Search found 40 matches
- Sun Nov 02, 2014 8:03 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Request for input on my portfolio
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1793
Re: Request for input on my portfolio
The funds are not too expensive, so keeping them is an option. If you can avoid that 1.5% you will do well. Check with Vanguard (or other firm) to see if you can transfer the funds directly "in kind" to them without selling. Be careful here, if you transfer to Vanguard...I tried this a few years ago when I decided to leave Paul Merriman's firm and self-manage my account. When my DFA funds were transferred into my existing IRA at Vanguard, they were liquidated despite everyone telling me I could transfer them "in kind". DFA funds must be held in an account with an Advisor attached to it, so a plain-vanilla account would not suffice; you'd need a managed account that would have more fees, although probably less than the 1...
- Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:26 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Taxes/Exclusions on Foreign Unearned Income
- Replies: 1
- Views: 496
Re: Taxes/Exclusions on Foreign Unearned Income
US citizens are taxed on their worldwide income, no matter where they live and no matter where the income is sourced. Pension income is taxable...there is no amount that can be excluded. If the source country withholds or assesses taxes on the pension income, the taxes paid (or owed) to the other country can be claimed as a credit on the US 1040 return. Use Form 1116 Foreign Tax Credit ("General" category income). If the US has a tax treaty with the foreign country, the taxes withheld can be reduced to a treaty-specified percentage. Doesn't matter how the income is received...it all gets reported in US dollars on the tax return. The easiest solution might be to have the pension direct-deposited in a US bank, if possible. That way ...
- Mon May 12, 2014 11:03 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Canadian citizen in the US - RRSP discussion
- Replies: 16
- Views: 3909
Re: Canadian citizen in the US - RRSP discussion
Every dollar is taxable in Canada because the funds sitting in the RRSP account have never been taxed. No complexity there whatsoever. On the US side, only the increase in the value of the account beyond your cost basis since becoming a US resident is taxable. Do you have records that would show your cost basis in the account 3 years ago when you moved to the US? I don't think the $16,000 reported on Form 8891 is relevant because your cost basis (Adjusted Cost Base or ACB in Canadian terms) of that year-end $16,000 value could have been $10,000 or it could have been $20,000. Are you set up with My Account on the CRA website? You can see your previous RRSP contribution amounts there. What you put into the RRSP account as contributions would ...
- Mon May 12, 2014 5:09 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: What funds available while living abroad?
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1008
Re: What funds available while living abroad?
And a thumbs-down on the idea of using a private mailbox at The UPS Store, Postal Annex, etc. I know; I've tried it. The brokerage houses use a database of known commercial addresses when you open a new account, cross-checking the address you provide with the database. You must provide a residential address.
I believe you'll find it very difficult to open a new account as a non-resident of the US, so using ETFs within your existing TD Ameritrade account is probably the best route.
I believe you'll find it very difficult to open a new account as a non-resident of the US, so using ETFs within your existing TD Ameritrade account is probably the best route.
- Mon May 12, 2014 2:38 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Canadian citizen in the US - RRSP discussion
- Replies: 16
- Views: 3909
Re: Canadian citizen in the US - RRSP discussion
On the US 1040, you would report the withdrawal on the Form 8891 and use Form 1116 Foreign Tax Credit to eliminate (at best, reduce at worst) any double taxation by the US. RRSP withdrawals would be "General" type income on Form 1116.Are you aware of the process to report withdrawals to both US/Canada when filing returns, if I were to cash out?
- Sat May 10, 2014 10:25 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Canadian citizen in the US - RRSP discussion
- Replies: 16
- Views: 3909
Re: Canadian citizen in the US - RRSP discussion
Why is that? If the OP has been properly reporting the RRSP account each year on Form 8891 when filing their US tax return (and it sounds like they have been), the RRSP account is treated in the US like it is in Canada...only withdrawals are taxable.BradMajors wrote:
Transferring your assets from one RRSP to another will cause you to pay US taxes.
A direct transfer from one brokerage to another is not a withdrawal.
- Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:11 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Sold undeveloped land in 2013...how to report?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 582
Re: Sold undeveloped land in 2013...how to report?
