Search found 881 matches

by tuningfork
Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread
Replies: 208
Views: 9621

Re: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread

Question of degrees of security I'm sure, but VM is not as safe as a separate computer. Viruses can break out of a VM and infect the host computer. VM might be good at protecting identity, but it is less good at protecting from viruses. Data please. Can you give a reference to an example of this having happened and how? Thank you. If you configure your VM to allow file sharing between the guest and host, it's done through a virtual network connection between the guest and host operating systems. Malware that can spread across a network to infect other computers could then spread from guest to host, or vice versa. As for VM specific examples, here is a list of many past vulnerabilities in various virtual machines and hypervisors that allowe...
by tuningfork
Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Monarch - connectivity with banks - troubleshooting or alternatives?
Replies: 6
Views: 542

Re: Monarch - connectivity with banks - troubleshooting or alternatives?

I've used various aggregation and money management apps over the years, and all of them had issues with some of the connections. Sometimes just temporary hiccups, sometime ongoing for extended periods. I currently use Tiller, which so far has been relatively trouble-free for the connections I use. The connection to Barclays Online Savings bank (not the Barclays credit cards site, which I don't use) needs to be reauthenticated every 2 days. It requires a security code each time, which is quite annoying. None of my other financial institutions do this. Several need to be reauthenticated once every couple of weeks, but it's just a click and no need to enter any security code. This is ok. And several others have never required my interaction fo...
by tuningfork
Mon Mar 11, 2024 6:39 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SS is insufficient, very little savings, what's the best option
Replies: 49
Views: 7956

Re: SS is insufficient, very little savings, what's the best option

If she wants to meet with an advisor in person, encourage her to meet with Fidelity instead of Edward Jones. If EJ is nearby, Fidelity likely has an office nearby as well.
by tuningfork
Mon Mar 11, 2024 5:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Holding six figures of cash for the next year
Replies: 18
Views: 2792

Re: Holding six figures of cash for the next year

berg wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 2:59 pm I am fortunate to be in a situation where I sold a lot of company stock and did not have taxes withheld. Due to safe harbor rules, I can hold all the cash for the next year penalty-free. It is about $364,000. We currently have most of our cash in Vanguard Money Market at 5.27%. I also have a Fidelity account where some stock was that has a Money Market at 5.02% ($900 difference for the year!)
If you don't already own FZDXX (Fidelity Premium Money Market fund) it may be worth it for you to buy some now while you have a lot of cash. It pays a bit more than other Fidelity MMFs, currently 5.14%. It has a $100K minimum initial investment, but after that you don't need to maintain the $100K balance.
by tuningfork
Sun Mar 10, 2024 10:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Longtime iPhone user looking at Pixel - what to know?
Replies: 60
Views: 5036

Re: Longtime iPhone user looking at Pixel - what to know?

Another difference is Siri vs Google Assistant. Last week hanging with a group of friends, half with iPhones and half with Androids, a geographic question about the distance between two places came up. Someone asked Siri, she first said she didn't know, then with a rephrased question she came up with a ridiculously incorrect answer. So I pulled out my Pixel and asked Google using the exact phrasing of the first query to Siri and got the correct answer. As AI becomes more useful I expect this to distinguish Pixel/Android even more, unless Apple makes a purchase of a big AI player to replace or augment Siri. They just seem behind in these areas, for now anyway. My household is generally happy with the Pixel/Google infrastructure. They work fo...
by tuningfork
Wed Feb 28, 2024 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When do electric cars stop making sense?
Replies: 210
Views: 16588

Re: When do electric cars stop making sense?

Of course a large part of it depends on your electricity and gasoline prices. Although I don't have an EV yet, my current electricity rate during off-peak hours is about 0.08 per kWh, and gasoline prices near me today are in the $2.49 to $2.89 range. Vastly different from your area. And the math changes if you have solar power at home. Other financial considerations include ongoing maintenance costs. No oil changes for an EV. Tires on an EV may be more expensive. Cost of an at-home charger. Insurance rates depend on the specific vehicle. There are non-financial considerations that for some people might be more important than calculating the break-even point. If you can charge at home, no more stops at gas stations when it's cold or raining....
by tuningfork
Tue Feb 27, 2024 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Online Savings Account Recommendation Needed
Replies: 7
Views: 1260

Re: Online Savings Account Recommendation Needed

Barclays Online Savings has 2fa via SMS text, phone, or email. Their rate today is 4.35% which is good but not quite the top rate available. I've used them for more than ten years and at times they have had the highest rate.
by tuningfork
Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1374
Views: 167011

