Search found 2088 matches

by Bfwolf
Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nice home, nice neighborhood, unsavory neighbors – options?
Replies: 92
Views: 10643

Re: Nice home, nice neighborhood, unsavory neighbors – options?

I am very sorry you are going through this.

Buying the house anonymously seems like the best solution to me if you can pull it off. With the owner not even living there, this seems pretty attainable. For someone without a lot of money and potentially a drug habit, a few hundred grand in cash will sound pretty appealing.

I’d just make the offer knowing the place is going to be trashed and will need a full remodel.
by Bfwolf
Sat Jan 20, 2024 3:15 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can I retire and how to withdraw money
Replies: 36
Views: 7830

Re: Can I retire and how to withdraw money

You have $2.5M of real estate that does not cash flow. Is it an appreciation play? Do you have some near term plan for getting reasonable cash flow out of them? Are you renting at cost to family members? If “No” to all, I don’t see any point in the real estate. Sell. I imagine the point is the principal they are paying against their mortgage every month. If somebody puts 20% down on a rental property with a 30 year mortgage, and it doesn't cash flow for the next 30 years, at the end they have dramatically increased their investment because they now own 100% of the property. That's a 5.51% real rate of return by my calculation, which ain't shabby. And if there's price appreciation above inflation, that's even more return. Once the property ...
by Bfwolf
Sat Jan 20, 2024 2:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone use Bilt to pay rent?
Replies: 102
Views: 12396

Re: Anyone use Bilt to pay rent?

StrangePenguin wrote: Sat Jan 20, 2024 1:01 am I just heard about this card and I'm definitely intrigued since right now I obviously get no cash back on my rent payments.

Their redemption options don't thrill me, as I usually find myself flying Southwest.

I notice that they have some mention on their web page of redeeming the points to shop at Amazon. This would be great, because I spend plenty of money at amazon. They give no details of the value though -- how much credit at amazon does 1 point get you? Does anybody have any experience with this?
Amazon is .7 cpp. Terrible value.

Do you ever (or would you ever) stay at a Hyatt? Bilt transfers to Hyatt and that is typically a high value redemption.
by Bfwolf
Sat Jan 20, 2024 2:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone use Bilt to pay rent?
Replies: 102
Views: 12396

Re: Anyone use Bilt to pay rent?

Grogs wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 11:49 am
- When I look on the Bilt website, it tells me I'm Blue status, but after X,XXX points I'll reach Silver status. Does that actually change anything? Better points accrual/redemption rates? Or is it just some goofy marketing ploy to get people to spend more?
The status can be meaningful for their rent day promotions. On January 1, they offered between 75% and 150% transfer bonus to Flying Blue, Virgin, and IHG depending on our status. I was gold so got a 125% bonus. Transferred all my points to Flying Blue. Normally I don't do speculative transfers but 125% is ridiculous and I lose my gold status at the end of this month.
by Bfwolf
Sat Jan 20, 2024 2:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone use Bilt to pay rent?
Replies: 102
Views: 12396

Re: Anyone use Bilt to pay rent?

Impatience wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:33 am I barely even transact 5 times per month. I would have to move all my subscriptions onto it and then I’d lose out on cash back. That is an annoying requirement.

Wonder if there’s an e-commerce site I can spam transactions at for it to buy, I don’t know, $1 bills? :?
I just do 5 Amazon reloads of $1 once a month.
by Bfwolf
Fri Dec 22, 2023 10:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Glacier National Park lodging question
Replies: 7
Views: 1301

Re: Glacier National Park lodging question

I've never stayed at the Prince of Wales hotel, but I have stayed at Many Glacier. It's excellent and I'd plan on 2 nights there.
by Bfwolf
Tue Dec 05, 2023 1:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 41416

