross-origin request errors. Here's one for example: Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://cache.rk.tsp.gov/upoint/UPoint/UPN-NG8/UpointFedDcNGBase/15.95.0/runtime.js. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origi...
by gouldnm
Sun Oct 08, 2023 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Trouble Accessing TSP Account

Thanks. Already tried that!
by gouldnm
Sun Oct 08, 2023 10:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Trouble Accessing TSP Account

Thanks for the feedback.
by gouldnm
Sun Oct 08, 2023 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Trouble Accessing TSP Account

Is anybody else having trouble accessing their TSP account? I have been trying for two days now from both Chrome and Safari, without any luck. I log in with my user name and password, and then it sends a code to my phone. But after I put in the code, the browser just hangs. It does not seem to matter which browser that I use. Is anybody else having this problem, and/or do you have any suggestions of things for me to try?

Unfortunately, the TSP will be closed for Columbus Day, and I'd really like to know what's going on. It's a little unnerving not to be able to access my account.

Thank you!
by gouldnm
Sat Jan 14, 2023 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRA Distribution: Did Vanguard Make a Mistake
Replies: 2
Views: 439

IRA Distribution: Did Vanguard Make a Mistake

Last year I converted my Vanguard IRA to a brokerage account. I set up my RMDs this January, and specified Federal and State withholding. The RMDs are to be withdrawn on the 15'th of every month (or previous business date), and they are to be deposited directly into my bank account. The RMD was processed yesterday (Friday) and I received the confirmation today. I don't see anything about Federal and State withholding. Also, despite the confirmation, when I look under transactions, it says it's still pending, although from what I can tell, it looks like the full amount will be going into my bank account (without taxes being withheld). Am I missing something, or should Vanguard have withheld my taxes? Also, why did they send me a confirmation...
by gouldnm
Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best Contact Number for Vanguard to set up RMD Withdrawals
Replies: 6
Views: 516

Re: Best Contact Number for Vanguard to set up RMD Withdrawals

billfromct wrote: Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:03 pm Are you talking about the Vanguard “free RMD service” which takes out the RMD automatically each year?

I had the automatic RMD service when I had my mutual fund account but when I opened the brokerage account, earlier this year, they cancelled the automatic RMD service & told me that I would have to reestablish it in 2023.

I’ll try to reestablish the automatic RMD service “online” next week. If I can’t do it “online”, I’ll call Vanguard to set it up,

bill
Yes! This is exactly my situation. But I seem to remember them telling me that I would need to call them, and I also remember having issues doing it online a few years back. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do it online this year.
by gouldnm
Sat Dec 31, 2022 1:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best Contact Number for Vanguard to set up RMD Withdrawals
Replies: 6
Views: 516

Re: Best Contact Number for Vanguard to set up RMD Withdrawals

In the past I have had trouble doing it online, which is why I wanted to know the best phone number to reach a representative.
by gouldnm
Sat Dec 31, 2022 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best Contact Number for Vanguard to set up RMD Withdrawals
Replies: 6
Views: 516

Best Contact Number for Vanguard to set up RMD Withdrawals

I need to contact a representative at Vanguard to set up my RMD withdrawals for 2023. When I go to their website, it is very confusing because there are so many different numbers. Last time I called them, I spent an hour trying to get through to someone, only to have them tell me that they weren't the appropriate person, and I had to wait another hour to get through to someone who could help me.

To avoid this happening again, does anyone know the best number to call? Thanks!
by gouldnm
Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Withdrawal Strategies: Need References
Replies: 9
Views: 1324

Re: Withdrawal Strategies: Need References

To all who replied to this, thank you very much!
by gouldnm
Wed Dec 21, 2022 4:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Withdrawal Strategies: Need References
Replies: 9
Views: 1324

Withdrawal Strategies: Need References

I will be retiring at the end of January with multiple sources of income including a pension, non-retirement (taxable) account, IRAs, and 401K. I am still relatively young and will not be required to take an RMD for over a decade.

My question is this: Are there any good books or articles that discuss withdrawal strategies? So much of the literature has to do with accumulating wealth and growing investments, but now that I have reached my retirement goals, I would like to figure out the best way to withdraw given my multiple sources of income (and minimize taxes).

