Search found 1070 matches

by billern
Thu Apr 18, 2019 3:41 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: In which companies do you own a single share, or token amount, of stock?
Replies: 119
Views: 12248

Re: In which companies do you own a single share, or token amount, of stock?

I bought two shares of Bear Stearns just before they were liquidated and ordered physical stock certificates (two, each representing a single share) from my broker. One of the certificates is framed so I can hang it on the wall. This was done purely for entertainment purposes while I watched the financial crisis unfold. :sharebeer
by billern
Mon Mar 25, 2019 11:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can amortization/depreciation deduction be skipped for a few years?
Replies: 2
Views: 276

Re: Can amortization/depreciation deduction be skipped for a few years?

Nope. Depreciation and amortization are not optional. Even if not claimed on a tax return, the amount that should have been taken reduces your basis.
by billern
Mon Jan 07, 2019 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strategic Spending to Hedge Against Future Uncertainity
Replies: 19
Views: 1153

Re: Strategic Spending to Hedge Against Future Uncertainity

We value travel (experiencing different places and their culture/history, their food, and hiking) so we make a conscious effort to spend at least 2 weeks exploring a new place each year. International travel does not have to be expensive. Find good airfare prices, chose to travel to countries outside of Europe (or go to less expensive places in Europe such as Portugal or Greece), and stay away from overpriced hotels that cater to American and British travelers. My wife and I spend ~$3-5K for each two week trip, including airfare. The value far exceeds the cost. We have also had some great trips in the US but the cost is substantially higher than in most other countries. If you can do it while meeting your retirement goals, by all means trav...
by billern
Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strategic Spending to Hedge Against Future Uncertainity
Replies: 19
Views: 1153

Re: Strategic Spending to Hedge Against Future Uncertainity

There are some trips that make sense to do before you get old.
by billern
Mon Dec 10, 2018 12:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Realistic for a company to distribute a dividend to shareholders but not have its price adjusted?
Replies: 7
Views: 567

Re: Realistic for a company to distribute a dividend to shareholders but not have its NAV adjusted?

Isn't this exactly how money market funds work (dividends paid out on a monthly basis, based upon days held)?
by billern
Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Side Hustle Options/Suggestions.
Replies: 99
Views: 14737

Re: Side Hustle Options/Suggestions.

You mentioned that you are a CPA. I'd think you could earn substantially more using your experience and professional designation in your spare time, if it does not conflict with your day job. Don't do something that specifically violates your employment agreement or would make your performance at your day job suffer. Some suggestions: 1) assist with monthly / quarterly close of company's books (things bookkeepers generally don't understand and is much more valuable than doing data entry) 2) tax return preparation 3) payroll tax / sales tax filings (personally, I think this has too much liability and just isn't fun) 4) teach evening or online accounting classes (many junior and community colleges allow CPAs to teach without a masters degree)...
by billern
Wed Jun 20, 2018 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Missed RMD - IRS penalty waiver process?
Replies: 13
Views: 2035

Re: Missed RMD - IRS penalty waiver process?

The IRS usually does not formally notify that a Form 5329 waiver is successfu or not. The notice you received is a result of the waiver not being granted. I too have never heard of one not being granted. As has been suggested, did you follow the Form 5329 instructions exactly? Just filling out the form by looking at it can cause you to do so incorrectly. I've actually had a different experience with IRS notification of the waiver. A client missed RMDs for a number of years from a 401k account from a prior job. We had the Taxpayer take a current distribution of the missed RMDs and filed form 5329 for each year with a reasonable cause statement attached. The forms were filed after the tax returns were filed so they were filed separately. The...
by billern
Fri Aug 25, 2017 6:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRS CP2000 Tax Bill Letter - Please Help
Replies: 32
Views: 4128

Re: IRS CP2000 Tax Bill Letter - Please Help

Make sure they are not assessing an early withdrawal penalty. If the IRS thinks you took the funds personally (and did not roll it over to a qualified account), they will be assessing a 10% early withdrawal penalty. Look for a line item that is 10% of the distribution on the letter from the IRS. You should not be assessed this as a rollover (or a conversion) is exempt from this.