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Sometimes the scammers don’t wait long at all to ask for money. I got a Facebook friend request the other day from a family friend, or what looked like. I thought it was odd because I thought I was already a friend with her but it had her exact name and avatar. Curiosity got the better of me and I accepted it. Shortly after I get a message asking how I was doing so I replied “fine how are you”. Next comes a message saying she was having a hard time right now and could I help her out with some money. Reported to Facebook as someone impersonating the friend. Anytime you get a friend request from someone who you're already friends with, that's a dead giveaway that their account has been hacked. Call them and let them know they need to change ...
by tuningfork
Sun Feb 25, 2024 11:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?
Replies: 168
Views: 18366

Re: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?

People with Hotmail, yahoo, and aol email addresses were early adopters of email. Maybe a little older demographically now but it’s clear they were smart and recognized the importance of the internet and email and jumped in early, and I respect that. When I see a gmail address I assume the person is more of a late to the party or go along with the crowd type. I used to have emails with hotmail, yahoo, excite, and a few others in the 90's that I no longer remember. I let them all expire once I got onto gmail because IMO gmail worked so much better than the others. I never joined AOL despite all the floppy disk and CD mailings. I looked forward to the AOL floppy disks to use for backups. A big advantage of using a gmail address is everybody ...
by tuningfork
Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?
Replies: 168
Views: 18366

Re: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?

A big advantage of using a gmail address is everybody knows gmail.com without me having to spell it to them.

I own firstlast.com where my first and last name are relatively uncommon, but there are still a bunch of us around the world with that name. Although I don't use it as my primary email, I use first@firstlast.com for certain things. One of my doppelgangers in the UK owns firstlast.co.uk and he uses first@firstlast.co.uk at times. I sometimes get emails intended for him because someone transcribed .com instead of .co.uk.
by tuningfork
Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)
Replies: 53
Views: 5481

Re: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)

Long ago I used godaddy. I switched from godaddy to namecheap during godaddy's controversial period. Very happy with namecheap, but my web hosting is at cloudflare and I've decided to consolidate domains with hosting, so I'll be moving domains to cloudflare soon. Trying to simplify and consolidate my digital life where it makes sense.

I use cloudflare to forward my personal domain emails to gmail. I would stick to a big-name email provider like gmail or fastmail due to superior spam filtering and uptime. I've used email services provided by various web hosts over the years and they were never as good as gmail.
by tuningfork
Wed Feb 21, 2024 9:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Security concern [Vanguard proxy email]
Replies: 15
Views: 2176

Re: Security concern

tibbitts wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2024 9:09 am I've never thought about this but without sending links, what's the "approved" way to direct someone to a specific URL on a fairly complex website (via an email message, in this case)?
Fidelity did it this way when they notified me my tax forms were ready to download. They provided a link to click on, followed by: "Or log in to your account and select Accounts & Trade > Documents > Tax Forms."
by tuningfork
Mon Feb 19, 2024 9:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?
Replies: 168
Views: 18366

Re: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?

Has anyone ever changed an email address and gone through changing all their website accounts? Was it as painful I as am guessing? I did this ~20 years ago when I switched away from a tiny local ISP who was unable to provide faster speeds. Before transferring internet service to a faster provider, I moved my email to the brand new gmail beta service. I got the gmail address about a year before I canceled the local ISP. During that time I set up a forwarder at the ISP to send all my email to gmail, and a rule at gmail to label any email forwarded from my old address. Whenever a new message showed up with that label, I took care of it. Once the trickle of forwarded emails stopped, I canceled the old service and moved to a new ISP without usi...
by tuningfork
Sat Feb 17, 2024 1:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1374
Views: 167011

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

investorpeter wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 9:40 pm Tells her that her bank accounts are about to be frozen.
So many scammers tell you your accounts are "about to be frozen" or the police "are about to come to your door" or whatever. If it's real, the accounts would already be frozen or the police would already be there. Nobody will be giving you advance warning.

