Search found 231 matches

by lynneny
Tue Jun 13, 2023 12:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pension or Lump Sum Consideration
Replies: 26
Views: 2254

Re: Pension or Lump Sum Consideration

When I had to make this decision several years ago, I went with the pension. For two reasons: 1) I liked that the pension, which started two years ago at 65, + Social Security, when I start it at 70, will cover basic living expenses. 2) Alzheimer´s runs in my family, so I have a fear of cognitive decline. So I preferred to spend down my brokerage account and a small portion of my IRA, while I´m capable of managing my investments. Later in life, my bills will be on auto pay from the checking account that will be replenished by the monthly pension and SS checks. Less opportunity to make costly financial mistakes if I´m not thinking clearly.
by lynneny
Wed Jun 07, 2023 2:13 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Keeping most asset amounts in US after retiring abroad permanently.
Replies: 24
Views: 3418

Re: Keeping most asset amounts in US after retiring abroad permanently.

I retired to Mexico almost 5 years ago from the U.S. Before leaving, I consolidated my taxable brokerage, IRA and Roth IRA accounts at two U.S. financial institutions, and simplified my holdings into investments I´ll be ok not changing as I gradually spend them down. My pension is deposited into one of the two U.S. accounts, and Social Security will be, too, when I start collecting at 70. I mostly get money from an ATM, or use credit cards. For larger sums (like buying a house), I can wire money from the U.S. to a local bank account. I keep a U.S. mailing address. My pro tips for anyone planning to retire abroad; 1) Keep a U.S. phone number. Financial institutions often confirm your identity by texting a code to your U.S. phone. They won´t ...
by lynneny
Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:26 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Vanguard closing accounts? [sudden closure with a Non-US address]
Replies: 21
Views: 4099

Re: Vanguard closing accounts? [sudden closure with a Non-US address]

Although there are horror stories about unnamed expats who had their accounts frozen or closed by Vanguard, I´ve never heard of any by name, whereas I know a lot of expats with VG accounts who haven´t had their accounts closed.
by lynneny
Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Suspend Social Security for new job?
Replies: 16
Views: 1937

Re: Suspend Social Security for new job?

Thank you to everyone who has responded. Now that you´ve all done the math for us, I can tell my friend she will likely increase her benefit by about 10% by suspending until 70, and that her breakeven point is 12 years (but I agree that mitigating the longevity risk is what´s most important here). And I´ll share the links with her that some of you included.

I thought suspending would be the best option for my friend, but didn´t have the facts and numerical skills to prove it. We appreciate you all sharing your knowledge!
by lynneny
Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:31 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Vanguard closing accounts? [sudden closure with a Non-US address]
Replies: 21
Views: 4099

Re: Vanguard closing accounts? [sudden closure with a Non-US address]

When I told Vanguard I was retiring to Mexico, they said I could keep my account, with some restrictions. Living outside the U.S., I can keep or sell any of my holdings, but can´t buy more, except for dividend reinvestment. That´s fine with me because I´m retired, so I´m taking money out rather than adding money. I do, however, still use a U.S. mailing address on the account. I´m not trying to conceal where I live, which Vanguard already knows, but Mexico has a dysfunctional postal service that´s only slightly better than just throwing mail out the window. So I use a U.S. address in order to actually get mail. You only asked about Vanguard, but I´ve had much the same experience with Schwab, too. Although Schwab will let customers outside th...
by lynneny
Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Suspend Social Security for new job?
Replies: 16
Views: 1937

Re: Suspend Social Security for new job?

Thank you for your responses, this is very helpful! It sounds like she should suspend. I admire my friend for being excited and energized about starting a new job at the age of 68, and am very glad for her that the salary, for however long she works, and managing her Social Security well, should improve her financial situation for retirement.
by lynneny
Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Suspend Social Security for new job?
Replies: 16
Views: 1937

Suspend Social Security for new job?

