Search found 1314 matches

by centrifuge41
Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Airline Miles and Hotel Points
Replies: 37
Views: 4409

Re: Airline Miles and Hotel Points

Which credit card would have the highest value for transferring points to United and/or Southwest? Looked at Chase Reserve, for instance, and transfer is 1:1 but understood that it could be not a good deal as valuation for 1 Chase point is higher than 1 United mile. Please let me know if I miss something. In terms of transfer bonuses - which non-airline credit cards have them often? Only Chase UR transfers to United. I agree, you'd need the United mileage value to exceed 1.5 to make it worth it. Chase points are high value: the highest non-bonused earn rate is 1.5 points per dollar*, and they cash out at 1.5 (when you have a Sapphire Reserve, when you make travel purchases). Whereas, Amex, Citi, and Capital One points only cash out at 1.0 ...
by centrifuge41
Sat Mar 02, 2024 4:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Airline Miles and Hotel Points
Replies: 37
Views: 4409

Re: Airline Miles and Hotel Points

If you just stopped spending money on the crap you're buying with CCs, you'd be able to buy the trip you want and have a bunch of money to spare. Unpopular opinion, I know. For work expenses though, ehhhh, yes I enjoy getting those "free" points. If you're susceptible to overbuying due to rewards, then buyer beware! If you rationally consider it a ~2-5% rebate and don't overbuy, then it'd be a shame to pay with cash/debit card anytime you can use a rewards credit card at no surcharge instead. If you really want an easy way to generate points at a higher value than the expense of the transaction fee, just overpay your federal taxes using Payusatax. 1.82% fee. There's plenty of 2 point/$ or 2% credit cards out there. You can get th...
by centrifuge41
Fri Mar 01, 2024 3:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Airline Miles and Hotel Points
Replies: 37
Views: 4409

Re: Airline Miles and Hotel Points

A couple of things here. Miles/points are very useful if you know what you're doing, and if you have some flexibility. If you have very few types of miles, and only in low quantity, and need to go to a very specific place on a specific date, you could be out of luck. Miles are also a function of geography. If you have Alaska, United, and Southwest, and you live in/around San Francisco for instance, great! If you're in Atlanta or Minneapolis, well sorry, those miles probably won't help you nearly as much. Southwest Rapid Rewards: revenue correlated. Just use them as you have them. Unless you specifically need to book some trip with Rapid Rewards because you're more likely to need the free cancellation. United: underwent a fairly big devaluat...
by centrifuge41
Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Working Cushy job now, offered promotion to another dept. Stay put or make the jump over?
Replies: 32
Views: 2816

Re: Working Cushy job now, offered promotion to another dept. Stay put or make the jump over?

Congratulations Gardener! May your ladder be fulfilling and may you have time to keep side hustling!
by centrifuge41
Mon Feb 12, 2024 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I say no to my first federal job?
Replies: 65
Views: 7479

Re: Should I say no to my first federal job?

Folks upthread have said enough about base pay, location, and family dynamics. I'll take a stab at benefits. Some folks think federal jobs have super awesome benefits. I beg to differ. If your agency offers just the typical OPM benefits (e.g. no extra agency-exclusive benefits), I'd say the benefits are good, but hardly outstanding. Annual leave: 13 days a year for the first 3 years, then it bumps up to 19.5 days a year until you have 15 years of tenure. I can't say that's a lot. There's non-fed jobs out there that grant ~15 days of leave a year (and bump up to 20 days after x tenure). Sick leave: 13 days a year. This is actually kind of a lot. Some workplaces lump annual leave and sick leave together. It's good to have a dedicated bucket. ...
by centrifuge41
Thu Jan 25, 2024 2:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rome - Florence - Venice
Replies: 49
Views: 3795

