Search found 2666 matches

by epilnk
Wed Jan 03, 2024 8:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Splitting 529
Replies: 2
Views: 408

Splitting 529

Another 529 question:

With the help of generous grandparents, we overfunded our kids’ 529s. Both will have a surplus when they finish college. Both are considering postgraduate degrees, but neither immediately upon graduation. Their 529s will help with that.

However the other set of grandparents had also contributed to a 529 account, in just one kid’s name (the other wasn’t yet born) but intended for both, of which I am now custodian. The small sum has grown a lot more than I realized in 20 years.

I’d like to split it in two - is that possible?
by epilnk
Fri Aug 04, 2023 6:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Donor advised fund
Replies: 6
Views: 895

Donor advised fund

We have a donor advised fund at Schwab, which we fund with appreciated shares of stock. I see that Vanguard also offers a DAF, and these days all of investments are at VG.

I very strongly prefer consolidation, but since Vanguard Charitable is a separate company I cant tell if it would simplify things to open an account at VG instead of continuing with Schwab. Would there be any advantage of doing this through VG, or would it be no different from just staying with the current account?
by epilnk
Thu May 18, 2023 6:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: roth conversion with loss?
Replies: 11
Views: 1182

roth conversion with loss?

I'm 62 and retired years ago; high earning spouse is 61 and retired last year. Most of our assets are in taxable. Years ago I decided to do a backdoor roth and (before looking into it carefully) opened a separate non deductable IRA. (Husband's income made us not eligible for a deduction.) The math didn't pencil out, but I kept contributing anyway since my total retirement savings balance is low. Now that we are newly retired it makes more sense to do the roth conversion. Both of my IRAs are down from their highs due to 2022 returns. But the smaller one, funded entirely with post tax dollars, is actually negative - that was where I was keeping the last of our long treasuries, which plummeted last year. Which puts me in the peculiar situation...
by epilnk
Wed May 17, 2023 7:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best cities with lots of outdoor/hiking activities and good year round weather
Replies: 248
Views: 25072

Re: Best cities with lots of outdoor/hiking activities and good year round weather

There's a lot that would work in the west, and a lot more to California than LA and the Bay Area. The whole state is a lot more diverse - geographically, politically, economically - than the stereotypes give it credit for. For the most part, cost and climate go hand in hand out here - the better the climate the higher the cost. So you reduce costs by making tradeoffs based on what is most important to you. The central coast has a lot of what OP is looking for - Santa Cruz, Monterey, SLO, Santa Barbara. The foothills of the Sierras are another possibility - go uphill to get cooler, downhill to get warmer. For me Sacramento is the sweet spot, but I love the summer heat even though it can be more than a bit brutal at times. (Fire season, thoug...
by epilnk
Wed May 17, 2023 6:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: A Boglehead in this week's Doonesbury
Replies: 27
Views: 3585

Re: A Boglehead in this week's Doonesbury

ResearchMed wrote: Wed May 17, 2023 4:18 pm :D

Terrific!
(I didn't even realize Doonesbury was still around!)

RM
He is but he just does sunday strips now. This one is a rerun - Lacey Davenport died with dementia 25 years ago. Before her death she became friends with Alice, a homeless woman who lived in a nearby park but Lacey believed was her sister Pearl. Alice went along with it and was a great comfort to Lacey in her declining years.
by epilnk
Wed May 17, 2023 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Take SS early even if I don't need it?
Replies: 163
Views: 18637

Re: Take SS early even if I don't need it?

I suggest that DCabler examine the case where their spouse takes at FRA, as well. It still means that the highest SS is there if DCabler delays until 70, but remember that once one passes the smaller SS goes away. As noted in other articles, the condition for when to start the higher PIA is dependent upon the LAST to pass (since it's the one that is maintained) while the other SS is dependent upon the FIRST to pass (since it goes away). Funds are inheritable while SS isn't. This is what I am wrestling with as well. I'm 62; my much higher earning spouse is 61. While individual outcomes are obviously unpredictable, statistically I can easily expect another 30 years if not more. He isn't expecting anywhere near that much due to chronic health...
by epilnk
Tue May 16, 2023 5:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Take SS early even if I don't need it?
Replies: 163
Views: 18637

Re: Take SS early even if I don't need it?