A friend who has been collecting Social Security for several years while doing a little freelance work starts a full-time job with benefits next week. Should she ask Social Security to suspend her benefits so she can accrue delayed retirement credits to increase her monthly benefit when she restarts her Social Security? She will turn 70 in 15 months, so would her benefit increase enough in such a short period to be worth suspending it? We´re assuming she would want to resume her benefit at 70 since I don´t think it would increase after that (except for COLA adjustments, of course). Her current Social Security benefit is $1,350/month. Currently she isn´t taxed on her SS benefit because her income has been below the threshold. With the new jo...
by lynneny
Sat Jul 18, 2020 12:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: For those of you who moved when you retired, when did you sell your home relative to when you retired?
Replies: 15
Views: 1965

Re: For those of you who moved when you retired, when did you sell your home relative to when you retired?

I was laid off in late November 2017. I'd always known I'd have to move from very HCOL city when I was no longer working. I started decluttering and prepping my NYC co-op for sale, and put it on the market in June, thinking it would take about three months to sell. Instead, I got an all-cash, full-price offer the first week. It would have been silly to turn it down, but the quick offer meant I had to leave about three months earlier than planned, which was kind of sad because I love NYC and know I'll never be able to afford to live there again so there were a lot of things I wanted to do, as well as spend time with friends before leaving. Anyway, we closed in October, and I moved to Mexico the next day. I rented in several different neighbo...
by lynneny
Thu Jun 18, 2020 1:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Retiring Abroad
Replies: 110
Views: 21592

Re: Retiring Abroad

Sounds like OP might be more interested in an adventure abroad -- like woofing/farming, maybe in more than one country -- than actually moving permanently. I think woofing sounds fascinating! I retired to Mexico in 2018, and current situation in U.S. makes me even happier to be here. I live extremely well on much less here, and could easily cut back if I needed to, so I worry much less about how my investments/IRA back in U.S. will fare. And we have Covid-19 here, but our excellent state governor has been very firm -- masks are required the moment you step out of your house, and you can't enter any store or business without one -- so I feel safer. Our state is gradually re-opening, but in stages pegged to how well we're doing in metrics inc...
by lynneny
Sun Mar 29, 2020 12:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much cash do you keep at home?
Replies: 130
Views: 10923

Re: how much cash do you keep at home?

My life is a little different. I downsized last year by retiring to a foreign country that is quite affordable, but largely cash-based. You can use credit cards at major supermarkets, big-box stores, some gas stations and fancy restaurants, and I pay my rent by wire transfer. But other than that, it's mostly cash. I just paid an endodonist cash for a root canal. And when I bought a house, the realtor was paid his commission in cash at the closing (this is so common that the lawyer who handled and hosted the closing has a money-counting machine in his office). Some stores offer significant discounts if you pay cash (would a Boglehead insist on using a credit card to buy a refrigerator if it costs 10% less in cash?) The point is, I keep more ...
by lynneny
Sun Mar 01, 2020 8:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone else having trouble filing with TurboTax today?
Replies: 3
Views: 694

Re: Anyone else having trouble filing with TurboTax today?

You're right, but I've got friends returning to the U.S. tomorrow and am wondering whether to print my return and give them a copy to take back in case it needs to be mailed. I wouldn't bother if I knew others are having the same problem.
by lynneny
Sun Mar 01, 2020 7:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone else having trouble filing with TurboTax today?
Replies: 3
Views: 694

Anyone else having trouble filing with TurboTax today?

I just finished my taxes on TurboTax and hit File. And got this message on the screen: "Your transmission didn't go through. We could not e-file your return for the following reason: This card cannot be authorized at this time. Please call Pay 1040 customer service staff at 1-888-348-3403". I called, and got a recorded announcement saying: "The system used to bring up your information is unavailable. We're aware of the problem. Try again tomorrow." Has this happened to anyone else? The first message made me think there was a problem with my credit card, which I used to pay for both TurboTax and a relatively small amount I owe the IRS. The second message sounds like the problem is at their end, and they couldn't authorize...
by lynneny
Thu Feb 20, 2020 11:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Exploring new hobbies before retirement: how to find time?
Replies: 16
Views: 1539

Re: Exploring new hobbies before retirement: how to find time?