Re: Rome - Florence - Venice

This is getting a bit tactical, but the only nonstop FCO-VCE flight is by ITA. On our trip, we were flying the long leg on United, so we couldn't get such a leg thrown in "for free". If you're flying Delta/AirFrance/KLM on the long legs, you may be able to throw in FCO-VCE (or reverse) for free/cheap since all those airlines are in Skyteam. That's another reason why we went down to Naples and squeezed Pompeii into our itinerary. Cash/mileage fares solely for FCO-VCE weren't cheap, whereas the NAP-VCE nonstop was run by Easyjet (and very cheap. Cheaper than the train). Now FCO-VCE is run by RyanAir and Volotea. Low cost = much more affordable than an FCO-VCE flight on ITA (even when we included the price of checking a bag). Open ja...
by centrifuge41
Thu Jan 25, 2024 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rome - Florence - Venice
Replies: 49
Views: 3795

Re: Rome - Florence - Venice

Too fast/too slow is subjective. I move fairly fast (for reference I feel like you can see some major cities of the world, including Rome, Tokyo, Paris etc fairly well with 4 full days). For me, having a near-full day in Venice and a near-full day in Florence suffices. Trade-offs: In Venice you'd be seeing St Mark's Square/Basilica, doing some walking around (Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge etc) but you wouldn't have time to enter into the Doge's palace, visit Murano/Burano, etc. In Florence, you'd get to see either the Accademia or the Uffizi (not both). And you'd probably see 2 of the 3: Santa Croce, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Santa Maria Novella. I agree with seeing if an open jaw works out well (e.g. see if you can buy a ticket ...
by centrifuge41
Thu Jan 25, 2024 9:44 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: 🎁 🎉Happy 100th Birthday to Taylor Larimore 🎊🎂
Replies: 429
Views: 41904

Re: 🎁 🎉Happy 100th Birthday to Taylor Larimore 🎊🎂

Happy birthday Taylor! Absolutely amazing! You've been such an inspiration to all of us Bogleheads forum members!
by centrifuge41
Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is GEHA the best option if I want an HSA?
Replies: 16
Views: 1323

Re: Is GEHA the best option if I want an HSA?

Hi henry001,

Congratulations on your new job!

If you’re considering getting separate dental (and vision) anyway, please also consider the MHBP consumer HDHP option by Aetna. Lower premium, more HSA contribution. You do need to pay $52 to the postal union to participate (unless you work for usps).
by centrifuge41
Tue Jan 16, 2024 2:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: International Driving Permit: ever actually needed one?
Replies: 16
Views: 1494

Re: International Driving Permit: ever actually needed one?

I needed mine in Italy. The person in front of me was denied his car rental reservation for not having one (VCE airport). Hopefully, that didn't completely mess up his plans/itinerary :o
by centrifuge41
Fri Oct 06, 2023 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Puerto Rico Family Vacation in February
Replies: 25
Views: 5209

Re: Puerto Rico Family Vacation in February

Culebra: day trip with kids = probably not worth it. If all adults, and you have an extra day + you don't mind getting up super early to drive to the Fajardo ferry dock, it could be worth it. Flamenco beach in Culebra is absolutely gorgeous (some of the whitest sand & most turquoise water in the Caribbean), whereas the main island's beaches (Condado, Isla Verde, Luquillo) aren't really better than on the US mainland (e.g. Miami) in my opinion.
by centrifuge41
Tue Sep 19, 2023 12:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Colorado to Nova move beneficial?
Replies: 58
Views: 6415

Re: Colorado to Nova move beneficial?

Similar-ish houses in Montgomery County, MD (Bethesda, Rockville, Potomac etc) appear cheaper than in NoVA. It's generally a trap. The state income tax is way higher than in VA. Don't live in Bethesda/Potomac/etc and commute to Tysons/Falls Church. I must say, Gainesville/Manassas/Woodbridge etc are already too far to commute to Falls Church IMHO. Best to live closer in and smaller or older. Personally, I'd not live farther than Fair Lakes/Fair Oaks/Lorton and commute to Falls Church. One counter-argument is that if you commute from Herndon/Reston, it might actually be pretty fast (267 doesn't tend to get bad traffic, and heading south from Tysons to Falls Church should be fine in the morning), but that'll cost you in tolls. If you do that,...
by centrifuge41
Thu Jun 01, 2023 7:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help my family plan a trip to Japan
Replies: 37
Views: 3939

