Search found 10645 matches

by bertilak
Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Buying a Home: Am I Required to retain Escrow Services?
Replies: 14
Views: 784

Re: Buying a Home: Am I Required to retain Escrow Services?

A couple of houses back I asked if I could skip having an escrow account and was told "Sure, no problem" only to be surprised at the closing with a hefty "no escrow" fee! It was simplest to pay it to get through the closing in a timely fashion. If I remember correctly, that fee was rolled into the amount of the mortgage. Even so, it was cheaper than making the monthly escrow payments.
by bertilak
Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mobile finance apps - do you use them?
Replies: 52
Views: 3982

Re: Mobile finance apps - do you use them?

lthenderson wrote: Mon Nov 11, 2019 2:41 pm ... data loggers to get the information you use to log into your accounts.
All my accounts have ID and password but I never use those on the phone. I only use my fingerprint, so there is no data to capture, at least not easily. I don't consider myself to warrant extraordinary effort.
by bertilak
Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: "22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22" (acc. to the NYT)
Replies: 29
Views: 2872

Re: "22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22" (acc. to the NYT)

Never heard of any of them.

I have found that much comedy has a short shelf life -- not re-readable. I suppose if you must list 20, there will be more brass than gold. Here are a few I like and have read more than once:
  • Anything by P. G. Woodhouse. I've mostly read the "Jeeves" books. But also found The Clicking of Cuthbert pretty good. ("Clicking" is golf and I don't even like golf but the writing is hilarious.)
  • Three Men on a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.
  • A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. There is more than humor in this one.
  • Various Damon Runyon stories. He is unique.
There are more but those are the ones that came to mind.
by bertilak
Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???
Replies: 45
Views: 3864

Re: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???

Miriam2 wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 12:50 am I drive a big old white Chevy Suburban. Other cars don't mess with me and the police don't pull me over :mrgreen:
I know the feeling. Years ago I drove an International Harvester Travelall.
by bertilak
Thu Mar 14, 2024 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retiring at 77 - Annuity vs. investment income
Replies: 17
Views: 2628

Re: Retiring at 77 - Annuity vs. investment income

ScubaHogg wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2024 2:39 am
Arlington2019 wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2024 12:03 pm I think a SPIA would… protect against longevity risk.
A non-inflation adjusted SPIA doesn’t protect against longevity risk.
That's why you have other investments which can be used to "top up" the annuity payments on an as-needed basis.

Once you have an annuity, any shortfall will be small potatoes compared to the annuity's current payout so it is entirely reasonable (after a few years) to have enough in investments to make up this relatively small shortfall -- especially because the annuity payments mean one did not need to dig into the investments, which are free to grow/compound.
by bertilak
Mon Mar 11, 2024 2:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS
Replies: 69
Views: 6687

Re: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS

marcopolo wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 2:07 pm ...
This is really no different than what a firm like Edward Jones does.

Create a more complex portfolio than necessary, that accomplishes nothing, other than giving the impression of adding some value.
The portfolio they created for me is not complex. It is pretty close to my original portfolio:

Minor change 1: Instead of changing my S&P500 to Total Stock, a completion fund was added. This is he sane way to do it.
Minor change 2: Added a "spending" money market fund. It has a purpose in giving me a way to add or subtract dollars from their management.
Minor change 3: Added international bonds. It's not something I would do on my own, but I see their point of view.
by bertilak
Mon Mar 11, 2024 1:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS
Replies: 69
Views: 6687

Re: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS

Recently, as I’ve tried to write a set of instructions for my wife to follow in the event of my demise, I’m finding that the what (names of financial institutions, account numbers, phone numbers, etc.) is pretty simple. But the how and why (Roth conversions, rebalancing, QCDs, sequencing of key financial events, etc.) is a lot more complicated and results in increasingly complex explanations that she may have trouble following. I did write a set of instructions with the things you mention. Beside the how and why , I included the how not and why not . Overall, it covered a lot of ground and I realized all the points I made would not survive so I added a section near the front recommending she sign up with PAS. Shortly I came to the same con...
by bertilak
Mon Mar 11, 2024 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need better sound for music enjoyment
Replies: 20
Views: 2888