I had zero hobbies when I was laid off from a very demanding job two years ago at the age of 61. Now I don't know how I used to find the time to go to work. So don't worry about it.
by lynneny
Sun Jan 05, 2020 6:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How bad is this IRA; should it be moved?
Replies: 8
Views: 827

How bad is this IRA; should it be moved?

A 50-year-old friend left her job a couple years ago and rolled her 401(k) with Empower Retirement into an IRA with the same company. So now M. has an Empower Retirement Traditional IRA, worth about $50,000. M. is currently living on income from a couple small rentals and fulfilling a dream of becoming an artist, so is unlikely to have a salaried job or contribute to retirement savings again. If she waits to collect SS until 70, she can probably live mostly on that and rentals. So she won't starve. But she is clueless about investments and what to do with her small IRA, and asked me for help. (I'm retired, and my accounts are at Vanguard and Schwab, so I'm not familiar with Empower). From a monthly account statement she shared with me, M.'s...
by lynneny
Mon Dec 30, 2019 12:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end
Replies: 14
Views: 2082

Re: Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end

OP here. You guys were right - it was easy! It took about 5 minutes to make the estimated payment to the IRS. In the end, I did the credit card payment as the quickest. The small fee charged for credit card payments is about the same as the cash-back amount I earn from my credit card, so that was a wash. Thank you!bbbb
by lynneny
Sat Dec 28, 2019 12:10 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement outside USA - How does Roth work?
Replies: 18
Views: 6293

Re: Retirement outside USA - How does Roth work?

Interesting post, glad it was resurrected!

I retired to Mexico last year, and Kramer's post above is accurate about which taxes Americans in Mexico are and aren't subject to. The main takeaway is that if you're a retired American, and no longer earning any money, the Mexican tax authorities don't care about you.
by lynneny
Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end
Replies: 14
Views: 2082

Re: Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end

Thank you, that's very reassuring, both in regard to the amount of the fine and that the 1040-ES only contains the basic info that I have to fill in to make the online payment anyway.
by lynneny
Thu Dec 26, 2019 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end
Replies: 14
Views: 2082

Re: Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end

That's all very helpful, thank you! And what a relief.
by lynneny
Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end
Replies: 14
Views: 2082

Can I send IRS a quick 2019 payment this way before year end

I retired in 2018, and didn't expect to owe federal income tax in 2019, so I didn't set up estimated payments to IRS this year. I planned to tax gain harvest highly-appreciated stock just up to the amount that would keep me in 0% bracket for capital gains. But with stock market up, my asset allocation got more aggressive than I'm comfortable with in retirement. So I did more tax gain harvesting than I planned, and guesstimate I'll owe about $1,500 in federal taxes due to capital gains. My question: Can I go to irs.gov/payments, choose the credit card option, and just send the IRS $1,000 or so before the end of the year, without any documentation like an estimated tax payment form? On the site, I see an option to choose "Pay 2019 estima...
by lynneny
Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:44 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Is Fidelity friendly to expats?
Replies: 1
Views: 927

Is Fidelity friendly to expats?

Fidelity has a new, no-fee Health Savings Account. I'd love to move my HSA to Fidelity,  but don't know if they'll accept me. I kept a U.S. mailing address, which Fidelity requires, when  I retired to Mexico last year, but many U.S. financial institutions are reluctant now to deal with expat Americans.  I can't conceal that I'm in Mexico, because any medical expenses I reimburse myself for from HSA will be incurred in Mexico. My HSA is essentially another retirement account, and I planned to leave it at Payflex, and pay the $5/month account fee, because they don't care that I'm in Mexico. But Payflex just added a new ER fee based on account balance that is an extra $10/month. So total fees of $180/year rather than $60/year. Does anyone know...
by lynneny
Sat Nov 30, 2019 4:51 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Expat friendly brokerages as of April 2019?
Replies: 22
Views: 6854

Re: Expat friendly brokerages as of April 2019?

