Search found 2113 matches

by furwut
Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retiring early: Health Insurance
Replies: 97
Views: 11245

Re: Retiring early: Health Insurance

I retired early at age 51 in 2014 and enrolled in ACA its first year. It's a viable option if one can manage MAGI to qualify for subsidies. Most (all?) employer plans are flat rated for age - meaning a 25 year old pays the same as a 64 year old. ACA is age rated so my premium has gone up over the years for age and other factors quite a bit. I was eligible for a retiree plan at the time but chose ACA as it was much less (even before subsidies) and i didn't feel i needed broad coverage. Today, the same retiree plan is less than my HDP ACA plan and still has the broader coverage. So it is a bit of pay now versus pay later. ACA has been a political football. Some years politics caused its costs to increase. Other years to decrease. So for a lo...
by furwut
Sat Jan 27, 2024 12:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retiring early: Health Insurance
Replies: 97
Views: 11245

Re: Retiring early: Health Insurance

I retired early at age 51 in 2014 and enrolled in ACA its first year. It's a viable option if one can manage MAGI to qualify for subsidies. Most (all?) employer plans are flat rated for age - meaning a 25 year old pays the same as a 64 year old. ACA is age rated so my premium has gone up over the years for age and other factors quite a bit. I was eligible for a retiree plan at the time but chose ACA as it was much less (even before subsidies) and i didn't feel i needed broad coverage. Today, the same retiree plan is less than my HDP ACA plan and still has the broader coverage. So it is a bit of pay now versus pay later. ACA has been a political football. Some years politics caused its costs to increase. Other years to decrease. So for a lon...
by furwut
Sun Jan 07, 2024 7:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ID.me - I surrendered
Replies: 29
Views: 6534

Re: ID.me - I surrendered

anon_investor wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 7:40 pm
furwut wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 5:59 pm The IRS sent me a notice telling me I'll need to set up an ID.me account this year to get a IRS PIN for tax filing.
Really? The IRS mailed my spouse a letter with the PIN for 2024, but did say my spouse should make an ID.me account.
Oh my bad, yes that is what I got too.
by furwut
Sun Jan 07, 2024 5:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ID.me - I surrendered
Replies: 29
Views: 6534

Re: ID.me - I surrendered

The IRS sent me a notice telling me I'll need to set up an ID.me account this year to get a IRS PIN for tax filing.
by furwut
Sat Dec 30, 2023 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: $2000 a year for $1M umbrella insurance
Replies: 73
Views: 9347

Re: $2000 a year for $1M umbrella insurance

Planner01 wrote: Wed Dec 27, 2023 2:24 pm
edge wrote: Wed Dec 27, 2023 2:17 pm Probably cool him off from driving for a year. The insurers are sending you a signal that you don’t seem to be reading.
That doesn’t change the price as he’s a licensed person living in our home.
Would voluntarily surrendering the license improve things with the insurer?
by furwut
Thu Dec 28, 2023 11:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retirement: what was more expensive than anticipated?
Replies: 80
Views: 19526

Re: Retirement: what was more expensive than anticipated?

I’ll add Dental Care.

Retirement seems to be an age when many fillings done 20+ years ago need to be replaced, often with an expensive crown.
by furwut
Tue Dec 26, 2023 9:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mailbox WiFi Sensors
Replies: 23
Views: 3784

Re: Mailbox WiFi Sensors

ThankYouJack wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2023 7:07 pm Thanks for the replies. I would like a wifi sensor (that goes in the mailbox) than a flag. That way I can be alerted while on vacation or use at a vacation / rental house.
You might also be interested in this program,
Informed Delivery by USPS
by furwut
Tue Dec 26, 2023 7:25 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How Safe Is Fidelity Treasury Money Market?
Replies: 32
Views: 4450

Re: How Safe Is Fidelity Treasury Money Market?

JSPECO9 wrote: Mon Dec 25, 2023 9:09 pm
Would it make sense to keep a separate brokerage in my Fidelity account for the cash as a dedicated cash savings accounts where I could make ACH payments and Billpay payments? Or keep in the same brokerage where I keep my investments?
There’s a Wikipedia entry of all things Fidelity you should check out as well as a massive thread.

