Search found 1898 matches

by vitaflo
Wed Feb 07, 2024 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?
Replies: 65
Views: 9251

Re: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?

Nottingham wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 4:07 pm
vitaflo wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:10 am
anoop wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 1:15 am Not for profits can also have a lot of politics and bureaucracy and you may miss the more motivated people you might be used to at your FAANG job.
The difference here is at corporations most of the politics are because of money because people wanting raises and promotions. At non-profits there is no money and no promotions, so the ego's at a non-profit are *real* egos.

Personally I found that more refreshing because I was dealing with real people and how they really are vs all the fake brown nosing and ladder climbing/backstabbing that tends to happen at corps.
You are living in the world of butterflies and unicorns if you think like that. :mrgreen: People working at non-profit are still there for profit.
Nope.
by vitaflo
Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?
Replies: 65
Views: 9251

Re: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?

anoop wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 1:15 am Not for profits can also have a lot of politics and bureaucracy and you may miss the more motivated people you might be used to at your FAANG job.
The difference here is at corporations most of the politics are because of money because people wanting raises and promotions. At non-profits there is no money and no promotions, so the ego's at a non-profit are *real* egos.

Personally I found that more refreshing because I was dealing with real people and how they really are vs all the fake brown nosing and ladder climbing/backstabbing that tends to happen at corps.
by vitaflo
Sun Feb 04, 2024 1:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?
Replies: 65
Views: 9251

Re: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?

Taking a massive pay cut for the non-profit is not crazy. As a software dev myself I did the same thing, just in reverse. I worked 8 years at a non-profit, followed by 12 years running my own tech business and working at startups. My tech biz generated an insane amount of money for me, not unlike the money you've made on your FANG employment. But the non-profit work was the best job I ever had, bar none. The only reason I left the non-profit world was because of the pay. It was a quarter of what I made in running my own business. So you have to be honest with yourself that you'll be ok with that. But because you started with a big salary first, and have a large nest egg, you have time to let it compound. For you (like myself) it's not about...
by vitaflo
Mon Jan 29, 2024 5:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Scan & Store Real ID License or be refused medical care?
Replies: 44
Views: 2766

Re: Scan & Store Real ID License or be refused medical care?

JoeNJ28 wrote: Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:32 pm You’ll need it if you want to get on a plane, and the point stands that they have the same info regular licenses have. Just give it to the doctor and move on with life.
You don’t need it to get on a plane if you have a passport.
by vitaflo
Mon Jan 22, 2024 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Feb. 7 Update -- Brand new Subaru needs new transmission
Replies: 173
Views: 16216

Re: Brand new Subaru needs new transmission

Has anyone dealt with this type of issue before? Any help would be appreciated. Yes I have. Bought a brand new VW GTI in 2018. At around 400 miles I noticed transmission fluid on the garage floor. Took it in assuming it was just a seal issue. VW put a senior tech on it and he said it was actually a manufacturing defect, the part was cast incorrectly and the entire transmission needed to be replaced. Unfortunately this is the only Audi stamped part on the car so a new transmission had to be flown in from overseas. Took two weeks to get the new transmission and have it installed. Got a loaner for the interim. Car is at 60k miles now and I've had ZERO issues with it other than the initial transmission issue. I did not ask for anything extra o...
by vitaflo
Mon Jan 01, 2024 2:45 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]
Replies: 5249
Views: 899758

Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

2023 return (XIRR) = 15.5%

Portfolio 65/35. Equity is 60/40 US/Int. Bonds are 50% LTT.
by vitaflo
Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Question on 401k employer match - solved!
Replies: 76
Views: 10763

Re: Shorted on 401k employer match

8foot7 wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:48 am
Rocky Mtn Man wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:06 am
8foot7 wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 12:18 pm What's the rush to max out your 401k? So much so that you don't even monitor your accounts to realize you aren't receiving the match you expected?
Time value of money.
What's the time value on losing a match?
Yeah it’s turning down free money. One of my coworkers maxes their 401k out as quickly as possible because “time in market”. But he doesn’t know he’s turning down thousands of dollars in match every year.

