Search found 264 matches

by Groundhog
Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Algaecide for Backyard Waterfall?
Replies: 12
Views: 1150

Re: Algaecide for Backyard Waterfall?

I use hydrogen peroxide in my fountain.
by Groundhog
Thu May 18, 2023 2:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Coupon versus APY for Brokered CDs
Replies: 10
Views: 3743

Re: Coupon versus APY for Brokered CDs

Some of the responses don’t seem quite right to me. Both of these brokered CDs earn the exact same amount of interest since they have the same rate. The one that pays monthly would have an advantage in that you could invest the monthly payments in a money market fund and come out ahead. Correct me if I am wrong.
by Groundhog
Sat May 06, 2023 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA
Replies: 12
Views: 1412

Re: TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA

An update on my partial rollover from TSP to Vanguard. I initially opened my rollover IRA account with Vanguard on 4/22. At that time I entered Vanguard’s address and account # into the TSP system. A week later, on 4/29, after waiting the required 7 days I was able to complete the request on the TSP side. On 5/1 I received notice from TSP saying payment was completed and monies will be issued (mailed) on 5/3. Today, 5/6, I logged into my Vanguard account and found the monies had arrived in my rollover IRA at Vanguard. Overall a 2 week process. I was nervous about doing this but glad it all went smoothly. Just as info, this will allow me to do Roth conversions for the next 3 years or so. I’m looking to stay within the 12% tax bracket for the...
by Groundhog
Thu May 04, 2023 2:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Debt ceiling discussion mega-thread]
Replies: 1286
Views: 128361

Re: 4 weeks treasury almost at 6%, game on for debt ceiling

stocknoob4111 wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 2:10 pm 6%?? 1 month tbill still shows as a bit under 5, where did you see 6%?
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/ ... 0504_1.pdf
by Groundhog
Mon Apr 24, 2023 7:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA
Replies: 12
Views: 1412

Re: TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA

Thanks workingfornow.
by Groundhog
Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:39 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA
Replies: 12
Views: 1412

Re: TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA

Thanks for all the responses. I received the letter from Vanguard with the El Paso TX address and my account number. I provided this to TSP online and am now waiting the required 7 days before proceeding.

The Vanguard letter also states the check should be made payable to Vanguard FBO Groundhog Rollover IRA. I didn’t see a place to enter this into the TSP system though. Perhaps I will be able to enter it when I can proceed in 7 days?
by Groundhog
Sat Apr 22, 2023 9:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA
Replies: 12
Views: 1412

TSP to Vanguard Traditional IRA

I am attempting to do a partial rollover of my pre-tax TSP to a Vanguard Traditional IRA.

Does anyone have a step by step guide to doing this? I’ve created the Traditional IRA account at Vanguard but don’t want to mess up the TSP side.

Thanks in advance!
by Groundhog
Thu Mar 16, 2023 2:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 4 week Tbill Supposed to Auction Today
Replies: 15
Views: 2018

Re: 4 week Tbill Supposed to Auction Today

Per the Treasury…

TREASURY IS RESCHEDULING COMPETITIVE CLOSING TIMES FOR TODAY'S 4-WEEK AND 8-WEEK BILL AUCTIONS DUE TO A SYSTEM ISSUE

https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/a ... 0316_2.pdf
by Groundhog
Sun Feb 26, 2023 1:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Clicked on spam link in text - next steps?
Replies: 17
Views: 1228

Re: Clicked on spam link in text - next steps?

RJC wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 12:18 pm
ThankYouJack wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 11:40 am I keep getting a very obvious spam text on my iPhone saying my Amazon account has been locked. I keep clicking "Delete and Report Junk" but one time I missed (was doing it too quickly) and accidentally clicked the link. I closed the browser window quickly after clicking the link. Should that be any cause for concern? Anything I should check?

Also, is there a good way to prevent this text from coming in every day?
The Amazon one is coming in almost daily now. I guess I am not the only one.
I’ve received a couple of these recently also.
by Groundhog
Wed Jan 11, 2023 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Did you stay in TSP just for G fund after retirement?
Replies: 45
Views: 6856

Re: Did you stay in TSP just for G fund after retirement?

