Bogleheads.org

2% cashback - primary for everything unless there's a Chase/Citi/Amex offer worth more (% cash back, etc.).

My no-fee Citi AA card for major purchases right now - it's offering 0% interest for 6 months on flex pay. Easy enough to move the purchase amount to a sweep fund and earn a bit of interest on it, paying out over six months with autopay.

I own a timeshare week and have for 10+ years. It's a unicorn, though. It's somewhere I go every year, like clockwork. It's "local" but affiliated with Hilton, but doesn't require I join HGVC (I only own "locally," no HGVC membership/points). It's well managed, with a board that has sinking funds for all repairs based on the expected life of the thing (elevators, carpets, appliances, furnishings, etc.). Rates have only ever gone up 1-1.5% a year (that might change a bit with inflation) and the cost for my week is WELL under rental prices in the area, and includes significant amenities that would cost more if added separately.

There are good deals out there but the big "vacation clubs" aren't it.

[Thread merged into here --admin LadyGeek]

Frontline, a PBS program, has a really good two hour program on the Age of Easy Money, tracking the fed, inflation, employment, investment risk... everything related to QE and the downstream effects it's had on the economy. Even snippets of Buffet talking about "swimming naked."

If you're at all interested in finance, it's worth watching: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/docu ... asy-money/

Got a notification from Bask just now. APR up to 4.35% / APY 4.45%.

Got a notification from Bask just now. APR up to 4.35% / APY 4.45%.

Got a notification from Bask just now: 4.35% APR / 4.45% APY.

student wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 5:30 pm What happened?

Short version: moved direct deposit to Schwab. Went to use debit card with chip and pin in person at a Wells Fargo ATM. Declined.

Called Schwab. “Fraud Prevention.” Supposedly fixed.

Tried again. Declined. Called Schwab. “Fraud prevention.” Supposedly fixed.

Used different atm card, got cash.

Next day: POS purchase, chip and pin. Declined. “Fraud protection.”

Closed account. Schwab was unable to provide a debit card that would process a single transaction, even with me having the card and using my PIN.

I moved that checking account, an investment account and my Roth IRA to a different provider. No issues at all.

After a disastrous experiment with their checking account last month, I walked away from Schwab completely. Transferred out things to where I already had other accounts, essentially simplifying things.

No regrets.

Help me make sure I'm thinking right (realizing this comes down to a personal preference/risk tolerance decision). I made a land purchase a year ago. Came across a deal for more than I was looking for (two tracts vs one, distressed seller, prior deal had fallen apart) but well within my cash flow range to carry while it appreciated. It's appreciated now to the point that selling one tract would completely pay everything off and I'd own the second tract (larger) free and clear. This was my original plan when I bought, I just didn't expect it to appreciate this fast. With the economic headwinds and working in tech where I'm seeing unexpected layoffs, this additional demand on cash flow represents a more significant risk than before. My curren...

To be clear, I contribute to (in order):
1. Personal Roth IRA (via backdoor, post-tax since I'm past the income threshhold) - $6500/yr
2. Pre-tax 401k up to IRS Max
3. Post-tax 401k w/immediate Roth 401k conversion post-tax up to the IRS Max
4. Taxable investments (90% index funds/ETF's, also some I Bonds and one or two individual stocks)

Thanks for all the advice/discussion, folks.

diggs14 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:34 am Left on great terms with everyone but the head guy. Already had over a 1/3 of the staff try and turn in applications to come work at my new practice. Now I haven't taken the first one because I'm trying to take the high road and not create any more animosity than there already is.

You bought out your noncompete - for a significant amount. None of this is personal and none of it is "animosity." It's business, and you shouldn't have any qualms at all about pulling others over who want to come and who you want to work with. Paying the noncompete was functionally buying territory for your new business. Go build it. Don't let that investment go to waste.

In Texas, at least, OP could likely go down the “bonded title” route. Requires purchasing a bond and filing the bond along with an application for title. After two years it can be reissued as a normal title.

I have a 7 month cash emergency fund and a separate Roth IRA I could pull another 4 months of expenses from (contributions, not earnings).

