Bogleheads.org

JasonF

I served on boards of charities which included stints as Treasurer (de facto CFO) as well as Chairman of the Board. I've always made sure the following was in place and urge friends contemplating charity/community service to do the same: 1. Make sure the organization has in place D&O coverage with g...

JasonF

Congratulations! Another reason why the second million and beyond gets easier is that one pays tuition along the way to that first milestone. Those who learn from mistakes and don't repeat them find themselves in the best possible position to accelerate wealth accumulation.

JasonF

My wife has a 3 year-old ML350 Bluetec. 60k miles on the clock and not one single issue so far (knocks wood).

JasonF

It depends. Sometimes I can get right through to the assigned rep, other times I can choose voicemail or another rep - time of day doesn't make a difference. However, accessibility is "fair" at best - but always pleasant and professional. In addition to personal accounts, I am authorized agent/trust...

JasonF

Larry,

Just purchased the Kindle version and I'm looking forward to reading it.

JasonF

Wells Fargo data will not download transactions using the free Quicken Express Web Connect. Now it appears that you'll need to use the Direct Connect method, to which Wells will charge a $3 service fee. I'll likely sign up for the Direct Connect service, and then have the fee waived since our busine...

JasonF

I think you need to expound on the 3-5 year horizon. If it's to buy a home or other date-specific expense then I would stick to CDs or build a CD ladder with some short term bond funds thrown in for good measure. I cannot predict the direction of interest rates, but wouldn't get in over my head with...

JasonF

the LifeStrategy funds have made small adjustments and changes from time to time based on Vanguard's ideas of what such a fund should be. I own the LS Growth fund in my Vanguard IRAs and this is a qualm I have with them. One "good" thing they did was to ditch their active tactical fund several year...

JasonF

As livesoft said, allocating to international is a personal decision and I would urge you to not make a wholesale shift of your investment strategy based on reading one book. Take your time and research the case for and against international investing. Resist the urge to engage in confirmation bias,...

JasonF

I really enjoy Barry Ritholtz's podcasts - they're deep dives into some interesting topics and he's hosted Bogle, Swedroe, Ellis, McNabb (twice!) as well as other proponents of passive investing. My favorite podcasts are the ones where guests are active managers that provide an alternate view to my ...

JasonF

Since the $2.5 million is available for a down payment and isn't held in tax deferred accounts I think the 2-2.5mm range is reasonable - especially since you think you "splurged" on a Honda! But if purchasing a $3 million dollar home leaves you feeling behind rather than ahead of the game I think it...

JasonF

Need more info: - is the $2.5 million in savings held in IRA/401k and thus largely inaccessible for a home down payment? - is the private middle and high school parochial or independent? Reason I ask is in a HCOL an independent school will likely be at least $50k per student per year in ten years. A...

JasonF

Congrats!

Feels great to mortgage-less, doesn't it?

That great feeling doesn't go away with time either.

JasonF

I'm actually surprised that this account's highly-concentrated holdings did not set off a red flag with Morgan Stanley's compliance department. And if it did, it would have taken approval of branch management/compliance officers to override the red flags. According to the article, branch management ...

JasonF

I look forward to downloading the Kindle version, if one becomes available. You can get the PDF version from the website and have it converted to Kindle version by sending it to your free Kindle email account with CONVERT in the title. Of course the PDF costs $50. That's too much for my taste, but ...

JasonF

Understanding Options by Michael Sincere is a good entry level options book.

JasonF

I just downloaded and browsed the free preview and agree that this is much heavier content than a lot of the "pop finance" books I've read lately. In fact, the last several books I purchased felt like a ripoff @ $10 since the content could be addressed in a blog post - the author just was understand...

JasonF

I look forward to downloading the Kindle version, if one becomes available.

JasonF

I'm authorized agent on trust accounts worth well over $5 million, qualifying for "Flagship Select" status. Although the reps assigned to these accounts have been uniformly pleasant, I find it frustrating that in over 20 calls to the reps not once did they answer "live". Instead, I have to leave a v...

JasonF

If those closer to retirement can suggest how far $100,000 goes, I'd appreciate it. There are so many variables from person to person when it comes to expenses that the input of others will be of little value, except for healthcare costs and perspectives of unexpected expenses in retirement (e.g. s...

JasonF

Before you can get a ballpark estimate of "Your Number" it's essential that you drill down on anticipated expenses in retirement. Although 20 years seems too far into the future to estimate expenses, spending time now tracking them and adjusting for those that will increase (e.g. healthcare, travel)...

JasonF

I would at least consult with an attorney based on the following assumptions: 1. You have no idea what level of coverage the store has, and whether it extends to your wife. Right now, you could assume that she is "merely" an agent of the store and therefore the cause of action (and presumably deepes...

JasonF

I'm switching my SEP IRA to a Solo 401K with Fidelity. Fidelity allows you to rollover a SEP IRA into the Solo 401K then I will do backdoor Roth Is this necessary? It appears that solo 401k's with a Roth option are not subject to the pro-rata rule. You also don't need to go the back door route. So ...

JasonF

I have various SEP-IRA accounts and recently opened a Solo 401k and a Solo Roth 401k at Vanguard. If I was to make backdoor Roth contributions to a standard Roth 401k account there would be issues with the existing SEPs due to the pro-rata rule. It would be necessary to roll these SEPs into Solo 401...

JasonF

Can someone explain the logic of PAYING someone to put you into a FREE service? If you want Intelligent Portfolios, then you can have it for free, without a middleman. I am a little disappointed to hear how fast the Vanguard PAS has been growing. I was hoping the market would drive their price down...