Re: Need better sound for music enjoyment

See if you have a store near you that specializes in audio. You will probably want bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer.
by bertilak
Mon Mar 11, 2024 11:42 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS
Replies: 69
Views: 6687

Re: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS

Here is what the advisor will do to my portfolio: Change my AA from 67/33 to 70/30. My income (SS, pension, annuity) to expense ratio is about 1, even ignoring investment income, so that risk level is appropriate. Add a completion index fund to pick up small- and mid-cap because the bulk of my equity allocation is in S&P500. Add international bonds, because that's the Vanguard way. Add a money market fund in addition to the settlement fund for our use in drawing cash from the portfolio. I forget why this is better than the settlement fund . Money in here does NOT count towards the 30 basis point commission. More on that extra fund: It is called the "spending fund." PAS says ... Your spending fund is used to contribute to and ...
by bertilak
Sun Mar 10, 2024 6:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS
Replies: 69
Views: 6687

Re: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS

boomer543 wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 6:13 pm OP here: one commenter remarked that Vanguard may be “timing the market” with its extensive research on markets and then making occasional broad adjustments to clients’ PAS portfolios. That is not market timing. On the other hand, Vanguard offers 5 actively managed funds only for PAS clients as part of its services. We have a small position of about 2% of our overall portfolio in Vanguard Capital Opportunity Fund.
My advisor-to-be did not offer or even mention these PAS-only funds. Maybe I got a good one!
by bertilak
Sun Mar 10, 2024 12:46 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: IRA allocation with RMDs not needed for living expenses
Replies: 8
Views: 855

Re: IRA allocation with RMDs not needed for living expenses

These topics covers asset allocation with limited resources. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=361429 and https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=406769 What about the opposite situation where withdrawal rates is not an issue? For BHs of RMD age, how do you allocate assets in an tIRA when the RMDs are not needed for living expenses, nursing care and just "wild" money? This assumes that only the RMD is withdrawn each year. With a relatively long time frame (10 years) it seems 100% VOO (SP500) is an option to maximize the final value for heirs or charity. One can convert tIRA to a Roth but for a large IRA balance, Roth conversion takes time unless you want to move way up in the tax/IRMAA bracket. The questio...
by bertilak
Sun Mar 10, 2024 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS
Replies: 69
Views: 6687

Re: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS

PersonalFinanceJam wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:58 am
bertilak wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:45 am
P.S. The "S" in PAS stands for "Select." That's a recent (I think) change from "Service." That may be to distinguish it from their "robo" product.
I suspect it has more to do with Vanguard officially creating tiers within the personal advisor service and selectively changing the marketing. You now have to have a minimum of 500k under advisement to get a dedicated advisor. Under that you get a team member and not guaranteed to get the same person for your consultations. Per the Vanguard website the higher tier is now officially known as personal advisor select.
I believe you are right about that! I removed my misguided comment from my post.
by bertilak
Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:45 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS
Replies: 69
Views: 6687

Re: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS

I just yesterday clicked the "Accept" link on my PAS signup so I am a novice at this, but I can tell you why I signed up: I was worried what would happen if/when I die before my wife. I wrote a multi-page document to educate her on ... basic Boglehead principles, the mechanics of things, a list of all our income, expenses, holdings, and and all our important contacts (attorney, banks, insurance, Vanguard, etc.) She read and claimed to have understood it, but a few weeks ago came to me with received wisdom on some investing idea she heard about on a radio talk show (perhaps commodities?) and that scared me. So now I am a PAS participant. Here is what the advisor will do to my portfolio: Change my AA from 67/33 to 70/30. My income (...
by bertilak
Sun Mar 10, 2024 6:33 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should one invest in gold? If so, how and how much?
Replies: 203
Views: 21680

Re: Should one invest in gold? If so, how and how much?

seajay wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 4:22 am Ancient 'investment' advice is to split ones wealth three way, land, business, gold. As per the Talmud ... recorded millennia ago. Other variations of religious texts also suggest diversification, not having all eggs in one basket, holding multiple assets.
That was when gold was a de facto store of value. It was not a way to generate wealth, but a way to store wealth. Business (producing a return) was how one created wealth. Land was also a store of value but was not spendable nor portable. If you wanted to move its value around you needed to first sell it (i.e. convert it to gold).
by bertilak
Sun Mar 10, 2024 6:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Replies: 11037
Views: 2066267

Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?