Thankfully I learned my first year we didn’t do true up because I maxed out one pay period before the end of the year. Expected a small true up but it never happened. I adjusted my contributions accordingly from then on.
by vitaflo
Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?
Replies: 207
Views: 30861

Re: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?

happy warrior926 wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2023 3:33 pm My experience: they can’t force you to change- so far, but V is going to start charging $20/fund after a certain point in time.
They've already started this, it's $25 per fund per year and they started charging the fee back in Sept.
by vitaflo
Thu Dec 14, 2023 2:22 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?
Replies: 207
Views: 30861

Re: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?

I would like to transition, but many of us who work in the industry are prohibited by our employers (e.g. bank that owns its own brokerage) from having brokerage accounts at other firms. (my employer did not have a brokerage when I joined, but acquired one later.) However, we are permitted to hold Mutual Funds at the Mutual Fund company that originates and manages the funds. But not a brokerage account. Rule 3210 changed in 2016. Don't most financial industry employers now have several brokerages that they have a relationship with so a brokerage account there can be monitored? Couldn't you convert Vanguard mutual funds that have ETF share classes into ETFs and transfer them in kind to a brokerage your employer has an agreement with? Or are...
by vitaflo
Sun Nov 26, 2023 2:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "In general, bonds add little or no value to the portfolio of ordinary long-term investors"
Replies: 262
Views: 47894

Re: "In general, bonds add little or no value to the portfolio of ordinary long-term investors"

Bill Bernstein also says that asset prices matter and I agree with him. The problem is, if bonds are overvalued, and stocks are even more overvalued, and cash is paying zero, then what? I think this is why a lot of people simply stayed the course with their bond allocation. I did. Maybe that's OK. If you LBYM then 95% of what's on this site doesn't matter, including what's in this thread. Can you make a more "optimal" portfolio? Maybe. Does it matter in the end? Probably not. Diminishing returns is a thing after all. I've got 23 years worth of investing, stayed the course the entire time, currently with 35% in bonds, half of that LTT, and half my stock equity is International. A total nightmare portfolio according to this forum. ...
by vitaflo
Sun Nov 26, 2023 1:18 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "In general, bonds add little or no value to the portfolio of ordinary long-term investors"
Replies: 262
Views: 47894

Re: "In general, bonds add little or no value to the portfolio of ordinary long-term investors"

Since I worked exactly 30 years, I was curious about my savings contributions by career years: 1-10: 1% 11-20: 19.5% 21-25: 24% 26-30: 55.5% I doubt it adds anything to this discussion but it was neat to look up. Was 70/30 pretty much the whole time. I definitely would have came out ahead at 100% stock. But that's sort of like asking a lottery winner if they were glad they played the lottery. Just because 70/30 came out lower doesn't mean it was a bad strategy. Many many things could have happened during those 30 years, they just didn't (or were not significant enough.) I've got 23 years in my spreadsheet. Broken down in 5 year increments: 1-5: 2.5% 6-10: 3.5% 11-15: 42.5% 16-20: 20% 21-23: 31.5% I was 100% US Stock for the first 10 years....
by vitaflo
Sun Nov 19, 2023 11:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?
Replies: 127
Views: 12743

Re: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?

faanger101 wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 7:16 pm
CFM300 wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 9:54 am I use it to write code. Saves me a lot of time.
Can you give some examples? I tried it few times - anything that is slightly complicated than basic examples is at least suboptimal (in 50% cases just wrong). Medium level questions related coding gave me such a bizarre outputs that I saved them to share with friends :annoyed
Use GPT-4, it's a lot better. Or if you're going to use ChatGPT, use it for Rubber Ducking. IE, don't expect a correct or optimal answer, just something to get you closer to the result you want. You'll still need to do "the work". Think of it as a replacement for Stack Overflow where you need to read between the lines (which is kinda like SO anyway). If you do that it's actually pretty handy.
by vitaflo
Wed Nov 15, 2023 6:16 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: What's changed in the last 10 years Bogleheads?
Replies: 279
Views: 57013

Re: What's changed in the last 10 years Bogleheads?

I seem to remember a good amount of CAPE discussions in the past. Not so much anymore.
by vitaflo
Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:47 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?
Replies: 207
Views: 30861

Re: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?

aristotelian wrote: Thu Nov 02, 2023 12:27 pm Have you noticed them charging any fees? My mom was a long time holdout. I know they wore her down somehow, I believe by charging a monthly or annual fee.
Yes they are now charging $25 per year per account on the MF platform. I was just charged it for my five accounts there (so $125). This was just implemented last month.