Disclaimer: I am a CPA and I have seen CP2000 notices for my clients for unreported 401k distributions. In every case, the IRS has tried to assess this penalty. In some cases it is correct but they will generally make the assumption and assess the penalty without regards to your facts and circumstances.
by billern
Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Wells Fargo PMA Fee Avoidance (Portfolio by WF)
Replies: 4
Views: 3387

Re: Wells Fargo PMA Fee Avoidance (Portfolio by WF)

My monthly bank statement includes the following: As a reminder, Portfolio by Wells Fargo program monthly service fees are calculated as of the last business day of each month using the combined statement ending qualifying balances of all eligible accounts linked to your Portfolio by Wells Fargo program. If you do not meet the minimum balance requirements*, the standard monthly service fee of $30 will be assessed to your primary checking account on the 3rd business day of the following month. This fee will appear in the transaction history section for the primary checking account on your next statement. *$25,000 in any combination of qualifying linked bank, brokerage (available through our brokerage affiliate Wells Fargo Advisors®) and cred...
by billern
Tue May 30, 2017 11:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ESOP terminating
Replies: 3
Views: 897

ESOP terminating

My employer was previously partially ESOP owned. Last year, they announced that the ESOP shares were going to be redeemed in a company reorganization, all participants would be fully vested, and the plan would be terminated. My understanding is that the shares were redeemed in January of this year. While the company has made many informal announcements, there have been no official notifications from the plan regarding vesting, the sale transaction, account values, nor regarding method / timing of distributions. The announcements are primarily through verbal statements from the CEO, who has repeatedly made specific promises regarding this process that have not been met. Is there a resource I can look at to understand my rights as a participa...
by billern
Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Severe is an HSA Audit?
Replies: 29
Views: 27433

Re: How Severe is an HSA Audit?

Distributions without qualifying expenses are taxable (ie: taxed at your marginal rate), plus there is a 20% Federal excise tax.

There would also be some fairly minimal interest and penalty on the understated income / unpaid tax. If it is a substantial income understatement, there are more significant penalties (accuracy, fraud related) that might apply. It would have to be substantial in terms of your income to get those.
by billern
Thu Sep 15, 2016 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Insane CPA bill, please advise
Replies: 23
Views: 6323

Re: Insane CPA bill, please advise

Going from $400 per year to a $2K bill with no advance warning makes it sound like they don't want you as a client.

Side note: Please try to be understanding if you contact your CPA this time of year. The September at October 15 deadlines are really stressful.
by billern
Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting out of upside down car
Replies: 60
Views: 6548

Re: Getting out of upside down car

Ever heard of GAP insurance. :wink:

Just kidding. You should find someone who will buy it for a good price and pay the difference to the lender.
by billern
Mon Aug 22, 2016 4:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who is responsible for bank errors
Replies: 16
Views: 4987

Re: Who is responsible for bank errors

I had this issue a number of years ago when Citibank was my bank. They reviewed the check image and agreed with me that the amount debited from my account was incorrect. I had to sign some paperwork and then they handled the adjustment with the other bank.

I'd expect this to be the bank's responsibility to fix.
by billern
Mon Jun 20, 2016 4:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying Quality Personal Property
Replies: 30
Views: 4433

Re: Buying Quality Personal Property

Nice things (houses, furniture, etc) should primarily be purchased as consumption items. If they later appreciate (or even hold their value), that should be a pleasant surprise.

Just don't buy it expecting any appreciation. Even with appreciation, it likely will not perform as well as a low cost diversified investment. Certainly not as well on a risk-adjusted basis. :-)
by billern
Thu May 26, 2016 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Real price for a new car
Replies: 64
Views: 8494

Re: Real price for a new car

I set up a fake email account and phone number (thanks google!) and requested online quotes from dealers through edmunds and truecar. New email and phone number are important as you will get spammed for a while. Ignore the calls and see what quotes are emailed to you. Use the best offer(s) you receive for an idea of what the new car would cost.

Costco also has a car buyer service for members but their pricing was not competitive in my experience. That may be different depending on location and car brand.
by billern
Sat Apr 30, 2016 12:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying a New Car...Is it Unwise?
Replies: 68
Views: 10615

Re: Buying a New Car...Is it Unwise?

I bought a 2016 accord ex without sensing and couldn't be happier. My last car was 15 years old, not super safe, and not comfortable so I haven't regretted the purchase.