Bruce wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:26 am
January 2023 G Fund rate is 3.75%.
January 2023 G Fund rate is 4.00%.
by Groundhog
Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: For Fidelity Fans Only: Water Bottle Giveaway on Reddit
Replies: 31
Views: 3868

Re: For Fidelity Fans Only: Water Bottle Giveaway on Reddit

obafgkm wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:25 pm
jayjayc wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 3:16 pm
"Congratulations — the Investor Quencher bundle is officially yours! To snag your swag, just click https://fbs.mybrandwins.com/haloservice ... tgiveaways and use this code: ******** Do not share this code, it is 1-time use. This code will expire on 1/13/2023, so make sure to redeem your prize before then! We expect the Investor Quencher to ship starting 1/9/2023. As a friendly reminder, we can’t ship to PO boxes or internationally. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know. Enjoy your swag! - Fidelity Investments"
Where did you get this message? Via email? (I only signed up for Reddit to get a bottle).
The email comes from Reddit so look for that. I use gmail and it went into my Social folder.
by Groundhog
Fri Nov 18, 2022 2:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Taxation of Treasury bills, notes and bonds
Replies: 1028
Views: 149519

Re: Taxation of Treasury bills, notes and bonds

Blues wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2022 10:51 am Well, I hope FreeTaxUSA is capable of handling these scenarios or I'm going to lament having gone down this route...(and probably change back to TurboTax which I gave up using several years ago). All of my purchases, (bills and notes), have been on the secondary market.

If you hear a bloodcurdling scream in a few months, you'll know where it came from.
I use FreeTaxUSA also (2022 is open now). I just logged into my account and went to the 1099-INT input screen and there is a box to enter Accrued Interest. I don’t know how it flows from there but it appears to be handled by FreeTaxUSA.

I dipped into the Treasury market this year myself. Most have been auctions but several were on the secondary market.
by Groundhog
Thu Sep 22, 2022 3:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: DRAMATIC drop in MPG
Replies: 30
Views: 3312

Re: DRAMATIC drop in MPG

My beloved '03 Honda Accord is suddenly acting it's age. For all these years it's faithfully delivered 24-26 mpg. Suddenly, it's now down to a ridiculous 15 mpg. Perhaps the 151,000 miles are taking their toll on my old friend. Local shop said to replace the four spark plugs & do a cleaning of the entire fuel system. Total cost $350.00. I don't think so. I'd reconsider. These two service items have a reasonable chance of restoring your engine's performance, and $350 isn't necessarily highway robbery. Replace the plugs at the very least. If you're heading to AutoZone anyway, pick up two 20oz bottles of Chevron Techron Fuel System Cleaner (they should be less than $15 each). Add one bottle to your gas tank now, and the second on your nex...
by Groundhog
Sun Aug 28, 2022 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite music from the 70s?
Replies: 357
Views: 31207

Re: Favorite music from the 70s?

Gary Wright “Love is Alive” and Dream Weaver”.
by Groundhog
Wed Aug 17, 2022 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rolling over a T-bill at Vanguard
Replies: 8
Views: 1351

Re: Rolling over a T-bill at Vanguard

Thanks for the update Pete. I’ll probably run into this situation at some point also.
by Groundhog
Fri Aug 05, 2022 1:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Buying Treasuries debit date
Replies: 2
Views: 286

Re: Buying Treasuries debit date

8/11.
by Groundhog
Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TSP G Fund rate 3.00% (Nov 2023)
Replies: 231
Views: 38155

Re: TSP G Fund rate 3.00% (June 2022)

Evidently, as of 6/1/2022, loans will bear interest at the monthly G Fund interest rate established by the Department of the Treasury in effect on the 15th of the month prior to the date the loan request is made.

See https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/ch ... ion-1655.7

Therefore, the currrent loan rate is not always going to be the same as the current interest rate. I use the following page from SSA which has rates which are the same as the current G Fund interest rates.

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/newIssueRates.html
by Groundhog
Tue Aug 02, 2022 1:33 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TSP G Fund rate 3.00% (Nov 2023)
Replies: 231
Views: 38155

Re: TSP G Fund rate 3.00% (June 2022)

EngCapt1 wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:55 pm Even though yields on longer-term treasuries were down on the last day of July, the G Fund rate has surprisingly increased to 3.125% for August 2022.