I’m still in the old platform because my wife is a FINRA employee and Vanguard is not on the list of approved brokerages. So I couldn’t transition to the new brokerage platform even if I wanted to.
by vitaflo
Fri Sep 22, 2023 8:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: International (Non-US) versus US Equities (The "Arguments")
Replies: 5210
Views: 828686

Re: International (Non-US) versus US Equities (The "Arguments

We witnessed an excellent example of the diversification benefit of small caps during the decade of the 2000’s, a difficult period for stocks where diversification was needed the most. Do you know why these things were great diversifiers during that time? They were selling at lower valuations compared to the broad market going into the downturn. I agree that is one reason. The current situation reminds me very much of the year 2000 with respect to the large difference in valuations between small and large caps. According to Vanguard’s website based on last year’s earnings as of 08/31/23: S&P 500 Index Fund = PE of 22.9 with earnings growth rate of 18.3% annually over the past 5 years. Total International Stock Index Fund = PE of 12.7 w...
by vitaflo
Thu Aug 17, 2023 5:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are people more blind to inflation that short term volatility
Replies: 78
Views: 8212

Re: Are people more blind to inflation that short term volatility

People aren’t blind to inflation with regards to spending.

People are blind to inflation with regards to saving.
by vitaflo
Thu Jun 01, 2023 3:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!
Replies: 158
Views: 17896

Re: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!

OP. Forget about promotion. You are annoyed that younger employees are getting raises, while you are not. Would you consider yourself to be well paid? If nobody else was getting a raise, would you be happy with your compensation? My post was to see how common this practice was and how individuals dealt with it. Often people on this board have great solutions instead of mere snarkiness. It's very common place and is the norm, and I'd say it always has been. Once you get to 50 your prospects for advancement dwindle because you should have already gotten there by then. Not everyone gets to be a C-level executive. If you really want to make more money the only real way to do this is to find a new job, and that's always been the case as well. B...
by vitaflo
Tue May 09, 2023 9:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Property auction due to non-payment of property taxes
Replies: 22
Views: 2582

Re: Property auction due to non-payment of property taxes

miamivice wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 3:09 pm Almost certainly, taxes will be paid by the owner at the last minute if the property is worth something. My understanding is that only properties that are essentially worthless are sold at government auction.
A real possibility. I rented at a place like this, unpaid taxes, state was basically going to repo the property, mortgage lender came in at last minute and paid the taxes. Owner also never paid his mortgage either of course, so property went into foreclosure and bank sold it a year later.

If the property is worth a lot and the bank owns most of it, they usually don't want to lose it to the state for nothing.
by vitaflo
Sat Apr 22, 2023 6:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

At least where I live, if a neighbors tree branch hangs over into your property you can cut the branches off at the property line. Certainly if you chose to do that it would cost you some money. Given the tree is dead and already sounds like it's dropping some branches on your property as it is, I'd be fine giving a few bucks to the cause.

No, it's not your responsibility, but if I wanted an eye sore gone I'd do whatever I could to get it gone.
by vitaflo
Tue Apr 18, 2023 5:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: London or Grand Canyon, Yellowstone?
Replies: 21
Views: 1579

Re: London or Grand Canyon, Yellowstone?

Having been to all of them several times, Yellowstone hands down. There’s a reason it was the first national park. And you will need a week to see it all. It is absolutely massive.

And if you go, don’t miss the Tetons (my fav park in the US).
by vitaflo
Sun Apr 16, 2023 11:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can we afford a $2M home?
Replies: 70
Views: 11085

Re: Can we afford a $2M home?

With over $600k in income, yes you can afford it. The only risk is job loss, but worst case scenario you can get rid of daycare because you have a jobless parent, saving $6k/mo. Add in the $4k from your rental properties and that matches the $10k delta between old house payment and new. So you could handle that.

Also, daycare costs don't last forever. Once kids are in school, you free up a large sum of money each month to move towards the mortgage. I assume you're picking a home in a good school district.