With declining mental cognition, it is harder to lose your Social Security check to a bad decision, theft, or fraud. Thank you for pointing this out - this is a factor I hadn't taken into consideration. I am newly retired and working through our options now. I also recently spent a week visiting my father. He's a 90 year old emeritus professor - highly intelligent, healthy, active, no sign of alzheimers or other dementia. But I can see a great deal of uncertainty creeping in. Decisions are becoming harder, and he's mentally slower and more easily confused. He's perfectly aware of this, which is hard for an intellectual to accept, and it's making him not trust his judgement. So I can now see increased value to a larger steady and reliable c...
by epilnk
Fri Apr 14, 2023 5:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website succumbs to "Fisher-Price" UI design
Replies: 843
Views: 112297

Re: Vanguard website succumbs to "Fisher-Price" UI design

rob wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2023 9:38 am Their UI is going the opposite way - I assume because that will not fit on a phone screen.
So their idea of a solution was to increase the fonts and white space until it couldn’t fit on a laptop screen either?
by epilnk
Wed Apr 12, 2023 11:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 summer expenses
Replies: 4
Views: 655

529 summer expenses

Since both of my college students live off campus (not at home), we use the numbers supplied by their universities for off campus room and board under cost of attendance. Then draw that from the 529s as their food and housing allowance.

Both kids need to take summer courses this year. Neither will be enrolled full time but will need to live near campus. I will pay tuition from the 529s of course, but how much of their living expenses are permissible? Neither university has an estimate for summer cost of attendance.
by epilnk
Wed Feb 01, 2023 6:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Simplifying: anything Fidelity does better than Schwab?
Replies: 32
Views: 3579

Re: Simplifying: anything Fidelity does better than Schwab?

I'm also considering switching from Vanguard to another brokerage. It looks like Fidelity is the popular choice here (we used to be at Schwab so I'm already familiar), but for completeness, are there others I should be considering? Our priority at this point is ease of use and the online tools. We are at the transition point between accumulation and retirement or semi retirement, so set it and forget it no longer works. Why would your strategy change with retirement? If anything, I've found it simpler over the last 15 years after I retired. My priorities are security, transaction integrity and accurate reporting. I can adjust to almost any web interface. If I were ever to ditch VG I'd probably take a good look at Fidelity and Schwab since ...
by epilnk
Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Simplifying: anything Fidelity does better than Schwab?
Replies: 32
Views: 3579

Re: Simplifying: anything Fidelity does better than Schwab?

I'm also considering switching from Vanguard to another brokerage. It looks like Fidelity is the popular choice here (we used to be at Schwab so I'm already familiar), but for completeness, are there others I should be considering?

Our priority at this point is ease of use and the online tools. We are at the transition point between accumulation and retirement or semi retirement, so set it and forget it no longer works.
by epilnk
Mon Nov 28, 2022 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 withdrawals
Replies: 2
Views: 450

529 withdrawals

Due to previous problems with 529 withdrawals we now pay expenses ourselves then get reimbursed by the 529 (this was recommended both by the university that “lost” a payment, and the 529 company itself.). This has worked well so far. This year we planned to draw down from the grandparental 529, which is through scholarshare, and the grandparents gave my spouse POA so they didn’t have to deal with it. Ok never mind, my spouse misunderstood what they were telling him so I edited out the original question. But now there’s a different question: they’re saying they will only cut the checks to the beneficiaries or the schools, not us. I assume that’s because we just have POA. Since we already paid the kids can just sign the checks back over to us...
by epilnk
Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website succumbs to "Fisher-Price" UI design
Replies: 843
Views: 112297

Re: Vanguard website succumbs to "Fisher-Price" UI design

ScoobyDoo wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 11:56 pm interesting. i love the minimalist look. Also, since hitting 40 and losing the ability to see naturally at 20/20 I appreciate large fonts and lots of whitespace.

Maybe a generational thing?????
I’m 60 and I find the redesign almost unusable.
by epilnk
Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: unplanned retirement
Replies: 12
Views: 2557

Re: unplanned retirement

livesoft wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 6:44 am There is no rule that one must only sell investments that have gains. It is perfectly OK to sell losers and use the money for expenses. This is particular true in retirement. Once one feels comfortable selling losers and spending the money, then life gets a lot easier.
We don’t have a lot of “losers” - I took care of that back in 2008-9 with aggressive TLH. In fact most of our current “losers” are bond funds, which I don’t want to sell because I’ve been trying to increase my bond allocation as retirement approaches. I haven’t added new money to equites for a couple of years.