:beer
The August rate is 2.875%. It was 3.125% in July.
by Groundhog
Fri Jul 29, 2022 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to read t-note price on Fidelity
Replies: 1
Views: 340

Re: How to read t-note price on Fidelity

This bond has a coupon of 2.50 so the next coupon payment on 8/15/2022 will be $12.50 which you will receive. You are paying $11.53 accrued interest which is paid to the seller as you will not be holding the bond during the whole interest period. Yes, you are getting 2.93% yield.
by Groundhog
Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Understanding my treasury purchase
Replies: 14
Views: 1997

Understanding my treasury purchase

I’ve purchased treasuries via auction this year but decided to dip into the secondary market today. Let me know if my understanding of the purchase below is correct. Transaction details Quantity 5 Transaction type Buy Price 96.589844 Yield to worst 3.183 Yield to maturity 3.183 Trade date / time 07/20/2022 11:58:42 AM ET Status Executed Settlement date 07/21/2022 Face value $5,000 Principal $4,829.49 Accrued interest $3.83 Accrued no. of days 112 Commission $0.00 Net amount $4,833.32 Product description Issue T Note CUSIP 91282CDA6 Product type Treasury Coupon 0.250 Maturity 09/30/2023 Pay frequency Semiannual I will receive: Interest on 9/30/2022: $6.25 Interest on 3/31/2023: $6.25 At maturity on 9/30/2023: $5006.25 Tax implications (this ...
by Groundhog
Mon May 16, 2022 2:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax loss harvesting
Replies: 4
Views: 663

Re: Tax loss harvesting

You may just want to consider a money market fund. Rates have come up on these recently.
by Groundhog
Wed May 11, 2022 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: CMB 119 day Treasury bill available through Vanguard brokerage?
Replies: 2
Views: 750

Re: CMB 119 day Treasury bill available through Vanguard brokerage?

It doesn’t show under the auctions at Vanguard this morning. I can look it up by CUSIP but the buy button is not available.

No big deal, I’ll get something else. Thanks for checking.
by Groundhog
Tue May 10, 2022 5:01 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: CMB 119 day Treasury bill available through Vanguard brokerage?
Replies: 2
Views: 750

CMB 119 day Treasury bill available through Vanguard brokerage?

A Treasury CMB for 119 days was announced today (5/10) for auction tomorrow (5/11). Are these normally available to purchase through Vanguard’s brokerage. I see other new auction Treasurys but not this one.

CUSIP 912796XV6
by Groundhog
Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:50 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Please Try Out Test Posts Here
Replies: 445
Views: 375781

Re: Please Try Out Test Posts Here

Peculiar_Investor wrote: Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:19 pm
Groundhog wrote: Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:17 pm Test posting image

Image
You need to post the Direct link, i.e.

Code: Select all

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/sXHFqJqh/9-FFE06-D0-51-AE-448-A-B51-E-35-DE49-CE2-F52.jpg[/img]
which results in:
Image
Thanks!
by Groundhog
Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Account locked at Treasury Direct and cannot get through on phone
Replies: 255
Views: 44631

Re: Account locked at Treasury Direct and cannot get through on phone

I’ve had a TD account for many years. Never had any issues logging on that I recall. I do logon every month or two to redeem matured EE bonds that I converted from paper so that helps I guess. Still have my decoder card.

Image
by Groundhog
Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:17 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Please Try Out Test Posts Here
Replies: 445
Views: 375781

Re: Please Try Out Test Posts Here

Test posting image

Image
by Groundhog
Tue Apr 26, 2022 1:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: South Dakota Vacation
Replies: 29
Views: 2774

Re: South Dakota Vacation

tman9940 wrote: Tue Apr 26, 2022 10:32 am Going to South Dakota May 12-19th. Will be staying in Rockerville, just south of Rapid City. Plan on seeing Badlands NP, Wind Cave NP, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park. Possibly Devil’s Tower. Anyone have advice on other things to see or do? Also want a good Buffalo burger…any suggestions? Hoping the weather is good…looks like avg is around 60 for the high….hoping that stays true. Thanks!
OP, sounds like a great trip. Please report back with an update after your trip. Enjoy!
by Groundhog
Sat Mar 26, 2022 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pay1040.com FuturePay
Replies: 3
Views: 450

