Search found 1298 matches

by chw
Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sleeping struggles with two people one bed
Replies: 71
Views: 7013

Re: Sleeping struggles with two people one bed

Perhaps try a split king mattress. Bottom sheets are separate. Tops sheets are usually one for both mattresses, but I would think separate for that could work. We bought a split king adjustable several years ago, and love it!
by chw
Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cleaning hardwood floors - Bona, Swiffer, or?
Replies: 19
Views: 2842

Re: Cleaning hardwood floors - Bona, Swiffer, or?

It really depends on the finish you have on the floors. I went thru this process a few months ago, and after several calls and e-mails was able to determine what type of flooring and finish we had (I had a sample cleaning product left by the previous homeowner that was 25 years old that was unique to certain types of floors). Turned out we had an engineered wood product which could have been ruined had I used a cleaner like Bona on them. For my flooring, Bruce Hardwood and Laminate cleaner was recommended, with a top coat (2-3 actually) of Armstrong Shinekeeper did an awesome job of restoring some very tired looking floors to near new looking condition with no sanding (engineered cannot be sanded). We used a Bona microfiber mop/microfiber s...
by chw
Sun Jan 28, 2024 8:52 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Delay Filing an LTCI Claim?
Replies: 94
Views: 6041

Re: Delay Filing an LTCI Claim?

I would file as soon as possible. Generally, most waiting periods don’t start until you file (not retroactive), so sooner better than later. At your relative’s age, it’s not likely condition will improve, though may level off. Even if benefits start, and later run out, you’ve preserved your relative’s assets to be used later in life. Also, if you end up denied you at least know why, and have a better understanding when to apply in the future. Be prepared for some assessments on the part of the insurance company being required. Pay attention to the responses given by current care providers, as they may sometimes give inaccurate responses to the questionnaires returned to the insurance company. I had an issue with my mom‘s primary care provid...
by chw
Fri Jan 26, 2024 6:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which Boston suburb to settle?
Replies: 198
Views: 18371

Re: Which Boston suburb to settle?

What is your criteria for home size? At 1.5M you certainly can live in some of the closer in suburbs to Boston (Newton, Wellesley, Lexington, Belmont. etc), but generally homes will be smaller and older than homes out towards Rt 495. Also the suburbs between rt128 and rt 495 tend to be less diverse. Some towns in the area just outside of Boston participate in the Metco program which brings students from lower income Boston communities to schools in some of the wealthier less diverse nearby suburbs. Plenty of living options south west and north of Boston- each has its advantages. I worked in the Framingham area for many years, and they had several tennis and swimming clubs in the area, while in close proximity to Boston via the MA turnpike....
by chw
Thu Jan 25, 2024 7:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retiring early: Health Insurance
Replies: 97
Views: 11332

Re: Retiring early: Health Insurance

Retired at age 58. 18 months of employee COBRA- premiums of about $1400/month for high deductible health plan for DW and I. Total out of pocket costs about 23k. ACA plan for past 5 years. In 2023, after tax subsidies, net cost for premiums will be about $3000 for high deductible plan (HSA eligible) for just me (DW went on Medicare 2 years ago). Had deductible payments about $3,000, so total health related costs for just me about$6,000. DW on Medicare/Medigap plan- total costs about $4,000, so combined costs of $10,000/year. The ACA plan I was I was an HMO with quality medical network of doctors that were in network when I was working. Intangibles: 1) I was able to contribute to a HSA plan, and receive a tax credit- $4,850. 2) The ACA plan I...
by chw
Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which Boston suburb to settle?
Replies: 198
Views: 18371

Re: Which Boston suburb to settle?

What is your criteria for home size? At 1.5M you certainly can live in some of the closer in suburbs to Boston (Newton, Wellesley, Lexington, Belmont. etc), but generally homes will be smaller and older than homes out towards Rt 495. Also the suburbs between rt128 and rt 495 tend to be less diverse. Some towns in the area just outside of Boston participate in the Metco program which brings students from lower income Boston communities to schools in some of the wealthier less diverse nearby suburbs. Plenty of living options south west and north of Boston- each has its advantages. I worked in the Framingham area for many years, and they had several tennis and swimming clubs in the area, while in close proximity to Boston via the MA turnpike.
by chw
Mon Jan 22, 2024 7:52 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: 🎁 🎉Happy 100th Birthday to Taylor Larimore 🎊🎂
Replies: 429
Views: 43315

Re: 🎁 🎉Happy 100th Birthday to Taylor Larimore 🎊🎂

Happy Birthday Taylor from Cape Cod- where if I recall you spent summers in your younger days sailing in Falmouth.