I tend to learn well by reading books, so if anyone has any recommendations, I would appreciate it. Thank you.
by gouldnm
Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPhone and Macbook: what system do you use to back them up?
Replies: 37
Views: 3740

Re: iPhone and Macbook: what system do you use to back them up?

I use Microsoft One Drive as well as iCloud. When I went to renew my subscription to Word and Excel this year, the only option I had was to get the full Microsoft Office Suite. Since the One Drive cloud came with it, I figured I might as well use it.
by gouldnm
Fri Aug 26, 2022 9:39 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Question on New Vanguard Brokerage Account
Replies: 3
Views: 747

Re: Question on New Vanguard Brokerage Account

Did you place a Buy order into the mutual fund VMFXX and not the actual settlement fund? I think that's something you can do. The MF has a $3k minimum. To move money to the settlement fund, you can just place a sell order and the proceeds from the sale will be sent to the settlement fund. I think I misread your post. For the settlement fund, you don't actually sell it to buy new products. The only line that matters is "Funds available to trade $x.xx". When you sell an existing fund, it takes a day or two for the proceeds to sweep into the settlement fund. But VG will usually allow those funds to be used to purchase something. For example: (Day 1) 1. I sell $1,000 of VTSAX before the end of the trading day. (Day 2) 2. Once that tr...
by gouldnm
Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Question on New Vanguard Brokerage Account
Replies: 3
Views: 747

Question on New Vanguard Brokerage Account

I recently converted my regular Vanguard account into a brokerage account. But I am finding it very confusing. Yesterday I did a transaction to move money from my original money market fund into the settlement fund, which is the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund. Rather than give the specific amount, I'll call it $x.xx. My screen looks like this: Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund 0.00 (Settlement Fund) Total credits and debits $x.xx Available balance $x.xx Funds available to trade $x.xx Funds available to withdraw $x.xx There are also two options to "Transfer Money" and "Transact". When I went under "Transact" and tried to "Sell Vanguard Funds", it said there were no funds available to transfer. Can...
by gouldnm
Thu Aug 25, 2022 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Distribution Schedule & Tax Withholding
Replies: 7
Views: 774

Re: Vanguard Distribution Schedule & Tax Withholding

Most funds that do quarterly distributions will do one in late December. in late-November/early December there will be a schedule with an estimate of what those should be. I've never tracked how close their estimate is -- by the end of December the actual number is known and the Q4 estimated payment isn't typically due until January 15. Most years I make estimated payments for Q1-Q3 based on the safe harbor calculation and then in early January determine if I need to reduce the Q4 payment. Thank you for your reply. Two more questions: #1. Where on the Vanguard site will I be able to find that schedule? Is there something I should search for? #2. What is the "safe harbor calculation"? Is that something on the Vanguard web site, an...
by gouldnm
Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:39 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Distribution Schedule & Tax Withholding
Replies: 7
Views: 774

Vanguard Distribution Schedule & Tax Withholding

I recently converted my Vanguard taxable account to a brokerage account. In my original account, I had arranged to have taxes withheld from my distributions (e.g., dividends). Today I called up Vanguard to see if I could arrange to have taxes withheld from my new brokerage account, and they told me "no"--they don't offer that service. Question: #1. I have had Vanguard people tell me wrong information about tax withholding in the past--can anyone else confirm that it is indeed the case that I will not be able to have taxes withheld on distributions (dividends) from my taxable account. #2. Assuming that this is indeed the case, I am trying to compute an estimate of how much additional tax I'll need to pay this year. According to the...
by gouldnm
Thu Jun 30, 2022 9:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Combining IRA Accounts
Replies: 13
Views: 1721

Re: Combining IRA Accounts

From a recent thread I see that you plan to retire next year. That indicates to me that you would not want to retain the potential option to roll the Rollover IRA into another employer plan. Therefore there is no reason that you shouldn’t combine these two accounts into one for simplicity sake. There are no tax consequences for doing so. You can move the funds from your tax deferred Rollover IRA your Traditional IRA by doing the following. On the Rollover IRA select “Buy and Sell” -> “Exchange (sell to buy) Vanguard Funds”. Now select the funds you want to exchange to the tIRA and check “Sell all shares”. Click on “Continue”. Now select the tIRA as the “Where’s the money going” account and choose where the funds will go. You can walk take ...
by gouldnm
Thu Jun 30, 2022 8:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Combining IRA Accounts
Replies: 13
Views: 1721

Combining IRA Accounts

I have two IRA accounts with Vanguard: A traditional IRA and a Rollover IRA. Am I allowed to combine these into a single account? Is there any reason why I would NOT want do do this? Are there tax consequences? Finally, does anyone know the procedure for doing this on the Vanguard site?