So it may sting for a few years but I don't really see an issue with it, other than perhaps psychological.
by vitaflo
Fri Apr 14, 2023 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Talk Me Down: Selling VFIAX then DCA back over next 24 months
Replies: 44
Views: 4767

Re: Talk Me Down: Selling VFIAX then DCA back over next 24 months

bhburnsy wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 11:05 pm Worried about risk of recession (so does the Fed too)
You mean the same risk of recession they’ve been worried about for the past 2 years?
by vitaflo
Sat Apr 01, 2023 3:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: SS 2023 Trustees report released
Replies: 18
Views: 2338

Re: SS 2023 Trustees report released

Stoic9 wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 1:53 pmThe old rule stands do not count on SS, as some say it's just insurance it might help if you outlive your retirement plan. Plan as if it will never happen.
The only way it will never happen is if there is nobody paying any taxes at all. As long as people have earned income, there will be SS benefits. The question is how much those benefits will be.
by vitaflo
Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:14 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Bank failure discussion mega-thread]
Replies: 2482
Views: 211951

Re: [Silicon Valley Bank fails, FDIC takes over]

Tooth wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 8:57 am Here's my stupid question.
My question is why did people all of the sudden need to rush to get money out. Do they have a liquidity problem? On a day to day bases people should not need all the money.
SVB basically sold about $20b in securities losing $2b and proceeded to try to raise $2b in equity and debt. This surprised people who thought they’d have enough liquidity to avoid selling those securities.

The run happened after this when depositors lost confidence in the bank.
by vitaflo
Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:06 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Bank failure discussion mega-thread]
Replies: 2482
Views: 211951

Re: [Silicon Valley Bank fails, FDIC takes over]

CC1E wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 6:50 am Why would a company choose to place deposits in excess of the FDIC limits at any small/medium bank? Everyone knows that the government will fully backstop the very large banks, so why take the risk anywhere else? Are they chasing some small yield on their operating funds?
It kinda says it right in their name. They were a go to bank for startups because big banks don’t like startups that have no profit, lots of debt and/or non-US owners without jumping thru a ton of hoops. For many startups in Silicon Valley they were one of the only places to do banking easily or at all.
by vitaflo
Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Disappointed in Bonds...
Replies: 227
Views: 22728

Re: Disappointed in Bonds...

I think you're talking about ultra long term bond funds. Most long term bond funds that I've seen have a duration of about six or seven years. Even if 2D = 15 or 20, that's not too long for a lot of investors. People tend to find bonds more attractive as they approach retirement when they're thinking about money they'll need in a couple of decades or longer. Do you really think 15 years is appropriate for someone retiring at 60? What kind of spending needs do they have at 75~80? I can't think of anything other than possibly funding CCRC. Your money being exposed to duration risk between 60~75 is a big deal in my opinion. 15 year is def appropriate for a 60 year old. Their time horizon is 30+ years. Their avg duration should be 15 at that p...
by vitaflo
Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Treasuries Today - What duration are you buying?
Replies: 128
Views: 22923

Re: Treasuries Today - What duration are you buying?

As long as possible cuz I have a long time horizon.
by vitaflo
Thu Mar 02, 2023 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I need your best arguments for unloading all my employer provided stock
Replies: 55
Views: 5228

Re: I need your best arguments for unloading all my employer provided stock

Never liked owning stock in the company I work for because you are concentrating too much risk into one thing. In this case your company stock and your employment at the company.

The time you get laid off has a good chance of coinciding with the company stock taking a nosedive, just when you may need it to live off of. Plus, it's not like I have much effect on the companies stock price or performance. I'm not the CEO. I'd rather spread the risk around instead of concentrating it.
by vitaflo
Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How is Square Footage for a Home Determined?
Replies: 20
Views: 2774

Re: How is Square Footage for a Home Determined?