Your retirement guide set me on the path to this forum over 10 years ago, and your simple,sage advice is timeless.

Thanks for all that you’re given to the world during your 100 years.
by chw
Thu Jan 18, 2024 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resignation Letter
Replies: 70
Views: 7035

Re: Resignation Letter

Company asks for 60 day notice for retirement. I am told by HR that this is so the employees do not see an interruption in bene's. Since all I am getting from my company is my unused vacation, a guaranteed health care fund and my 401k, I do not see the need. ACTION: should I give them the 60 day notice or is anything less up to 2 weeks adequate? Concerned that they may release me before I receive my bonus. Not saying they would but they could. I had to give 90 days notice when retiring in order for 3 years worth of RSUs to continue to vest. If I had simply given 2 week notice the RSUs would have been terminated/cancelled. I would closely read your HR benefits manual regarding benes you may be entitled to at retirement. The RSUs were a sign...
by chw
Thu Jan 18, 2024 8:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New Fidelity Private Client Policy?
Replies: 44
Views: 6648

Re: New Fidelity Private Client Policy?

I noticed the same thing about 10 days ago. Apparently I’m still in the Private Client Group, but have no assigned rep. I did get free TT in late November though….

I had the previous rep about 4 years- nice enough guy. He pitched me with presentations for a managed account relationship about every 18 months, to which I politely declined. The managed portfolios were highly complex (with over 25 funds) to achieve what could be done with 3-4 funds.
by chw
Thu Jan 18, 2024 5:28 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resignation Letter
Replies: 70
Views: 7035

Re: Resignation Letter

I would keep the letter simple and state your wish to retire. No more than a few sentences needed. You already sought the company out about the raise and received your answer. You might offer a few additional weeks of notice to the company to assist with the transition- this may signal to management your willingness to part on good terms, and possibly open dialogue about how you might stay in some capacity on your terms.

When I retired I simply called my manager to go give notice verbally. I was asked to stay on an additional 3 months (was very fairly compensated) due to my manager as well as his manager shifting out of their roles (which hadn’t been announced yet).
by chw
Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Where do you bank and why? 2024 Edition
Replies: 113
Views: 15408

Re: Where do you bank and why? 2024 Edition

I opened a CMA at Fidelity 2 years ago, and have transitioned all of our day to day banking to them. We have a local bank relationship primarily for needs such as notary and medallion guarantees. Otherwise would not need local bank at all.
by chw
Mon Jan 08, 2024 4:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA - spouse moving to Medicare midyear, travel etc
Replies: 8
Views: 1263

Re: ACA - spouse moving to Medicare midyear, travel etc

In my state (MA) you would contact your exchange about 45~60 days before your wife goes on Medicare to update your ACA application to remove your wife. Regarding HMOs and travel. for domestic, our HMOs would cover us as in network when traveling out f state. We were advised that some out of state providers may require upfront payment though, in which case we would have to seek reimbursement for those payments. International travel no coverage (we bought coverage through tour provider). YMMV…. PS- if you obtain dental insurance through the exchange, your wife may be able to retain it during the transition to Medicare. Our exchange allows this , and has decent dental plan options that we can use to obtain network pricing with our dentist. We ...
by chw
Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Real Estate Windfall Amid Family Drama
Replies: 96
Views: 17361

Re: Real Estate Windfall Amid Family Drama

I would be wary of this (especially given the estrangement issue). One thing that comes to mind is environmental concerns- think leaking oil tanks (requiring costly mitigation), and possible other hazards associated with vacant property.