Scammers always make an urgent plea to act RIGHT NOW. It's never that urgent to act immediately.
by tuningfork
Sat Feb 17, 2024 12:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Security Hack of my bank credit card and loss of identity info
Replies: 35
Views: 4566

Re: Security Hack of my bank credit card and loss of identity info

I have resisted using a password managers, but I believe now is the time to start using one. I am open to your suggestions. I use strong passwords for sensitive accounts but certainly not as strong as a PM. I use easily guessed logon ids and repeat them for multiple accounts. I am in the process of changing those for sensitive accounts to things not easily guessed. There are many discussions on bogleheads about password managers. To summarize some of the basics of which to use: any of the big name cloud-based password managers are perfectly fine: 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane are probably the best. They differ slightly in what features are available in the free tier (if any) and pricing for the paid tier. There are other good ones if for ...
by tuningfork
Fri Feb 16, 2024 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024
Replies: 38
Views: 5623

Re: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024

I've spent some time researching alternatives, and today I switched from Authy to 2FAS. 2FAS is a solid app but it offers no true desktop-only access. With 2FAS, the process to enter a code can only be started in the 2FAS browser extension, you still need a phone to complete the action. So, if you misplace or lose your phone, or if your phone breaks, you can lose access to your accounts. 2FAS backs up to Google Drive (if you enable that option). If you lose your phone or it breaks, buy another, connect your 2FAS account and you have access to all your codes again. True, it does not provide desktop-only access. In my particular situation, I did not need desktop access, but Authy Desktop happened to be the way I was aware of to have a backup...
by tuningfork
Thu Feb 08, 2024 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Very concerned about security!
Replies: 34
Views: 5848

Re: Very concerned about security!

Are you absolutely sure you dialed the number correctly that was displayed when you were at Vanguard's website? It's all too easy to misdial a toll free number, dialing 800-xxx-xxxx instead of 877-xxx-xxxx or 866 or 855 or... There are lots of toll-free prefixes nowadays, and if you dial the wrong one you'll get a completely different company. I would think accidentally dialing the wrong number is the most likely explanation.
by tuningfork
Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fish at Costco
Replies: 43
Views: 6246

Re: Fish at Costco

Also, isn't all fish frozen first? I believe the only fish that is truly "fresh" is if you buy it from a fresh fish market right near the water. In the US I think all sushi fish has to be flash frozen first to reduce the risk of parasite. The "fresh" fish you buy at the supermarket/Costco is usually fish that was flash frozen and then defrosted. I have read this somewhere on the internet (so it must be true!). If you live inland, the "fresh" fish at the supermarket was previously frozen and has been thawed. So we tend to buy frozen fish to keep in our freezer, and when thawed it's the same quality as the "fresh" fish. We also buy "fresh" but only small enough portions that we consume before...
by tuningfork
Sun Feb 04, 2024 7:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 incorrectly reporting taxable IRA distribution
Replies: 141
Views: 19192

Re: H&R Block 2023 incorrectly reporting taxable IRA distribution

I had not noticed this, but I see the problem now that it's been pointed out. Brokerage tax forms aren't ready till mid-Feb, so I'm mostly in a holding pattern till then anyway. Hopefully will be fixed in the Feb 9 update. If not fixed before I want to start filing returns with inherited IRAs involved, I'll use a workaround. Confused that people are saying it was an issue last year and not fixed. I just checked a 2022 return, and proceeds from an inherited IRA are correctly included in line 4b amount. Yeah, my inherited IRA RMD was processed correctly on my 2022 return. If people saw this problem last year, it might have been some other combination of things causing it to break, which is probably why it's not a one minute bug fix like some...
by tuningfork
Sat Feb 03, 2024 11:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1374
Views: 167011

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

I received a text message saying the mail carrier missed me as I wasn't at home to sign for the package, and then it provided a link for me to go input my details. The website looked very convincing but I stopped myself because I wasn't expecting any packages so realized it had to be fake. Not sure what the point was as the scam website didn't ask for too much detail. But I will say it's the closest I've come to falling for a scam. Everyone should sign up for the tracking services for USPS, UPS and Fedex: USPS Informed Delivery, UPS My Choice, and Fedex Delivery Manager. With those services, you will receive tracking emails or texts for deliveries, including ones sent to you by someone else (such as a relative sending you an unexpected gif...
by tuningfork
Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1374
Views: 167011

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

I received a text message saying the mail carrier missed me as I wasn't at home to sign for the package, and then it provided a link for me to go input my details. The website looked very convincing but I stopped myself because I wasn't expecting any packages so realized it had to be fake. Not sure what the point was as the scam website didn't ask for too much detail. But I will say it's the closest I've come to falling for a scam. Everyone should sign up for the tracking services for USPS, UPS and Fedex: USPS Informed Delivery, UPS My Choice, and Fedex Delivery Manager. With those services, you will receive tracking emails or texts for deliveries, including ones sent to you by someone else (such as a relative sending you an unexpected gif...
by tuningfork
Tue Jan 30, 2024 2:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Managing your affairs when you live alone and have no family or true friends
Replies: 133
Views: 21853

Re: Managing your affairs when you live alone and have no family or true friends

This topic contains lots of valuable information for a solo person late in life, including links to the kinds of services they may need to hire. Wondering if this belongs on the wiki?