Having read about the sensing package and other similar products from other manufacturers, I became convinced that sensing was not worth it due to false positives / and other drawbacks. Subaru had a much better safety system.

Since your last car is not as old as mine, I'd suggest looking into the cost of replacing the CD player and other components that are not making you happy to extend its use to you by a few more years. The technology packages should improve significantly in the next few years. If that is important to you, it may be worth waiting.
by billern
Fri Apr 08, 2016 11:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: foreign currency for travel
Replies: 18
Views: 2429

Re: foreign currency for travel

Best is generally at foreign ATMs using an ATM card that rebates ATMs fees and doesn't charge a currency conversion fee. Charles Schwab, Capital One 360, and Fidelity Cash Management account are all pretty good options. I've used Fidelity extensively. They say that they may charge a 1% currency conversion fee but I have yet to see that. YMMV. For getting a small amount of foreign currency before a trip, I just got money out from Wells Fargo, where I have a banking relationship. If you go to the branch, they mark up the currency conversion fee and don't have any additional flat fees. Based upon my experience, the cost was about 5-7% which seemed reasonable. They were nice enough to give me a range of currency (small to large bills) without m...
by billern
Wed Mar 16, 2016 10:07 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What happens to unvested 401k of laid off employee when company files chpt 11?
Replies: 7
Views: 5482

Re: What happens to unvested 401k of laid off employee when company files chpt 11?

Agni wrote:Hi all!
I was laid off before the entire amount of company contributions to my 401k was fully vested. I have around $10K of unvested $$$ in my 401k with my previous employer (I am still maintaining that 401k). Now this employer might file for bankruptcy, there have been rumors for a long time but today I saw a statement from the CEO.
I tried searching the forum but did not see posts that directly answer the question. Does anyone know? Thanks, as always, for your answers!
You stop vesting in an employer retirement plan when you are no longer working there. I'm not sure how bankruptcy would be a factor for you here.
by billern
Mon Mar 14, 2016 9:46 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Paralyzed by indecision
Replies: 19
Views: 3101

Re: Paralyzed by indecision

How much are you saving a year and how much do you have to invest?

Reality is that, until you get older and accumulate more, your savings level is much more important than the investment you pick. Pick a simple investment (equities, target fund, or some mix of stock and bonds) and then focus on saving to add to your retirement funds / investments.

Note: fees do matter and they are the only guaranteed thing. Try to keep investment costs low to avoid them to slow you down!

Later, when you have more, safety and some tinkering matter more. Best of luck!
by billern
Fri Mar 11, 2016 9:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much car to buy $$
Replies: 57
Views: 9010

Re: How much car to buy $$

I just bought a new car after 15 years with my previous car. I paid 20% of my 2015 compensation and paid cash.

Percentage of annual income is a decent metric for affordability but beyond that it should not mean anything. While making more money means you can afford a more expensive car, it doesn't mean buying more car would be worth it.

For me, it was important to be able to be able to use my savings to buy the car outright. In my opinion, this is even more important with an expensive car (not what I bought). One should only buy an expensive car if you can pay cash for it.
by billern
Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:06 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Michael Kitces said in 2016 that IRS auditors disapproved of backdoor Roth IRAs
Replies: 249
Views: 51860

Re: Michael Kitces says IRS auditors disapprove of Backdoor Roth IRA's

For a government $19 trillion in debt, we seem very confident that the IRS will never change its mind about going after this. In 30 years, there is going to be hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in questionable ROTH earnings. What do you think the cost of IRS audits will be in 30 years with advances in automation and reporting? You can't look at the probability and consequences of an audit from today's standpoint. The target on a backdoor contributor's back is going to get larger as the account grows in value. Plus all of this ignores the moral aspects of the issue, but that is different for each individual. The statute of limitations for the IRS to object is 3yrs, unless it's fraud. And there's no way the backdoor ROTH techn...
by billern
Tue Mar 08, 2016 10:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Michael Kitces said in 2016 that IRS auditors disapproved of backdoor Roth IRAs
Replies: 249
Views: 51860

Re: Michael Kitces says IRS auditors disapprove of Backdoor Roth IRA's

The IRS may not have the time, resources, or interest in attacking this series of transactions. The cost of losing with this would be high for an individual taxpayer - loss of tax deferred space and the excess contribution excise tax. There are some things that can be done to make it harder for the IRS to collapse the transactions. Here are my thoughts on the actions that would make it harder to collapse the transactions: Delay the Roth conversion step. Don't do it immediately after making the non-deductible contribution. Invest the funds before converting. Having a gain or loss and converting a different amount than the initial contribution makes it hard to argue there was no substance to the non-deductible IRA. Pay tax on some part of the...
by billern
Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bonus taxed at 44.46%?
Replies: 39
Views: 14996

Re: Bonus taxed at 44.46%?