KBR wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 5:46 am Just started the sting. About a half hour in. Spectacular. I’m sure everyone’s already seen it but if you haven’t you should.
The music itself is famous.

Also, it has Robert Shaw. He is a master at playing the heavy. See him in From Russia with Love (my favorite Bond movie) and in Jaws.
by bertilak
Sat Mar 09, 2024 5:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Electrical Outlet Covers
Replies: 48
Views: 3697

Re: Electrical Outlet Covers

SVariance1 wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 5:28 pm
You can’t use the outlet with these
I guess I misunderstood. Reading your comment above about "cover the outlet itself" I thought that's what you wanted.

Google will also get you plenty of decorative outlet covers that don't block the business part of the outlet.
by bertilak
Sat Mar 09, 2024 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should one invest in gold? If so, how and how much?
Replies: 203
Views: 21680

Re: Should one invest in gold? If so, how and how much?

psh wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 1:32 pm Based on the responses so far it looks like it's not a great idea to invest in gold. Just for my education I would love to hear why or point me to any document :-).
I would say it is impossible, by definition, to invest in anything that does not produce a return. It's like going to a casino's roulette wheel and "investing" in black. You can't invest (even if that terminology is used by some) but you can gamble on black, or other on spins.
by bertilak
Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 16 yr old - how can I best take on high risk?
Replies: 65
Views: 5233

Re: 16 yr old - how can I best take on high risk?

retired@50 wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:00 pm I'm reminded of user HomerJ's signature line.
"The best tools available to us are shovels, not scalpels. Don't get carried away." - vanBogle59
I like that one!

Note that you are using shovels in any case (like 60/40) and all those little scalpel cuts (SCV) are swamped by the shovelfuls.
by bertilak
Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retiree Portfolio Model
Replies: 1806
Views: 543739

Re: Retiree Portfolio Model

I am in the process of loading my data in the model, things are going smoothly but I have a question on how to record one of my accounts: I have a non- qualified Fidelity Personal Retirement Annuity that has not been annuitized yet and can’t decided where it makes the most sense to record it in the model. This account has about 60% of its value in its cost basis, it throws off no taxable income, and is invested 100% in a S&P index fund. Thanks for any advice you would give. Cheers! I too have an annuity, a Deferred Income Annuity (DIA), that is not yet making any payments. I do not consider it part of my investment portfolio. It does come into play when considering how much income my investment portfolio needs to produce (it lowers thi...
by bertilak
Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Your Original Medicare OR Advantage Experience: Nightmare or Sublime?
Replies: 156
Views: 9906

Re: Your Original Medicare Experience: Nightmare or Sublime?

Good experience for me.

I have supplemental Plan F. I think Plan G is the close equivalent for new sign-ups.

The advantage plans are best for those who can't afford the supplemental plans. They can be cheaper at the cost of flexibility (lack thereof).
by bertilak
Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 16 yr old - how can I best take on high risk?
Replies: 65
Views: 5233

Re: 16 yr old - how can I best take on high risk?

Highly recommend reading https://www.etf.com/docs/IfYouCan.pdf After that, tune out the noise, follow its timeless advice. I quote this to be sure you don't hear about it only once. Yes, follow that advice. About extra risk: You don't want just any risk, but only compensated risk. This means no gambling (individual stocks) nor leverage. Total Stock Market gets you compensated risk, lots of it. Adding international is like icing on the cake but, just like icing, it can be overdone. Someday you will want to tone down the risk. A bond fund will do that. That may be 10 years from now. Yes, you do have many years of investing to accumulate compound returns but those many years also leave you open to some big negative events. It is not unknown f...
by bertilak
Fri Mar 08, 2024 11:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???
Replies: 45
Views: 3864

Re: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???