Re: Help my family plan a trip to Japan

JR pass is not necessarily a no brainer. Both times I went to Japan (5 days each, a bit on the short side), I open jawed Tokyo with Kansas Osaka airport, so a one way Shinkansen Tokyo to Kyoto (followed by local trains and subway) sufficed. The one way was about half the price of a one week JR pass. Tokyo: way lots to see and do. Your list is good. Definitely go to Shinjuku and Akhibara (my favorite train stations). I can list out many more but you decide. Kyoto: I will upvote Meiji Jingu and Kiyomizu Dera and downvote the Philosopher’s path (high quantity of shrines, but not much stands out). That aside, you decide what else to see (Kinkakuji is cool but slightly remote, Arashiyama is kind of far, Nijo-no castle is cool). Want to venture f...
by centrifuge41
Wed Apr 12, 2023 12:43 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1202203

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

September 2022 to March 2023 CPI-u up 3.38% annualized. So we now know the new variable rate for I Bonds.

Doesn't look too exciting from my perspective unless you're buying for a long-term hold and counting on the fixed rate to be good. In the short run, I'd rather have VUSXX (Vanguard Treasury Money Market Fund), which pays 4.7% as of today. I don't think 3-6 month treasuries pay substantially more than VUSXX to be worth messing with (but if you want to buy a 3 month treasury for ~5.04%, sure, go for it).
by centrifuge41
Wed Dec 07, 2022 2:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Puerto Rico Family Vacation in February
Replies: 25
Views: 5209

Re: Puerto Rico Family Vacation in February

I've ferried over to Culebra for a day trip from the mainland. Flamenco beach is indeed one of the best beaches that I've been to. We had to wake up super early to drive from San Juan to Fajardo, but it was worth it. I haven't been to that many beaches on the main island, but those that I saw (Luquillo, Isla Verde, etc are no better than a mainland US beach, such as Miami Beach or Clearwater Beach). Given correct moon cycle, a bio bay is a must. If you don't go to Vieques/Mosquito bay, see if your trip dates align with taking a snorkeling trip to Laguna Grande in Fajardo. It's pretty awesome. For me (don't take it personally), most other things in PR are forgettable (San Juan is just fine, El Yunque Rainforest is just fine). I've been to PR...
by centrifuge41
Wed Nov 09, 2022 7:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Zealand travel - South Island
Replies: 42
Views: 3753

Re: New Zealand travel - South Island

My wife and I took a trip to NZ back in February 2020 (yep, literally just as the pandemic started up). On the South Island, we really liked Dunedin, a charming college town with lots of interesting architecture. The Dunedin Train Station and the Octagon were our favorites. If you are in the vicinity, I'd suggest the Moeraki Boulders on Koekohe Beach, on the east coast of the South Island about 40 miles north of Dunedin. Same, I took a trip to NZ South Island in February 2020 (not gaming the system, booked it on 1/15, 5 days before Western media generally heard of COVID 19). I had previously been to North Island on a different trip, so I agree with needing a good 12+ days to properly see both islands. I am posting a picture of our 7 day it...
by centrifuge41
Mon Oct 24, 2022 9:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Most cost and time efficient flights to travel to Thailand from DC?
Replies: 27
Views: 2749

Re: Most cost and time efficient flights to travel to Thailand from DC?

Yeah, KLM flies from Amsterdam to IAD.

In Thailand, sometimes you can get a cheaper deal flying from Don Mueang airport to your desired destination, rather than from BKK. There's no rail access to DMK, but taxis are cheap enough (while the skytrain is pretty expensive for a developing country).

Edit. Looks like Skytrain opened up to DMK airport.
by centrifuge41
Fri Oct 21, 2022 10:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Most cost and time efficient flights to travel to Thailand from DC?
Replies: 27
Views: 2749

Re: Most cost and time efficient flights to travel to Thailand from DC?