Shortly after I started on Medicare, I received an email from my healthcare provider offering various services for seniors who need help managing their daily lives. I can envision myself in a similar situation as OP sometime in the future. I might consider reaching out to my healthcare provider and to Medicare as a starting point.
by tuningfork
Fri Jan 26, 2024 5:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: HR Block Deluxe wants to charge me $39.95 for the State program
Replies: 64
Views: 6060

Re: HR Block Deluxe wants to charge me $39.95 for the State program

popoki wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2024 11:43 pm Seems odd that people would prefer to download software when it can simply be run from the website.
I've heard that it's harder to do "what if" scenarios on the online versions because they don't let you see the forms until you complete the return. On the downloaded versions the forms are all right there to inspect at any time.

I wonder if the online versions are just as buggy as the downloaded versions this early in the year.
by tuningfork
Thu Jan 25, 2024 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good Modern Science Fiction
Replies: 766
Views: 150988

Re: Good Modern Science Fiction

I have been enjoying the First Contact series by Peter Cawdron. Each book offers a different imaginative take on how a first contact with alien intelligence might occur. There are over 25 books in the series, with the next one coming out in March. The books are independent of each other and can be read in any order.
by tuningfork
Tue Jan 23, 2024 1:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Most popular boglehead withdrawal strategy
Replies: 117
Views: 13144

Re: Most popular boglehead withdrawal strategy

When I retired 10+ years ago, I looked at various withdrawal strategies. I couldn't decide on which to use, so I calculated 4% of my investment balance on retirement day and socked that number away in a spreadsheet as a baseline. Then I just started spending whatever I wanted whenever.

Occasionally I look at that original 4% number, adjusted for inflation, compare it to 4% of my current investment balance, and note that I've never spent that much in any single year. I've been increasing spending along the way but still haven't reached either of those numbers. I'm fortunate to have enough money to essentially not have to worry about it.
by tuningfork
Thu Jan 18, 2024 5:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Checklist: Moving from VG to Fidelity
Replies: 32
Views: 3964

Re: Checklist: Moving from VG to Fidelity

Last year I moved a 7-figure taxable account from Vanguard to Fidelity, plus a couple of smaller IRAs. I initiated it through my Fidelity rep who confirmed I would get a transfer bonus. They verified for me that each of my Vanguard mutual funds would transfer in kind (VTSAX, VFWAX, VBTLX). They confirmed that buying new shares in these funds would incur a hefty fee, but selling was free. Since I had no intention of adding to these funds, I did not convert them to ETFs. The Fidelity guy was happy with that decision: he said if I wanted to convert he would initiate a 3-way call with Vanguard to make sure it was done right. Just hearing that they were willing to help get that done rather than have me call VG myself made me happy. In the end, i...
by tuningfork
Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gas snowblower recommendations 2024
Replies: 83
Views: 9553

Re: Gas snowblower recommendations 2024

I no longer have a need for a snowblower, but at my previous house with frequent and often heavy snow, I had a tracked Honda that was a real workhorse and trouble free. I owned it for 30 years, with only routine maintenance needed. When I sold the house I left it behind for the new owner. Not sure the exact model number but HSS928ATD on Honda's website look pretty much like it. Highly recommended if you want a snowblower that will last.
by tuningfork
Wed Jan 10, 2024 9:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anyone consider taking investment accounts offline?
Replies: 95
Views: 16496

Re: Anyone consider taking investment accounts offline?

