Bogleheads.org

A little bit here and there to keep certain accounts open.

I helped one of my kids go through turbo tax for federal and a two state return a couple of weeks ago. They opted to pay the upcharge for one state and filled out the online form set for the other state. Next year we will get a new state to figure out. It's not usually that complicated. You can always visit a CPA if you can find one with a time slot open.

You need to do your own legwork on this to see what is available. Or don't. It's up to you.

I don't plan to ever consolidate to a single place but if I did, Fidelity is the only one that provides all of the the various financial services we are currently using (not including employer related accounts). Schwab is fine. Fidelity is fine. Vanguard is fine. Some of the others are fine. Pick the one you prefer for whatever reasons you have.

Having a bank account somewhere with some cash in it may alleviate the concern about losing temporary access to your retirement account site. We have about 25 accounts across multiple sites now but will consolidate after retiring. At the moment, there are requirements as well as choices to have this many accounts. After retirement, we can probably eliminate half of these accounts almost immediately and then some of the rest of them over time. I can envision a final target out in the future of having only three bank accounts and two brokerage accounts.

None of this includes accounts solely involved in bank and credit card bonus strategies.

It's the first offer in a proposed business deal. You can say no, yes or propose a different deal.
I would pay for some professional advice on something of this value before going any farther.

You say "our" so max everybody's pretax contributions and any catchup amounts in every type of account available to you. Bunching deductions if you can as well as future charitable contributions or a DAF. Take any tax loss harvest you can.

Vanguard has a 50/50 Tax Managed Balanced Fund you might add to your list.

What about a small trailer in which to haul a "deluxe" level tent camping/bedding system. Popups are in your weight range but they are relatively expensive and have their own troubles.

There should be no difference in access. Plan on a minimum of two-three business days for transfers to your linked bank account which is pretty standard timing for transfers between any linked accounts.

Don't buy a cheap one.

In addition to previous suggestions is the "use shares for donations to charity or setting up a DAF" instead of using cash.

Buying vs renting has a financial answer based on where you are and circumstances.
Buying vs renting is more than just a financial question.

Make an appointment and talk to your local SS office if you want a specific answer.

Don't forget that it's the same complexity which people complain about that also gives us the deductions and tax planning opportunities that we all love so much and use.

You can simplify your own taxes by reporting your income and paying the taxes. You don't have to take deductions and credits.

Electronic plus paper. I sometimes look at the paper copies for information but the electronic copies just collect digital dust bunnies.

I would rather spend the time to figure it out myself but there are plenty of professionals willing to help you if you want help.

Nobody cares what your name is as long as you have documents for that identity.

You should look at the choices available in the Roth and see if any of them meet your needs or you can do a rollover to Vanguard and then do something more familiar.

Since my pension will be our primary income for life after retirement, we have defaulted to the 100% survivor option. There would have to be a significant advantage to even consider one of the other options. The pension with survivor option does have a "pop up" feature but that is not part of the decision; just a happy little feature if spouse unexpectedly dies first.

I like the Fidelity Zero funds in an HSA. You can mix/match two or three of them to make a "balanced" fund. You can also look at Fidelity Freedom Index funds for lower expense ratio balanced funds.

If you can figure out the future perpetual withdrawal rate (to your own satisfaction) then you only need to withdraw less than that. The idea of growing your portfolio in retirement sort of implies that you have a portfolio larger than needed to maintain your future budget. Most of the anxiety about future modeling around here is about how to avoid the portfolio going to 0 before you die. Most models plan and reality is that most people will have a declining portfolio in retirement.

It would be nice to think 0 was the lowest possible net but negative numbers are certainly possible. I don't see much value in making such predictions about the future but you may as well plug in a wide range of numbers if you are doing the exercise.

Some people see a risk in holding everything in one place. Some people see a risk in holding multiple accounts. Pick which ever one makes you feel better but don't make it more complicated than necessary.

The vast majority are not even thinking of buying an EV so it's hardly a crisis. Individuals may or may not need to upgrade their home service if they buy an EV but that's not a crisis either. The need to continue upgrading the infrastructure of a fairly fragile and patched together electric grid has been a thing "forever" so still not a crisis but it could turn into one if the infrastructure development does not happen.