Before accepting title to these homes, I would slow the process down to find out exactly what you are inheriting. You could be inheriting a substantial liability.
by chw
Fri Jan 05, 2024 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tips on car rental
Replies: 72
Views: 13093

Re: Tips on car rental

Dave5280 wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 2:41 pm We use Costco online travel site to reserve for good discounts. Even cancel and rebook if rates go down before our trip. Their prices include taxes vs others sites that don’t and add a driver for free. We like Alamo the best of the 4 or 5 on Costco.com.
+1. Have done hundreds of car rentals over the years. Costco by far is the least hassle, no gotcha booking agent to deal with. The rebook feature is awesome. Cut my booking price in half on a recent trip by rebooking.
by chw
Thu Jan 04, 2024 5:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Where do you bank and why? 2024 Edition
Replies: 113
Views: 15408

Re: Where do you bank and why? 2024 Edition

Fidelity CMA. Seems to have it all...
by chw
Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What to look for when selecting tax preparer
Replies: 14
Views: 1523

Re: What to look for when selecting tax preparer

Given your profile, I would simply file yourself. A side benefit would be gaining a deeper understanding of your income taxation as time goes along, and how you may minimize taxation at different stages of life (such as ACA subsidies, Roth conversions).
by chw
Tue Jan 02, 2024 7:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: BND or Stable fund
Replies: 106
Views: 10938

Re: BND or Stable fund

Most stable value funds have duration of less than 90 days. Over the past 10 years they have generally yielded a rate of 2-4% annually depending on what longer duration bonds were yielding. In the current environment I would invest in BND, but if the yield on BND drops below 2% consider switching to stable value. I employed this strategy with a stable value fund with a floor rate of 2.5% . It helped me avoid the bloodbath in bonds during 2021 and 2022, while getting positive returns those years. What fund is that with a 2.5% minimum? There's that crazy NYC 7% minimum fund, and TIAA has some minimums for Traditional (which isn't a stable value fund), but I don't believe(?) it has a minimum for its actual Stable Value product. In any case yo...
by chw
Tue Jan 02, 2024 5:18 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: BND or Stable fund
Replies: 106
Views: 10938

Re: BND or Stable fund

Most stable value funds have duration of less than 90 days. Over the past 10 years they have generally yielded a rate of 2-4% annually depending on what longer duration bonds were yielding.

In the current environment I would invest in BND, but if the yield on BND drops below 2% consider switching to stable value.

I employed this strategy with a stable value fund with a floor rate of 2.5% . It helped me avoid the bloodbath in bonds during 2021 and 2022, while getting positive returns those years.
by chw
Mon Jan 01, 2024 5:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 BOGLEHEAD CONTEST REGISTRATION
Replies: 579
Views: 39933

Re: 2024 BOGLEHEAD CONTEST REGISTRATION

My guess is
5179
by chw
Sun Dec 31, 2023 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: love your tablet?
Replies: 63
Views: 6262

Re: love your tablet?

For me iPad fits the bill. Usually buy refurb from Amazon a few generations old, and hold onto for about 5 years (or until updates no longer supported). Perhaps I'm missing some better option, but this serves as a go to portable device. My stationary resource is a desktop with 28" monitor that I use for replying to several emails at a time, data processing and the like, etc.

YMMV
by chw
Tue Dec 19, 2023 3:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Protecting Assets Nursing Home Care
Replies: 64
Views: 9523

Re: Protecting Assets Nursing Home Care

I would suggest meeting with an elder law attorney familiar with the laws of the state where your Dad is getting care. There may be (or not) strategies to preserve some of your parent's assets for your Mom (who is not in a nursing home). A key question is: do most nursing homes in the area accept Medicaid reimbursement (not all do). I went thru this with my parents a few years ago. Mom’s will was redone to shift trust assets in her name into a supplemental needs trust for Dad (upon her death) which isn’t counted as Dad’s asset, but could be used to supplement his care if he is in a nursing home. There was no 5 year Medicaid look back period for this structure. Most family assets were titled in Mom’s name because she had a LTC policy that pa...
by chw
Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Odd Meeting Today with IRS Re my 2022 Return
Replies: 92
Views: 12736

Re: Odd Meeting Today with IRS Re my 2022 Return

Agree with others that most likely explanation for the meeting is possible fraudulent filing of tax returns using your SS#. I would suggest to check your credit reports for any suspicious activity, as sometimes the bad guys may not stop with getting a refund under your name.
by chw
Thu Dec 14, 2023 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023
Replies: 435
Views: 156891

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2023

Rec'd the free offer ($5.00 for the State download) today, though it took some searching to find. I thought searching for Turbo Tax in the search bar would find the free offer- I only found the 20% off offer. However- if one searches their "Summary" page (I had to scroll to the bottom of the page), the free (or almost) offer is there!