If you make sure all your systems are secure, you should be just fine on wifi. Keep all your devices up to date (operating systems, browsers, apps). Make sure your wifi router firmware is up to date, firewall turned on, and doesn't have a default admin password. Use a strong wifi password. Your SSID should not be something that identifies you or your address or stands out in any way to attract attention. Practice all the usual online safety recommendations to avoid getting any malware, although that has little to do with being on wifi.
by tuningfork
Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024
Replies: 38
Views: 5623

Re: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024

I've spent some time researching alternatives, and today I switched from Authy to 2FAS. 2FAS can automatically sync multiple devices using cloud with an encryption password you provide (like Authy), or you can manually sync with export/import if you don't want to use the cloud. The export includes all the secrets so if it's necessary to switch to another app in the future, it should be easier. It has biometric unlock. The UI is subjectively prettier than Authy. Available for Android and iOS. Well-regarded in reviews. I don't see any issues with security. It's open source. I didn't strictly need to switch away from Authy. It seemed to be the best choice at the time when I started using it several years ago. But whenever a company takes away ...
by tuningfork
Sun Jan 07, 2024 9:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024
Replies: 38
Views: 5623

Re: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024

Welp, this is unfortunate news. I use Authy specifically for the backup ability. I have a bunch of computers but only one mobile device so I have the desktop app as a backup for my phone. Previously I used Google Authenticator, and when my phone suddenly died a few years ago I lost access to my 2FA TOTP codes. Fortunately I was able find recovery codes or alternate authentication methods for all my accounts, but it took some time and was quite stressful. I used that as an opportunity to switch to Authy and organize how I store my recovery codes. I guess I will be switching to something else now but not sure what. Time to start researching. I just want something with a simple and secure backup capability in case my phone fails, without havi...
by tuningfork
Sun Jan 07, 2024 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024
Replies: 38
Views: 5623

Re: Authy Desktop End of Life in Aug 2024

Welp, this is unfortunate news. I use Authy specifically for the backup ability. I have a bunch of computers but only one mobile device so I have the desktop app as a backup for my phone. Previously I used Google Authenticator, and when my phone suddenly died a few years ago I lost access to my 2FA TOTP codes. Fortunately I was able find recovery codes or alternate authentication methods for all my accounts, but it took some time and was quite stressful. I used that as an opportunity to switch to Authy and organize how I store my recovery codes. I guess I will be switching to something else now but not sure what. Time to start researching. I just want something with a simple and secure backup capability in case my phone fails, without havin...
by tuningfork
Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity customer service mega-thread
Replies: 39
Views: 6839

Re: Vanguard Customer Service Mega-thread

Try to find the well-hidden location on the website to send a Secure Message to Fidelity. At the top right of all my Fidelity pages: click "Messages" and then "Send Secure Email" in big red letters. Hard to be less hidden than that. We are in Private Client Group and the computer website has a tab for contact, but only a telephone number. There's also a link to the Communications Center, but there is no ability in this Center to send a secure message. That ability is "hidden" elsewhere on the website.--No big red letters for us to send any messages. It's weird that you aren't seeing it. This is on my computer and I'm also in Private Client Group. It's blue today, not red, but it's still in big letters. https:/...
by tuningfork
Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity customer service mega-thread
Replies: 39
Views: 6839

Re: Vanguard Customer Service Mega-thread

[Post merged from the Vanguard Customer Service Mega-Thread into this thread - moderator ClaycordJCA.] Consider these Fidelity "CONS": Try to find the well-hidden location on the website to send a Secure Message to Fidelity. At the top right of all my Fidelity pages: click "Messages" and then "Send Secure Email" in big red letters. Hard to be less hidden than that. Try to get a response to a question about Fidelity's Account Transfer Cash Bonus Program without filing a complaint with FINRA. I contacted my Fidelity rep and asked her about a transfer bonus. When I liked the answer I had her initiate the transfer. Accounts were transferred in less than 3 days, bonuses deposited into the transferred accounts a few...
by tuningfork
Thu Dec 28, 2023 1:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Forgot Something [Withhold taxes]
Replies: 40
Views: 4218

Re: Forgot Something [Withhold taxes]

As for the procedure you described, I have to say again that I tried doing the transfer method exactly as you said and it explitly told me the same thing as what I had been doing. Not enough cash. Sell something first. I just tried this, and the message telling me I didn't have enough cash said the service to automatically sell to raise cash was "temporarily unavailable". So it normally works as one step, but for some reason they have this feature disabled right now. I'm glad OP's timing worked out, but technology glitches like this are one reason to always allow plenty of time for end-of-year or end-of-quarter transactions to take place. Yeah, I remember seeing that message too but I still have a hard time understanding how it w...
by tuningfork
Wed Dec 27, 2023 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Forgot Something [Withhold taxes]
Replies: 40
Views: 4218