But I’m a little unhappy about diverting income away from muni reinvestment, forgoing the anticipated recovery (assuming a recovery matching the duration).
by epilnk
Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: unplanned retirement
Replies: 12
Views: 2557

Re: unplanned retirement

WoodSpinner wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:39 pm We need more information to give you a better answer….
What info do you need? Your link didn’t come through.
by epilnk
Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: unplanned retirement
Replies: 12
Views: 2557

Re: unplanned retirement

whodidntante wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:49 pmYour duration is not matched to your spending, though. So I'm wondering how you selected it.
There's never been any spending before. The duration was matched to a projected retirement age of 65-67. I've only recently added short bonds but they are still a small component.
by epilnk
Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Whats the smart move for family that has outgrown home?
Replies: 18
Views: 2124

Re: Whats the smart move for family that has outgrown home?

I would prioritize keeping the girls in their schools over the front and back yard. The yards are important to you, but they wont be to them and this is a difficult time to change school districts, especially for the 9th grader. And when the 9th goes off to college, the 6th will be in high school so won't want to move either.

A front yard is just decorative, so a SFH with a back yard and pool should have most of what you need if you can afford that in your neighborhood. Or stay put for a few more years - 3 bedrooms is all you really need. But I wouldn't make the teens take the hit - theres a very good chance you would regret making them start over in a new school. And I'd far rather save the tuition money for college.
by epilnk
Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: unplanned retirement
Replies: 12
Views: 2557

unplanned retirement

My husband's job (and company) is going away at the end of the year. He has a severance package and needs a sabbatical anyway, so he's not going back to work for at least 6 months. We are both 60, and I'm no longer working. However we can actually afford for us both to be fully retired at this point, though it isn't what we planned so we didn't prepare for this. We're considering it, though won't decide until he's had some time off, so I've been going over the numbers. The problem is that I've always been a long bond kind of gal, gradually reducing duration as we get older and successfully ignoring all the current bond doom and gloom. So the overall duration of the bond funds in portion of the portfolio we'd be living off for the next 5 yea...
by epilnk
Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 qualified withdrawals
Replies: 14
Views: 1646

529 qualified withdrawals

We are paying both kids college costs from overfunded 529s so would like to withdraw as much as allowed. But I'm seeing conflicting information on what i can withdraw from a 529 without penalty. On the one hand, the IRS clearly states that certain expenses, for example transportation, are not qualified. I've been diligently tracking qualified expenses, but college students aren't the best at keeping receipts and of course once they move off campus that includes groceries. Many claim that you can withdraw the university's official Cost of Attendance number and not bother with tracking, which would be of course infinitely simpler. I've even seen that on a few financial sites. However the cost of attendance number includes things like transpor...
by epilnk
Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Withdrawing 529 contributions?
Replies: 36
Views: 2527

Re: Withdrawing 529 contributions?

Our income is higher than yours and our kids' 529s are over funded. (We did not count on either the long bull run or the generosity of the grandparents.) The kids did not qualify for need based aid and we can pay full cost from the 529s, but several private schools still offered merit based aid that brought costs to within range of a public university.

Need based aid is not common at our/your income level. But most students apply to reach, match, and safety schools, so there should be some schools that consider him a desirable candidate worth attracting with incentives. If a school wants your kid enough, you will be offered scholarships.
by epilnk
Fri Dec 03, 2021 2:44 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Searching for Lost Contributors
Replies: 537
Views: 138165

Re: Searching for Lost Contributors

There are so many different reasons old timers leave. I started on the old M* forum, and was very active here until maybe 10 years ago. But it was frustrating to watch all of my favorite posters leave, one after another after another. I still check in now and again but I stopped being a regular.