Had no trouble with downloading Fed and State- seemed to go flawlessly. Anyways- thought I'd mention explicitly where to look for the free offer, as it was buried on my Summary page...

Happy Holidays!!
by chw
Thu Dec 07, 2023 4:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Has surviving stock market crash made you more resilient
Replies: 121
Views: 13715

Re: Has surviving stock market crash made you more resilient

Generally yes, but they are all different. Another factor is what stage of life you experience them in. I was in my late 20's when the 87 crash hit. I barely noticed it, as I had a relatively low net worth, and figured I was dollar cost averaging in with new $$ at a lower investment rate with a long runway for growth. The doldrums of the tech crash of the early 2000's I more or less ignored (I tended to avoid looking at my investment account statements until year end) for the same reason- I was still accumulating mid career for retirement, and college funds, and had time for the market to recover. 2008-2009 (late career/almost pre-retirement years)- this was the grand-daddy of the market crashes for me. I had been laid off a year earlier, a...
by chw
Thu Dec 07, 2023 7:23 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Simple way to divest from Oil companies?
Replies: 16
Views: 1807

Re: Simple way to divest from Oil companies?

OP, we’ve shifted most of our tax deferred and tax free equity holdings to ESGV over the past 3-4 years, mainly to divest away from big oil. We continue to hold VTI in taxable due to large embedded capital gains. There isn’t a long history for ESGV, but it seems to perform similarly to a large cap index fund.

Many on this board don’t advocate investing in socially responsible funds as it’s difficult to define the criteria for the companies that are invested in, but is reasonably easy to do so to avoid oil company stocks. The process to less oil dependence is imperfect, but we felt to not try was not an option for us.

We’ve allocated 50% of our equities to ESGV and have been happy with its performance in our portfolio.
by chw
Tue Nov 28, 2023 1:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dental Insurance Over 65?, Medicare
Replies: 12
Views: 1435

Re: Dental Insurance Over 65?, Medicare

We've been purchasing a dental plan thru our state's (MA) health insurance marketplace. Relatively modest price ($45/mo pp) gets us access to network rates for the dentist we go to. No requirement to have health insurance thru the exchange to access dental coverage. Yearly benefit cap of about $1,500. We are okay with this, as we expect unexpected dental issues to come up as we age.

It seems without access to "network" pricing, we are at the whim of the dental practice to charge what they wish. i don't worry so much about routine services, but the unexpected dental work that can get pricey quite quickly with out of network pricing.

You might check your state's exchange to see if they offer dental plans.
by chw
Mon Nov 27, 2023 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Exit Strategy (for tax-deferred retirement accounts)
Replies: 163
Views: 22514

Re: What's Your Exit Strategy (for tax-deferred retirement accounts)

sailaway wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2023 4:53 pm
Normchad wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2023 4:48 pm I plan to qualify for maximum ACA premium tax credits. So I’ll start spending the 401K once I qualify for Medicare.
We plan to start conversions in order to generate income for ACA eligibility.
Income generation is not needed if you aren’t seeking advance credits.
by chw
Mon Nov 27, 2023 7:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Exit Strategy (for tax-deferred retirement accounts)
Replies: 163
Views: 22514

Re: What's Your Exit Strategy (for tax-deferred retirement accounts)

Retired mid 60's... Options 1,2,4 and 8 1) Invest conservatively with mainly fixed income allocation in the TD accounts to hold down growth. 2) After age 65 (utilizing ACA tax credits til then) withdraw from TD for income needed to cover expenses not covered by other income flows. 3) Do partial Roth conversions up to the 12% marginal tax bracket (after standard deduction). May consider partial conversions into the 22% bracket, but still evaluating that... Goal is to smooth the expected marginal tax rate now with that expected after age 73. We've accumulated a 7 figure TD account (IRA and Ibonds that are maturing in my early 70s). We did do a sizable Roth conversion about 12 years ago when the IRS allowed taxpayers to pay the taxes over 2 ye...
by chw
Tue Oct 24, 2023 6:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Movies Ticket Prices
Replies: 53
Views: 5788