Try Flightconnections (key in BKK up top). Shows you what routes exist & overall trip duration. Does not consider price.
by centrifuge41
Wed Oct 12, 2022 12:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Maui - things to do for 6 day trip
Replies: 30
Views: 3324

Re: Maui - things to do for 6 day trip

Maui Tropical Plantation

Haleakala National Park (towards the summit)

Haleakala National Park (near Ohe'o Gulch, after Road to Hana. Long day, but it's a beautiful road, and there's an amazing bamboo forest there. I preferred this bamboo grove to one near Kyoto Japan)

Molokini Crater

Kepaniwai Park (chill city park with various themed zones. Not generally on the must-do list, but I enjoyed it)

Lahaina (nice small town feel)
by centrifuge41
Fri Oct 07, 2022 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Planning first trip to Italy for next year
Replies: 29
Views: 2877

Re: Planning first trip to Italy for next year

I’ve been to Florence and Rome twice each. A day or two in Florence was sufficient for me (unless you need to go to both the Accademia and also the Uffizi). If you value freedom, you could rent a car and take some stops in Tuscany on the way up or down (some time in Siena, some quick stops in smaller towns like San Gimignano, Pisa, Pienza etc). If you can open jaw the car and take the train back at minimum markup, great! If not, you can stay at a hotel where parking and transit are both easy. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Firenze Novoli with a car. It was under 20k Hilton points when we stayed. Diamond got me free breakfast and free parking (not that expensive even if you don’t have status). The hotel is right next to the tram, so it’s...
by centrifuge41
Tue Sep 27, 2022 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cancelling a non-refundable hotel room?
Replies: 49
Views: 5560

Re: Cancelling a non-refundable hotel room?

That is a win. I haven't needed to cancel a non-refundable hotel booking in a long time, but years ago, the property was happy to have me switch it to a different date (and pay the difference).

If you need the Southwest booking to be fully refundable, either pay up for Business Select/Anytime, or use Southwest Rapid Rewards to book (You can get Rapid Rewards using any Chase Ultimate Rewards card that has an annual fee). That allows the booking to be completely refunded back to points + the credit card used to pay the taxes/fees.
by centrifuge41
Mon Jul 18, 2022 6:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Making your own Seltzer Water Like Lacroix or Polar?
Replies: 32
Views: 4559

Re: Making your own Seltzer Water Like Lacroix or Polar?

In addition to using 20% Bed Bath Beyond coupon, if you have a Discover Card and its associated rewards, you can get the BBB gift card for 20% off face value. That's one of the cheapest ways to go. I don't use any droplets. I just add lemon or lime juice (I don't always have lemon/lime on hand, in which case I'll use concentrate, which I do have on hand). Nonetheless, even with a bubbler, I'll buy canned seltzer if it's on a good sale. Depending on the brand, it can taste better than what I bubble up for myself. Sure, La Croix is one of the best, but it is rather expensive. Lidl's 1L bottles are good. Lidl cans and Aldi cans are less good. Safeway's store brand is surprisingly good/bubbly. Probably at least as good as Bubly (less good than ...
by centrifuge41
Wed Jun 22, 2022 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Marcus High-Yield Savings Account rate increases
Replies: 319
Views: 53794

Re: Marcus High-Yield Savings Account rate now 0.6%

Yep, even at 1% (above Discover's 0.9% now), Marcus is behind Vanguard Federal MM, which yields 1.27% now. Federal MM yielded 0.76% just a week ago, so it has jumped up fast.
by centrifuge41
Sun Jun 12, 2022 4:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice for scheduling drives to Atlanta
Replies: 13
Views: 1133

Re: Advice for scheduling drives to Atlanta

At least consider driving to Sandy Springs or Dunwoody Marta, parking, and taking the train to 5 points.