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

At a 4% real rate of return, the FV of $200,000 after 40 years is almost a million dollars. Is going to Berkeley going to have provided a million dollars in today's $s of value when it's time for your kid to retire? I think the better ROI comparison is between the delta of the average starting salaries of a Berkeley Engineering vs UF Engineering grad compounded over a 40 year career, against the $200k investment I don't think this is a fair comparison as stated. The average starting salary gap for a Berkeley engineering grad compared to a Florida grad is dramatically inflated by: 1) Selection bias. Berkeley gets better students and therefore gets better results, which has nothing to do with what the university provides. 2) Location bias. B...
by Bfwolf
Mon Dec 04, 2023 12:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 41416

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

At a 4% real rate of return, the FV of $200,000 after 40 years is almost a million dollars. Is going to Berkeley going to have provided a million dollars in today's $s of value when it's time for your kid to retire? I am a Berkeley alum, and I doubt that it will have. I'm also suspicious of the idea of allowing your child free rein to make the decision. What reason does your daughter have to particularly care about $200,000 of YOUR money? Now if you were going to give her the $200,000 if she chose Florida, that would be very different. But even so, 18 year olds are just generally not well equipped to understand the value of money, especially not numbers that big. I almost chose out of state U of Michigan over in-state Berkeley. Changed my m...
by Bfwolf
Fri Nov 03, 2023 5:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Copay PLUS deductible/coinsurance?
Replies: 3
Views: 693

Copay PLUS deductible/coinsurance?

I am deciding between 2 Obamacare plans. Plan A (Blue Cross Blue Shield) premiums are about $1,000 a year less than Plan B (United Health Care). But Plan B is HSA eligible which cuts the effective difference down to about $500. Plan B also has a lower deductible and OOP max though I don't expect to hit them for either. One thing giving me pause about Plan A is the way the costs are described for outpatient facilities and emergency room visits. For in-network outpatient facilities, it's "$300 Copayment with deductible/50% coinsurance after deductible." If you drill into the limits/exclusions it says "Member will be responsible for copay per outpatient surgery admission before and after meeting the plan deductible. The remainde...
by Bfwolf
Sun Sep 24, 2023 12:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Full solar ECLIPSE April 2024!
Replies: 80
Views: 9596

Re: Full solar ECLIPSE April 2024!

I saw the 2017 eclipse near St Louis and it was awesome.

Some friends and I are flying down to Austin for 2024. Worst case, we get a fun weekend in Austin.
by Bfwolf
Sun Jul 16, 2023 11:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best way to live in Chicago
Replies: 42
Views: 4896

Re: Best way to live in Chicago

I don't understand why booking a hotel would get old quick as you say. Find a good hotel you like in the area that's convenient and stay there every time. You'll earn points and eventually status which isn't worth a ton, but perhaps a later checkout and a rare room upgrade. Booking a different Airbnb every trip... trying to find it, find transportation, and figure out where everything is in the apartment... now that would get old quick. Check in and check out process get pretty annoying and it doesnt feel at home (rightfully so) but you are right airbnb is worse. This is honestly a pretty silly objection. As mentioned by Dukeblue, you don't have to check in and out. You can do all that virtually and use your mobile phone as your key. Doesn...
by Bfwolf
Thu Jun 01, 2023 3:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help my family plan a trip to Japan
Replies: 37
Views: 3975

Re: Help my family plan a trip to Japan

JudgeLess wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 11:31 am Regarding mobile phone use, we used Ubigi, a data only service, for navigation, internet access, and messaging(WhatsApp). You must have a phone that is unlocked and esim capable. The coverage was very good, even in remote areas, and was 5G most of the time. The cost was $18 for 10 gig of data and was good for a month. For us, it was more convenient than wifi hotspot. With extensive use over 20 days I used about 4 gig of data(no downloading of videos, tho).
I have done Japan with a wifi hotspot and with Ubigi. Ubigi is much more convenient. If your phones are e-sim compatible, I recommend it.
by Bfwolf
Tue May 30, 2023 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Amending taxes after paying a penalty
Replies: 3
Views: 381