Pay1040.com FuturePay

I’ve previously used EFTPS to schedule my estimated tax payments for the year. I decided to use Pay1040.com this year to capture some rewards on my credit card. I created an account and went to schedule a payment but only seem to be able to select QuickPay, not FuturePay. For those that use Pay1040.com do you schedule your payments in advance or just logon and make payments as needed during the year. I’d rather schedule them in advance so I don’t forget but I’m not feeling real comfortable about the website so far. Thanks for your thoughts.
by Groundhog
Thu Mar 17, 2022 9:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Don't pay full price for SiriusXM radio
Replies: 649
Views: 112415

Re: Don't pay full price for SiriusXM radio

I heard about a new SiriusXM offer from a Reddit user. $5 per month for 12 months plus fees/taxes billed upfront plus a free Echo dot (4th gen). Includes free upgrade to Platinum. Offer expires 3/31/2022.

I was paying $8.99+ per month for Platinum. Used Chat to cancel then went right back and got the special offer online. Total cost was $60 + $12.84 = $72.84. Will revert to $17.99+ per month on 3/17/2023.

Received email shortly after signing up for the free Echo Dot with promotion code through Amazon.
by Groundhog
Sat Mar 05, 2022 1:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2022 Vanguard dividend schedule (excluding December)
Replies: 29
Views: 5052

Re: 2022 Vanguard dividend schedule (excluding December)

Updated the title (excluding December).
by Groundhog
Tue Mar 01, 2022 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Blue Cross Blue Shield] Federal Basic
Replies: 8
Views: 1064

Re: [Blue Cross Blue Shield] Federal Basic

Why are you thinking about doing that? From my understanding Basic is about $100/month less plus you get a $800 reimbursement for having Medicare part B. So that’s about $2000/year savings with Basic over Standard. If you are using out of network care this may affect things as Basic is In network only.

My wife turns 65 next month and is starting Medicare part B. She will be changing from BCBS Standard to Basic.
by Groundhog
Sat Feb 26, 2022 1:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Income tax question
Replies: 7
Views: 926

Re: Income tax question

I also suggest paying quarterly estimated taxes. We have no taxes taken from our two pensions or from SS. After a few years of retirement I have a pretty good handle on our yearly income. Usually in March I schedule the estimated taxes for the year. If we decide to do a Roth conversion late in the year I’ll adjust the last payments higher. On our 2021 taxes we owed $23 federal and $54 state.
by Groundhog
Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:42 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Municipal Money Market VMSXX [0.03%]
Replies: 651
Views: 123288

Re: Vanguard Municipal Money Market VMSXX 1.39%

gmaynardkrebs wrote: Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:33 pm
Groundhog wrote: Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:19 pm The most recent 6 month Treasury bill rate is 0.77%.
Question, isn't that still a pretty negative real rate assuming inflation stays at 5%-7% YOY for a while? I was thinking short TIPS would still be better?
True, I was just comparing it to current money market rates.
by Groundhog
Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Municipal Money Market VMSXX [0.03%]
Replies: 651
Views: 123288

Re: Vanguard Municipal Money Market VMSXX 1.39%

The most recent 6 month Treasury bill rate is 0.77%.
by Groundhog
Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Electric fireplace under TV?
Replies: 18
Views: 2471

Re: Electric fireplace under TV?

Wayfair has a bunch of these. We bought this one https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/ ... k1076.html last year. Our tv sits on top. We paid $589 but it’s currently out of stock. Current price appears to be $989, inflation I guess.
by Groundhog
Sun Mar 14, 2021 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Happy Pi Day! (And what pie?)
Replies: 54
Views: 4545

Re: Happy Pi Day! (And what pie?)

egrets wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 3:36 pm
Groundhog wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 2:56 pm Strange but true story...
I bought a roll of fencing yesterday which I plan to make round cages with to go around plants in the garden. This morning I used pi to determine how long a piece of fence I would need to create a 24” round cage. I’ve known of pi since my school days and can recite it to a number of decimal places but never used it in practice until today. Didn’t realize it was pi day until I read this post. What are the odds!
For a 24" round cage I think you would need a 24 inch length of fencing plus a bit to crimp together. Maybe you mean a 24" diameter cage?
Yes, 24” diameter. 24 x 3.1415926 = 75.4. So approx 75” length of fence will make a 24” diameter round cage, a bit less when put together.
by Groundhog
Sun Mar 14, 2021 2:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Happy Pi Day! (And what pie?)
Replies: 54
Views: 4545

Re: Happy Pi Day! (And what pie?)