I've always hoped to find a similar alternative forum for people who don't quite fit here. But I've asked a few times and no one had any suggestions. Still interested, if anyone knows of anything.
by epilnk
Sun Nov 28, 2021 11:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: best light weight pet hair removing upright vacuum cleaner
Replies: 17
Views: 1625

Re: best light weight pet hair removing upright vacuum cleaner

I have 2 sons, 4 cats, 3 vacuums, and 1 husband. One of the vacuums is an ancient Kenmore that lives in the middle of the tv room because my husband refuses to part with it even though I'm the one who does the vacuuming and we have no more closet space to waste on a vacuum that doesn't do a good job, so that one doesn't really count. But enough about my marriage. With pets, the best vacuum is the one you use most often. Every other consideration pales compared to frequency of use because as soon as you're done the floor is going to be covered with hair. For many years we had a dyson rechargeable stick vac in the pantry for quick cleanups and a Shark upright for bigger tasks. I like the Shark, it does a good job and is easy to use. But we re...
by epilnk
Mon Jun 28, 2021 4:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving away stock
Replies: 9
Views: 1089

Re: Giving away stock

fabdog wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 4:36 pm For those that don't/won't/can't you could ask your broker to put the shares in certificate form and mail them. Most brokerages charge for this
I assume paying the charge would be a lot cheaper than liquidating and paying the tax. Could I call the brokerage and ask for 9 certificates of 437 shares each?
by epilnk
Mon Jun 28, 2021 4:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving away stock
Replies: 9
Views: 1089

Re: Giving away stock

Skiandswim wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 3:33 pm Wow - you offer free money and no takers ??!!
Well I haven’t discussed it with all of them. And I’m pretty sure one bro would take me up on it in less time than it takes me to log in. One bro makes it a point of pride to never accept handouts so I have to do this all at once for all nieces/nephews. And one bro hasn’t yet entered the digital age; he’s stuck somewhere in the early 80s and sees no reason that should change - he only just started using this newfangled thing called text messaging.

Honestly if I could just get a pile of stock certificates and hand them out at the next family reunion that would be a relief.
by epilnk
Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving away stock
Replies: 9
Views: 1089

Giving away stock

20 years ago I benefitted from a successful IPO, and in the spirit of sharing the wealth with my less fortunate family offered to put some shares in a college fund for my two nieces. For reasons (on my brothers side, I made the offer several times) that never happened. I left the shares in my account but they were always destined for them and any others that came along. Those first two are now married and there are now have a bunch of younger cousins. There are now 9 total at different life stages, 4 different families. I live across the country from them all, some family is more difficult than others, some are not at all financially savvy. I would like to distribute these shares but at this point I am looking for the easiest most hassle fr...
by epilnk
Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Any reason to hold on to bonds now???
Replies: 55
Views: 11619

Re: Any reason to hold on to bonds now???

I recently bought more intermediate and long treasuries in my IRA, because my IPS says to rebalance annually after filing tax returns and these have gone out of whack. Long treasuries appear to be on sale at the moment, but they have served me well over the decades so no reason to change anything now. Besides, I never could resist a good sale.
by epilnk
Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Treasuries as your bond allocation?
Replies: 115
Views: 14813

Re: Treasuries as your bond allocation?

We have total bond, long treasuries, intermediate treasuries, and munis. Oh, and a little bit of TIPS. Long and intermediate treasuries with some TIPS because when I was first setting up my portfolio 20 years ago I was persuaded by Swedroe's reasoning. Total bond because that has usually been the best available 401k bond choice. Munis because we don't have enough tax protected space as our portfolio grows, and we live in a high tax state. So our bond holdings have evolved over time but reflect changing options more than anything else. I'm not convinced it matters a whole lot. We're getting older in a market that keeps inflating stocks so the biggest chore is maintaining our stock/bond allocation. Which at the moment mostly means adding new ...
by epilnk
Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 ownership to student?
Replies: 8
Views: 992

Re: 529 ownership to student?

The tax problem comes from paying for room and board. Either he or we will have to pay these to the landlord (grocery store, etc) and then be reimbursed by the 529. So we need to document these and claim them properly on the tax return to avoid triggering a taxable event.

This seems much harder with 3 parties involved. If they are the owners and I manage the funds for his benefit with a POA, whose tax return does it go on? They own the 529, which sends money to me, who pays his landlord. Who has to prove that this is a qualified expense? They’re the ones paying for his education but it’s passing through my bank account.
by epilnk
Thu Jun 10, 2021 5:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 ownership to student?
Replies: 8
Views: 992

529 ownership to student?