Re: Amending taxes after paying a penalty

What I'm asking if if I file my amendment with just the HSA change, will IL come back and say I owe them $10 again because I'm not including the penalty nor the fact that I paid it in the amended return.
by Bfwolf
Tue May 30, 2023 2:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Amending taxes after paying a penalty
Replies: 3
Views: 381

Amending taxes after paying a penalty

I e-filed my federal and IL taxes. IL came back and said I owed something like $10 because I paid my Q1 estimated taxes late. No problem, I paid that on their online payment system. No form needed to be filed.

Now I'm realizing I did not include my HSA contribution as a deduction in my taxes. So I've got an amendment going on Turbotax. Turbotax doesn't know about this $10 penalty I paid to IL. It makes no difference to the amount of money I'm owed as a refund, but the absolute numbers on my new return are $10 off what my actuals ended up being. i.e. the total amount I paid is $10 too low and the total amount I owed (including the penalty) is $10 too low. Do I need to include the fact that I owed a penalty and paid it in my amendment?
by Bfwolf
Tue May 16, 2023 12:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Penalties on early withdrawal from Roth IRAs
Replies: 8
Views: 972

Re: Penalties on early withdrawal from Roth IRAs

I thought about this interpretation, and the more I'm reading, the more it sounds like this is right, but the way it is phrased is slightly ambiguous. Are you 100% sure of this interpretation? For those looking on, here is the relevant part from the IRS doc: 1. Regular contributions. 2. Conversion and rollover contributions, on a first-in, first-out basis.... It's consistent with the Distributions description in the Roth IRA wiki article, particularly the "first-in, first-out" wording: Regular contributions Taxable portion of first conversion (portion that was taxed at time of conversion) Nontaxable portion of first conversion Each subsequent conversion, in order, with the taxable portion coming out first for each conversion Earn...
by Bfwolf
Mon May 15, 2023 10:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Penalties on early withdrawal from Roth IRAs
Replies: 8
Views: 972

Re: Penalties on early withdrawal from Roth IRAs

The ordering rules from Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) say that contributions come out first, then conversions first-in, first-out (aggregating all conversions from a year). Within a year, taxable conversions come out first. Thus Jane can withdraw $30K of 2014-2019 conversions penalty-free. She then withdraws the 2020 conversion, so the next $30K she withdraws is subject to the 10% penalty. And John can withdraw $45K of 2013 contribution and 2014-2021 conversions penalty-free. The next $50 he withdraws is subject to the 10% penalty. I thought about this interpretation, and the more I'm reading, the more it sounds like this is right, but the way it is phrased is slightly ambiguous. Are you 10...
by Bfwolf
Mon May 15, 2023 6:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Penalties on early withdrawal from Roth IRAs
Replies: 8
Views: 972

Penalties on early withdrawal from Roth IRAs

I'm trying to get my head around when penalties might be owed on withdrawals from Roth IRAs prior to age 59.5 if there's no penalty exception. Let's take married couple John and Jane. John has the following contributions/conversions to his Roth IRA: 2013: $5,000 contribution 2014: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2015: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2016: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2017: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2018: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2019: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2020: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2021: $5,000 IRA conversion, none of it taxable 2022: $5,050 IRA conversion, $50 of it taxable (he waited a bit after making his contribut...
by Bfwolf
Thu May 04, 2023 5:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: CD discussion thread
Replies: 1214
Views: 189511

Re: CD discussion thread

MikeG62 wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 5:04 pm I just opened an IRA CD at Langley - think it’s 22-month at 5.35%.