Strange but true story...
I bought a roll of fencing yesterday which I plan to make round cages with to go around plants in the garden. This morning I used pi to determine how long a piece of fence I would need to create a 24” round cage. I’ve known of pi since my school days and can recite it to a number of decimal places but never used it in practice until today. Didn’t realize it was pi day until I read this post. What are the odds!
by Groundhog
Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medallion signature guarantee
Replies: 121
Views: 18274

Re: Medallion signature guarantee

I needed one for my Treasury Direct account when changing my linked checking account. Used my local bank and it went fine. It was probably 5+ years ago.
by Groundhog
Wed Mar 03, 2021 11:33 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TSP share price in Google Sheets like GoogleFinance
Replies: 112
Views: 34684

Re: TSP share price in Google Sheets like GoogleFinance

My apologies for not taking the time to write the code but for anyone interested here are two useful facts if you care to keep easy track. 1) The TSP loan interest rate is the G-Fund rate (https://www.tsp.gov/loan-basics/loan-types-and-terms/) 2) The URL to pull that value is https://secure.tsp.gov/components/CORS/getCurrentLoanInterestRate.html ... I can see the current G fund rate at the 2) url above. How can I have the result of that page be displayed in a cell of my Google Sheet? Thanks. I'm trying, but I can't get it to work. I'm trying Google Sheet's ImportXml function but the results always strip out the number and I just get "--%" In theory, any of these below should work, but none of them do. =importxml("https://www...
by Groundhog
Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TSP share price in Google Sheets like GoogleFinance
Replies: 112
Views: 34684

Re: TSP share price in Google Sheets like GoogleFinance

mouth wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:18 am My apologies for not taking the time to write the code but for anyone interested here are two useful facts if you care to keep easy track.

1) The TSP loan interest rate is the G-Fund rate (https://www.tsp.gov/loan-basics/loan-types-and-terms/)
2) The URL to pull that value is https://secure.tsp.gov/components/CORS/ ... tRate.html
...
I can see the current G fund rate at the 2) url above. How can I have the result of that page be displayed in a cell of my Google Sheet?

Thanks.
by Groundhog
Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2020 Taxes H&RBlock and Schedule B for 1099-DIV over $1500
Replies: 12
Views: 2307

Re: 2020 Taxes H&RBlock and Schedule B for 1099-DIV over $1500

GTBuzz wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:35 am FreeUSATax is an option that is free for anyone of any income level; you only pay for the "Deluxe" version and state e-file. The free version includes every form even complicated returns may need, and I've found the software to be as good, if not better, than TurboTax/H&R Block/etc.
I believe you meant FreeTaxUSA. I used it last year for the first time. Very satisfied and starting working with it again this year. Federal efile is free, I only pay to efile state.
by Groundhog
Fri Oct 30, 2020 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Using PayPal vs credit card for purchase
Replies: 12
Views: 2536

Re: Using PayPal vs credit card for purchase

Thanks all. Since it’s a larger purchase I will stick with using a credit card. If it was a less expensive item I would have gone the PP route.
by Groundhog
Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Using PayPal vs credit card for purchase
Replies: 12
Views: 2536

Using PayPal vs credit card for purchase

Looking to make a purchase at Best Buy. I see they accept PayPal for payment. My Chase Freedom card gives 5% reward for PayPay this quarter and is linked to my PP account. Do I lose any card benefits (Purchase Protection or Extended Warranty) by using PayPal vs just paying direct with a credit card? If I used PayPal to pay and had a billing issue (after going through Best Buy) would I contact PP or Chase?
by Groundhog
Fri Jul 03, 2020 6:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Amex Shop Small Online Shops
Replies: 37
Views: 4298

Re: Amex Shop Small Online Shops

I think every liquor store around me is on the list. Too bad I don’t drink!