Re: Movies Ticket Prices

$18 plus $3 for the same movie matinee (senior rate). This was shown in a restored theatre in an upscale community nearby.
by chw
Wed Oct 11, 2023 8:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days
Replies: 109
Views: 12617

Re: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

I need a new Fitbit and I am hoping to see a price drop (currently $199 for the Versa 4) on October 10. Google pixel watch is on sale for $209 (base model). The watch uses Fitbit software. It will be interesting to see what Google does with Fitbit. Already I was getting reminded by Google about what a good idea it would be for me to use my old Versa with a Google account, rather than my old Fitbit one. I got the same pitch when setting up my new Versa 4 yesterday. I've had the Pixel watch for 6 months, and the Fitbit on it works nicely, amongst the other features the watch has. At $209.00, seems to be a no-brainer if considering a Fitbit at $199. While the watch is 1st gen, the new 2nd gen I don't believe is substantially different to cons...
by chw
Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days
Replies: 109
Views: 12617

Re: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

CardinalRule wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2023 9:33 am I need a new Fitbit and I am hoping to see a price drop (currently $199 for the Versa 4) on October 10.
Google pixel watch is on sale for $209 (base model). The watch uses Fitbit software.
by chw
Sat Oct 07, 2023 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I bond asset allocation
Replies: 32
Views: 3455

Re: I bond asset allocation

I've set a target of 20% of fixed income/8% of overall portfolio. I started buying I bonds in 2001, and are currently over weighted in I bonds at 9.5% of the overall portfolio. I'll probably continue to overweight I bonds, as the 2001 vintage bond currently comprise about 50% of our I Bond holdings, and will mature in about 8 years- thus likely dropping our AA in I Bonds closer to the target at that time.
by chw
Fri Sep 29, 2023 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Solar in MA - realistic coverage expectations?
Replies: 47
Views: 4657

Re: Solar in MA - realistic coverage expectations?

I live in eastern MA (Cape Cod). Installed a 24 panel system thru an EnergySage contractor 5 years ago. We’ve replaced 100% (generating avg of 110-115% of usage exclusive of using heat pump) of our electric usage during this time. System paid for itself in about 4.5 years (as expected) after tax credits, SRECs, and value of power generated. We installed central AC/heat pump shortly after the solar install. The heat pump has been primarily used in the shoulder heating seasons, and used to “burn off” net meter tax credits that accrue during the year. Our solar installer was able to get approval to “oversize” the demand for our installation based on the expectation of adding additional equipment increasing the demand for electricity. We are co...
by chw
Fri Sep 15, 2023 6:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Everything to Fidelity
Replies: 112
Views: 14960

Re: Everything to Fidelity

I started moving all of my accounts to Fidelity 3 years ago, and haven’t looked back. Opened a CMA last year, which was my final step bringing my day to day checking over from Ally bank. IMO the bill pay function was easier to work with at Ally, but being able to hold money market funds directly in the account is a nice feature.

The only financial account held outside of Fidelity is with Merrill Lynch. This account is used to qualify for premier rewards on my BOA credit cards which is substantial.
by chw
Fri Sep 08, 2023 3:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I do a 401K to tIRA Rollover?
Replies: 10
Views: 1004

Re: Should I do a 401K to tIRA Rollover?

Do you have a stable value fund offering in the 401k plan? If so, do you recall if it paid a favorable rate compared to treasuries a few years ago? I hold mostly fixed income in my tIRA, so a few years ago when total bond fund yields dropped to around 1% (as were shorter term treasuries) I looked to see of there were other safe investments with higher yields. I had a mega corp 401k at the time that had a SV fund paying nearly 3%, so I did a “reverse” rollover of the tIRA to the 401k to take advantage of the higher SV rate until short term treasury yields rose above the SV yield (that took nearly 3 years). I’ve since rolled over the majority of the 401k back into a brokerage tIRA to buy treasury bonds with much higher yields. I’ve left a sma...
by chw
Tue Aug 22, 2023 7:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New England Vacation
Replies: 18
Views: 1757