Whether that will be around in 30 days I can’t say. Keep an eye on it though.
It looks like this is expired.

https://www.depositaccounts.com/banks/l ... ance%20cap.
by Bfwolf
Thu May 04, 2023 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: CD discussion thread
Replies: 1214
Views: 189511

Re: CD discussion thread

I have a large IRA CD maturing in less than a month. Can anyone advise what's the best option for a 30+ month IRA-eligible CD going forward? If there's nothing good, I guess I'll just roll it into my Vanguard account and buy a bond mutual fund.
by Bfwolf
Mon Apr 17, 2023 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Salsa Alternatives
Replies: 36
Views: 4275

Re: Salsa Alternatives

DTalos wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:26 pm Do you think Rotel is worth the extra $ vs generic fire roasted diced tomatoes?
These aren't really substitutes. Rotel is diced tomatoes with green chilies. Fire roasted is a process that is used on the tomatoes--they don't have green chilies in them. Both could be reasonably used to make your own salsa, depending on the kind of salsa you want. But neither would make a very good salsa in and of themselves--they'd need other ingredients.
by Bfwolf
Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Choosing colleges
Replies: 146
Views: 10349

Re: Choosing colleges

cshell2 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:47 am However, I'm not sure I'd base a college decision on climate. I'd argue most CSE students at UMN are spending the majority of their time holed up inside studying or playing video games anyhow. :wink:
You may well be right. OP and OP's kid will know themselves better than we will.

If OP's kid has never lived anywhere cold before though, they may underestimate how much they'll dislike the MN winter. When I was choosing my college, I almost picked Michigan over Cal. I ended up going to Cal mostly because it was in state and so cheaper. I later did live in Michigan and I was blown away by how much winter sucked. I'm so glad I didn't go there for college. I had never lived anywhere cold before so didn't realize how tough it can be.
by Bfwolf
Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Choosing colleges
Replies: 146
Views: 10349

Re: Choosing colleges

I've lived in Minnesota my entire life. Minneapolis winters are not that bad. The snow is cleared quickly and the U of MN has many buildings that are connected if there are particularly bad days. Whether Minnesota winters are bad or not is of course a matter of opinion. I would argue that you having lived in MN your whole life actually makes you a poor judge. This is what life has always been like for you. And perhaps you enjoy the activities that many Minnesotans enjoy in the Winter, having grown up with it. I have found that most homegrown Minnesotans are in love with the state, but that love does not necessarily translate to those that move there. I lived in warm weather places the first 24 years of my life. I've since lived mostly in c...
by Bfwolf
Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Choosing colleges
Replies: 146
Views: 10349

Re: Choosing colleges

I would not consider Merced. It is the ugly stepchild of the UC system. I also wouldn't consider Stony Brook for all the reasons mentioned upthread.

ASU and Minnesota are both reasonable choices. Minnesota is a marginally better school academically. The weather is a HUGE factor though. I personally would not want to deal with 4 Minnesota winters when I could be in sunny Arizona. Minnesota winters are some of the most brutal in the nation. Given kids are out of school in the Summer, Arizona's awful Summer heat isn't a factor. ASU being cheaper doesn't hurt either. $18K a year is nothing to sneeze at. Would be great if he could get into the honors college.
by Bfwolf
Sat Feb 04, 2023 5:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Kid school COVID testing surprise bill - does this seem like a scam?
Replies: 37
Views: 5553

Re: Kid school COVID testing surprise bill - does this seem like a scam?

Is there some sort of social media group for your kids' school? You're probably not the only person who got caught up in this. Somebody else probably has done the dirty work to come up with the answer.
by Bfwolf
Sun Oct 23, 2022 5:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1422033

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

i thought 2022 was gonna be the year i'd "quit the points" game and just operate on straight cashback. i have multiple BoA cards with preferred rewards so all category spend is 5.25% for me. for the longest time i believed all the bloggers, putting UR/MR points at 2cpp, but eventually i accepted the truth that i would never get that because i only fly domestic/economy. for me, it's 1cpp. i used up all my UR points since PYB made it super easy. used up most of my MR points for a recent trip. called chase to see if i had any redemption offers, and had none. product changed my reserve. and then the new kid on the block shows up -- venture x. so now i have a ton of points from the sign up bonus... since it's been 4+ years since i got...
by Bfwolf
Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Machu Pichhu in June 2023
Replies: 44
Views: 4524