I would not rely on car color, but on prominent daytime lighting.

There are some people who will drive on, unlighted, into the dusk or snow or rain. In such weather I not only look carefully, but give myself a few moments to detect any obscured motion.
by bertilak
Fri Mar 08, 2024 11:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best < $100 purchase?
Replies: 299
Views: 55780

Re: Best < $100 purchase?

tooluser wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 8:39 pm Having moved from a 1-story house with no basement to a 2-story with basement, I have found it extremely useful to have a rudimentary toolkit on each level. It saves a lot of effort.
I instead moved to a one-level house!

That was 17 years ago, back when I could take the stairs two steps at a time. I decided I didn't want to even though I could and, thinking ahead, I planned on being in the new house for many years. I'm glad I did (think ahead) otherwise I'd be moving again.
by bertilak
Wed Mar 06, 2024 12:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are factors dead?
Replies: 84
Views: 10769

Re: Are factors dead?

GammaPoint wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 12:26 pm
bertilak wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:38 am That applies to every "factor" there is, so a total stock portfolio tilts towards every factor.
Do you hold market weight between stocks and bonds and then say you're tilted towards market beta in the same way?
I never say I am tilted towards anything. I do have an asset allocation that is heavier in stocks than bonds. What is the purpose of tilting? Is it the same as having an AA? If so, then almost everyone tilts, rendering the term less than useful.
by bertilak
Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are factors dead?
Replies: 84
Views: 10769

Re: Are factors dead?

... I have considered buying AVGE for my Roth but after hearing how some people seem to think factors are useless now, I have looked into going into VT. I strictly only use one-fund solutions and was torn between these 2. Thoughts? My vote is for VT. If the Value factor is not completely dead, then VT will own every Value stock. On the other hand, if the Growth factor remains ascendant over the next few decades, then VT will own all those Growth stocks, too. Win - Win! Hold them all is my Win - Win - Win - etc. strategy. If you hold all the stocks then you hold all the factors. I was told that is not true because it is only a factor if there is a tilt. Well it is just a matter of bookkeeping to say half of one's portfolio tilts one way and...
by bertilak
Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:34 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Announces CEO Retirement and Appointment of President
Replies: 365
Views: 34262

Re: Vanguard Announces CEO Retirement and Appointment of President

nisiprius wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:07 am "Righting a ship" is not so easily done. The plain fact is that we don't know the reason, so we don't know what the perceived problems are, or how deep they go.
My hope, and even belief, is that there is enough of Bogle still ingrained into Vanguard to make that ship righting work.

I love the ship logo and, as mentioned by others, it would be great to see it come back. It would be a visible signal that Vanguard is back on track. Perhaps a petition.
by bertilak
Tue Mar 05, 2024 5:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Good or bad time to invest in S&P 500 for Roth IRA?
Replies: 30
Views: 3804

Re: Good or bad time to invest in S&P 500 for Roth IRA?

newinvestor345 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 2:53 am I guess, I was thinking of the old "buy low, sell high" stock strategy, but from the answers here, I guess I should just go ahead and add to the funds now.
Yes. Better than "buy low, sell high" is "buy and hold."

"Buy and hold" is something you can actually implement. "Buy low, sell high" assumes you can predict market movements. If you could do that, you wouldn't need anyone's advice.
by bertilak
Mon Mar 04, 2024 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: A person shouldn't go through life without...
Replies: 6
Views: 1263

Re: A person shouldn't go through life without...