Re: New England Vacation

2 days is not long enough for that trip. You'll basically be in the car most of the time taking the route you mention. If planning to go to the Mt. Washington area, I would rec. 5 days at a minimum. The entire trip is like 8 days. If I had more time I’d tell you. I have two days I need to fill in going south from Acadia. Won’t be near mt Washington on the way home. Ah, sorry missed that! So, for those two days, I would simply go south from Acadia about 1.5 hours to the Camden, ME area- it's heading south along coastal Rt 1- beautiful area for hiking, getting on the water, shops, etc. Some greats towns also nearby as well. If you wish to go a bit further south, I would suggest Portland, ME. Portsmouth, NH is another great area to spend time...
by chw
Tue Aug 22, 2023 3:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New England Vacation
Replies: 18
Views: 1757

Re: New England Vacation

2 days is not long enough for that trip. You'll basically be in the car most of the time taking the route you mention. If planning to go to the Mt. Washington area, I would rec. 5 days at a minimum.
by chw
Mon Aug 21, 2023 7:07 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help Annette Keep Working and Not Retire
Replies: 648
Views: 62977

Re: Help Annette Keep Working and Not Retire

Annette, I was in similar circumstances around your age work wise. I would consider this- target retirement in 3-5 years. This will allow you to beef up your savings and minimize the impact of adverse returns early in retirement. You mention “staying relevant “- I would use the next few years to start journaling what makes you happy, and how that could translate to retirement activities/volunteering. I started doing this during my train commute, and found it helpful- I retired 6 years ago at age 58, and recently looked at my journal list and am happy to report I’ve achieved many of the activities that made me happy during that time. My volunteer work has been limited due to unexpectedly having to step into the role of a care provider/assist...
by chw
Mon Aug 07, 2023 11:28 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Take SS or do Roth Conversion
Replies: 21
Views: 2569

Re: Take SS or do Roth Conversion

Generally you should try to estimate your tax rate when RMDs kick in, and aim to “smooth” conversions to a similar tax rate now and in the intervening years. You may find your conversion level may be less than expected.

It looks like you are at nearly 100% stocks with your portfolio (which may be fine if your expenses are covered by other income streams). If you decide to dial back your portfolio risk, I would use your traditional IRA for the “safe” asset placement to minimize growth in that account.

I would also recommend delaying SS to age 70, as the higher benefit is available to your spouse should you pre-decease her.
by chw
Thu Jul 13, 2023 11:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bogles in 40s and 50s, how should I spend 30s
Replies: 91
Views: 15238

Re: Bogles in 40s and 50s, how should I spens 30s

Regarding investing, I wish I had discovered indexing sooner. I also wish had kept less cash on hand (though some was earmarked to buy a home), and invested 100% in the markets.

Regarding having fun, I can’t really comment. I have no regrets on how I spent my 30s (career solidified, met wife, started family, made new friends, etc). In general, I would encourage you to max out 401k contributions, and possibly IRA as well (if tax wise to do so).
by chw
Sun Jul 09, 2023 8:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Feeling dissatisfied with Fidelity cash yield compared to VG?
Replies: 51
Views: 5968

Re: Feeling dissatisfied with Fidelity cash yield compared to VG?

vu8 wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 5:12 am
UpperNwGuy wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 4:56 am My sweep at Fidelity is FZFXX, and it has a yield of 4.75%, not much different from the VMFXX sweep at Vanguard.
I think my Fido CMA account only allows the FDIC Program as a sweep.

You probably have the Fido non CMA brokerage account which has better sweep options but no debit card with ATM fee withdrawal reimbursements.

Anything I can do to use the Money Market Fund as a sweep in Fidelity?
You are correct, but if you purchase FZFXX within your CMA account, it will override the FDIC program, and liquidate FZFXD as needed to cover bill pays or withdrawals.
by chw
Wed Jun 14, 2023 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Watches for $1K
Replies: 45
Views: 6063

Re: Watches for $1K

I would strongly consider a smart watch compatible with the smart phone being paired with. Features on top brands are good to very good. I personally like the health tracking apps on my pixel watch, as well as many other apps that are on it.
by chw
Sat May 27, 2023 8:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Performance Dress Shirts for men? - Non-Iron and Washable
Replies: 43
Views: 6961