It will take about 3 business days but I would allow a few more if you are trying to make a deadline.

sign is a waste of $; you want a fence or another walkway

This would be a good time to keep the car you already have and avoid all the hassles and expense of the current car market.

Generally, you would probably invest back into your business while it is still growing. If you want to reduce the risk concentrated on the business, you should also begin investing in index funds and/or real estate etc as you desire.

Tax efficient funds in a brokerage account. Balance your desired AA across all accounts. You may get more specific advice if you post a full portfolio for review.

Look at 2022 or an average over past few years.

The discussion/disagreement about how much inflation protected bonds to hold is nothing new.

If you have enough to buy the bridge now then you have choices to buy it all now, part of it or fund it with new money as you go. I am starting a bridge fund and it will be funded along the way as I get new funds.

You know your parents. Are they interested in talking about it?
In any case, what matters most is what is written into the contracts.
In the real world, what would happen to the agreements if they decided they wanted to get out?
Some of these groups are fine. The worst are scams and/or cults.
We seem to attract some of the crazy ones in our part of the world.

I would keep some amount in a money market fund If this is your short term fund.

I have accounts at all three. I prefer Vanguard but Fidelity would be the only one that offers all the services I use if I could pick only one. Fortunately, I don't have to pick just one.

Anything more than basic required transportation becomes a luxury with choices. Go basic or buy/lease whatever you want and can afford. Cars are expensive however you do it and some are more expensive than others.

Do you have any stock with losses or minimal gains? I would sell at least that much to reduce the mortgage by that amount with enough sold in total to get 20% or more down. I'm keeping my mortgage at 2.5% but at current rates, it would be tempting to pay the taxes and skip the mortgage. You can put the "mortgage payment" back into stocks every month.

Yes, if glue and screws don't work you need to take it apart and see the problem. Of course, after doing glue and screws, taking the drywall out from the ceiling under is the easiest to do and then fix. Obviously, something is moving and rubbing that should not be. Our stairs do this but not enough to do anything about it yet.

There are online calculators for that and the Cola is going to win in a few years window in almost every circumstance.

Last year I was looking for a specific model. I found two dealers in the state who were taking orders at MSRP and got on their wait lists. After a few months, I got a call which was basically a take it or leave it decision before the call ended. All the purchase agreements were exchanged by fax and I went and picked it up a couple of days later. Interestingly, the other dealer called a few days later with another one but they had plenty of people on their wait list who wanted it. I think inventory has increased a bit since then but there are still very few new Toyotas and Hondas sitting on the lot to purchase.

We have never expected any inheritance (other than some nostalgic items) and that continues to be a realistic expectation.

The best way to know is to fill out the full form set for both scenarios and then decide.

Funerals are for the living. Funerals have become the family reunion event for us during the last few decades. Everyone who can come tries to make it. The most recent was my father's funeral almost two years ago. Someone in the family hosts a family and friends potluck with way too much food at their house after the services are complete. People laugh and cry and talk and share pictures and gossip and kids do what kids do until people need to go home. There may be new tractors or whatever that need looking at. It's good to be outside if the weather is decent. We don't really do the full wake experience before the funeral because most of us don't drink that much and we are ready to go to bed much earlier than that. It's OK to be sad and happ...

The local, rural self storage places seem to have a lot of theft, rodents and bugs. There is one climate controlled storage place in town that is probably more secure and clean but more expensive. Of course, these risks are what insurance is for. Same thing could happen if it was parked in your own drive or garage.

It could be earning 4-5% currently.
You could pay off the mortgage and save/invest the difference.
You could keep the mortgage and invest all of it.
You could save/invest the income from your part time jobs and live off the cash.
You can let it sit for a while and think about it.

I enjoy mowing. It's also part of my general activity routine.

People continuing to take potshots at "60/40" only demonstrate that 60/40 has continuing relevance. It's OK to question if 60/40 works but there is much clickbait on the internet including this one.

Filing cabinet. It's why they exist and you already have one.

Are there any losses to offset gains? Are you reinvesting into the same funds or are you redirecting current gains and dividends to more tax efficient funds? More detail about the portfolio would be helpful in getting more specific answers.