My kids each have a grandparental 529 sufficient to pay for a little more than half of college. (We also funded 529s of our own.) My kids will be in their first and third years of college this fall. We have not yet accessed these accounts because the grandparents are getting well on in years (mid to upper 80s), not the easiest to deal with, far away, and expense tracking has been a headache even without involving them. But with elder son entering his third year it is time. Direct tuition payment from the 529 to the school is way more trouble than it's worth even for me, because apparently the college accounting office doesn't handle it well and the one time I tried that it was a disaster. Even the college admits it's a bad idea. Plus my son...
by epilnk
Wed May 19, 2021 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: TurboTax [what are alternatives?]
Replies: 11
Views: 1388

Re: TurboTax

I don't have a solution for you, just another data point. I've used H&R Block Premium software since 2003. It's got some serious flaws, too. — My total foreign tax paid nudged up over $300 last year, so it couldn't just be reported on Schedule 3; Form 1116 was also required. So you know what the program did? It ignored the foreign tax I had paid, even though it knew I paid it. I had to figure out how to get the program to recognize the credit I was due. And I never would have known to do that if I didn't have years and years of experience claiming the credit. There's just no substitute for knowing what to do on your own. I highly doubt any software can be relied on to do what's needed without a careful review by a knowledgeable human. ...
by epilnk
Wed May 19, 2021 5:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: TurboTax [what are alternatives?]
Replies: 11
Views: 1388

TurboTax [what are alternatives?]

I’m done with TurboTax - for the year and for good. I have used this program every year since 1992 (then MacInTax). It has taken me through marriage, 3 state moves, two adoptions, several jobs, four houses, an IPO, all sorts of different stock situations, and two audits (one error in employer reporting, one error of mine). And did it all flawlessly. I always felt secure and confident - at least for the first 25 years. I even looked forward to the annual comprehensive financial review (I rebalance my portfolio annually after the taxes are filed). The last few years that confidence has been shaken. Our tax situation is actually simpler than it used to be, but I could never quite be sure the program was handling things right. This year, howeve...
by epilnk
Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Buying a Home in SoCal
Replies: 146
Views: 16406

Re: Buying a Home in SoCal

I agree that this is a bad time for you to buy a house that's a stretch to afford. You're overworked and overstressed. That's going to get 10x worse when kids arrive, and I'm assuming the reason she wants the house is to start a family. Either she stays home past the end of maternity leave or you're paying for daycare (budget for that, you may be shocked. Remember that caregivers have to charge more to cover their own cost of living.) Your home life workload increases and neither of you will be sleeping through the night. Locking yourself into a house you can't afford is not a recipe for life satisfaction. You guys need to work this out before locking it in. Figure out how you are going to reduce work related stress before committing to a m...
by epilnk
Sun Apr 18, 2021 6:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Don't fuss about 529 accounts. Have your child skip the first two years of college instead!
Replies: 215
Views: 20878

Re: Don't fuss about 529 accounts. Have your child skip the first two years of college instead!

Well, we are starting to drift from a discussion of undergrad colleges into grad programs, and you named two fields where pedigree still matters: business & law. The good news is that only a few law schools care much about undergrad, and hiring partners care more about law school. So, one can attend no-name public U, earn A's, ace the LSAT and attend a top 10 law school (and thus obtain selective legal jobs). B-school looks to experience after undergrad, and the first job out of college can be heavily influenced by college. Perhaps the B-school curriculum are similar, but many employers only hire from the top b-schools, just using that as a proxy for smart students. My understanding is that for most fields it is your terminal degree th...
by epilnk
Sun Apr 18, 2021 5:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 withdrawals during online college
Replies: 1
Views: 273

529 withdrawals during online college

My sophomore's college remained open but released students from their residential requirements due to the pandemic. So we got our at-risk son an apartment off campus with an unshared bedroom. He stayed there part of fall semester, but there was a serious outbreak and he decided to come home and study remotely. He kept his apartment at first, hoping to go back, but gave it up in mid January. I haven't yet filed taxes, still trying to figure out how the 529 rules apply. Can anyone tell me what qualifies? I had planned to simply claim the official cost of attendance (his room and board exceeded that) but given the back and forth I can't figure out what counts. He was paying rent there without living there for part of the time. Can I still clai...
by epilnk
Sun Apr 18, 2021 5:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Don't fuss about 529 accounts. Have your child skip the first two years of college instead!
Replies: 215
Views: 20878

Re: Don't fuss about 529 accounts. Have your child skip the first two years of college instead!