Re: Best Performance Dress Shirts for men? - Non-Iron and Washable

LL Bean fits your needs- not as pricey as Brooks Brothers, and have a nice selection or work casual styles.
by chw
Thu Apr 20, 2023 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Merrill Edge vs Fidelity-differences
Replies: 43
Views: 6527

Re: Merrill Edge vs Fidelity-differences

I have most of my financial relationships with Fidelity (including banking). I do have a ME account for the Premier Honors rewards program, which offers a variety of credit card reward strategies depending on how you use your cards. DW each have a no fee CC thru BOA, and recently added a Premier card ($95 annual fee), which pays for itself with travel benefits, as well as the ongoing day to day rewards (it's mostly become my card for everything). The Premier card has no foreign transaction fees when used overseas. I also had a need to buy foreign currency recently for an upcoming trip. BOA offers a nice service of purchasing the currency on-line a a preferred exchange rate (for Premier Rewards clients), and free next day shipping to my home...
by chw
Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How early to send checks using (Fidelity) billpay?
Replies: 10
Views: 1363

Re: How early to send checks using (Fidelity) billpay?

I would allow at least 5 business days before the check arrival date you need. I just had an issue with a large credit card payment (over 10K) that didn’t post until 5 business days after the scheduled delivery date. Fidelity said they normally would have delivered electronically, but payments over 10K are sent by check. I’m generally happy with Fidelity, but the bill pay seems to have some bugs like described that need to be aware of. Ally never had this issue…. But Ally isn’t paying over 4% on their checking account balances.
by chw
Wed Feb 01, 2023 4:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Simplifying: anything Fidelity does better than Schwab?
Replies: 32
Views: 3599

Re: Simplifying: anything Fidelity does better than Schwab?

I'm a previous Schwab customer (left 3 years ago). I was generally happy with Schwab, but I believe Fidelity does a better job overall. One thing I remembered is that Schwab did not offer HSAs when we were there- we opened them at Fidelity, and then a few years later started consolidating all of our financial life to Fidelity. The most recent account we opened was a Cash Management Account, which I've grown to like for my core bank account (which was previously Ally Bank). Customer Service may be slightly better at Schwab at times, but I really have no complaint with Fidelity.
by chw
Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:36 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: My private bank has a lot of funds
Replies: 91
Views: 9375

Re: My private bank has a lot of funds

Believe it or not, the answer is quite simple: the advisor makes your portfolio investments seem complex using many funds when just a handful (less than 5) will accomplish the same goals, and almost always with higher returns (due to no advisor fee, and usually much lower cost funds). Complexity is rule one for advisors when setting up a client’s portfolio in order to make you think you would not be able to do the advisor’s job. The regular trading is also unnecessary, and is part of the facade. It sounds like you need an IPS(Investment Policy Statement), which is a roadmap for you to follow in your investing life. It sounds like you are realizing the advisor is taking you for a ride, and it’s time to move on after educating yourself here. ...
by chw
Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flight attendant travel tips
Replies: 193
Views: 22960

Re: Flight attendant travel tips

Afty wrote: Tue Dec 27, 2022 3:18 pm I’ve flown a decent amount and often check bags. I've never had a bag permanently lost, and only a few times have had them arrive late. In those cases the airline delivered them to me once they arrived.
I traveled for 20 years plus on hundreds of flights with checked bags- never had a lost bag, and only twice were bags delayed by a day getting to me due to a missed connection. I did try to travel with a bag that fit in the overhead, but over time I found travel to be more stress free to simply check bags to avoid lugging the darn thing all over the airport, especially the one with long walks to the gate, or between terminals. Just one person’s opinion…
by chw
Mon Dec 26, 2022 8:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity free Turbotax 2022
Replies: 473
Views: 58528

Re: Fidelity free Turbotax 2022

I had the same issue as you, but a poster earlier in this thread posted these instructions for me- and they worked perfectly! $5 for Premier inc. State download! Did you try this in the past couple of days, or earlier? Because, as I've posted a couple of times already, they seem to have disabled the discount after a link got posted that worked for all Fidelity customers. I used it as recently as 12/24. I've never seemed to get the "good" discount in past years, even with a good level of assets with Fido, and repped by PCG rep (not paid)... Until I followed the steps that I posted, I was able to see the $5 Premium TT, but when added to the cart, the full cost would show up. I always assumed "my guy" at Fido didn't think ...