Where I live it’s finished livable space. Doesn’t matter what “floor” or what not. Everyone has a basement so finished basements def count in sq footage calcs. There’s no separate entry for below grade. That seems odd.
by vitaflo
Sun Feb 26, 2023 4:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: CPA mistake
Replies: 72
Views: 6774

Re: CPA mistake

Dunno about anyone else but my CPA has a handoff appointment where we talk about my documents and any changes from the prior year and a review appointment where we go through the final tax return line by line. The later meeting is a good way to find potential errors both from the CPA’s perspective (talking through something with someone else can make it easier to spot problems) and my perspective (if I don’t understand why something was done a certain way I can ask questions). This has had the added benefit of me learning a LOT about how tax returns work. Thankfully other than questions about how we want to handle depreciation, there have been no errors in over a decade. But my CPA does all the work, she is self employed and doesn’t have h...
by vitaflo
Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: "Best Cities To Live In (2023)"
Replies: 44
Views: 4546

Re: "Best Cities To Live In (2023)"

Not sure why everyone is so offended. They’re going for safe and cheap cities. Those are going to mostly be in the Midwest.

Though I find it funny they list Lakeville MN as #16, which is a Twin Cities suburb and exactly the same as a dozen other suburbs around that area.
by vitaflo
Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: CPA mistake
Replies: 72
Views: 6774

Re: CPA mistake

Dunno about anyone else but my CPA has a handoff appointment where we talk about my documents and any changes from the prior year and a review appointment where we go through the final tax return line by line. The later meeting is a good way to find potential errors both from the CPA’s perspective (talking through something with someone else can make it easier to spot problems) and my perspective (if I don’t understand why something was done a certain way I can ask questions). This has had the added benefit of me learning a LOT about how tax returns work. Thankfully other than questions about how we want to handle depreciation, there have been no errors in over a decade. But my CPA does all the work, she is self employed and doesn’t have he...
by vitaflo
Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:15 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2022-2023 Bear Market Is Over
Replies: 156
Views: 27169

Re: 2022-2023 Bear Market Is Over

I think this is an interesting comparison. We've seen the initial economic hit of the post-covid economy (mainly driven by inflation and speculative asset bubbles popping). However just like around Sept. 2008, could there be far greater strains to the economy just below the surface? The one thing that I've been wondering about is if we're goign to start to see consumers and over leveraged companies buckle under all these rate hikes. Looking around planes are full of vacationers, restaurants are full, everyone appears to have a ton of money at their disposal. Yet nobody can take out cheap 2nd mortgages, employers are begin to trim the fat and lay off, auto loans are sky high... I'm not expecting another Great Recession but I do have to wond...
by vitaflo
Fri Feb 17, 2023 4:41 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The True Value of One More Year (OMY)
Replies: 55
Views: 7875

Re: The True Value of One More Year (OMY)

This analysis shows a convincing reason why someone, once they hit their number, might want to consider going a little longer just to cushion any blows that might be coming, while keeping their intended withdrawal number constant. I OMY'd from last year to this year and I'm about to do one more OMY (OMOMY?). I didn't know what would happen in 2022, but now I'm feeling a lot better about my decision. I think about this a lot as I become closer to my number. Because of my portfolio size the market is doing almost all the movement of my portfolio, certainly way more than my contributions are at this point. As such I will never reach my number in a down market, obviously my portfolio would go down in value and move me further from my number. I...
by vitaflo
Wed Feb 15, 2023 2:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Health insurance age 60-65: Retiree plans, ACA, Roth conversion impact
Replies: 20
Views: 2530

Re: Health insurance age 60-65: Retiree plans, ACA, Roth conversion impact

mhc wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2023 3:08 pm One thing I noticed for my state was that there is no out of network coverage. This concerns me. For that reason I am going with my company retirement medical insurance. It has higher premiums, but has out of network coverage and lower deductibles and lower max out of pocket.
FWIW, all ACA plans treat ER visits as in-network regardless of the location. Also, recent changes to the ACA got rid of balance billing, so if you are at an in-network facility any procedure will be considered in-network even if out-of-network providers practice at it.

It's not perfect but there are some protections.
by vitaflo
Wed Feb 15, 2023 11:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Why Do People Like Linux?
Replies: 254
Views: 18799

Re: Why Do People Like Linux?

28fe6 wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 7:26 am Because Windows is spyware. The amount of data collected and sent to Microsoft about what you do on your computer would horrify most people if they weren't blissfully unaware of it.

I have been Windows free since 2006. I use tax act online.
If that bothers you that much then I hope you’ve never used a web browser ever.
by vitaflo
Mon Feb 13, 2023 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What % of your gross income do you set aside for retirement?
Replies: 224
Views: 21795

Re: What % of your gross income do you set aside for retirement?