Income tax withholding on a regular wage paycheck or bonus is not equivalent to the income tax related to that payment. The day of reckoning comes later when you file your tax return and compute the actual taxes. If paychecks were over-withheld, you get a refund. If under-withheld, you owe tax.

Don't confuse the income tax withholding with your tax liability. Often they are very different!
by billern
Wed Feb 17, 2016 2:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Applied for 100 jobs, no callbacks. What's up?
Replies: 103
Views: 14630

Re: Applied for 100 jobs, no callbacks. What's up?

Tailoring the cover letter (and resume) to the individual company is what shows them you have done your research and are interested in them as a company. Sending out 100 generic resumes is the equivalent of saying "Hey" or "What's up" on a dating site. Perhaps you will find someone on the other side that is interested based upon that but most recipients will filter you out.
by billern
Wed Feb 17, 2016 10:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: kitchen remodeling-why is it the norm?
Replies: 95
Views: 12562

Re: kitchen remodeling-why is it the norm?

Norms don't matter. Unless you plan on selling the house soon, only do remodels that are worth the cost for your use.

If you are thinking of selling, determine if it is worth the cost and hassle. I think in many cases, it does not make sense unless you are doing some of the labor yourself. YMMV.
by billern
Tue Feb 16, 2016 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: At what point do you tell your biggest client that no, it's not free this time?
Replies: 37
Views: 3273

Re: At what point do you tell your biggest client that no, it's not free this time?

Raise the contract price and include a certain number of additional hours for these additional services, if that is possible. Or perhaps they already pay enough.

Regardless, how much this other company makes and the lifestyle of the owners is not relevant.
by billern
Tue Feb 09, 2016 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA Bank Tax Issue - "Participant" vs Employer contributions
Replies: 20
Views: 2602

Re: HSA Bank Tax Issue - "Participant" vs Employer contributions

Look at the W-2 issued by the employer and compare to the last paystub for the year. Do the wages in box 1 include the employer and employee contributions or not? What amount is shown in box 12 code W?

If the employee elective contributions through payroll are included in Box 1 taxable wages then you can deduct on your return. If they are excluded from wages, you cannot deduct.
by billern
Sat Dec 05, 2015 5:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Investing and Coworkers
Replies: 57
Views: 9252

Re: Investing and Coworkers

I talk some about what I do (lead by example), and I give very gentle, general advice about saving for retirement and low cost index options unless someone asks for help.

People who want to take control of their finances and figure out the right method for themselves will. Those that want advice will ask. The rest don't want help so I don't try to force anything on them.
by billern
Wed Dec 02, 2015 1:43 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Considering ESOP Assets
Replies: 5
Views: 635

Re: Considering ESOP Assets

I'd discount ESOP assets to the extent they include non-publicly traded stocks. There is a lot of risk there and generally the only way to get redeemed is through leaving the company.

If you are close to retirement, it may be worth considering leaving the company early to be able to get redeemed from the ESOP.
by billern
Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: helping oversea friends paying clients online - any issues?
Replies: 13
Views: 1316

Re: helping oversea friends paying clients online - any issues?

This sounds a lot like a scam. You may be involved in something shady or you may be getting set up to be ripped off. I'd stop asap.
by billern
Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:31 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I won a stock picking contest in 1986
Replies: 12
Views: 2503

Re: I won a stock picking contest in 1986

Actually, I did very poorly in a stock picking contest in a college econ course. It was clearly not an easy way to make money. That laid the foundation for becoming a passive index investor. YMMV.
by billern
Wed Nov 11, 2015 10:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Major CPA Problem/Crisis
Replies: 20
Views: 3834

Re: Major CPA Problem/Crisis

I'd give him a week to cool off and hopefully reason will prevail. I would not spend a lot of time or money with a lawyer at this point.