I’m not from Atlanta so I have no more specifics. Some say Marta is a bit questionable, but there’s only one way to know!
by centrifuge41
Wed May 25, 2022 11:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Finding reasonably priced groceries
Replies: 190
Views: 17643

Re: Finding reasonably priced groceries

ray.james wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 11:38 am I live in San Francisco Bay area. There are cheaper options which I use but I was just surprised at the thigh meat prices at Safeway/Luckys. Drumsticks are at 1.79/lb at Costco which is the cheapest option. Uncut whole fryer is 1.59/lb.
Based on my underestanding, the SF Bay grocery market is tough (for consumers). Safeway is not always great quality and far overpriced. There's no Aldi. The local Kroger affiliate (FoodsCo) is kind of "weird" and low footprint. Thus, Costco is generally popular around SF Bay (and Trader Joe may also be relatively more attractive).
by centrifuge41
Tue May 24, 2022 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Finding reasonably priced groceries
Replies: 190
Views: 17643

Re: Finding reasonably priced groceries

Normal large dozen eggs were as low as .49, and were routinely around .69 to .89 at Lidl just a few months ago. Now, normal large dozen eggs have shot up to $2.3-$2.8 range.

Meanwhile, cage free egg prices haven't moved too much. Recently, Lidl had 18 for $3. Amazon Fresh has 12 for $2.48 (and they keep giving out 20 off 40 coupons. Great store to check out if you're in the DC area, Chicago Land, Northern Philly, LA... as long as they keep up the coupon gravy train. Otherwise, weird store for operations (issues with checkout, slow to restock shelves, etc).
by centrifuge41
Mon May 23, 2022 8:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Finding reasonably priced groceries
Replies: 190
Views: 17643

Re: Finding reasonably priced groceries

I can't find any links to professional studies at the moment, but I did my own in the past, using a basket of 30 items in Northern VA: I took generics wherever possible (I have generally good experience with Aldi/Lidl generics, and a little worse experience with Walmart generics. YMMV). Lidl sale: $97.80 Lidl: $100 (All prices indexed to Lidl non-sale. The actual Lidl basket cost $56.27) Aldi: (I don't know, sorry. They are one of the few stores that don't post prices online, but pricing feels very similar to Lidl). Walmart: $110.70 Food Lion: $115.60 Kroger sale: $112.20 Kroger: $119.90 (I took a Richmond area store to grab prices, since Kroger is what I was used to prior to Aldi/Lidl arriving in Richmond. I wish NoVA had Kroger!) Harris T...
by centrifuge41
Mon May 23, 2022 8:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Finding reasonably priced groceries
Replies: 190
Views: 17643

Re: Finding reasonably priced groceries

Maybe depends on your location, and cherry picking can help. Around here (DelMarVa) milk is running about $4.00 a gallon for store brand (Giant, Harris Teeter, Food Lion). Yikes! Here in NoVA, Harris Teeter, Safeway, and Giant are pretty expensive and each have few worthwhile specials. Aldi is tied for cheapest (cheaper than Walmart, and generally better quality. E.g. Aldi milk is fine, Walmart milk often spoils fairly quickly). We also have Lidl here. If you live anywhere between Atlanta and Long Island, you may be close to a Lidl. Comparable prices to Aldi, nicer quality on a lot of imports (but sometimes inferior quality to American knock-offs). Definitely worth checking out. Eggs have gone up like crazy everywhere: normal eggs often co...
by centrifuge41
Sat May 21, 2022 11:07 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Morningstar interactive chart (part of "growth of 10k") is gone?
Replies: 37
Views: 4624

Re: Morningstar interactive chart (part of "growth of 10k") is gone?

I can't expand it on Firefox either. No more ability to use the interactive widget to change timeframes, or add/remove funds for comparison.
by centrifuge41
Tue May 17, 2022 10:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Marcus High-Yield Savings Account rate increases
Replies: 319
Views: 53794

Re: Marcus High-Yield Savings Account rate now 0.6%

0.7% now. Or 0.8% if you have AARP.
by centrifuge41
Tue May 10, 2022 7:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tire change at a Lexus dealership: are these costs reasonable?
Replies: 54
Views: 7064

Re: Tire change at a Lexus dealership: are these costs reasonable?