A spouse
A child (or 2 or more)
A pet
by bertilak
Mon Mar 04, 2024 1:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cloud based backup options for sensitive files
Replies: 92
Views: 7383

Re: Cloud based backup options for sensitive files

What ae your reasons for using OneDrive Vault? Perhaps those reasons would apply to me. The bitlocker encryption on Personal Vault indeed seems like no big deal if your Windows system already encrypts files automatically. However, the Personal Vault has an explicit unlocking process that requires Microsoft acct two-step verification. So nobody can walk up to your logged-in Windows system and get into the Vault unless they go through the two-step verification process first. And the Vault can be set to lock automatically from 20 min to about 4 hours (user selected). Microsoft also notes that Personal Vault files are not cached in the browser (if you optionally access the Vault this way) and the files can't be shared accidentally or otherwise...
by bertilak
Mon Mar 04, 2024 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cloud based backup options for sensitive files
Replies: 92
Views: 7383

Re: Cloud based backup options for sensitive files

Are there any viable cloud based storage options that would be safe for backups of sensitive documents? I use Microsoft's OneDrive Vault to store sensitive documents online. Actually, I store the originals in the Vault (e.g., tax stuff) and back up the entire Vault folder to an offline SSD regularly (at least monthly) and soon after I make significant changes. At any time, I have at least a year's worth of Vault backups on the SSD. I use OneDrive. I do not use their vault, but only because I am too lazy to look into it. A quick look at Microsoft's description, looks like arm waving. OneDrive is already encrypted but they list this as a feature of the vault. I also use Crashplan to Backup to their cloud, and Backup to an SSD attached to my ...
by bertilak
Mon Mar 04, 2024 12:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401k rollover deposit to IRA being refused since it bring me over $7,000 yearly limit.
Replies: 16
Views: 1948

Re: 401k rollover deposit to IRA being refused since it bring me over $7,000 yearly limit.

Denken wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:07 am Hi. I'm trying to rollover my old 401k to my Vanguard Roth IRA. I have the F/B/O check and am trying to mobile deposit it but the full amount is being refused since it goes over the $7,000 yearly contribution limit. What should I do?
Call Vanguard and ask for help.
by bertilak
Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Good or bad time to invest in S&P 500 for Roth IRA?
Replies: 30
Views: 3804

Re: Good or bad time to invest in S&P 500 for Roth IRA?

z3r0c00l wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:26 am You are not buying stocks to gamble that the price might go up, you are buying stocks because corporations make money, like a lot of money, and that is why the stocks will very likely continue to go up. To date, they always have.
Once you make this realization, things get much easier!
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 2:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for Preserving Principal and Growing It for Inflation
Replies: 17
Views: 1793

Re: Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for Preserving Principal and Growing It for Inflation

hcs77135 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 12:03 pm
bertilak wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:24 am
hcs77135 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:19 am
yoga wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:01 am How about something simple like 2%? Can you live off that amount in retirement?
Thank you. I believe yes, once we are both taking social security, 2% should be sufficient.
Thus my point about annuitizing. It can get you to the point where 2% is a reasonable target. If social security is enough annuitizing, then all the better.
Thank you. Unfortunately annuitizing doesn’t meet our particular goal (if you read the full post you will understand - we aren’t just looking at our lifetimes) unless I am missing something. All best
I see. Perhaps you need to look into how institutions invest for very long-term goals.

Googling for "institutional investing for very long-term goals" turned up some interesting links.
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Announces CEO Retirement and Appointment of President
Replies: 365
Views: 34262

Re: Vanguard Announces CEO Retirement and Appointment of President

nisiprius wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:39 am
Broken Man 1999 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:36 am
bertilak wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:30 am
nisiprius wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:25 am
Cocoa Beach Bum wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:41 am I think you can read an archived version of the entire Bloomberg article here.
For some reason, none of these archive.today article ever open for me. Safari's loading progress bar stalls on a blank screen and never progresses. With Firefox and Chrome, too. I'd be mildly interested in knowing why.
Same for me. I use MS Edge, which is essentially the same as Chrome. It does time out and say it can't connect:
  • Hmmm… can't reach this page
    archive.today took too long to respond
I tried the link right after posting above, no delay, connected as usual. Windows 11 with Microsoft Edge.

Broken Man 1999
Thank you, works for me with Microsoft Edge under Mac OS 14.1.
And still hangs for me!
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:42 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why is 60/40 the benchmark?
Replies: 25
Views: 3363

Re: Why is 60/40 the benchmark?