FWIW - I elected to go with a separate Fidelity account for cash mostly for easy visibility.
by furwut
Sun Dec 24, 2023 3:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Use Uber as cycling emergency ride?
Replies: 19
Views: 2969

Re: Use Uber as cycling emergency ride?

I recently read of some Uber drivers refusing to take animals.
by furwut
Sun Dec 24, 2023 9:22 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: A Christmas Message
Replies: 140
Views: 14258

Re: A Christmas Message

Merry Christmas and Nuts right back at you! :sharebeer
by furwut
Wed Dec 20, 2023 10:04 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Master thread for Washington DC Area Bogleheads
Replies: 238
Views: 135446

Re: Master thread for Washington DC Area Bogleheads

DessertEnjoyer2 wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 9:52 pm I am new to the area and would also love to receive updates on meetings. Is this thread the best way to get up-to-date info?
GengarGrowth wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 8:09 pm How can I stay up to date on the chapter meetings without having to use Facebook or IG?
One way is to subscribe to this topic. Then whenever there is a new post you will get an email notification.

To subscribe click the Tools menu at the bottom of the page (Wrench icon) and select Subscribe.
by furwut
Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Odd Meeting Today with IRS Re my 2022 Return
Replies: 92
Views: 12445

Re: Odd Meeting Today with IRS Re my 2022 Return

FYI, When I’ve been audited the letter I received indicated the particular section of return being questioned and, if I recall correctly, requested that I don’t file an Amended Return.
by furwut
Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:05 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Odd Meeting Today with IRS Re my 2022 Return
Replies: 92
Views: 12445

Re: Odd Meeting Today with IRS Re my 2022 Return

Call_Me_Op wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 5:50 pm Seems very odd that the IRS would want to meet in person for any kind of tax return error - especially for the small dollars mentioned.
Agree. I’ve had 2 letter audits within the last 10 years. I think the identity angle sounds very plausible.
by furwut
Thu Nov 30, 2023 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Learning to fill own taxes
Replies: 33
Views: 4239

Re: Learning to fill own taxes

cshell2 wrote: Thu Nov 30, 2023 9:24 am Tax prep software is easy, but a horrible way to learn. I would print out the 1040 and familiarize yourself with the paper copy and what goes into figuring out what your taxable income is. Doing them on paper is how I learned about those magical deductions, like, "Hey, I can make my tax obligation almost disappear if I max out this 2K IRA line!"
Back when I did them on paper I certainly learned how things meshed together. But it required a whole weekend and then some.

With TurboTax I’ve gotten them done in under 30 minutes.
by furwut
Tue Nov 28, 2023 12:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Safe Withdrawal Rate: Evidence from a Broad Sample of Developed Markets
Replies: 9
Views: 2047

Re: The Safe Withdrawal Rate: Evidence from a Broad Sample of Developed Markets

Wade Pfau has published similar studies:
An International Perspective on Safe Withdrawal Rates: The Demise of the 4 Percent Rule?

For much of the 1900s America was an outlier. One either believes that will continue and the 4% rule is valid or one considers a regression to the mean and proceeds with more caution.
by furwut
Tue Nov 28, 2023 11:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity Full View - recent experiences?
Replies: 33
Views: 9482

Re: Fidelity Full View - recent experiences?

They replaced the old Full View with its first party tool today. The new tool is so far disastrous. The old emoney-based full view is still accessible but I doubt Fidelity will deprecate it soon. Curious as to why you think it is "disastrous"? I checked it out this afternoon and thought it's an improvement in terms of the overall layout, interface, and simplicity. I like the way on the Net Worth screen it has assets on the left and liabilities on the right with all of my accounts. I like the spending page too which provides a nice clean summary of spending over time and by category. The only issue I'm noticing right now is that on the Savings page it is showing savings for accounts that I've hidden on my Net Worth page and I don'...
by furwut
Tue Nov 28, 2023 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA & High Planned Medical Expense
Replies: 54
Views: 1966