Don't worry about the tax form that the sale was reported on. To get this into TurboTax: -- under Investment Income, click Start (or Update) next to "Stocks, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Other" -- your sale of raw land is an "Other" -- keep telling TT you want to enter the details yourself -- check the box that says "Check here for investments sales not reported by any financial institution" -- at that point, you'll get a form where you can enter the sales details yourself: purchase date, sale date, cost basis, proceeds, etc. Don't forget to add to your basis the title fees, recording fees, any improvements you made to the acreage. And the net proceeds of sale are the gross sales amount reported on the 1099-S minus any...
- Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:26 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Portfolio split between US & UK retirement accts - any tips?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2324
Re: Portfolio split between US & UK retirement accts - any t
I'm a US ex-pat also. For dealing with currency exchanges, I've had good luck with XETrade http://www.xetrade.com . It takes a bit of fussing to register and get the accounts you want to transfer money between set up, but once that's done their commissions are reasonable and the transactions execute flawlessly. If you are happy with Vanguard and you are absolutely sure they will let you transact in your retirement accounts from the UK, why don't you move the tIRA to Vanguard from Fidelity to simplify things. If there's any problem with Vanguard, then go the other way and move the Roth to Fidelity. I mention the potential problem with Vanguard letting you transact (add new money, buy, exchange, rebalance) because they will not let me do this...
- Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:00 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: The Case for High Yield Bonds
- Replies: 36
- Views: 4704
Re: The Case for High Yield Bonds
I don't own them, but they are part of the market portfolio. Not owning them is somewhat of a tilt. I can see the benefits (mainly peace of mind that you are getting your fair share) from owning the market portfolio which would warrant a representative allocation to HY bonds. Would owning total bond market index not fulfill this? No, the total bond market funds/ETFs typically exclude High Yield and TIPs. If you want those, you have to purchase them as a separate holding from TBM. I personally have 10% of my total portfolio in VWEHX - Vanguard's High Yield bond fund. I like the yield and I count it as 100% EQUITY when looking at my asset allocation. This way my ostensibly safer bond allocation is not contaminated by something with higher cr...
- Wed Dec 11, 2013 8:06 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Roth IRA for Alien Wife
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1070
Re: Roth IRA for Alien Wife
I'm fairly sure Vanguard is going to say she has to be resident in the US before they will open an account.
- Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:48 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: How many funds do you have in your portfolio?
- Replies: 167
- Views: 15253
Re: How many funds do you have in your portfolio?
Target allocation: 40% equities / 40% bonds / 10% REIT / 10% cash
2 accounts: traditional IRA + Roth IRA; 11 holdings total
Vanguard Total Stock Mkt
Vanguard Total International Stock Mkt
Vanguard Sm Cap Value
Vanguard FTSE All-world ex-US Sm Cap
Vanguard High Yield Bond
Vanguard ST Corp Bond
iShares iBoxx Invest Grade Corp Bond
Vanguard ST TIPs
Vanguard International Bond
Vanguard US REIT
Vanguard International REIT
All ETFs except for the High Yield Bond fund. I count 100% of the High Yield Bond fund in the equity allocation. International stocks (VXUS, VSS) in the Roth IRA, everything else in the tIRA.
2 accounts: traditional IRA + Roth IRA; 11 holdings total
Vanguard Total Stock Mkt
Vanguard Total International Stock Mkt
Vanguard Sm Cap Value
Vanguard FTSE All-world ex-US Sm Cap
Vanguard High Yield Bond
Vanguard ST Corp Bond
iShares iBoxx Invest Grade Corp Bond
Vanguard ST TIPs
Vanguard International Bond
Vanguard US REIT
Vanguard International REIT
All ETFs except for the High Yield Bond fund. I count 100% of the High Yield Bond fund in the equity allocation. International stocks (VXUS, VSS) in the Roth IRA, everything else in the tIRA.
- Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:56 am
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Canadians living in the US - Critique our portfolio?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 1154
Re: Canadians living in the US - Critique our portfolio?
I can offer some opinions: -- Your investment choices look fine to me; simple, inexpensive and appropriate for your ages. Some may say the 40% bonds is too conservative for a pair of 31 year-olds, but I'm assuming there is some risk involved in the single TFSA holding that may make going conservative in other parts of the portfolio a prudent move. -- TFSA: the Canada-United States tax treaty is usually about 10 years behind the times. It only recognized Roth IRAs (which started in 1998) in 2007. Since TFSAs have only existed since 2009, the IRS treats them as just another investment account. Interest, dividends, and capital gains must be reported on your 1040 yearly just like any other non-retirement brokerage account. If you can postpone s...
- Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:30 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Expats, IRAs and FEIE
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1465
Re: Expats, IRAs and FEIE
Here's another approach you might want to consider: don't use the FEIE but instead use Foreign Tax Credits to reduce or eliminate your US tax bill. Most countries have higher tax rates than the USA, despite the bellyaching you hear in America about high tax rates on individuals. It just isn't true. Once you've mastered Form 1116 to claim the Foreign Tax Credits for what you've already paid in taxes on your wage income in the country where you are resident, it is actually simpler and faster to do your taxes compared to using Form 2555 to claim the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. Using FTCs to offset the US tax liability due on your foreign wages means that you both have taxable earned income and therefore the ability to contribute the max t...
- Mon Aug 19, 2013 2:43 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: re: going to Bryce/Zion (and a bit of Vegas)
- Replies: 42
- Views: 4601
Re: re: going to Bryce/Zion (and a bit of Vegas)
If you are doing Bryce first then entering Zion at the east entrance, here's a suggestion for lodging, about 5 miles before the park entrance on Hwy 9: Zion Mountain Ranch http://www.zmr.com The lodging choices are pretty thin between Bryce and Zion along Highway 89...the little towns of Hatch, Orderville, Glendale, Mt. Carmel etc. are of the "don't sneeze or you'll blow it off the map" variety. I've stayed in the little cabins at ZMR several times in the past 10 years and always found them clean and comfortable. The staff is helpful and there is a good restaurant that serves lots of fresh, in-season produce from their organic gardens and bison burgers from the on-site bison herd. Just a neat little place, nothing la-de-dah about ...
- Mon May 27, 2013 12:52 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: transfering $ cnd to usa
- Replies: 8
- Views: 787
Re: transfering $ cnd to usa
If you need to do this more than once, consider setting up an account with xetrade.com. They will charge you less than the bank.
- Wed May 08, 2013 11:22 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Show us your M* Average MFund Exp Ratio %
- Replies: 60
- Views: 4366
Re: Show us your M* Average MFund Exp Ratio %
.14 after making some changes earlier this year in accordance with helpful guidance from this forum.
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:47 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: rrsp and IRS [Canadian working in US]
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1651
Re: rrsp and IRS [Canadian working in US]
Actually, I am an expert. I prepare dozens of these forms every year for clients, as well as on my own personal 1040 return.
In answer to the question , yes the form is required yearly for each RRSP account you hold. In subsequent years, tick the box 6(a) that says you have previously made the election to defer tax on the RRSP earnings, then in 6(b), enter the year you first made the election....2012 in your case.
In answer to the question , yes the form is required yearly for each RRSP account you hold. In subsequent years, tick the box 6(a) that says you have previously made the election to defer tax on the RRSP earnings, then in 6(b), enter the year you first made the election....2012 in your case.
- Sat Apr 27, 2013 9:45 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: rrsp and IRS [Canadian working in US]
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1651
Re: rrsp and IRS [Canadian working in US]
Just file an amended return (1040X) and send it in with Form 8891, U.S. Information Return for Beneficiaries of Certain Canadian Registered Retirement Plans.
You tell the IRS the RRSP plan custodian's name and address, your account #, and the plan balance at the end of 2012. Tick the box 6(c) that says you are making the election to defer tax on the earnings in the account.
Not a big deal but you should file the amended return to disclose your RRSP and have the IRS treat it as CRA does...only withdrawals are taxable.
You tell the IRS the RRSP plan custodian's name and address, your account #, and the plan balance at the end of 2012. Tick the box 6(c) that says you are making the election to defer tax on the earnings in the account.
Not a big deal but you should file the amended return to disclose your RRSP and have the IRS treat it as CRA does...only withdrawals are taxable.
- Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:39 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Which brokerage account do you use to buy individual bonds?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 1907
Re: Which brokerage account do you use to buy individual bon
Personally, I am not comfortable picking individual bonds. I used to work for Washington Mutual.
- Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:08 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Which brokerage account do you use to buy individual bonds?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 1907
Re: Which brokerage account do you use to buy individual bon
As of Friday April 19th, there's a new option that might be considered a middle ground between holding individual bonds and a bond mutual fund. The iShares target-date bond ETFs are now available. These are similar in structure and concept to the Guggenheim Bulletshares, but with an expense ratio of .10 vs .24 for the Bulletshares. The shortest maturity date one is here: http://etfs.morningstar.com/quote?t=ibcb There are a total of 4 ETFs with maturity dates of 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2023. I looked at the top five holdings of each at M* and they seem to be holding well-regarded, stable companies like AT&T, Merck, Verizon, Cisco, AnheuserBusch, GE, Glaxo etc. My take is that these would mitigate default risk while insulating you from inte...
- Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:19 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Advise Needed: Create DIY favoring International Index Fund
- Replies: 8
- Views: 1330
Re: Advise Needed: Create DIY favoring International Index F
As part of working my plan to reach a target asset allocation, I plopped $72,000 into the Vanguard Total International ETF the other day and didn't twitch a bit. Buy things when you need them.
- Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:38 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Non-US-resident beginner with large initial investment
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2684
Re: Non-US-resident beginner with large initial investment
Is there a reason why you're not repatriating the proceeds of selling the company to New Zealand? That would simplify your tax life immensely. Are you planning to return to the US in the future and want to have money available there to fund expenses on your return?
- Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:10 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: FBAR and back tax returns for expat
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1361
Re: FBAR and back tax returns for expat
See this link for the latest guidance from the IRS regarding inadvertent non-filing by US citizens living outside the US: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Instructions-for ... -Taxpayers
I work for a well-known tax preparation firm, which recommends filing 3 years of tax returns (don't claim any refunds, e.g. via Making Work Pay credits for 2010) and file 6 years of FBARs. Include the cover sheet designed by the IRS available at the above link. Do NOT enter any amnesty programs (Overseas Voluntary Disclosure Program)...these are for people who deliberately hid or under-reported offshore income.
I work for a well-known tax preparation firm, which recommends filing 3 years of tax returns (don't claim any refunds, e.g. via Making Work Pay credits for 2010) and file 6 years of FBARs. Include the cover sheet designed by the IRS available at the above link. Do NOT enter any amnesty programs (Overseas Voluntary Disclosure Program)...these are for people who deliberately hid or under-reported offshore income.
- Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:44 pm
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Why can US citizen expats not invest w/Vanguard?
- Replies: 72
- Views: 62965
Re: Why can US citizen expats not invest w/Vanguard?
Is it any more expensive to hold Vanguard funds in Fidelity? My current 401K is with Fidelity and I assumed I would roll it over to Vanguard when I left the company and moved to Canada, but I don't want to pay more than what Vanguard charges. It's not more expensive to hold them, but Fidelity will charge a transaction fee (I think it's $75) on all purchases and sales of Vanguard (traditional) mutual funds. If you want to use Vanguard ETF's, you'll pay Fidelity's standard brokerage trading fee (which may be $0 depending on your account types and balances). Buying a Vanguard mutual fund in a Fidelity account involves a $75 fee to purchase; it's free to sell any VG mutual fund shares. You can't buy Admiral class shares, only Investor class sh...
- Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:07 am
- Forum: Non-US Investing
- Topic: Why can US citizen expats not invest w/Vanguard?
- Replies: 72
- Views: 62965
Re: Why can US citizen expats not invest w/Vanguard?
As for the US mailing address, if you want to keep things above board, the important thing is to check the contract terms to see if they require US residency. Vanguard, for example, explicitly told me they require customers to be US residents , therefore merely having a US mailing address would not be sufficient to open an account. Of course... people can still do that, us a mailing address, but it's a form of deception. Vanguard may even suspect that it's the case (wink wink, nod nod), but in the end, if there is any liability, they will claim to have been deceived, and burden will fall on the customer. My experience has been that providing a US mailing address that represents a PMB (Private Mail Box) at The UPS Store etc. may not be suff...
- Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:00 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What the best value in anti-virus software
- Replies: 63
- Views: 9078
Re: What the best value in anti-virus software
+ another 1. Based on these comments, I kicked McAfee to the curb this afternoon and installed MSE. The increase in performance without McAfee is noticeable. Thanks for the tip...I was under the impression from years ago the MicroSquish security stuff sucked.leo383 wrote:stan1 wrote:Microsoft Security Essentials -- free, non-invasive, and generally "good enough" for most home users.
+1
Unless you have some unusual security requirements, MSSE is the way to go.