50/50 has been suggested by many including Benjamin Graham as the "agnostic" view in investing while moving to 60/40 is a tilt toward a higher expectation from stocks. 60/40 may not be the optimal portfolio but it is far from being the worst. It seems more like a seat of the pants rule but then all of the published discussions around it gives many comparisons for an investor to mimic and may increase their confidence. I was at 50/50 for quite some time then it occurred to me that my pension and Socisl Security meant I wasn't 100% reliant on my investments so I could afford to be a bit more aggressive. For lack of a better idea I went to 60/40, which drifted to 65/35. Next I decided to buy an annuity to cover future inflation. Fun...
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:30 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Announces CEO Retirement and Appointment of President
Replies: 365
Views: 34262

Re: Vanguard Announces CEO Retirement and Appointment of President

nisiprius wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:25 am
Cocoa Beach Bum wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:41 am I think you can read an archived version of the entire Bloomberg article here.
For some reason, none of these archive.today article ever open for me. Safari's loading progress bar stalls on a blank screen and never progresses. With Firefox and Chrome, too. I'd be mildly interested in knowing why.
Same for me. I use MS Edge, which is essentially the same as Chrome. It does time out and say it can't connect:
  • Hmmm… can't reach this page
    archive.today took too long to respond
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for Preserving Principal and Growing It for Inflation
Replies: 17
Views: 1793

Re: Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for Preserving Principal and Growing It for Inflation

hcs77135 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:19 am
yoga wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:01 am How about something simple like 2%? Can you live off that amount in retirement?
Thank you. I believe yes, once we are both taking social security, 2% should be sufficient.
Thus my point about annuitizing. It can get you to the point where 2% is a reasonable target. If social security is enough annuitizing, then all the better.
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for Preserving Principal and Growing It for Inflation
Replies: 17
Views: 1793

Re: Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for Preserving Principal and Growing It for Inflation

hcs77135 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:43 am My question - if you would rather not read this lengthy post -- is whether there is a theory or strategy of retirement withdrawal that not only preserves principal but grows it for inflation during one's lifetime, or how one would go about setting that up without spending endless amounts of time (or professional fees) on it.
The "secret" is, save until you have more than enough. Then the intricacies of various investment strategies (above and beyond simple low-cost indexing) don't matter much.

Oh yeah, another secret: Try to annuitize as much as possible to meet basic expenses. Social Security gives you a leg up on this.
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 9:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting
Replies: 27
Views: 1588

Re: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting

LeslieSmiley wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 9:47 am I think it's condescending and presumptuous of you to patronize OP and other people that they are too ignorant and stupid to assess information, think for themselves and make their own informed decisions.
You expressed your opinion and I expressed mine. Both opinions are now out there for anyone to assess for themselves.
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 9:42 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting
Replies: 27
Views: 1588

Re: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting

If you want to keep things simple and get out of non index funds with high expenses ratio, then selling them is an option. As long as you are prepared to cope with the prospect of these funds bouncing back and going up after you sell them. There is no guarantee that they will stay down. If they do bounce back, whatever they were replaced with (presumably a market index fund) will also go up so there will be no regret to cope with. Not if the funds turn out to be something like the 10 funds that beat the index by over 20% in 2023. https://fundselectorasia.com/10-funds-that-beat-the-sp-500-by-over-20-in-2023/ More than 20% could certainly trigger some form of regret in my opinion. Sure, you could gamble on that, but this is an investing ques...
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting
Replies: 27
Views: 1588

Re: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting

If you want to keep things simple and get out of non index funds with high expenses ratio, then selling them is an option. As long as you are prepared to cope with the prospect of these funds bouncing back and going up after you sell them. There is no guarantee that they will stay down. If they do bounce back, whatever they were replaced with (presumably a market index fund) will also go up so there will be no regret to cope with. Not if the funds turn out to be something like the 10 funds that beat the index by over 20% in 2023. https://fundselectorasia.com/10-funds-that-beat-the-sp-500-by-over-20-in-2023/ More than 20% could certainly trigger some form of regret in my opinion. Sure, you could gamble on that, but this is an investing ques...
by bertilak
Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:41 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting
Replies: 27
Views: 1588

Re: Selling underperforming funds for tax loss harvesting

LeslieSmiley wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 5:43 am If you want to keep things simple and get out of non index funds with high expenses ratio, then selling them is an option.