A college professor here. While this is not always the case, you FREQUENTLY get what you pay for (there are definite exceptions to this). I interviewed at a large number of schools, some large R1s to small state schools. From what I've seen, when my children look at colleges I will sway them more towards the more expensive/well-known schools. A huge part of what you pay for in a college is merely the name and the networking. When we think about the things that we spend our money on (larger TVs, carts etc...) I view college as the single best investment that can be made. Maybe, maybe not. There are many right paths to a good education. The right answer for each of us depends on lots of factors, including what our state options are. And back...
by epilnk
Tue Mar 30, 2021 3:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: [Need help finding Vanguard forms]
Replies: 4
Views: 780

Re: This should be easy?

Hi all,

It looks like it must have been a website issue. I asked my son to try one last time and the unresolvable infinite loop we were stuck in the last couple of attempts appears to have been resolved. Thanks.
by epilnk
Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: [Need help finding Vanguard forms]
Replies: 4
Views: 780

[Need help finding Vanguard forms]

I want my adult sons to open Vanguard accounts, which will be funded by a check (gift) from me. Vanguard will not allow them to open the accounts online (does not explain why). We need to open them by mail - but I cannot find the forms on the website.

I have a flagship advisor but have not managed to get answers from her either. (She answered the wrong question twice, then maybe answered it correctly but the answer disappeared because I didn't check back in time? I got an email telling me she'd answered my question but when I logged in much later I could find no trace.)

What gives? Does anyone here know how to find the forms? Why is this difficult?
by epilnk
Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much umbrella insurance?
Replies: 12
Views: 1301

Re: How much umbrella insurance?

000 wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:57 pm The main thing to consider is that no matter how much you get, you will always be responsible for a successful judgement in excess of the policy limits. So the question becomes, based on your situation, how high do you think a judgement against you could go?
How does one even begin to think about a question like that? Nobody expects to be sued, and we are pretty boring vanilla people.
by epilnk
Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Would you send your child to a Gifted program?
Replies: 99
Views: 17150

Re: Would you send your child to a Gifted program?

I can update mine too, though I'm just a responder and not OP. My kids are described a few replies earlier. Both kids turned out to be serious students. My "right on the line" kid continued to be a high achiever through high school, got into a bunch of good colleges, and is now totally killing it at a school that couldn't be more perfect for him both socially and academically. I can't imagine a better outcome, though covid is certainly throwing a wrench into his plans. My son who went into the gifted program is now a rising senior with a high gpa and SATs - higher than his brother - and he's still the one I worry more about. I don't doubt his ability to get into good schools, and only hope he makes an equally savvy choice in colle...
by epilnk
Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much umbrella insurance?
Replies: 12
Views: 1301

How much umbrella insurance?

Our umbrella policy went up quite a lot this year (young driver) so we decided to review and make sure we were carrying the right amount. We were surprised to discover that the premiums do not increase linearly proportional to the coverage - for example doubling the amount of insurance increases our annual payment approx 4 fold. Is this normal?

Which raised the next question - how much umbrella coverage should we really be carrying? Equal to our net worth, higher, or lower? What factors should we consider?
by epilnk
Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Purchasing a small condo
Replies: 23
Views: 2886

Re: Purchasing a small condo

Thanks everyone for the input. We did end up renting instead of buying. Less hassle overall, and not everything needs to be financially optimal.
by epilnk
Tue Jun 09, 2020 9:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Purchasing a small condo
Replies: 23
Views: 2886

Re: Purchasing a small condo

ram wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:15 pm I would pay above market rent for a studio under the circumstances.
So would I, if I could find one. I have not seen a studio or one bedroom within walking distance (he does not have a car); most apartments are 3-4 bedroom.
by epilnk
Tue Jun 09, 2020 4:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Purchasing a small condo
Replies: 23
Views: 2886

Re: Purchasing a small condo

cheese_breath wrote: Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:44 pm Given your concerns, and he apparently has three more years of college is there a junior college near you he could attend during sophomore year and live at home? Or even better, is there a for year college near you?
Our community college system is quite good and we live in a college town but I’m going to say no, that would be a last resort. I’d rather lose money on a condo than do that to him.
by epilnk
Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Purchasing a small condo
Replies: 23
Views: 2886

Purchasing a small condo

I am considering purchasing a small 2 bedroom condo for my son to use during college. It is important to note that this is NOT primarily a financial decision - we are not real estate investors. But he has a complex health condition and dorm living would be risky for him during covid. I have identified a unit that appears ideal in every way. This is in a distant city and we do not know the area market. I know nothing of condos. This condo is unusually well located, and priced accordingly. I cannot tell if it is overpriced (as it appears to be) or if this premium is proportional to the desirable location. It has been on the market for 3 months with two small price reductions. HOA fees are steep but I have those factored into the estimates. Ou...
by epilnk
Sat May 09, 2020 12:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it worth buying an infant car seat for each car.
Replies: 71
Views: 4319

Re: Is it worth buying an infant car seat for each car.