The posters on this thread have it pretty well covered… I agree. When I need new tires, I only quote Costco, Sam’s Club, Discount Tire/direct, Tire Rack, and Walmart. I used to also quote Sears but that’s a non-option nowadays.
by centrifuge41
Fri Mar 11, 2022 6:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2021 Refund Times
Replies: 296
Views: 29849

Re: 2021 Refund Times

Efile sent out 2/17/22 and accepted hours later.
Refund to bank account posted 3/07/22.
I bonds received in mail 3/11/22 (with a 3/08/22 date).
by centrifuge41
Tue Mar 08, 2022 4:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flight hack: 2 one way flights on same day?
Replies: 28
Views: 4338

Re: Flight hack: 2 one way flights on same day?

Have things changed at O'Hare for connecting flights between terminals? IIRC, if your domestic flight arrives at Terminal 1 and your connecting flight departs from Terminal 3, you do NOT have to leave the secured area and be rescreened by TSA. You just go from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 following the signage. A one hour connection is manageable and if both legs are booked on the same reservation, UA will know that he has a connecting flight and will make every effort to get him on his connecting flight if the first flight has a minor delay (<45 mins or so). Since the UA flight is the first departing flight from his closest airport, the likelihood of delay for reasons other than weather are greatly diminished. I'd recommend he book option 1. ...
by centrifuge41
Mon Mar 07, 2022 10:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flight hack: 2 one way flights on same day?
Replies: 28
Views: 4338

Re: Flight hack: 2 one way flights on same day?

It appears that UA is in terminal 1+2 while AA is in terminal 3. As vdxd mentions, it appears that you’ll need to leave security and check in again (someone correct me if I’m wrong). And as ScubaHogg mentions, if you miss the AA flight, they don’t have to help you (but they may if they’re nice). For those who are doing this at an airport where all terminals are in the same security zone (think ATL, DFW), and only have carry on luggage, you can go right to your new gate and use a mobile boarding pass (or potentially print out the pass at a machine airside (inside security)). Also, I’ve done something similar with the same airline. Eg much cheaper to book ORD-intl on AA round followed by separately using British Airways Avios to buy a short A...
by centrifuge41
Mon Mar 07, 2022 2:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: "The New Yorker" magazine - any good deals on print & digital subscription?
Replies: 7
Views: 1246

Re: "The New Yorker" magazine - any good deals on print & digital subscription?

This is tangential to your question but may help others:

Scribd ($10/month “Netflix of Ebooks” service) has access to digital Time, Newsweek, and Atlantic.
by centrifuge41
Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Kaspersky and Ukraine
Replies: 79
Views: 16841

Re: Kaspersky and Ukraine

I won't give a recommendation of remove or keep, but think about this one:

2005: Lenovo buys IBM PC business including Thinkpad laptops
2006: Lenovo moves US HQ to Morrisville, NC (just outside Raleigh)
Later: analysts ask if Lenovo might have spyware. Numerous enthusiasts/geeks say, no way. 1) if there was any, it'd have been found long ago. 2) Sure, Huawei could easily put spyware on their routers, where it's much harder to detect. But on a Windows PC? It'd be very hard to hide 3) Lenovo is partially US headquartered. Why would they do this?
2015: spyware is found on Lenovo computers, which send your data to Beijing. Many are shocked
by centrifuge41
Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Non-Qualified 529 Distributions and Taxes
Replies: 2
Views: 433

Re: Non-Qualified 529 Distributions and Taxes

If you want to give gifts to sons, and have excess liquidity, why not give them gifts from a different account, and make the granddaughter the 529 beneficiary (but stop adding to the the account)?

Does your state have state income tax deductions for the 529? Is there a claw-back if rolled over to a different state, or if withdrawals are non-qualified?

The 10% penalty is on earnings only (for non-qualified withdrawals), so it's not that bad. It does become taxable income, so spreading it out over some years (if you have additional space in the 12% bracket) makes sense.

The carryover losses in essence give you "more space" in your 12% bracket, to the tune of 3k/year.
by centrifuge41
Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to rollover an horrible 401k?
Replies: 9
Views: 1095

Re: How to rollover an horrible 401k?