I moved to Mexico last year from U.S., and this is what has worked for me: 1. I kept my retirement accounts (IRA and Roth IRA) at Vanguard. They are fine with me being in Mexico as long as I DO NOT buy anything, apart from dividend reinvestment. I can keep current investments. I can sell current investments. I can reinvest dividends. Since I'm retired and can no longer add to retirement accounts, that works for me. 2. I closed my brokerage account at Merrill Lynch. They aren't expat friendly. 3. I opened new, U.S. brokerage account at Schwab about 8 months before I left U.S., and followed their suggestion to switch to international account after moving to Mexico. Schwab is a bit more liberal than Vanguard; I can buy ETFs, but not mutual fun...
by lynneny
Wed Oct 02, 2019 12:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Taking Capital Gains in a Low Income Year
Replies: 23
Views: 2935

Re: Taking Capital Gains in a Low Income Year

I'm doing this, too. This is my first no-income year after retiring. I have a couple years before starting a small pension and then Social Security. And I have a lot of long-term capital gains in my taxable account. So this year I sold highly-appreciated stock up to the top of the tax bracket (almost $40,000 for a single person) for 0% capital gains.

I'll do similar tax gain harvesting next year, then after that my income will be too high again.
by lynneny
Thu Aug 29, 2019 4:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Anyone familiar with Pimco Muni Income III (PMX)?
Replies: 2
Views: 477

Re: Anyone familiar with Pimco Muni Income III (PMX)?

Thank you, that's very helpful!
by lynneny
Thu Aug 29, 2019 12:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Anyone familiar with Pimco Muni Income III (PMX)?
Replies: 2
Views: 477

Anyone familiar with Pimco Muni Income III (PMX)?

A friend who generally invests well highly recommends long-term muni fund Pimco Municipal Income III (PMX). I haven't been able to find out much about it, except that Morningstar says return is high (total distribution rate of 4.79%) and risk is above average. ER is also high, at 1.89%. Bond quality is high.

Is anyone familiar with this fund, and willing to discuss pros/cons? Thank you!
by lynneny
Fri Aug 16, 2019 1:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When to move into retirement
Replies: 80
Views: 8958

Re: When to move into retirement

Sometimes we need a push. I would have kept working if I hadn't been laid off at 61. I had enough, as long as I left my HCOL city for somewhere more affordable, and sold my apartment that had doubled in value. Now I'm retired in Mexico and have a new life.

In hindsight, it was the right time for me to retire. And the lower cost of living here gives me some flexibility. If my investments do well, I'll travel for a couple months in the U.S. and Europe every year (it's nice to leave for a while when the temperature is 100 degrees here). If the market is bad, my travel those years will be within Mexico (there are plenty of places where it isn't 100 degrees).
by lynneny
Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA investing fee (PayFlex)
Replies: 28
Views: 3990

Re: HSA investing fee (PayFlex)

I don't really care about leaving an inheritance, but that's a really good idea to use HSA withdrawals to convert a similar amount to Roth. Thank you..
by lynneny
Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA investing fee (PayFlex)
Replies: 28
Views: 3990

Re: HSA investing fee (PayFlex)

Thank you, Istone19, for correcting my math and other info. $120 a year is worse than I thought. Plus the existing $60 account fee.