Thank you!
by gouldnm
Tue May 10, 2022 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Question about Making Withdrawals in Retirement
Replies: 4
Views: 672

Question about Making Withdrawals in Retirement

I will be retiring at the end of January next year (2023) and relocating from Maryland to the Chicago area. Since I will be retired, I will have substantially less income. At the same time, I anticipate having a lot of expenses that first year, as I will have a lot of expenses associated with the move. This means I will have to make major withdrawals from my savings, and I would like to do it intelligently.

Approximately half my savings are in a regular (taxable) account and half are in IRAs (non-taxable).

Would it make more sense to make the withdrawals from my taxable or non-taxable?

Thank you!
by gouldnm
Wed Feb 02, 2022 7:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TSA Pre-Check, Global, Entry, or TSA Clear?
Replies: 62
Views: 8530

Re: TSA Pre-Check, Global, Entry, or TSA Clear?

Thank you, Everyone. This is good information.
by gouldnm
Wed Feb 02, 2022 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TSA Pre-Check, Global, Entry, or TSA Clear?
Replies: 62
Views: 8530

TSA Pre-Check, Global, Entry, or TSA Clear?

I am going to be retiring soon and anticipate doing a lot of travel. I would like to get something like TSA Pre-Check, but when I started researching it, I got confused because there are also other programs such as global entry and TSA CLEAR. Can anyone explain this to me? I'm looking for a description of which programs are out there, the differences between them, and any recommendations as to which one I should apply for.

Thank you so much!
by gouldnm
Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Qualifying for an Apartment without "Income"
Replies: 11
Views: 1516

Qualifying for an Apartment without "Income"

I will be retiring next year and moving to a new location. I would like to rent to start with, and I have noticed that many apartment complexes require a certain level of income (e.g., 3 times the monthly rent). Thanks to bogleheads, I have more than enough for a comfortable retirement, but I will not have "income" per se as I will be technically unemployed.

Can anybody tell me how this will work in retirement? Will these apartment complexes really disqualify someone who is worth millions of dollars because they're technically unemployed?

Thank you for any advice you can give me.
by gouldnm
Tue Jan 04, 2022 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Issue with Vanguard Website: No 1099-DIV for 2021?
Replies: 5
Views: 972

Issue with Vanguard Website: No 1099-DIV for 2021?

I got an e-mail from Vanguard today that told me to check their web site for a personalized schedule of tax forms that will be distributed. When I went to check the site, I noticed that no 1099-DIV was listed, even though I had substantial dividends. I tried to call Vanguard but cannot seem to get through to a human being. Does anyone know what's going on? Thank you.
by gouldnm
Sun Oct 10, 2021 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Southwest Cancelling Flights: Should I Cancel My Trip
Replies: 18
Views: 3654

Southwest Cancelling Flights: Should I Cancel My Trip

Just saw on the news about Southwest Airlines cancelling thousands of flights over the weekend. I'm supposed to be flying across the country to Portland, OR on Oct. 23 and have been wondering if I want to cancel my trip. I really don't need this hassle, and if my flight gets cancelled, I can't afford to take any additional time off. It's not clear from the news if this is a one time fluke, or if this is going to continue to be a problem.

Does anyone know what's going on with Southwest and why they cancelled all those flights? Does anyone have any advice for me about whether or not I should plan to go on my trip?
by gouldnm
Sun Jun 20, 2021 8:03 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Investing in Retirement Question
Replies: 4
Views: 881

Re: Investing in Retirement Question

retired@50 wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 12:01 am Do you have any particular place in mind?
No, that’s the problem. The whole point is to maintain flexibility. I need to figure out where to stick a few hundred thousand dollars given that I may need to withdraw it again in about 10 years. I don’t want to be stuck with a huge amount of taxes.
by gouldnm
Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Investing in Retirement Question
Replies: 4
Views: 881