Re: Machu Pichhu in June 2023

Hi Andy, I was just in Peru in December and I did the 2 day Machu Picchu trail and Huayna Picchu so I hope I have something valuable to add to this conversation. Back in December, tourism was still way down in Peru. So we had no issues with overcrowding and we were able to get a private guide for the two of us for an excellent price. The guide we used had only led something like 5 tours in all of 2021! I am sure by June it will have returned to much of its former level of tourism, so you'll surely encounter some differences in your trip than mine. I'll DM you my guide's info. I liked him, a solid 7.5 out of 10. Very responsible, knew a lot about the Incas, good English but not quite fully conversational which is my only ding on him. You cou...
by Bfwolf
Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I am losing my house cause of my ignorance. Please advice.
Replies: 312
Views: 37359

Re: I am losing my house cause of my ignorance. Please advice.

OP, as you've admitted, your friend was in the right. He took a major financial risk putting 10% down--what if the market had crashed? He would've potentially been out all his money.

I think your best two options here are:

1) Sell the house and split the proceeds

2) Move out and rent the house out since you have a great interest rate and split the rent proceeds. Someday in the future when you sell the house, you'll split the proceeds.

If you go with #1, I don't think you need a lawyer if you and your friend are in agreement on splitting the proceeds 50/50.

If you go with #2, you definitely need to get this stuff formalized and I would go with the lawyer route.
by Bfwolf
Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I am losing my house cause of my ignorance. Please advice.
Replies: 312
Views: 37359

Re: I am losing my house cause of my ignorance. Please advice.

Marseille07 wrote: Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:05 pm
randomguy wrote: Mon Sep 12, 2022 1:36 pm Wouldn't you be happier living there another 5 years, paying 3k towards a mortgage instead of 4k towards a rental, and then sell in 5 years? You need to know what the alternative is before deciding selling is the best choice. It might be selling. It might be continuing the arrangement. But definitely get it all in writing if that is the path you go down...
No, because the OP has a person on their back, demanding 50% of the proceeds without paying the mortgage.

Eliminating this mess should be their utmost priority, not prolonging.
Hasn't been paying the mortgage but also hasn't been receiving rent or the value of living in the house. Probably somewhat close to a wash.
by Bfwolf
Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Airline promised hotel reimbursement, then rejected my claim
Replies: 34
Views: 4809

Re: Airline promised hotel reimbursement, then rejected my claim

I’m sorry this happened to you and I’m sorry that a few of the responses you’ve received are showing a lack of empathy. It’s the way it goes on this forum unfortunately. I had more or less the same thing happen to me with United. Flight got canceled late at night. I was rebooked for the morning. They were out of vouchers but told me I could submit my claim. Then I was denied because it was my home airport. I wrote a retort saying I was promised the reimbursement, that I had tried to keep costs reasonable by choosing an affordable hotel and using the shuttle rather than an Uber, and that it would have been very inconvenient for me to take public transport home and back again. United reversed their position and sent me reimbursement. But I wa...
by Bfwolf
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:13 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Rental car additional driver and insurance coverage
Replies: 8
Views: 1325

Re: Rental car additional driver and insurance coverage

Thanks for the input. The rental is in Romania and it does appear there is a boatload of mandator liability coverage so shouldn't be an issue. I also didn't realize that personal car insurance policies don't cover overseas rentals.
by Bfwolf
Sat Jul 09, 2022 6:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Rental car additional driver and insurance coverage
Replies: 8
Views: 1325