JasonF

Bob's not my name wrote:
JasonF wrote:The student loan interest (partially deductible)
Not likely deductible at all given his income.

Correct: phaseout begins at husband's current income. Not sure of wife's. But if she stops working to raise family, etc...then it may still be a consideration, but all in all not a significant one.

JasonF

What you would essentially be doing (if I understand the facts) is doing a cash-out refi of the mortgage, and using most (or all) of the cash-out proceeds to retire the student loan debt. All assuming of course you can refi and take out the necessary amount of cash to complete the student loan payof...

JasonF

It's shocking how ultra-competitive colleges have become with the advent of the common app and international students. My daughter is starting at a "top 25" private U (per US News) this fall and had great grades (from a highly competitive and well-regarded NJ private school), and "decent" board scor...

JasonF

I too would love to see your spreadsheet. Thanks in advance!

JasonF

It's my understanding that the testator (i.e., the wealth-holding individual) would have to appoint the corporate fiduciary/executor and unless a compelling argument can be made that the selected executor is not capable of doing the job, will be recognized by the probate court as the valid individua...

JasonF

I don't buy it and I don't agree. The more I learn about human nature, the more I realize that it is pure folly to expect the average American to successfully devise and execute a 75 year plan for financial success, including education, careers, marriage/divorce, kids, college savings, medical expe...

JasonF

Malloc,

Thank you for sharing your mature insight and the fact that you recognized all the hard work put in over the years is paying off.

Enjoy your retirement!

JasonF

I don't necessarily agree with the statement that the holder of the put option walks away without liability. There are the residual affects of damaged credit (which itself erodes over time) as well as the lingering feelings of guilt from defaulting on an obligation. Of course the latter will affect ...

JasonF

Here's the problem. If I were investing back to the future, SCV would be a really, really good idea. But the more the historical benefits of this asset class are celebrated in articles like Merriman's and the more investors who crowd into this small space, the less likely it will be as rewarding in...

JasonF

I'm authorized agent on multiple trust accounts for a friend/business associate and found that the hoops I had to go through to get the proper agent authorizations in place was more onerous than other financial institutions. In fact, I find that Vanguard's operations when it comes to out-of-the-ordi...

JasonF

serbeer,

Thanks so much for updated the spreadsheet, I think it's a great resource.

JasonF

I'm very similar in that I like to track and update everything pertaining to my personal goals (be they family, financial, career, health, etc, etc...). Although I find Evernote useful to review my goals (i.e., instead of keeping them on a card in my wallet, I simply open the app on my iPhone to rev...

JasonF

Could be psychological. Analysts were bemoaning the fact that Apple's market cap couldn't keep growing as it was since in short order it would surpass the GNP of a large developed country. My guess is the sample size is so small (<5?) we're drawing conclusions based on inadequate data and giving it ...

JasonF

nonnie wrote:Any comments on any e-readers or tablets for reading a newspaper?

The WSJ, NY Times, Bloomberg, & USA Today apps for the iPad are truly excellent and allow you to save and/or email articles of interest.

JasonF

Simba,

This is truly an outstanding piece of work, thank you for updating it.

Thanks! Jason

JasonF

letsgobobby wrote:there must be some Bogleheads who own a permament life insurance policy and are happy with it. Can anyone who meets those criteria tell their story?

Sure, read my story about 5 posts above...

JasonF

Good article, thanks for sharing it. Another data point to consider in favor of permanent insurance is to help fund the needs of disabled heirs. For example, we have a son with autism that will require care for the rest of his life. In planning his future, we are assuming a "nightmare scenario" wher...

JasonF

Although it's customary to include the value of illiquid assets in the calculation of your net worth, I tend to ignore these items (equity in home, autos, jewelery, etc...) since many of us (me included) have a bias to overestimate their value. To eliminate this bias, I simply focus on my goals esta...

JasonF

The type of tire on your car is as (or more) important than what wheels are getting the power. I've had AWD vehicles with either worn or higher performance tires act horribly in cold, wet or snowy conditions. On the other hand, I owned a RWD wagon shod with winter tires with no antilock brakes, no t...

JasonF

Thanks for the list Larry, you read more books in a year than the average person does in a lifetime. I too am an avid reader. Do you typically read several books at once, alternating between them, or do you not start a new book until the current one is finished? Your The Only Guide You'll Ever Need ...

JasonF

Wow, that is an extremely high premium.

I live in NJ (a very high risk state), have a $2 million umbrella policy with USAA. The total annual premium is $279 for 2 drivers with spotless records. Come to think of it, I'm going to double my coverage since it's relatively inexpensive.

JasonF

My wife took the van down a few weeks ago before we went on vacation and I got all the ticks on the invoice but I see the coolant was completely empty and they pored dirty water into the washer - god knows what they really did for the oil change :-/ Some places are just a plain rip off..... When I ...

JasonF

I also use an oil extractor and it is unbelievably safe and easy. My car is a BMW 330i. Since it has a dipstick (many newer cars got rid of it in favor of an electronic dipstick), the oil extractor tube goes right down the dipstick opening. Plus, BMW's oil filter is right on top of the engine, so yo...

JasonF

His firm launched an ETF to capture the firm's strategy (including trend following). The market has been in an uptrend since the fall (save for two pullbacks) and the ETF has lagged. It's been out only six months, and here is how its performance is compared to VTI. The ETF is the candlestick chart, ...

JasonF

I live in Princeton, if you're staying near campus (Nassau Inn), then walk to the "Dinky" and take it to Princeton Junction. Express trains will get you to Penn Station in just under an hour (I did the commute for many years). You'll find that many people in Princeton commute to NYC daily; definitel...

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