Investing in Retirement Question

I will be retiring within two years. I plan to sell my house in a rural area and move to Chicago. I plan to rent until I am ready to move into a retirement community, which could be 10 years. My question is what do I do with the cash from my house? Should I go ahead and invest it, since I won’t be moving into a retirement community for possibly 10 years? Don’t retirement communities generally expect you to pay a huge amount of money upfront (compared to a normal mortgage)? I don’t want to have to yank hundreds of thousands of dollars out of my investments and have to pay huge amounts of taxes. I’ve considered putting the money into bonds, which not only are relatively safe, but also have lower capital gains, which would mean less taxes when...
by gouldnm
Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Unloading Massive Collection of Classical Music
Replies: 59
Views: 8287

Re: Unloading Massive Collection of Classical Music

I am sorry for your loss, and I hope your husband's memory will be a happy melody. As a fellow classical violinist, and if this is not too personal an inquiry, I am curious to know how you plan to handle his violin(s). Having dealt with this myself, I often wonder about the options for bypassing the truly outrageous bid-ask spread for a dealer-managed transaction, or the cost and uncertainty of the auction route. Best wishes to you for your recovery, and sorry tha I am familiar with, but clueless about how to handle, the legacy CD collection challenges! Dealing with the violins was no problem at all. My husband had two. I kept his first violin that he’d learned to play on and used for many years because it has strong sentimental value. I m...
by gouldnm
Sun Mar 07, 2021 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Unloading Massive Collection of Classical Music
Replies: 59
Views: 8287

Re: Unloading Massive Collection of Classical Music

I looked at doing this a few years ago for my small collection of mostly classic rock CDs. There are many websites out there where you type in the UPC code and it will give you the value. Most of what I had were valued well under $1, but a couple of the classical CDs I had were in the $4-5 range. My selections were far from "carefully researched, famous recordings", so yours have the potential to have a decent value. My collection still sits in a box in the basement as I realized it was not worth less than $100 to deal with selling it. This site claims to search several buyers and give you the best prices. https://www.bonavendi.com/sell/used.html# It might be worth your time to punch in a sample of UPCs and see what value you may...
by gouldnm
Sun Mar 07, 2021 7:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Unloading Massive Collection of Classical Music
Replies: 59
Views: 8287

Unloading Massive Collection of Classical Music

My husband recently passed away. He was a classical violinist, and one of the things he left to me was his classical music collection. It is HUGE—probably thousands of CDs—each carefully researched, famous recordings, etc. I will be moving in another year or two to a small apartment and will probably not have room for so many CDs. I am still trying to decide what to do, which ones, if any, I might want to keep, etc. But should I decide to just sell it all, what would be my options for unloading it? I’d rather not have to sell the CDs individually. I’m looking forward to retirement, and I don’t want to be in the business of selling CD’s. I’d prefer not to have to ship them myself, since we would be talking multiple crates—a small library. Th...
by gouldnm
Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Using Homeadvisor.com
Replies: 14
Views: 1196

Re: Using Homeadvisor.com

I've never used reddit before. Is there a particular forum or topic where people make such recommendations?
by gouldnm
Fri Feb 26, 2021 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Using Homeadvisor.com
Replies: 14
Views: 1196

Re: Using Homeadvisor.com

I thought I was clear. I said the tubes and ballasts needed to be replaced. But nowhere on their web site did it say that I would need to supply my own parts.

Besides, they confirmed that this was, in fact, their policy.
by gouldnm
Fri Feb 26, 2021 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Using Homeadvisor.com
Replies: 14
Views: 1196

Using Homeadvisor.com

I had a fluorescent light in my kitchen that needed new tubes. I also suspected that it needed a new ballast. Since I am a short (petite) female who lives alone, I did not want to attempt to examine the light fixture myself. I also know nothing about ballasts. Hence, I figured I'd call up the experts at Homeadvisor.com. When the serviceman arrived he was surprised that I didn't have the tubes and ballast ready to be installed. He said that we are responsible for providing the materials ourselves. They only do the work. He reluctantly agreed to go out to Lowes to get the necessary parts--after looking at the light fixture. I wrote to Homeadvisor and they confirmed what the serviceman had told me. I was absolutely shocked. For ANY repair that...
by gouldnm
Tue Jan 19, 2021 5:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Receiving 1099 from OPM for a Deceased Spouse who was a Former Federal Employee
Replies: 10
Views: 1044