I agree with everyone else… the gain/loss/sale/rebuy has no direct tax consequences (unlike selling taxable account mutual funds), so don’t let the relative loss bother you. The earlier you switch funds, the more time your investment In the new fund has time to perform as it should. Before doing a rollover to an IRA, do you typically do a backdoor Roth IRA? Or is your income getting close to the Roth IRA limit? If so, bear in mind that having any existing traditional/rollover IRA interferes with the backdoor process. You’d be much better off rolling your 401k into the new 401k (assuming the plan permits and the funds are priced reasonably). I didn’t know better. I had rolled an old 401k into a rollover IRA. Thankfully, I successfully rolled...
by centrifuge41
Mon Jan 31, 2022 11:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Traveling to Slovakia
Replies: 10
Views: 1457

Re: Traveling to Slovakia

I can't speak to the rest of the country outside of Bratislava (I swung by for 1 day after Vienna and before Prague). I stayed at the Doubletree, in the new town (Soviet portion). If you are bussing around, it adds a small amount of time vs. staying in the old city, but if you have Hilton points, that hotel is absolutely a deal. The bus system is reasonably easy to figure out if you do some research. The old city can be browsed quickly, in the span of half a day (if you don't go into the SNP bridge or Bratislava castle). A half day bus ride out to Devin Castle rounded out my trip. The visit was "just ok" (not the most exciting place to visit). Prior to going, I had listened to podcasts about how markedly different Vienna and Brati...
by centrifuge41
Sun Jan 16, 2022 10:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Substitute investment for I-bonds
Replies: 37
Views: 4558

Re: Substitute investment for I-bonds

Which makes it hard to explain why all the people jumping on I bonds now don't already have a substantial investment in I bonds. For those who bought I bonds early, when you could use a credit card to buy 30k and when the fixed rate was high, you did really well! For me, I shop my fixed income around amidst various products, and there's no always-best clear winner. I had I bonds in 2011, when the rate was 4.6%. When the rate dropped to 1.76%, I sold everything and went for Colorado 529 stable value (paying ~2.6%+ back then). Now, I'm buying I bonds again. I am also buying up EE bonds (20 years doesn't seem that far away. 3.54% is quite a bit higher than a typical interest level. Additionally, it'll let my assets appear lower when filing fo...
by centrifuge41
Tue Jan 04, 2022 8:44 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why the disdain for managed funds like ARKK that destroy total market funds?
Replies: 1587
Views: 210376

Re: Why the disdain for managed funds like ARKK that destroy total market funds?

Now that 2021 is a wrap, we see ARKK having its worst year since inception last year, down over 20%. Here's an article.
by centrifuge41
Wed Oct 06, 2021 12:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: credit card companies - income update requests
Replies: 15
Views: 2333

Re: credit card companies - income update requests

Card companies ask you for your income because if they automatically raise your line, they must use income that is at most 1 year old. Some banks subscribe to The Work Number to gather (often white collar) incomes.

It is not related to KYC (Know your customer), so failing to give it shouldn't lead to a shut down. It'd just prevent an automatic line increase, which sounds like just what you want.

I highly doubt that a card used once a year (or a card with an annual fee) would get canceled.
by centrifuge41
Sun Sep 19, 2021 3:45 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: In the future, the biggest companies will still be...
Replies: 35
Views: 4436

Re: In the future, the biggest companies will still be...

Even within CPUs, a big shake up may be happening. We have the traditional x86 chips made by Intel and AMD (and formerly made by companies now in the graveyard, such as Cyrix) We also have ARM chips (typically reserved for smaller devices e.g. smartphones). The big shake-up is that ARM chips' recent performance gains year-over-year have been incredible, while their power efficiency (power used divided by compute power) has been making much bigger strides than x86 chips. Apple's M1 ARM chip is impressive, and people are taking note. If this trajectory continues, we could have a huge shake-up. Likely good for Apple and bad for Intel, AMD, and Microsoft. Future is predictable. By the time a trajectory curve hits a hockey-stick moment and compe...
by centrifuge41
Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have you been to Steven Udvar-Hazy Center Air & Space Museum?
Replies: 43
Views: 3475

Re: Have you been to Steven Udvar-Hazy Center Air & Space Museum?