Don't know, don't care. It's a lot more than we need to tho.
by vitaflo
Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Question on self-employment tax and Federal income tax
Replies: 10
Views: 814

Re: Question on self-employment tax and Federal income tax

mancich wrote: Sun Feb 12, 2023 11:56 am
3. As I will be paying quarterly taxes on the business income through the EFTPS government website, how does it delineate/correctly apply what I'm submitting for self-employment taxes, and what is for Federal income taxes on the business?
It doesn’t. You just pay a lump sum that is for everything combined (fed, SS, Medicare, etc). What is applied to what is determined when you file your taxes.
by vitaflo
Sat Feb 11, 2023 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Renting house back from buyers for 3 weeks after sale - thoughts?
Replies: 32
Views: 2522

Re: Renting house back from buyers for 3 weeks after sale - thoughts?

You need to stay in your house or you need to stay in the state? Why not just an "extended stay" hotel for 3 weeks? Technically I don’t need to stay in my house my only concern is keeping my ACA coverage through the end of the month as I have a procedure that be fully covered late in the month. I’ll have paid ACA for the month so just want to make sure coverage isn’t lost mid month due to move out of county/state. Insurance is paid by month. If you paid your premium on April 1, you are covered for the entire month (because you paid for it). It doesn’t matter where you live. Even if you wanted to drop your coverage mid-month they probably wouldn’t let you. They’ll just tell you you already paid and your last covered date will be A...
by vitaflo
Fri Feb 10, 2023 9:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can we afford a move to a mountain town?
Replies: 59
Views: 9071

Re: Can we afford a move to a mountain town?

We've been down this very same path and learned some valuable lessons. A place in the CO mountains was our dream for a long time and we finally made it happen shortly after our first kid. After our second kid arrived, we moved out of state to be closer to family and raise kids in a different environment. -Waking up in the mountains and being immersed in daily/seasonal cycles other than the I-70 weekend grind is amazing and there really is a big difference in living there vs doing the weekend warrior thing and I treasured all the out-the-door access we had. -Child care is extremely hard to come by, schools are hit and miss, medical care can be amazing (e.g. orthopedics in Vail) or hours away. -Living in a tourist town is a drag and you'll s...
by vitaflo
Mon Feb 06, 2023 10:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to control or at least INFLUENCE the Instagram postings I see?
Replies: 25
Views: 1804

Re: How to control or at least INFLUENCE the Instagram postings I see?

The algorithm will of course show you more of what you interact with. It will also show you things your friends interact with (it assumes you will have similar or tangent interests). Maybe this is partly what you're seeing. It will also try to inject lowest common denominator stuff that is wildly popular because it assumes everyone else likes it, so maybe you will too. It's going to always try to find the next "hook" to keep you in the app. If you don't use the app as much as Meta wants you too it's going to try to lure you with other content. If you want to influence what it shows you, you will need to interact with more things that you want it to show you. In the end the algo on Insta is pretty dumb, same for most social media. ...
by vitaflo
Thu Feb 02, 2023 3:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strategy to contribute to self employed 401k with unknown income/expenses
Replies: 5
Views: 397

Re: Strategy to contribute to self employed 401k with unknown income/expenses

Usually when I do this (with a SEP-IRA, but same problem) I pick a low percentage to put into the retirement account during the year, say 10%. This means I'm always short of the max end of year, but it at least means I'm investing something during the year. At tax time I have my accountant figure out what I have left to put in and do a lump sum of that before April 15. For me the lump sum is usually around $10k or so and I just pull that from my business account. Is it totally optimal? Probably not, but it's much less hassle, and I don't have to think about it. I'm still maxing out my SEP every year so I'm in good shape either way. Personally I wouldn't overthink it too much. I like this idea. 10% is way under the general ballpark of 20% b...
by vitaflo
Thu Feb 02, 2023 12:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strategy to contribute to self employed 401k with unknown income/expenses
Replies: 5
Views: 397

Re: Strategy to contribute to self employed 401k with unknown income/expenses

Usually when I do this (with a SEP-IRA, but same problem) I pick a low percentage to put into the retirement account during the year, say 10%. This means I'm always short of the max end of year, but it at least means I'm investing something during the year. At tax time I have my accountant figure out what I have left to put in and do a lump sum of that before April 15. For me the lump sum is usually around $10k or so and I just pull that from my business account.