I'd like to move to another HSA provider like Fidelity, and theoretically that should work if I just keep my own records and don't have to account for where the money is going (I didn't realize that). But Fidelity not dealing with expats does concern me and may be something I don't want to keep finessing as I get old. I may just start emptying the account, rather than keep it as planned as one of my last retirement accounts along with my Roth IRA.
by lynneny
Tue Aug 13, 2019 2:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA investing fee (PayFlex)
Replies: 28
Views: 3990

Re: HSA investing fee (PayFlex)

Yes, I got the email from Payflex too about the new .02 % fee. Really annoying. I already pay an account fee of $5/monthly, and have to keep $1,000 in cash. I'm wondering if it's worth moving to the Fidelity HSA that many of you speak highly of. The new .02% fee on my $50,000 HSA balance would only be about $20 a year (if my math is correct), but that's in addition to the $60/yr account fee I pay now. So if Fidelity charges no fees, it might be worth moving to save $80/year. Even after paying a $25 account closure and a $25 wire transfer fee. But, I retired last year to Mexico, and many U.S. financial institutions don't like doing business with U.S. expats. I don't know if that would be an issue with Fidelity, although I do use a U.S. maili...
by lynneny
Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 20 countries where 200K in retirement savings will last you decades
Replies: 235
Views: 38400

Re: 20 countries where 200K in retirement savings will last you decades

Retiring abroad isn't for everyone. If you're interested in the culture, willing to learn a new language, patient, and enjoy meeting new people, it can be the adventure of a lifetime. And saving money is a big bonus. I retired to a very safe part of Mexico six months ago from NYC. Here's my real-life experience in a few areas touched on in this thread: Housing -- In NYC, I lived in a small apartment, did own housework. Here, I live in a renovated colonial house with a tropical garden and swimming pool. I have a weekly housekeeper, gardener and pool guy. All of that costs well under one-half of what I paid in U.S. for monthly mortgage and co-op monthly maintenance. I don't own a home yet, but property tax is generally less than US$100/year. ...
by lynneny
Fri Apr 19, 2019 12:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thinking about selling stocks near all time highs
Replies: 98
Views: 11382

Re: Thinking about selling stocks near all time highs

I planned to get my asset allocation down to 50/50 at retirement, but then I got laid off a year ago at 61, a couple years before I would have chosen to retire. My asset allocation was still about 58/42. I don't think it's market timing for me to sell highly appreciated stock, and take advantage of several years of very low income before my small pension starts to do tax gain harvesting. That way I can avoid a chunk of capital gains tax while getting closer to my planned 50/50 allocation.
by lynneny
Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax help! How do I tax foreign tax credit using Turbo Tax?
Replies: 4
Views: 300

Tax help! How do I tax foreign tax credit using Turbo Tax?

UPDATE: I figured it out! I should have checked a box saying my box had more info to add. I missed that the firsst time or two around because it was described as an "unusual situation." Pls help! I'm going around in circles trying to figure out how to take the credit for foreign taxes paid on mutual funds at Vanguard and Schwab. When I go to the Foreign Tax Credit section in Turbotax, it sends me back to the 1099-DIV sub-section to enter the foreign tax credit info. But there's nowhere in the 1099-DIV subsection to enter the foreign tax credit info from Line 7/Foreign Tax Paid in 1099-DIV. It only lets me enter info from Box 1a/Total Ordinary Dividends and Box 1b/Qualified Dividends. I could pay for Turbo Tax Live Advice, but it w...
by lynneny
Tue Apr 09, 2019 11:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Ex-pat jobs for US citizens
Replies: 10
Views: 1654

Re: Ex-pat jobs for US citizens

I had several expat jobs in Europe and Latin America, always transferred by a U.S. company. I also spoke several foreign languages. The best way to get a corporate job overseas is for you to look for an international company in your field that you can move to, and express interest in an overseas post. The easiest way to work overseas is to do a one-month TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and then get a job teaching English in Asia or Latin America (Europe is harder because there are so many EU citizens who can teach English). English-speaking jobs do not pay well, but if you live like a local or in a country with an extremely low cost of living, you can live on it. A friend just taught English in Vietnam, and earned $20/h...
by lynneny
Sun Apr 07, 2019 8:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Doing my taxes: Can I deduct this health insurance payment?
Replies: 2
Views: 627

Re: Doing my taxes: Can I deduct this health insurance payment?