Re: Receiving 1099 from OPM for a Deceased Spouse who was a Former Federal Employee

Many of you have suggested that I print out the 1099 online. However, his account was cancelled shortly after I reported the death. The only way to get the 1099 is through the mail, unfortunately.
by gouldnm
Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Receiving 1099 from OPM for a Deceased Spouse who was a Former Federal Employee
Replies: 10
Views: 1044

Receiving 1099 from OPM for a Deceased Spouse who was a Former Federal Employee

My husband was a federal annuitant who passed away last fall. I have called OPM twice to see if I will be getting a 1099 for him, and they keep telling me different things. First, they told me that a 1099 would automatically be mailed out to his last address at the end of January. Then I was told that it would NOT automatically be mailed out, and that I would have to call them in February to request it.

Has anyone else had experience with this that can answer my question?

I just find it hard to believe that they would not automatically be mailing out 1099s.

Thanks in advance for your help.
by gouldnm
Tue Jan 19, 2021 8:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard 1099-DIV Missing a Fund
Replies: 260
Views: 23227

Re: Vanguard 1099-DIV Missing a Fund

I talked to someone at Vanguard this morning. They said it was a problem with the VFWAX fund. They didn't have all the information they needed at this time. A new, updated 1099-DIV will be issued on Feb. 18.

I didn't ask about any other funds.

If anybody else calls and hears something different, would you please post to let us know.
by gouldnm
Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard 1099-DIV Missing a Fund
Replies: 260
Views: 23227

Re: Did Vanguard Change Something with 1099-DIVs?

TravelGeek wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:45 pm
You are not the only one.

See viewtopic.php?p=5745139#p5745139
Thank you, TravelGeek. I am glad that I am not the only one!
by gouldnm
Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard 1099-DIV Missing a Fund
Replies: 260
Views: 23227

Did Vanguard Change Something with 1099-DIVs?

[Thread merged into here, see below. --admin LadyGeek]

Every year I get a 1099-DIV from Vanguard. It summarizes all the funds I have in my taxable account, including the FTSE All-World ex-US Fund Admiral Shares (VFWAX).

I just received my 1099-DIV online and saw that it included dividends from every single fund EXCEPT for VFWAX. But I definitely was paid dividends on that fund in 2020--a large amount.

Has something changed? Is it being handled differently because it is an international fund? Will Vanguard be posting that information on a second 1099-DIV?

Or do I need to call Vanguard and tell them that they forgot to report VFWAX on my 1099-DIV?
by gouldnm
Wed Dec 09, 2020 6:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax Question about TSP Beneficiary Account
Replies: 1
Views: 243

Tax Question about TSP Beneficiary Account

My late husband and I both were/are employeed by the federal government. Each of us invested in the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which is like a 401K for federal employees. After he died, the TSP set up a beneficiary account in my name. I recently requested that the money from the beneficiary account be transferred directly into my employee TSP account.

Since this was a direct rollover from a beneficiary account to an employee retirement account (in other words, no money was paid directly to me), do you know if I should expect to receive a 1099-R at the end of the year? Will I need to report anything on my taxes?

Thank you!
by gouldnm
Fri Sep 25, 2020 5:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Gift Tax Question
Replies: 10
Views: 709

Gift Tax Question

I have a question about gift taxes. My husband is in Hospice and has very little time left. Last December, he bought himself a special Christmas gift: a brand new 2020 Toyota Avalon loaded up with all sorts of options. He loves cars and electronics, and I was happy to see him indulge himself this way, since he's basically been cheated out a retirement (after saving up for it all these years). He has a brother who never went to college and has always had to struggle. He was always close to this brother, and a few months ago, the brother's wife offered to stay with me to help me take care of my husband. Since we live several states away, she had to quit her job. She is a professional home health aide, and her services (not to mention her emot...
by gouldnm
Tue May 14, 2019 4:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Single People and Retirement Question
Replies: 148
Views: 27889