Just making sure my mind is right here: My employer allows post-tax contributions to our 401k with instant in-plan conversion to Roth. All things being equal I'm likely better off tax-wise, long-term putting up to the max contribution limit there first vs. just not contributing the max and investing in a taxable brokerage account, right?

I'm contributing the full $36,500 post-tax (and the full limit pre-tax, of course).

Maybe neither if it's not over $600, in which case you'd simply report it along with other "unreported" earned income.

3300.

I set my percentages based on contributing up to the 61000 cap (66 next year), now I need to reset them to contribute the cap amount.

So I planned out my 401(k) contributions for the year to max out the $61,000 total contribution limit. I got my December pay stub yesterday and was surprised to see a significant bump in my net pay... and dismayed to see a much smaller after-tax 401(k) contribution (with in-plan conversion every pay period to Roth 401(k)). Even more surprising, my after-tax deferrals came out to a nice, round, even number including cents. That was suspicious. A quick call to HR and them digging through plan docs revealed our plan has a 415(c) schedule to prevent over-contribution and allowing a percentage cap below the total contribution limit (in case they raised match, did profit sharing contributions, etc.). That limit exactly equaled my after-tax contri...

When you click through to your bonds it's the "current value" column.

Ask it this way: Should I pay more up front for a depreciating asset than the asset is worth to start with?

cmublitz wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:38 pm "After-Tax" is not the same as an initial Roth employee contribution. If your plan allows it, you could fill the entire $6X,000 total limit with your own contributions.

I never said anything about an initial Roth. Functionally, I do fill the entire plan with my 61k.

Technicality: I have two plans, but I fill the 61k in my full time plan myself.

tACKJAYE wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:38 pm I am curious as to why After-Tax Contributions (MBR) don't count toward the 20,500 limits.

The 20,500 applies to the tax advantaged side. Some plans also allow an after tax contribution, allowing for conversion in-plan to a Roth: https://thecollegeinvestor.com/17561/un ... -roth-ira/

Thanks, all. To summarize:

1/ The EmployEE deferral limit is $20,500, and does not include matches.

2/ The PER-PLAN max is $61,000, and does include matches, vested or not.

So for me, with two plans including one that supports in-plan conversion of post-tax contributions to a Roth 401k, I'd be able to contribute:

$20,500 between BOTH to pre-tax 401k
Up to $61,000 EACH (or my total earnings if less than $61k) including employer match

So for full time, I could contribute $61,000. And for part time, assuming earnings of $10,000 this year, $10,000. It'd be on me to make sure I only contributed $20,500 total to anything pre-tax (not including employer matching), and no more than $61,000 to the full time plan including employer match.

02nz wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 11:16 pm The quoted post is incorrect with regard to the $61K limit, which does include employer contributions. Vesting is irrelevant, what matters is what the employer put into the account.

Thanks. I do see an amount in the 401k provider's system (Fidelity) regarding the match amount.

02nz wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 11:16 pmAnd even if you know you'll "lose" unvested contributions, your company's payroll system is likely set up to prevent you from exceeding the limit.

I was writing another comment as you replied - I have two employers and two 401k's with two matches, so I'm tracking this myself. The second is very, very small (very part-time) but has an 8% match with no vest. My full time employer has a much, much smaller match with a multi-year wait before vesting.

aristotelian wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 11:13 pm My best guess is they will show up on the W2 when they are paid, not when they are earned.

Thank you, that's REALLY helpful. This is my first employer where there was a vesting period on 401k match.

My best guess would be that they won't show on your W2. Therefore, you will have no way of reporting them this year. Again, my best guess is that they will show up on your W2 in the year you actually receive the funds. I would think your payroll people could verify this. I'd think that too, but HR isn't our strong suit. :) It's a little more complicated for me since I have two jobs (FT/PT) and BOTH match 401k, so I'm managing this in Excel. It looks like this is where I'll end the year (combining the numbers from both plans): Pre-Tax Contributions $20,337.69 [$20500 limit] <-- this is only payroll deducted contributions Employer Match $3,955.18 (tracking separately since employer match doesn't count towards $20.5k limit) After-Tax Contribu...

sc9182 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 10:59 pm Those annual Limits depend on when/which-year those are contributions+match are made — (irrespective of the fact whether employer-match is vested or not-fully-vested and such)

Correct.