- Tue Feb 12, 2013 4:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
No offense intended, but I can see no reason at all for having so many funds. I would cut it down to 3 and not more than 5 funds, and I would keep them all with the same company for ease of paperwork. I know you've already decided to "slice and dice," but I think that's a needless and counterproductive investment strategy. Just my two cents. Good luck. Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but now that you bring it up it seems overly complicated to me as well. ... I do agree that 3-5 funds is reasonable. I had 5 (plus cash) myself but I simplified greatly so my beneficiary would not have to understand some complicated slice and dice scheme. Would never happen! Imagine if the OP's beneficiary inherited that 14 fund (plus cash) por...
- Tue Feb 12, 2013 2:59 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
Just wanted to wrap this up and say thanks to everyone for all the help and suggestions. Here's what I'm planning to do for now...it's a bit simpler and definitely lower cost. The target allocation is now 30 stocks / 53 bonds / 7 REIT / 10 cash I reduced High Yield bond to 5%, switched to BSV instead of VCSH to go more conservative on the bonds, switched to a cheaper international bond ETF, eliminated the commodities position (I'll still buy silver Maple Leafs now and then, but that's more of a Doomsday Prepper thing), and eliminated the 2 WisdomTree emerging markets ETFs in favor of more VXUS and VSS, which already contain EM. Taxable 1% cash (for current living expenses; I am 72(t)ing my tIRA and this gets replenished quarterly) Tradition...
- Mon Feb 11, 2013 12:14 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
I can't really help you with those questions. In the last crash, the High Yield Bond fund acted like a stock fund. The Total Bond Market didn't. But if you believe the fund has some qualities that make it somewhat bond like, going half and half or reducing the allocation to 5% are both more reasonable than holding 9% and calling it a bond fund...because in the next crash, it's probably going to act like a stock fund again, don't you think? I do think so, absolutely. I think dropping down to 5% is the way I'll go...makes the spreadsheet simpler and the M* X-ray more accurate. Fido now has an excellent array of Spartan Index funds available. Much better choices than when you made the switch. :D I will definitely look at those...I'm still par...
- Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:28 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
I'm a Canadian citizen with a corporate career in the US, considering whether I will stay here permanently or for as long as I'm working. I could easily move back to Canada from an immigration perspective, but my biggest concern is the size of a portfolio that I will have accumulated here by that time and the currency risk associated with that. I have a few questions for you: 1) Do you have much in the way of assets in Canada? I'm guessing not since you've only listed US assets here. I only have token amounts in GICs (Canadian equivalent to CDs) in an RRSP. My earnings from the seasonal work don't give me much room to contribute to an RRSP. 2) How did you get your 401(k) into a Traditional IRA? (I am under the impression that you can only ...
- Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:02 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
Taking risks and sitting tight during wild market swings is what got me to where I am today... You learned by your own experience in the last crash to count the high yield bonds as stocks. You think it won't happen again, just like last time? Why did you switch back? Since I'm upping my allocation to bonds and simultaneously adding a larger percentage of relatively safer bonds (TIPs, short-term, and floating rate) compared to what I have now, I thought that the high yield could go back in the bond column. I'll consider splitting the high yield 50/50 between counting as equities and counting as bonds. Or is there a percentage in high yield, say 5% of your portfolio, where they could be safely called bonds and will, if the SHTF again, only m...
- Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:18 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
Are you counting that Vanguard High Yield Bond fund as stocks or bonds? These days I'm counting the VWEHX as bonds...when it was 12% of my total portfolio, I counted it as stocks. Starting to categorize it in the equities column was one of the painful lessons of 2008-2009! Maybe I should follow what some folks on the Early Retirement forum do and count is as part bond / part stock. I calculated your total portfolio risk (as proxied by stdev of annual return using mpt covariance analysis) and then compared that risk to several simple stock-bond-cash allocations. I used 10 years of return data from yahoo to calculate variances and correlations. Your current portfolio: 12% volatility A 60-30-10 stock-bond-cash portfolio: 12% volatility A 40-5...
- Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:27 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
Regarding SS. You mention a common law partner, but I suspect that the SS Administration would consider you single.... If you find the math works out that way for you as well, you might consider taking your SS at 62 instead of full retirement age. You should be finished with your 72(t) obligations by then and could start taking less from your nest egg. I have no idea if this is a better idea than your current plan. I did the math for my situation and decided to take my SS at 62 because I have no guarantee of even living to 85 or 86 where it all seemed to break even for me. Just out of curiosity, just how difficult is it to do the 72(t) thing? People seem to want to avoid that at all costs, but it seems to me it would not be difficult at al...
- Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:13 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
too much in Int'l (and developing intl) seems like you're using the guise of protecting against USD fx instead of what seems as a chasing yield play. If you were worried about USD:CAD longterm rates wouldn't you look into a specific CAD:USD type fund, Oil/Energy (to play on canada's petro link currency) or into some canadian funds instead? I'm starting to agree about the over-allocation to international and emerging mkts...I will reduce those to something more like 10-12% versus the 18%+ outlined above. I've held FXC (Currency Shares Canadian Dollar ER .40) and FICDX (Fidelity Canada ER .77) in the past...I'll revisit those or to go the index route, maybe look at EWC (iShares MSCI Canada Index ER .53). I'm hesitant to make sector bets with...
- Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:43 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
Re: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
Are you covered by the Canadian health system? Seems to me living expenses could get really high if not. But maybe that's why you have it so low. Yes, fully covered since 90 days after moving here. I don't pay anything for doctors or hospitalizations; the monthly premiums for that coverage here in BC just went up to $66/month. For vision, dental, prescriptions, chiropractic etc. I am on my own. I appreciate the suggestion on the annuity; I think I will have to seriously look into that when interest rates have gotten back to a more normal level. Congratulations on your win. From one S&Dr to another..... are you sure those <3% and <4% higher cost and higher risk investments are going to make a measurable difference in your portfolios out...
- Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:48 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 5944
'Won the Game' but is this portfolio too conservative?
Hello all--This site has been a tremendous help in starting me on a path away from bad investor behavior. Thanks for all you do. Here's my situation: I immigrated to Canada 5 years ago after a corporate career in the US. I'm semi-retired and make about $10k/year at a seasonal job. My Social Security benefits will cover 80% of my basic living expenses when I start to collect in 11 years (at full retirement age). I would have, admittedly, a lot of holdings with this proposed portfolio, but I lean towards the slice-and-dice approach and do have an IPS to keep things in check. FYI--no access to Admiral funds; I am at Fidelity because Vanguard will not hold accounts for Canadian residents. Emergency funds: Six months of expenses, sitting in *yaw...
- Sat May 12, 2012 10:26 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Social Security earnings history now available online
- Replies: 97
- Views: 10890
Re: Social Security earnings history now available online
It works beautifully as long as you live in the United States. I live in Canada and there is no provision for entering a foreign address to validate. There ARE other places in the world where Social Security future beneficiaries might live besides 'Murka, ya know?
- Fri Aug 12, 2011 12:25 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Do You Invest In Junk Bonds?
- Replies: 40
- Views: 6983
I've got a substantial amount (12% of my total portfolio) in VWEHX. It's a long term holding for me and I count it on the equity side of my asset allocation, not the bond side. And it can be volatile...during the 2008-2009 meltdown, it declined about 30% just like stocks. But the yield of 7% is pretty sweet right now.
- Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:36 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Best place for US citizen in Canada to hold Roth IRA
- Replies: 12
- Views: 4217
This seems like Vanguard are making things more difficult than they need to. ...It would appear that they will be losing out with people moving their IRAs to other custodians if they do not allow new contributions in and/or trading within the account. On a related point, how do distributions from an IRA work for someone with a foreign address at Vanguard? This would constitute activity. Cheers, Sam Vanguard is not 'licensed' to do provide investment services in Canada, is what I was told when they started restricting trading in 2008. They would let me keep my holdings as a US citizen/Canadian resident, but I could not add new money, trade from one fund into another, or buy new funds/securities. I could take distributions, reinvest CG/Divid...
- Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:29 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Best place for US citizen in Canada to hold Roth IRA
- Replies: 12
- Views: 4217
I'm a US citizen, living in Canada for the past 3 years. I'm semi-retired and plan to stay here permanently. Fidelity will happily work with you as a non-resident. Some things, like buying new issue CDs, you'll have to do over the phone with them. Otherwise you can transact in your account (buy, sell, switch) online with no restrictions. I moved all my retirement assets to them from Vanguard, after Vanguard started restricting what I could do in my accounts as a Canadian resident. The ploy of using a mailbox at the UPS store etc. does not work...opening a brokerage account triggers a search, comparing your supplied address on the application form with known commercial addresses. The brokerage firm will contact you for your actual, residenti...