Re: Single People and Retirement Question

While I have a good marriage, there are many people in marriages that are technically functional but not great. They stay together because things aren't terrible and who wants to go through a divorce. But that doesn't mean they're happy together, and they would probably be a lot happier if they were single. I had the opposite of your experience. I was alone for the longest time, and was pretty happy being alone too. I was busy working and taking certifications to improve my skill sets, and my idea of a happy weekend was to go on a hike with a local hiking group. But after a decade and a half of not dating - it was also hard because this was during a time when America was still fairly homophobic and it was much harder to meet gay people who...
by gouldnm
Mon May 13, 2019 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Single People and Retirement Question
Replies: 148
Views: 27889

Re: Single People and Retirement Question

When I was in my early 40's, I went through a horrible divorce. I was introverted with social phobia, but I forced myself to get involved with various community organizations to make friends. I soon met a wonderful man and we have been happily together for about 15 years. However, even after getting married, I swore that I would never again allow myself to be in the situation where I had no life outside of my marriage, so I continued to stay active with outside groups. Recently, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, and now I am faced with the prospect of being a widow at the age of 56. As scared as I am, the types of things I'm scared about are completely different from what I was scared of the first time. I no longer have the social phobia ...
by gouldnm
Fri May 10, 2019 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Undergrad major in Economics or Finance?
Replies: 62
Views: 5342

Re: Undergrad major in Economics or Finance?

Asking for a relative, he is currently doing his Undergraduate studies in Penn State. He seems to have trouble deciding between B.S. Econ major (College of Liberal Arts in Penn State) or Finance major (Smeal College of Business Penn State). He was initially set on majoring in Economics, but a number of his academic advisors suggested majoring in Finance instead due to better career prospects right after college. I'm curious what BHers think? Note that he wants to do graduate studies too after undergrad (likely MBA). For what it's worth: One of my siblings majored in economics at the University of Michigan. With his B.S. he got a job at Goldman Sachs. He worked there for a few years, and then went to Harvard for his MBA. Now he's a hedge fu...
by gouldnm
Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Medicare B only vs FEHB only
Replies: 47
Views: 2666

Re: Medicare B only vs FEHB only

One other consideration: Medicare is not available outside the U.S., so if you anticipate traveling a lot, you might want to hang onto that FEHB plan. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) had a really informative article on the Medicare decision and how Medicare interracts with FEHB in their Oct. 2017 magazine. If you are a member of NARFE, you can get the magazine for free on their web site. If you are not a member, see if you can get a copy from someone who is (if you work for the govt., you should be able to find someone) or consider joining NARFE yourself. For $40 a year, not only will you get their magazine but you can also call them up and ask them these types of questions. Plus they have free webinars.
by gouldnm
Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Questions for Folks that Does Not Need Their 401k/IRA Funds in Retirement
Replies: 67
Views: 6525

Re: Questions for Folks that Does Not Need Their 401k/IRA Funds in Retirement

Plus my favorite trips are unstructured ones where I just drive around at my own pace and can talk to local people. That's hard to do overseas unless you know the language. Going on a formal tour and seeing a bunch of castles and museums just doesn't appeal to me, although I do wish I could speak another language so I could just go on my own and spend tme driving and talking to people. I hear you on the language barrier. Neither my wife or I speak another language. However, we are fortunate in that English is a very common language around the world. There are some fairly exotic countries where it is spoken by a large percentage of the population. Especially in bigger cities. Take a look at these rankings. Just go to the percentage column a...
by gouldnm
Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another Advantage of Being a Boglehead
Replies: 27
Views: 2702

Re: Another Advantage of Being a Boglehead

megabad wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:06 pm I would remind you that the OP was about owning an old car and the resulting benefits which is also not truly an investing strategy either.
Please--let's not get hung up on the car dealership. That was just one particular example. It has happened to me numerous times and in other situations.
by gouldnm
Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another Advantage of Being a Boglehead
Replies: 27
Views: 2702

Re: Another Advantage of Being a Boglehead

For example, I was driving a 17 year old Toyota Camry because I just didn't see the point of getting a new car as long as my old one was running fine. The last few years, I noticed that they were REALLY NICE to me at the car dealership. They would try to cut me a break and offer me the lowest possible rate because they assumed that since I drove such an old car, I must be really poor! This is what every gullible person who enters a car dealership believes. LOL! My thoughts exactly. Folks: Honestly, I find this insulting. I've been a driver/car owner for almost 40 years, and I have lived in many different places and dealt with multiple dealerships. The fact is, you weren't there. You don't know anything about me, my community, this particul...