Re: ACA Plan With Cancer Treatment

If she’ll hit the max, the cheapest HSA plan mentioned sounds best. You could put the max in the HSA and save on taxes to reduce the out of pocket some, too. The most important part is whether the network allows her to see the same specialists and receive the same medication. Cost should be a distant second to that consideration. This would only make sense if the HSA HDHP has a lower OOP max than the silver plans. In the states I've lived in, it often doesn't, particularly if your AGI is low enough to be eligible for CSRs. Assuming reaching max OOP is a given for any plan (and the CSR option isn't possible) then the United Healthcare Bronze Value HSA financially looks good. OOP + Premium - HSA tax benefits Personally, in my area I wouldn't...
by furwut
Thu Nov 23, 2023 8:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Intuit's Mint App Shutting Down...Replacement Recommendations?
Replies: 754
Views: 141313

Re: Intuit's Mint App Shutting Down...Replacement Recommendations?

Oh boy! Is any one else having problems with Fullview? Hope this is just a temporary glitch on their site but I checked it today, the day after I posted that my setup looks good. It seems to have crashed and lost most of my accounts I had entered (mainly all the property information). So my net worth per Fullview has suddenly dropped by half in a day :) I tried reloading and logging out/in the page multiple times on different browsers with no change. If this is not a glitch and it really has lost the data I had entered, that is pretty bad and Fullview cannot be trusted to be consistent. I think they may have just switched to their new version. When I logged in, they had the wrong values for some accounts that I had manually entered. I’m no...
by furwut
Sat Nov 18, 2023 8:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can You Have Too Much in an HSA?
Replies: 49
Views: 6614

Re: Can You Have Too Much in an HSA?

You can’t favorably convert excess HSA to a Roth.
by furwut
Sat Nov 18, 2023 7:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: To HSA or not to HSA next year
Replies: 4
Views: 892

Re: To HSA or not to HSA next year

I think HDHP/HSA plans are financially better unless your medical expenses, year after year, hit in a narrow range around the deductible to max out of pocket[1].

What do your prior 4 expenses indicate for you?

Now a hidden cost of HDHPs not often discussed is treatment avoidance. You should give weight to that concern.



[1] Provided you have the emergency funds to handle the deductible without going into debt.
by furwut
Wed Nov 08, 2023 5:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medical Insurance for year-long visit in Spain, over 75 years old
Replies: 24
Views: 2614

Re: Medical Insurance for year-long visit in Spain, over 75 years old

Is it possible to do side trips and “reset the 90 day clock”?
by furwut
Tue Nov 07, 2023 9:18 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity introducing automatic ETF investing
Replies: 158
Views: 27411

Re: Fidelity introducing automatic ETF investing

How about the other direction - automatic ETF selling (e.g., RMDs)?
by furwut
Sat Nov 04, 2023 8:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Intuit's Mint App Shutting Down...Replacement Recommendations?
Replies: 754
Views: 141313

Re: Intuit's Mint App Shutting Down...Replacement Recommendations?

Gadget wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 2:28 pm Fidelity Full View is getting a much needed makeover. I got to see it once and it looked a lot better for spending and net worth tracking. However, now I don't get the screen to beta test the new version and can't get back to it. So I'm stuck on the old one.

But Full View might be an option for some now, or after they update the interface.
Try clearing your cookies first.

I use Full View as well and have used the new preview version a few times now.

I like the UI refresh but, as of yet, one can’t modify the transaction description. Can’t split them either. Also assigned sub-categories don’t show up in the main register.
by furwut
Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Using a tool like Mint or Empower to estimate taxes?
Replies: 2
Views: 382

Re: Using a tool like Mint or Empower to estimate taxes?

Depends on your situation but I go for simplicity and follow the Safe Harbor provisions.
by furwut
Tue Oct 31, 2023 8:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dashlane Password Manager
Replies: 30
Views: 3421

Re: Dashlane Password Manager

If you’re Apple centric try Apple Keychain.
by furwut
Sun Oct 29, 2023 5:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Car Insurance
Replies: 5
Views: 1202

Re: Car Insurance

Here’s a discussion on Non-Owner Car Insurance,

viewtopic.php?p=3846911#p3846911
by furwut
Thu Oct 26, 2023 8:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medical insurance for early retirement
Replies: 9
Views: 1446

Re: Medical insurance for early retirement

1. Does your employer offer retiree medical coverage? If so, one often pays the full premium. A nice thing is these are group rated plans so you won’t pay extra just because you are older.