Rental car additional driver and insurance coverage

I am traveling overseas with some friends. Friend 1 has a car and personal auto insurance. Friend 2 and I don't. Friend 1 is fine renting the car in her name, but doesn't want to do all the driving, so would like to add one or both of us as additional drivers to the rental contract. I have always been a little wary of driving rental cars on group trips because I do not have a car and so don't have auto insurance. I realize that I can purchase the insurance from the rental company but this is often expensive. Nonetheless, I have driven on several trips with nothing more than the basic third party coverage required by law baked into all rental car prices. My credit card has always provided excellent coverage on damage to the rental car. So pr...
by Bfwolf
Tue Jun 21, 2022 10:34 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Inflation-adjusted SPIAs are extinct. [was: Are Inflation-adjusted SPIAs extinct?]
Replies: 84
Views: 7099

Re: Inflation-adjusted SPIAs are extinct. [was: Are Inflation-adjusted SPIAs extinct?]

randomguy wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:58 pm
I have always wondered if the price was too high or if people just didn't want to pay for the value of the insurance. You can go back and read examples where people go the inflation adjusted one will take til your 100 to come out ahead if inflation is only 2%. And they were right. Now that the risk has shown that you were paying to protect against lets say the break even turns out to be when you are 84, they now seem like a great deal.
Indeed, all the people who said in 2019 that these inflation adjusted SPIAs were priced insanely and you’d have to be out of your mind to purchase one look quite foolish now.
by Bfwolf
Tue Jun 21, 2022 3:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Inflation-adjusted SPIAs are extinct. [was: Are Inflation-adjusted SPIAs extinct?]
Replies: 84
Views: 7099

Re: Inflation-adjusted SPIAs are extinct. [was: Are Inflation-adjusted SPIAs extinct?]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I found the conversation from 2019 interesting. One of the things discussed was whether inflation adjusted SPIAs are dead because it's difficult for insurers to hedge the risk on their end or whether it was a demand issue because purchasers were scared off by the large delta in payout between inflation-adjusted and non-inflation-adjusted SPIAs, especially in a world where we haven't had significant inflation in a long time. Or maybe both.

If it's a demand issue alone, my expectation would be that insurers would soon revive the inflation adjusted SPIA as the current high inflation has surely drummed up demand for inflation adjusted SPIAs.
by Bfwolf
Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: People are FOMO flocking to Portugal
Replies: 131
Views: 26697

Re: People are FOMO flocking to Portugal

The big draws for Portugal are:

1) It's basically the cheapest/easiest way to get EU citizenship.

2) Good weather

3) Affordable for a first world country

4) English spoken fairly well. Certainly nothing like a Scandinavian country but far better than Spain.
by Bfwolf
Tue Jun 14, 2022 1:59 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Day the 4% Rule Died
Replies: 368
Views: 42573

Re: The Day the 4% Rule Died

HomerJ wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:57 am 4% hasn't died yet.

You just made up a bunch of junk.

If it happens, THEN you can say 4% died back in 2021-2022.
Exactly right. A plausible scenario where I win the lottery is I pick 12, 18, 22, 30, 34, and 49 and the numbers are 12, 18, 22, 30, 34, and 49. That doesn't mean it's something I should make life decisions on or spend any time thinking about--it's very unlikely.

[Lewd comment removed by moderator oldcomputerguy]
by Bfwolf
Fri May 13, 2022 1:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: anyone else tax loss harvesting like crazy?
Replies: 154
Views: 22149

Re: anyone else tax loss harvesting like crazy?