Gather all the invoices you have received for services as well as copies of all engagement letters. Those will be useful later if he doesn't back down.
by billern
Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA Taxation in California
Replies: 16
Views: 6994

Re: HSA Taxation in California

California does not conform to the Federal law re HSAs. As far as California is concerned, it is just another taxable account (ie: bank or brokerage account). So same rules apply. You are taxed on interest, dividends, and realized capital gains.
by billern
Fri Oct 09, 2015 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Has anyone tried to buy a new VW?
Replies: 14
Views: 3561

Re: Has anyone tried to buy a new VW?

With the way dealerships finance inventory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retail_floorplan), some dealerships may have to offer additional incentives to move inventory and pay down debt. This may be one of those times when having cash to buy a car gets a lower price.
by billern
Sun Oct 04, 2015 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pros and cons paying off credit card immediately after billing cycle ends
Replies: 29
Views: 4236

Re: Pros and cons paying off credit card immediately after billing cycle ends

I always like to keep some extra cash in my checking / savings account for emergencies.

As long as you can pay your credit card early and still maintain that cash buffer, I don't see an issue. I do this.
by billern
Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Career and Resume Advice
Replies: 9
Views: 1214

Re: Career and Resume Advice

I'm a tax manager in a regional firm in California. The job market is really tight and it is hard to find good people. If you are smart and motivated, you should have no problem finding a good job. As other suggested, a coverletter to explain the government jobs would be good. The other way to approach this is to network to find a connection somewhere you want to work. That will get you in the door for an interview. For an explanation, it sounds like you took a short break from the hard work to take care of your daughter when she was born. Now you want to get back into things. PS: This may be a regional thing but I'm seeing a lot of firms promote work-life balance. There are a number of managers in my office with kids who work a reduced sch...
by billern
Fri Sep 25, 2015 8:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Is it possible to take on more risk than 100% Equity?
Replies: 38
Views: 3860

Re: Is it possible to take on more risk than 100% Equity?

In most cases, people are more interested in knowing they will gift or bequest a certain amount than taking significant risk with their savings in hopes of potential appreciation.

For the significantly wealthy, I'm sure this is less of a concern.
by billern
Fri Sep 25, 2015 6:23 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Is it possible to take on more risk than 100% Equity?
Replies: 38
Views: 3860

Re: Is it possible to take on more risk than 100% Equity?

Why is risk even considered in terms of allocation percentages?

If I've got $50K in equities and $50K of net worth (100% stock allocation), is that really more risky than $50K of equities and $100K net worth (50% stock allocation)?

In one, I lose $25K if the stock market drops 50%. In the other, I'd lose $50K. How is the 2nd one less risky?

Yes, the percentage change in a portfolio is higher with a higher stock allocation. But the fluctuation in dollars is going to be higher based upon absolute dollars in risky assets, not percentage of portfolio in stocks.
by billern
Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:54 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard sued for [failing to charge market rates to and then paying taxes on services to its mutual funds]
Replies: 806
Views: 173989

Re: Vanguard could owe billions in back taxes

This is a very complicated issue brought up by a whistleblower who would stand to profit substantially if tax is collected. He keeps making wild claims to get news headlines.

As far as I know, we haven't heard if the IRS is even considering pursuing this.

If there was substantial risk or uncertainty, each Vanguard fund would have to disclose the issue in their audited financial statements. Do we know if there have been any disclosures?
by billern
Tue Sep 22, 2015 9:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I re-return money to IRS?
Replies: 25
Views: 2646

Re: Should I re-return money to IRS?

Depreciation is a method of accounting. Treating something as non-depreciable is on such method of accounting. Generally, you cannot amend a return to change an established method of accounting. You have to file a 3115 to request permission (which is automatic for certain method changes).

A better way to fix this might have been to amend those prior returns to report the rental income and rental expenses, excluding depreciation. Separately file a 3115 to get a deduction to catch up on the depreciation on your 2014 tax return.
by billern
Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I re-return money to IRS?
Replies: 25
Views: 2646

Re: Should I re-return money to IRS?