2. One can get by with COBRA for a while. 18 months but I think, in California, it’s 36 months. Same benefits as above except for a 2% administrative surcharge.

3. ACA - check your state’s health insurance marketplace for options and costs. Expensive unless you can manage your income to qualify for subsidies. Is age rated so it gets pricier every year.
by furwut
Wed Oct 25, 2023 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting a new mortgage while retired and no employer income
Replies: 6
Views: 1126

Re: Getting a new mortgage while retired and no employer income

Other alternatives are asset back loans against your investment portfolio or even a reverse mortgage (over age 62).
by furwut
Sat Oct 21, 2023 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Refrigerators. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Replies: 115
Views: 14004

Re: Refrigerators. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Electronics are a bad addition to an appliance that has a lot of condensation.
by furwut
Sat Oct 21, 2023 7:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Determining Most Efficient MAGI for Optimal ACA Subsidy (2024)
Replies: 12
Views: 1443

Re: Determining Most Efficient MAGI for Optimal ACA Subsidy (2024)

I believe you will want to report an income at least some small amount ($500?) above the absolute minimum for ACA.

Reason being that while the 2024 ACA limits will be based on 2023 FPL Medicaid eligibility will use newer (increased) 2024 FPL numbers which we won’t know until January.

P.S., it happened to me!
by furwut
Sat Oct 21, 2023 10:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to maximize ACA Subsidy
Replies: 15
Views: 2727

Re: How to maximize ACA Subsidy

4) Be aware that if your income is too low then you will lose the entire ACA subsidy since it will be assumed that you are on Medicaid, even if you cannot actually qualify for Medicaid.
A further cautionary note. ACA subsidies are based on your income vis a vis the previous year’s Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Medicaid eligibility is based on the current year’s FPL.

So if one reports just enough income during open enrollment in the fall to maximize ACA premium tax credits there’s a possibility that when the new FPL limits come out in January they will fall into Medicaid instead.
by furwut
Wed Oct 18, 2023 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: The "Cost" of a Free Checking Account
Replies: 8
Views: 1444

Re: The "Cost" of a Free Checking Account

Plenty are taking advantage.

See the Fidelity One Stop wiki.

By the way - you can open a Cash Management Account at Fidelity and get free ATM as well.
by furwut
Wed Oct 18, 2023 9:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "IRS moves forward with free e-filing system in pilot program to launch in 2024"
Replies: 119
Views: 11851

Re: "IRS moves forward with free e-filing system in pilot program to launch in 2024"

nisiprius wrote: Tue May 16, 2023 8:33 pm
Imagine a credit card company sending you a blank form and asking you to fill in all of the purchases you've made including payees and amounts... and then cross-checking what you send in with their own records, and levying penalties and fines if they don't match. That's what the present system is like.
:beer
Best analogy I’ve ever read on this board.
by furwut
Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding the right MAGI for ACA subsidies
Replies: 23
Views: 2827

Re: Finding the right MAGI for ACA subsidies

I calculate a pretty good estimate of my income and tax situation in early December and, if needed, I can raise my MAGI by doing a Roth conversion etc.
by furwut
Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strategizing for ACA subsidies/IRMAA - Roth withdrawals?
Replies: 15
Views: 1824

Re: Strategizing for ACA subsidies/IRMAA - Roth withdrawals?

I could push off more Roth conversions to later years, including a year if SALT is restored, which helps me in California.
Since it looks like you were born in 1960 your RMDs won’t start until age 75 (Secure Act 2.0).
by furwut
Thu Sep 28, 2023 2:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Reasons not to be a US citizen (stay as GC holder forever)?
Replies: 53
Views: 5572

Re: Reasons not to be a US citizen (stay as GC holder forever)?

FWIW all the green card holders I’ve known went on to get citizenship. I also know a fair number still on visa status hoping to win the gc lottery.
by furwut
Mon Sep 25, 2023 10:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When should one move to a lower cost of living area in retirement?
Replies: 77
Views: 9005

Re: When should one move to a lower cost of living area in retirement?