As long as you are prepared to cope with the prospect of these funds bouncing back and going up after you sell them.

There is no guarantee that they will stay down.
If they do bounce back, whatever they were replaced with (presumably a market index fund) will also go up so there will be no regret to cope with.
by bertilak
Sat Mar 02, 2024 5:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Relevance of the Three Fund Portfolio
Replies: 30
Views: 3513

Re: Relevance of the Three Fund Portfolio

TheRoundHeadedKid wrote: Mon Feb 19, 2024 5:42 pm I am not a fan of the Three Fund Portfolio. It isn't diversified enough. Plus, you have to arbitrary/guess decide how to allocate the three funds. I don't have such issues with my strategy of all 86 Vanguard ETFs equally invested.
There are places in the Internet where you can input your list of funds or ETFs and get a report of the actual holdings. You can see how much overlap there is, the total amount of each holding, and probably other statistics. I think Morningstar used to have this but I haven't looked in a long time. If I was holding those 86 ETFs I would be curious enough to take a look!
by bertilak
Fri Mar 01, 2024 6:51 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Please Try Out Test Posts Here
Replies: 445
Views: 375727

Re: Please Try Out Test Posts Here

testing
by bertilak
Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Faucets for Bathroom Sinks?
Replies: 19
Views: 1777

Re: Best Faucets for Bathroom Sinks?

Moen's seem to be popular with the trades. It seems like they have a no questions asked policy when it comes to parts replacements. Agree. I've made use of that policy a couple times on 40 year old fixtures. They sent new cartridges without any questions. As does Pfister, what I have. In my experience, fifteen years seems to be their lifespan. The replacement parts are free from Pfister but a plumber is probably required to do the replacement. In my case there was always something that needed special care or special tools. My latest replacement (bathroom faucets) the finish (brushed nickel) didn't quite match the original. Perhaps the original had some "patina!" At least they had matching styles. As to the question of how to iden...
by bertilak
Thu Feb 29, 2024 10:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: "Extra" Vanguard Money Market Account?
Replies: 4
Views: 1038

Re: "Extra" Vanguard Money Market Account?

Options that I see: 1) Another MM at Vanguard. I talked to a PAS adviser the other day. He proposed just that to me. This was part of an initial discussion prior to him making a formal proposal for my signing up with PAS. That arrangement looks to me, as an ex-treasurer for an HOA, like what we call a reserve fund, as opposed to an operating fund. The operating fund (typically a checking account) is for the normal income and expenses of running an HOA. The reserve fund (typically a savings account) is for two things: expensive emergencies (replace a broken pool pump) and planned future expenses (clubhouse addition). I think that can be equated to an investment portfolio having two different money market funds: a settlement fund for the nor...
by bertilak
Wed Feb 28, 2024 5:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Best time of year to pull IRA RMD's?
Replies: 9
Views: 1250

Re: Best time of year to pull IRA RMD's?

Proceeds from an RMD can be immediately reinvested in a taxable account so no real difference either way.

I prefer early in the year because that's one less loose end left lying around. When you reinvest you can put the money where it best maintains your target AA. You might as well do so with cash you've already incurred taxes on. Doing so as early as possible means less time drifting around with an off-base AA.
by bertilak
Wed Feb 28, 2024 2:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wired mouse
Replies: 20
Views: 3080

Re: Wired mouse

retiringwhen wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 1:41 pm I hate, hate, hate! did I say? I hate touchpads.

I think it is because I am left handed...
Ditto on that "hate" even though I am not left handed.

Apparently, it takes a skill I have not mastered and have no desire to master.