Hi hornet96, You wrote - you are in fact making a market timing decision by standing back and doing nothing today So according to you, if you are a buy and hold investor who stays the course and doesn't sell & buy you are a market timer. That's a very " interesting " POV. BobK Bob, I'd encourage you to rethink your position. Exchanging from one security to an extremely similar security is clearly not market timing. "Buy and hold" is also not the same thing as "staying the course." You can stay the course by tax loss harvesting into a very similar security. Tax loss harvesting has clear financial advantages to most people based on current tax law. You can argue the juice is not worth the squeeze, and I'd di...
by Bfwolf
Thu May 05, 2022 9:36 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Maturing CD
Replies: 8
Views: 1463

Re: Maturing CD

I have a 6 figure CD (share certificate technically) in a Navy Federal IRA that is maturing on June 7. It's earned 3.68% APR for 40 months which has been pretty nice. I have another 6 figure Navy Federal IRA CD maturing in a year earning 2.96%. I have versions of both of these CD's. While mine obviously have different amounts and maturity dates, they are the same Navy FCU offers. You may have an additional option. Here's a description of the 2.96% (APY 3.0%) CD that you have maturing in a year link . It indicates the CD is "capped at $150k. Additional deposits are allowed throughout the term, subject to the $150k balance cap." I'm not sure if that allows you to add deposits up to $150K or you can add funds if your balance (deposi...
by Bfwolf
Wed May 04, 2022 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Maturing CD
Replies: 8
Views: 1463

Re: Maturing CD

jeffyscott wrote: Wed May 04, 2022 3:25 pm I would have vanguard send them a transfer request that will say "transfer upon maturity". I would then check that the credit union gets the transfer request and knows not to renew the CD.

I am in the middle of a similar transfer from a bank to a different brokerage and that's what I did. My money left the bank the Monday after the CD matured on Saturday.

I think you may need to wait until less than 30 days from the maturity date to start the process. I would guess that you can start the process online at vanguard, but there will be a paper form to sign and upload.
Really helpful. Thanks!
by Bfwolf
Wed May 04, 2022 2:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Maturing CD
Replies: 8
Views: 1463

Maturing CD

I have a 6 figure CD (share certificate technically) in a Navy Federal IRA that is maturing on June 7. It's earned 3.68% APR for 40 months which has been pretty nice. I have another 6 figure Navy Federal IRA CD maturing in a year earning 2.96%. With the CD maturing in a month, my current thinking is I just roll the $s to my Vanguard IRA and invest in something like the Total Bond Market index fund there. It doesn't look like there are any IRA CD offerings out there right now with significantly superior yield? Just want to double check my thought process against the Boglehead brain trust. I've also never done this. Do I just call Navy Federal and tell them what I want to do with the maturing share certificate? I appreciate your help in advan...
by Bfwolf
Wed Apr 27, 2022 8:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dublin to Belfast Travel
Replies: 17
Views: 1937

Re: Dublin to Belfast Travel

I took the bus from the airport and it was great. I believe I paid in cash and they accept Euros or Pounds.

Also highly recommend this walking tour.

https://deadcentretours.com/tours/a-his ... -the-tour/
by Bfwolf
Tue Apr 26, 2022 12:12 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6658
Views: 1241600

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

Sorry if this has already been covered.

Last week, I went into Treasury Direct and put in an I-bond purchase for this Friday 4/29. I have read some things that suggest the purchase has to actually be this Thursday for the I bond to be in the account in time to lock in the 7.1% 6 month rate. Is this true? If so, I am hoping I can cancel my order and replace it with a Thursday purchase.
by Bfwolf
Sat Apr 16, 2022 4:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Traditional vs Roth and impact on Obamacare subsidies
Replies: 4
Views: 603

Re: Traditional vs Roth and impact on Obamacare subsidies

Thanks for the thoughts, guys. I think I might put $9K or $10K in the Roth, leaving me a little wiggle room in case I've missed some taxable bank account bonus or some other 1099 and have to amend to a higher income level.
by Bfwolf
Sat Apr 16, 2022 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Traditional vs Roth and impact on Obamacare subsidies
Replies: 4
Views: 603