That makes sense, and thank you very much for explaining! I'll prorate and just deduct Nov/Dec.
by lynneny
Sun Apr 07, 2019 5:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Doing my taxes: Can I deduct this health insurance payment?
Replies: 2
Views: 627

Doing my taxes: Can I deduct this health insurance payment?

I'm itemizing for the last time ever, and am eligible for the medical expenses/health insurance deduction for first and only time, because my 2018 income was very low after being laid off in December 2017, and I paid for COBRA myself in 2018. So medical and dental expenses totaling about $3,000 for 2018 and $536.20/month for COBRA put the total over 7.5% of my AGI. Turbotax tells me I can deduct my 10 months of COBRA payments totaling $5,362 for Jan-Oct 2018. My question: I retired to Mexico in October 2018 and paid $1,875 in November 2018 for my new health insurance policy from international insurance company AXA, covering me for one year from Nov. 1, 2018 through Oct. 31, 2019. -- Can I deduct the full health insurance premium of $1,875 b...
by lynneny
Thu Apr 04, 2019 6:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Newlyweds considering moving to NYC...advice and insight appreciated.
Replies: 51
Views: 5488

Re: Newlyweds considering moving to NYC...advice and insight appreciated.

I'd vote for Riverdale. I lived there for 15 years until late last year. Why Riverdale? It's an easy drive to White Plains, which it sounds like your wife will be doing a lot. If your job moves to Manhattan, you can jump on Metro North and be in midtown/Grand Central in 25 minutes. It's comfortable to work on the train, and you always get a seat (so unlike the subway). And you can go into Manhattan for restaurants, theatre, visiting friends, etc. Very affordable, even if you rent a parking space too. You can definitely afford to rent a lovely two or three-bedroom apartment with a parking space, terrace and river view in Riverdale. It sounds like you're too young and interested in city life to be stuck in Westchester. Plenty of time for that...
by lynneny
Wed Feb 13, 2019 1:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Early retirees, how much did you leave on the table?
Replies: 355
Views: 40145

Re: Early retirees, how much did you leave on the table?

I would have worked a couple more years for greater financial security if I hadn't been laid off a year ago at age 61. My former colleagues/work friends, who are all younger, stressed out by annual round of layoffs, and wondering if they'll be next, envy me. They wonder if they'll ever be able to afford to retire. I put much more effort into saving for retirement than most of them do, but also being older I was there during the years of better benefits, salary increases and a pension (frozen years ago, but I'll get something). It's much harder for them to save for retirement. The company has slashed benefits, no longer makes retirement contributions, rarely gives even cost-of-living raises, and ended the pension plan for new employees years...
by lynneny
Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Stolen Credit Card Number
Replies: 19
Views: 9029

Re: Stolen Credit Card Number

Auto pays transfer on an expired/renewed card because it's still the same number. A card replaced due to fraud has a new and different number, so auto pays don't transfer. I had to cancel my Capital One card today due to fraud, after they flagged a suspicious payment for $500 to a money transfer service I'd never heard of. When I called Capital One, there were a horrifying number of attempts at fraudulent charges on my account in the last few days by the hacker; they were either pending or had been refused by the vendor. Capital One suggested what other posters recommended: a Virtual Account Number (VAN) so online purchases are assigned a different number, one for each vendor. That way, if your card is hacked, you just cancel the virtual nu...
by lynneny
Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:25 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: International Health Plan
Replies: 3
Views: 502

Re: International Health Plan

Health insurance for expats varies so much by country that I'd suggest you ask local Facebook groups for expats in Australia about that. I moved to Mexico several months ago, and found the best health insurance for me by asking in Facebook groups like Mexico Amigos. It's one of the most frequently-asked questions, and other expats are great about responding. In Mexico, for instance, most expats tend to get catastrophic health insurance, and pay out of pocket for routine and preventive care, because good healthcare is extremely cheap in Mexico. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in other countries. And if you're American, you have to decide whether your policy should cover you while you're in the U.S., which can raise the price quit a bit...
by lynneny
Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help me choose a co-op buyer!
Replies: 11
Views: 1407

Re: Help me choose a co-op buyer!