This also begs the question: Why did a CPA prepare amended returns for you for closed years? Most of the mistakes HR Block made were related to a rental that we're selling this year. We wanted to have it squared away before selling the rental. Did you have some other issue that might be subject to substantial penalties or might keep the statute of limitations open? The only thing I can think of is foreign account/asset disclosures and/or related foreign income that was not properly reported. If the rental issue relates to depreciation that should have been taken and wasn't, amending the old returns may not be the correct way to do this. This is the most common issue I see with rental activities and it can often be fixed by filing form 3115...
by billern
Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I re-return money to IRS?
Replies: 25
Views: 2646

Re: Should I re-return money to IRS?

This also begs the question: Why did a CPA prepare amended returns for you for closed years?

Did you have some other issue that might be subject to substantial penalties or might keep the statute of limitations open? The only thing I can think of is foreign account/asset disclosures and/or related foreign income that was not properly reported.
by billern
Fri Sep 18, 2015 12:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: General Partnership tax question
Replies: 5
Views: 890

Re: General Partnership tax question

I can think of no circumstances where the departure of a partner would impact taxable income or income allocations for prior years partnership tax returns were the returns were correct when originally filed.

Perhaps someone read the partnership agreement and realized the tax returns have not been filed consistently with the agreement, or errors were discovered in the tax returns or accounting records.
by billern
Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: what reason should I give? [Job resignation]
Replies: 57
Views: 9451

Re: what reason should I give? [Job resignation]

It sounds like you really want to know how to get a significant raise.

Probably the best way is to line up a new job offer and use that to negotiate higher pay. If it fails, you can always accept the new job offer and move on. If it succeeds, you get what you want without having to change companies.

Beyond that, your ability to get paid more depends on your value and the market conditions. I was able to get a very significant raise this year without a job offer for negotiating but it took a hard work proving my value, I had someone advocating for me, and then there was a lot of luck to make it all come together. If the market for my skill set wasn't extremely tight, I would have needed a job offer in hand to get the result.
by billern
Sat Sep 05, 2015 8:17 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Moving from Canada to California with substantial RRSPs
Replies: 37
Views: 5838

Re: Moving from Canada to California with substantial RRSPs

OP, the California treatment is no different than that of a taxable investment/savings account. You would pay tax each year you are a California resident on the interest, dividends, and any capital gains on sale of the underlying assets. Yup - I read that position. But it would be like someone from another state moving to California and suddenly having to pay income tax on investments in a 401K. The US federal government looks at it that way, so it's a real hassle given the limitations imposed on RRSPs to have to deal with them differently just because California decides it wants some additional tax grab. I wouldn't be happy to deal with that either but it may not be a huge deal. How much annual income are we talking about here? In the pas...
by billern
Sat Sep 05, 2015 7:44 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Moving from Canada to California with substantial RRSPs
Replies: 37
Views: 5838

Re: Moving from Canada to California with substantial RRSPs

Browser wrote:I cannot understand why California thinks it can tax your RRSP.
Here is their position:
https://www.ftb.ca.gov/law/infoletter/20030321.pdf

OP, the California treatment is no different than that of a taxable investment/savings account. You would pay tax each year you are a California resident on the interest, dividends, and any capital gains on sale of the underlying assets.

I wouldn't be happy to deal with that either but it may not be a huge deal. How much annual income are we talking about here?
by billern
Fri Sep 04, 2015 6:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Win 10 issues [Windows 10]
Replies: 35
Views: 5718

Re: Win 10 issues

Are you talking about Cortana? If so you click on the search box, click on settings and turn off give suggestions and search online. No, I got rid of Cortana. As you know, with Win 10 there is a window icon in the lower left corner that will open a menu similar to older versions of Windows. Right next to the window icon in the task bar is a "Search Windows" bar that extends 4" along the bottom of my laptop screen. If you click on the bar a black window opens that extends to the top of the screen. There are only a few items at the top of this black box, the rest is dead space. My problem is this box keeps opening randomly and often without clicking on the bar. Since it covers a good portion of the screen, it's reeeealy annoyi...
by billern
Tue Sep 01, 2015 9:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How Do You Find Employment Today?
Replies: 20
Views: 3641

Re: How Do You Find Employment Today?

Personal network. Having a connection to someone at a company can get you past that first filter step.

A good friend who is doing hiring for his start-up recently mentioned indeed.com to me, which I'd never heard of. Apparently it is really big in certain job markets. Maybe try some other job posting sites to see if she can improve the response rate?