Traditional vs Roth and impact on Obamacare subsidies

Hi Boglehead friends, I'm wrapping up my taxes and have finished everything except deciding how much of my 2021 IRA and solo 401k contributions will go into traditional vs Roth. I've got $6,000 in IRA and $19,500 in 401k contributions to play with here. I put in $1,000 intervals into Turbotax and discovered that as I go from 100% traditional toward 100% Roth, the implied federal+state tax rate is 13.3% up until I've got $11,000 in the Roth. Going to $12,000 in the Roth causes a sharp increase in taxes. The relatively low 13.3% marginal rate and the sharp increase at $12,000 in a Roth are both artifacts of me receiving a fairly large (~$4K) Obamacare advanced premium tax credit. Even at 100% traditional, it turns out I only "deserved&qu...
by Bfwolf
Sun Sep 19, 2021 1:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Barclaycard Firing Me As A Client?
Replies: 16
Views: 3426

Re: Is Barclaycard Firing Me As A Client?

Barclays has terrible customer service and IT.
by Bfwolf
Thu Sep 02, 2021 12:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Golden Age of TV over? Any "great" shows still being made?
Replies: 129
Views: 12762

Re: Golden Age of TV over? Any "great" shows still being made?

In general I don't think there's anything on that compares to the likes of The Sopranos, The Wire, or Breaking Bad.

I enjoyed Ozark, but it's not quite at that level.

Ted Lasso is very good at what it is.
by Bfwolf
Fri Aug 06, 2021 9:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: employer throwing me into the meat grinder - need to be talked off the ledge
Replies: 146
Views: 24394

Re: employer throwing me into the meat grinder - need to be talked off the ledge

I'm guessing you will receive a substantial benefit from Social Security. That reduces your withdrawal rate even further.

I don't see any reasonable scenario where you're not fine retiring as long as you invest reasonably, like a 50/50 portfolio.
by Bfwolf
Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility
Replies: 8
Views: 1564

Re: ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility

I had a similar issue in IL. I put our income will be $32k this year. I got a letter saying that our income is $12k (???) and we may be eligible for Medicaid and they are sending it to the state. Of course, we were denied because Medicaid has a lot of tests in IL. I called and the rep didn't really know anything. I went and submitted a new application with a higher income and all is good. We can also manage our income and our income is irrelevant this year due to spouse being unemployed (so no income caps/phaseouts for ACA). Unless I am missing it when I go in and look at past applications I cannot see the income I entered. I called in and the rep was unhelpful. She suggested I could go in and edit my income on the DHS Illinois website but...
by Bfwolf
Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility
Replies: 8
Views: 1564

Re: ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility

calwatch wrote: Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:54 pm You need to make sure that your social service agency discontinues you from Medicaid. This is how it works in California, and it may work the same in your state: https://insuremekevin.com/medi-cal-cove ... come-snag/
Alright, I added a bit to my income and now am back to being ineligible for Medicaid according to healthcare.gov and I re-selected my ACA plan.

I'll try and call Illinois Medicaid tomorrow and see how in the world I prevent them from processing my eligibility.

Thanks for the advice.
by Bfwolf
Tue Jun 01, 2021 5:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility
Replies: 8
Views: 1564

Re: ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility

Great find. It says $17,775 is the minimum now. Not sure how they got there but I reported an amount slightly lower. I’m gonna try and report a slightly higher income and see if that solves it.
by Bfwolf
Tue Jun 01, 2021 5:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility
Replies: 8
Views: 1564

ACA Oopsie - Medicaid eligibility

Seems like I may have screwed up. I am self employed and have an ACA marketplace plan through Cigna. I have a lot of ability to "manage" my income with Solo 401k and IRA contributions, so had enrolled with an expected income of ~$17,600, above the 138% of federal poverty level required to get medicaid in Illinois, where I live. Recently, Cigna sent me a letter saying with the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, I might be eligible for a larger subsidy or more government subsidies. So I went into healthcare.gov, reported a life change, and didn't change anything (reported the same income). And my new eligibility letter says I may be eligible for free or low cost coverage through Illinois Medicaid! I don't want to be on Medicaid. I trie...