Let me ask it this way: This year, for the $61k limit, do unvested employer match contributions count towards the $61k limit?

If I left on January 1, 2023, I'd lose the matching contributions they've accounted for in 2022... so that's why I'm not sure if it counts towards the $61K limit.

Money is "earned" in the year it's paid to you, despite when you worked/being paid in arrears (on a W2 arrangement).

This is my daily driver for a personal machine. Manage storage well (photos eat space) and you'll be fine.

Two things of note: If you want to "ride the train" between parks (the Harry Potter train) you MUST have park-hopper tickets. We learned that the hard way on a two day trip with two single park tickets. If you stay at one of the on-property top-tier hotels, you get Express Pass for the day you check in and the day you check out. Plan for a one night stay, come check in at 6AM and get your Express pass/leave bags @ bell desk, go enjoy park. Check out at 6AM the next morning, leave bags @ bell desk, repeat. Much better deal than buying two days of express pass for 2+ people. One more protip: The restaurants in the park aren't a bad deal at all, especially compared to Disney. Great food, good AC, and a way to rehydrate. We found the ...

If you are still talking Total contributions (Employee + Employers-match amount) and/or age based catch-up contributions limits (61K or 67.5k for 2022) — then, the invested and vested portions of employer-match DO count towards the total annual limit(s). Limits depend on when/year those are made — irrespective of vested or not-fully-vested etc. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-401k-and-profit-sharing-plan-contribution-limits#:~:text=100%25%20of%20the%20participant's%20compensation,including%20catch%2Dup%20contributions). Yes, I'm specifically talking about the current $61,000 limit ($66,000 next year). I'm not old enough for catch-ups yet. Also, making sure it's a typo, did you mean unvested ...

Hiker-Biker wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 10:40 pm No, employer matching contributions do not count. It is your contribution limit that the IRS is speaking about.

Thanks. So if my contributions are $61,000 (pre-tax of $20,500 and post-tax/immediate roth in-plan conversion of $40,500) and my employer match is another $3,000, that's fine? That's good to know. I couldn't find a definitive source on this.

Next year that moves to $22,500 / $66,000, so I'm trying to set my deferrals appropriately.

Outside of categorized spending (travel, restaurants, etc. - my partner covers groceries on her card for categorized discounts), my Fidelity Rewards 2% card is my daily driver. I've been pleased.

I have an employer who matches 401k contributions but they don't vest until X years of service (which I don't yet have). Do those matching contributions count towards my total contribution limit for the year they contribute, even if unvested? I lose them completely if I leave prior to vesting.

Trying to invest up to the max this year and next... but don't want to be penalized for going over if I should be counting unvested match.

If they don't count now, do they count retroactively in the year they vest (since that's the year I "earn" them)?

Also with Fidelity. For additional payroll deducted after-tax contributions, Fidelity's option is an immediate conversion to Roth 401k. So pre-tax to the tax-deferred 401k, post-tax in-place converted to Roth 401k. $20,500 to pre-tx, $61,000 total combined contributions including employer match. I'm doing the same as OP - $61k/yr to retirement and I track my contributions and matches religiously since I'm contributing to two separate 401k's pre-tax (both my full time AND my part time job have a match, and the part-time job has a BETTER match but the hours are much more variable). I'll end the year, projected (and adjust %'s if I need to): Pre-Tax Contributions $20,384.98 Employer Match(es) $3,925.98 After-Tax Contributions (MBR/IPC) $36,685...

Short version: Employer contributions to 401k vest after three years. 0% vest during the first three years but they track/accrue.

Do those non-vested contributions count towards the total contribution limit of $61,000 in the first three years, even if they don't vest/can be clawed back if the employee leaves before then?