Where would I like to spend my retirement years is one question.

Can I afford to is a separate one that only needs to be addressed after answering the first.
by furwut
Fri Sep 15, 2023 6:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Catastrophic health insurance?
Replies: 12
Views: 1688

Re: Catastrophic health insurance?

I think for that you’d have to look for a non-health insurance “health insurance plan”.
All newly purchased individual and small group health insurance policies are required to be ACA-compliant
https://www.healthinsurance.org/glossar ... %2C%202014.
For 2023, your out-of-pocket maximum can be no more than $9,100 for an individual plan and $18,200 for a family plan before marketplace subsidies.
https://obamacarefacts.com/out-of-pocke ... -for-2023/
by furwut
Sat Sep 09, 2023 10:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ATM and external accounts
Replies: 25
Views: 1918

Re: ATM and external accounts

Consolidate down to a single bank?
by furwut
Mon Sep 04, 2023 3:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Proper way to analyze tax vs. ACA subsidy
Replies: 29
Views: 2168

Re: Proper way to analyze tax vs. ACA subsidy

ACA policies are age-rated and more expensive in one’s 60s. I’d suggest ensuring you have the savings to keep your income lowest then . You might benefit more from a cost sharing reduction plan then too. I believe age rating, and how steep the increases are, is state dependent. If one is able to stay below the "cliff", and get at least some tax credits that are tied to their MAGI, i don't think it matters what the underlying cost of the insurance policy really is with regards to the premium cost to them. The amount they will owe is defined by their MAGI. Any increases in policy costs is largely offset by larger tax credits, not by increasing amount paid by the insured. At least that is the way I think it works. Is your understand...
by furwut
Mon Sep 04, 2023 8:32 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Proper way to analyze tax vs. ACA subsidy
Replies: 29
Views: 2168

Re: Proper way to analyze tax vs. ACA subsidy

ACA policies are age-rated and more expensive in one’s 60s. I’d suggest ensuring you have the savings to keep your income lowest then.

You might benefit more from a cost sharing reduction plan then too.
by furwut
Fri Sep 01, 2023 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retirement income at Medicaid/ACA threshold - what's best?
Replies: 31
Views: 1839

Re: Retirement income at Medicaid/ACA threshold - what's best?

What I've encountered (YMMV): 1. Where I live Medicaid seems siloed off from private/Medicare health systems. So I'm concerned about the quality of care available. 2. While Medicaid expanded states don't have an asset test benefits received after the age of 55 are recoverable from the estate. 3. Both ACA and Medicare use the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to determine eligibility. BUT ACA uses the previous year's FPL while Medicaid uses the current years! What this means is if you qualify for ACA during open enrollment with the bare minimum of income sometime during the plan year you could find yourself switched to Medicaid as the FPL it uses is now higher. This happened to me. 4. Unless you are targeting one of the special low income Cost Sha...
by furwut
Thu Aug 31, 2023 9:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "The Place of Social Security in Your Retirement Portfolio"
Replies: 49
Views: 8404

Re: "The Place of Social Security in Your Retirement Portfolio"

I’m more attuned to the safety first philosophy and consider social security, pension, and annuities as income which, ideally, covers essential expenses. That leaves the allocation of the true investment portfolio up to one’s tolerance.
by furwut
Tue Aug 15, 2023 8:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity services
Replies: 33
Views: 4236

Re: Fidelity services

This forum is full of people who think paying 1% to manage and, perhaps, another 1% from underlying fund fees is way too much.

You can readily construct a very good portfolio on your own with total costs less than 0.1%. See The Three-fund portfolio in the Wiki for ideas.
by furwut
Tue Aug 15, 2023 1:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bicycle Tire Extremely Difficult to Remove
Replies: 22
Views: 2413

Re: Bicycle Tire Extremely Difficult to Remove

Some brands are notorious for being tighter than others. I find tires do stretch out a bit over time. For really tight ones I stick in 2 or 3 levers first then start prying the tire bead up.

Second the LBS recommendation.