All infant seats in the US pass the same safety standards and there is very little marginal difference among brands. However most of the protection they provide is due to two factors: proper installation and consistency of use. Given that installation is far more important than the seat itself, it is most likely significantly safer to own two cheap seats than one expensive one.
by epilnk
Wed May 06, 2020 3:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Opening separate accounts
Replies: 10
Views: 1106

Re: Opening separate accounts

Since I would be mailing in checks, I would start by calling Vanguard and asking about the linking issues. I would ask them to send me links to paper forms we print out so ‘we’ could: Open a taxable brokerage account (son#1) Open a guardian account -(son#2) Form to release guardianship status when #2 is an adult (hold onto this until he is old enough) Agent authorization form Then send in everything with the checks. After they get their account numbers in the mail, they should each get their own logins. The minor should have view only access and, as guardian, you will have to enter his orders. You should be able to see everything but they will only see their own account. Confirm this with Vanguard and ask if this is the recommended way to ...
by epilnk
Tue May 05, 2020 11:13 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Opening separate accounts
Replies: 10
Views: 1106

Re: Opening separate accounts

mega317 wrote: Tue May 05, 2020 1:11 amI'm interested how are you going to teach once the accounts are open? The way I learned was listening to my dad who spent hours researching companies and money on newletters, and buying JDSU about here:
Image

And AOL here:
Image
I too learned to invest by losing money in the dot com bubble. We had the assistance of a financial advisor, but fortunately managed to escape his clutches before too much damage was done. It was an expensive lesson, and one I am looking to head off for my kids.
by epilnk
Tue May 05, 2020 10:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Opening separate accounts
Replies: 10
Views: 1106

Re: Opening separate accounts

Is either son a minor? (minors can't own accounts directly) If not a minor, they need to open the accounts for themselves. Do they both prepare their own taxes? Can they afford to pay tax on dividends and capital gains? Are they agreeable to this? Will they select the funds and enter the orders or do you need to have agent authorization for this? Do they have jobs and know the importance of opening Roth IRAs early? When you are ready to fund them, just give each of them a check made out to Vanguard. One is a minor (17). I am happy to open an account under my own name, give him the password, and transfer ownership later, but it MUST remain unlinked to my primary account. Both will be dependents through college, and they will not be given ac...
by epilnk
Tue May 05, 2020 12:23 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Opening separate accounts
Replies: 10
Views: 1106

Opening separate accounts

I would like to open two new Vanguard accounts to gift to my sons for the purposes of teaching them how to invest. I do not want either my bank account or my vanguard account information to remain linked to theirs, but the younger one does not yet have a bank account of his own (we will rectify this after covid restrictions are relaxed) so I need to transfer assets directly from mine.

Will I be able to completely unlink my accounts after doing so? Is there a better way to do this that I am missing?
by epilnk
Mon Apr 20, 2020 3:33 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Ray Dalio: ‘you’d be pretty crazy to hold bonds’ right now
Replies: 155
Views: 23225

Re: Ray Dalio: ‘you’d be pretty crazy to hold bonds’ right now

watchnerd wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:35 pm
epilnk wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:23 pm Crazy like a fox. For simplicity (ok too lazy to calculate) I am pulling simple yoy numbers off VG, so this isn't limited to the downturn:

total return since april 2019: -5.7%
equities: -12.9%
bonds: +5.0%
What kinds of bonds are you holding?

If I average across my bond holdings for 1 year, I get +17.15%.
Mostly government issue, mostly munis (taxable Ted here) with a chunk of perpetually underperforming TIPS in my IRA. I forgot to include the TBM that is the lion’s share of my husband’s unlinked 401K and which would bring that up. But where I have choice of funds I prefer to take corporate risk on the equity side.