I like the idea of sounding out a board member to get a sense of their priorities (because co-op boards are unique and strange). I'm pretty sure my building's board would have favored the buyer making the huge down payment.

There's no way to submit both bids to co-op board. Unless you're an all-cash buyer, and neither bidder is in this case, the buyer must have an approved mortgage before they submit their package to the board. And you can't get a mortgage without a signed sales contract. And you certainly can't enter into two separate sales contracts with two different buyers at the same time for the same property. No to mention trying to extract the customary 10% deposit from each of them.hhhhhhhhhhhhh
by lynneny
Mon Dec 31, 2018 1:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are EFA and IEFA suitable TLH partners?
Replies: 7
Views: 1122

Re: Are EFA and IEFA suitable TLH partners?

Thank you stan1, oldcomputerguy and vineviz for your very helpful advice/suggestions! I had stupidly overlooked that IEFA's 0.31% ER made it a bad investment/TLH partner for EFA (and I should have known that, but completely forgot that in an earlier TLH move at the beginning of 2018, I sold IEFA and bought EFA partly to get out of IEFA's higher ER). So I just sold IEFA and bought VEA. I'm at Schwab so I was charged $4.95 for each trade, but worth it, I think. (Unlike a lot of U.S. financial institutions, Schwab is pretty expat-friendly and lets me buy and sell ETFs even though I recently retired to Mexico. Can't buy mutual funds though. My other relationship is with Vanguard, which lets me as an expat hold and sell investments, but not buy ...
by lynneny
Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I'm out, should I jump right back in?
Replies: 26
Views: 4056

Re: I'm out, should I jump right back in?

Agree with others who have said an in-kind rollover from 401(k) is often not an option. After my layoff, it was incredibly unnerving a few months ago to have my life savings both out of the market for several weeks and entrusted to regular mail delivery in the form of a check that finally arrived at Vanguard. But that's the only option I was given. One small exception to that is if you have a self-directed brokerage account within your 401(k), you're often allowed to roll that portion over in-kind to an IRA AND transfer it electronically. Apparently this is rarely done, and it's a big hassle that neither your former employer nor future IRA account company will want to tackle unless you insist. I had such a brokerage account as part of my 40...
by lynneny
Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are EFA and IEFA suitable TLH partners?
Replies: 7
Views: 1122

Re: Are EFA and IEFA suitable TLH partners?

Thank you student, yes, I screwed up ticker symbols. Fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out.
by lynneny
Fri Dec 28, 2018 12:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are EFA and IEFA suitable TLH partners?
Replies: 7
Views: 1122

Are EFA and IEFA suitable TLH partners?

I just realized I have a $2,360 loss in iShares Core MSCI EAFE (ticker symbol: IEFA) and so would like to tax-loss harvest on Friday. Is iShares MSCI EAFE (ticker: EFA) different enough to be a suitable TLH partner that won't trigger a wash sale if I buy it after selling IEFA? Is there another ETF that would be better? (I have to stick with ETFs because I'm outside the U.S. and can't buy mutual funds). Thank you.
by lynneny
Wed Nov 28, 2018 12:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: List of costs that go away/decrease and increase/appear in retirement
Replies: 69
Views: 6715