About 2-2.5 hours. This is the "real" air & space museum compared to the one on the National Mall: the bigger planes are all here, as Udvar Hazy is connected by taxiway to Dulles's runways, so they can bring in some serious aircraft.

Highlights include the Enola Gay, SR71, Concorde, and Space Shuttle discovery.

The museum is free, but parking is $15 a car. I doubt that very many people bus in.
by centrifuge41
Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Traditional 401k to SEP IRA to Roth IRA: no anticipated issues?
Replies: 5
Views: 559

Re: Traditional 401k to SEP IRA to Roth IRA: no anticipated issues?

Thank you FiveK, I called in and I was able to initiate the 401k to Roth IRA rollover (no federal/state income tax withheld). They will try to transfer in kind, but if it fails, it will liquidate. The online 401k to SEP IRA wizard mandates liquidation, probably because the balance will be too small for in-kind transfer (institutional Vanguard fund share class with $5 million minimum).
by centrifuge41
Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Traditional 401k to SEP IRA to Roth IRA: no anticipated issues?
Replies: 5
Views: 559

Re: Traditional 401k to SEP IRA to Roth IRA: no anticipated issues?

Thank you FiveK,

In the Fidelity rollover interface, it only lets me select my SEP IRA, so I cannot do a direct rollover to Fidelity Roth IRA (at least not online). The plan text suggests that if I do nothing, they will open a Rollover IRA for me and move the money there. That's fine, but I'll end up with yet another $0 account sitting in my profile, which I'm trying to avoid if it isn't needed :happy
by centrifuge41
Mon Apr 26, 2021 10:43 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Traditional 401k to SEP IRA to Roth IRA: no anticipated issues?
Replies: 5
Views: 559

Traditional 401k to SEP IRA to Roth IRA: no anticipated issues?

I have a small 401k whose entire balance is from a previous company's match. The balance is too small for the custodian (Fidelity) to allow the money to stay in the 401k, plus I just learned there's a record keeping fee. At Fidelity, I have a new SEP IRA sitting at $0 balance (I loaded it just last month to the maximum permitted amount based on the small profits of my side hustle last year, then immediately rolled it to my Fidelity Roth I RA). Aside from the side hustle & SEP IRA, I do 6k Traditional (non-deductible) IRA to Roth IRA every year (income too high for direct Roth IRA contribution), and I do 19.5k of 401k contribution to my current employer's 401k plan. I just want to confirm that there's no issues going 401k-->SEP IRA-->Rot...
by centrifuge41
Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:42 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard vs. Fidelity
Replies: 158
Views: 23248

Re: Vanguard vs. Fidelity

Wow...nice analysis. Can you add in Schwab? :D I'm ignoring the fundamental indices - that's a whole another beast (I understand they have to keep buying/selling to maintain similar weights per-stock, rather than market capitalization weight, which doesn't require much buying/selling to maintain). I'm glad I checked these funds out - Schwab seems to have a lot more good choices now than a few years ago. Schwab Total Market Fund ( SWTSX ): I'd pick Vanguard's Total Market at 4bps over Schwab's at 3bps. Schwab's fund holds 3242 stocks, while Vanguard's VTSAX holds 3755. Tax efficiency is similar: in 2020, SWTSX gave a 1.64% dividend (no capital gains) while Vanguard gave 1.75% dividend. We'll see if this favorable trend continues. In 2019, S...
by centrifuge41
Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Spouse on Deed but not Mortgage?
Replies: 13
Views: 1737

Re: Spouse on Deed but not Mortgage?

Given enough income/assets for the party taking on the debt, isn't this generally preferable? E.g. keep assets together, separate debts.

I am not a lawyer.
by centrifuge41
Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:30 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Major International Indexes
Replies: 16
Views: 1610

Re: Major International Indexes

S&P TSX (Toronto stock exchange) (6.2% of Vanguard total international)
Sydney stock exchange (4.8% of Vanguard total international)
Bombay Sensex (3% of Vanguard total international)