Is it totally optimal? Probably not, but it's much less hassle, and I don't have to think about it. I'm still maxing out my SEP every year so I'm in good shape either way. Personally I wouldn't overthink it too much.
by vitaflo
Sat Jan 07, 2023 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Travel luggage preferences
Replies: 58
Views: 4942

Re: Travel luggage preferences

I use an Osprey 40L backpack. Duration doesn’t matter. I’ve done 2 month long trips with this.
by vitaflo
Sat Jan 07, 2023 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How does the government know you took out a delayed RMD by April 1st?
Replies: 13
Views: 1538

Re: How does the government know you took out a delayed RMD by April 1st?

How does the government know you took out a delayed RMD by April 1st? All distributions throughout a year go on the same 1099-R. For one they can pretty much assume you took it because you will need to pay estimated taxes on the distribution by April 15th. Taxes are pay-as-you-go. If there was the expectation of an RMD before April 1, there should be a tax payment in Q1 as well. Technically they don't really know if you took it before April 1st or later in Sept or something. But if you get audited, you better be able to prove you took it before April 1st or you will pay 50% tax on the distribution plus a penalty. One thing I've learned about the IRS is they're mostly concerned with you paying your expected taxes on time. Many rules in the ...
by vitaflo
Wed Jan 04, 2023 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Very Thorough List of Secure 2.0 Changes - Which One Will Have Greatest Impact on You?
Replies: 95
Views: 12888

Re: Very Thorough List of Secure 2.0 Changes - Which One Will Have Greatest Impact on You?

Biggest impact is that millions of new people will be buying into 401k plans. I could see this having an effect on stock prices in the near term.
by vitaflo
Mon Jan 02, 2023 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I Get a Raise?
Replies: 97
Views: 7937

Re: Should I Get a Raise?

Few things here... - It has been true for decades that if you want large pay increases, you switch companies. Staying at a place for 15 years is not going to do it. Your coworkers are just taking advantage of this. - Your current employer is not going to match any other offers, and you're probably lucky you got 7.5% as a raise. This may seem dumb to you (probably is) but that's just the way it is. You either need to accept it or move on. - Be sure the "25% raise" includes the value of ALL benefits. Salary is only one part of total compensation. I took a job once where the salary was lower than other offers but the benefits were MUCH better. Overall it was a significantly better deal because of it. Note: WFH is a financial benefit,...
by vitaflo
Thu Dec 29, 2022 4:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What are your best tips for more comfortable and happy travel?
Replies: 107
Views: 10969

Re: What are your best tips for more comfortable and happy travel?

To me "travel" means "road trip." Same. I road trip a lot. I rarely fly (once per decade). Here's what I've learned road tripping: - Don't wait until the next big city to get gas, you'll just be trying to navigate a city you don't know to try and find a gas station. Easier to use the gas stations that are just off an exit on your way. - If you are in a big city and don't know where the good/bad areas are, look on a map for windy roads (not a grid of streets) and lots of golf courses. That's where the rich people live. - If checkout is at 11am and check-in at your next hotel is 4pm and you only have 4 hours to drive, take a scenic route or make a longer stop on the way. Take advantage of the time. - Don't drive into a ne...
by vitaflo
Tue Dec 27, 2022 4:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Tesla: Growth or Value?
Replies: 204
Views: 17245

Re: Tesla: Growth or Value?

Even If true, and they eventually sell as many cars as a VW or GM, why would they be worth 6-8x what those companies are worth now? Or 20x like they were last summer? One reason might be that on a per-car basis, Tesla has far better margins: 8x the profit per car that Toyota has: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Tesla-earns-8-times-more-profit-than-Toyota-per-car Probably because Tesla doesn't have to spend billions designing engines. Tesla can sell at a premium (shiny cool tech) with less expenditures for everything else in the car (besides battery tech). Once traditional auto makers add their own EV platforms they'll either also be able to reap a similar profit or be able to drastically compete on price. Cars are becoming app...