Re: List of costs that go away/decrease and increase/appear in retirement

I think if you had a corporate job where your company picked up a lot of expenses, your costs can increase significantly in retirement. That's happening to me in my first year of retirement: --My employer paid for my phone and laptop. Now I pay for my own devices and phone bill. --My employer paid 80% of healthcare, and I paid 20% pre-tax, about $100/month. Now I spend almost $700/month, after-tax, on COBRA. --I did a lot of international travel for work, and those airline/hotel points paid for most of my vacations. Now as I use up the last miles, travel is all at my own expense. --I had a lot of expense account meals, and was invited to a lot of nice restaurants. Now if I want to try a new restaurant, I pay for it. Even cooking at home cos...
by lynneny
Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:46 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Expat Mexico sold U.S. home, best way to invest money safely for year or two
Replies: 5
Views: 1337

Re: Sold home, best way to invest money safely for year or two

Thanks, but I believe VUSXX and SNSXX are both mutual funds, and expats can't invest in U.S. mutual funds (although Schwab lets expats buy ETFs) so that's part of the reason I was considering buying treasuries, which I can do. Re comment about being an expat at Vanguard: It's true that as an expat, I can't make new investments at Vanguard. But I can keep my existing account, and can sell holdings. And dividends on existing holdings can be reinvested. I have my retirement savings in a rollover IRA at Vanguard, and also my Roth IRA. Since I'm retired now, I won't be contributing to retirement savings any more, and I can't legally contribute to Roth without earned income. So all I really want to do is sell existing investments as needed to fun...
by lynneny
Tue Nov 06, 2018 11:16 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Expat Mexico sold U.S. home, best way to invest money safely for year or two
Replies: 5
Views: 1337

Expat Mexico sold U.S. home, best way to invest money safely for year or two

I just sold my apartment in a HCOL city, and want to put the money somewhere safe for a year or two until I (probably) buy a new home in LCOL area I'm retiring to in Mexico. After paying off the mortgage, I was left with enough to pay cash for next home. Since it's in a foreign country, I want to take time to be sure it's the right place for me, and learn about the local housing market. I'd likely buy CDs, but Schwab tells me I can't buy CDs as an expat. I don't know if this is just Schwab, or true for all U.S. financial groups. In any case, I tried to simplify my financial affairs by consolidating everything at Schwab and Vanguard before leaving U.S., so would rather not shop around elsewhere for CDs. Should I put the house money in treasu...
by lynneny
Sun Nov 04, 2018 9:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Multiple newspaper and magazine subscriptions - how much do you pay to stay informed?
Replies: 60
Views: 7097

Re: Multiple newspaper and magazine subscriptions - how much do you pay to stay informed?

I subscribe to the NYT and the Washington Post, several other news sites, and donate to PBS.

The idea that reliable, trustworthy news and information will find you for free/using incognito browsers etc only works as long as enough other people are paying for it, and essentially subsidizing your access to news.

I strongly believe it's important to support journalists in doing their jobs, or someday we'll all be getting our information from crazy people on Facebook and Twitter. There's a reason the Washington Post's slogan is "Democracy Dies in Darkness."
by lynneny
Fri Oct 26, 2018 12:13 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retirees: What keeps you up at night?
Replies: 56
Views: 7357

Re: Retirees: What keeps you up at night?

Alzheimer's. We have a serious family history of it, including early-onset for my mom.

I just retired to Mexico, which should alleviate the financial worries I'd otherwise have. But as a single person in a new country where I don't have family or old friends, getting Alzheimer's here would be pretty disastrous.
by lynneny
Tue Oct 23, 2018 11:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PSA: Don't buy a big house
Replies: 248
Views: 32425

Re: PSA: Don't buy a big house

I may soon be buying a 2BR, 2 BA house with high ceilings. I just retired to Mexico, to a city people typically move to for the old colonial houses. Ceiling height is usually about 18", with lovely original exposed beams. That height helps keep the house cool in the tropical heat, and each room has one or more ceiling fan that you keep on 24/7. Ceiling fans also provide some mosquito protection because they keep the air moving. Electricity is expensive here, so air conditioning is typically only in the bedrooms, and only on when you're sleeping.

No idea how I'll change high-up lights, but it's very common in Mexico to have household help. So I'll let the maid, the gardener and the pool guy figure it out.