Re: Forgot Something [Withhold taxes]

howard71 wrote: Wed Dec 27, 2023 9:02 am As for the procedure you described, I have to say again that I tried doing the transfer method exactly as you said and it explitly told me the same thing as what I had been doing. Not enough cash. Sell something first.
I just tried this, and the message telling me I didn't have enough cash said the service to automatically sell to raise cash was "temporarily unavailable". So it normally works as one step, but for some reason they have this feature disabled right now. I'm glad OP's timing worked out, but technology glitches like this are one reason to always allow plenty of time for end-of-year or end-of-quarter transactions to take place.
by tuningfork
Tue Dec 26, 2023 10:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best tips for simplifying your financial life
Replies: 28
Views: 4727

Re: Best tips for simplifying your financial life

I have been simplifying my financial life over a very long period. I haven't done it all at once due to tax implications and just the difficulty of knowing for sure what to do when. A primary goal of simplification for me is to reduce potential problems that may occur as I get older, and to make it easier for my heirs when settling the estate. - Fewer brokerages (I'm finally down to one) - Fewer banks (I have checking at a local physical bank, savings at an online bank) - Fewer funds/ETFs to keep track of (I now have everything in the "three index fund portfolio") - No individual stocks (I sold mine over a number of years to spread out the capital gains taxes and/or tax loss harvesting) - No exotic investments (e.g. gold, crypto) ...
by tuningfork
Fri Dec 15, 2023 2:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Instant Pot cooking
Replies: 70
Views: 12519

Re: Instant Pot cooking

I think the slow cook temps are quite high on these multi cookers (elf and thafty) especially if you compare to an old slow cooker (modern slow cookers are also very hot). You could look at the keep warm setting on the IP (usually adjustable, apparently 133-172 vs 175 -210 on slow cook for adjustable models). Probably the most likely reason. As far as I know , you can't adjust the temperature of any of the settings on our Instant Pot. There are "high" and "low" temperature settings for slow cooing on the IP. I read somewhere that they are actually different from the temperatures used by most regular slow cookers, which could be why one of the posts above reports poor results using an IP as a slow cooker. I rarely use it...
by tuningfork
Sat Dec 09, 2023 8:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What are the Benefits and Perks of Fidelity Private Client Group?
Replies: 46
Views: 6428

Re: What are the Benefits and Perks of Fidelity Private Client Group?

I'm satisfied with my Fidelity PCG rep. I have met with her in person a few times but usually have phone or video calls. She knows I am self-directed so she never tries to sell me anything, she's been responsive to my questions and has offered reasonable advice. I use H&R Block tax software so I have never asked about free Turbotax. :D
by tuningfork
Sat Dec 02, 2023 8:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Rounding error on HR Block Tax software
Replies: 17
Views: 1745

Re: Rounding error on HR Block Tax software

I had an issue last year with the online version of Turbo Tax where Turbo Tax rounded before summing an underpayment penalty and the state wanted the rounding to occur after summing. End result was that TT’s calculation of the penalty was off by $1 compared to what the state expected, and the state rejected my return based on that. Furthermore, I could not even manually change the form because I was using the online version of Turbo Tax and manual editing is only possible with the desktop version. :oops: Maybe this depends on the state, but whenever my tax software (usually H&R Block) warns me that I might owe an underpayment penalty, it gives me the choice to pay the penalty along with my taxes, or let the state calculate the penalty ...
by tuningfork
Sat Dec 02, 2023 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)
Replies: 101
Views: 16784

Re: When to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)

To those in a CCRC, was there a waiting list to get in? How long was the wait?
by tuningfork
Sun Nov 26, 2023 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2023: do you use your Peloton bike? (indoor cardio questions)
Replies: 42
Views: 5422

Re: 2023: do you use your Peloton bike? (indoor cardio questions)

No Peloton here, but I use an old road bike on a bluetooth smart trainer (Kickr Snap) with the Rouvy cycling app on my PC. PC is connected to a TV on the wall in front of the bike. Rouvy has videos of thousands of real bike routes around the world (I'm riding in the Canadian Rockies this week). It uses augmented reality to project you and other riders onto the video as you ride along. It adjusts the resistance of the trainer to make you pedal harder as you climb hills, and it tracks power, speed, cadence, heart rate from the trainer and my bluetooth heart rate monitor. I usually just ride solo, but it's also possible to join groups and compete in races if that's your thing. It all works very well and feels very much like I'm actually riding...
by tuningfork
Fri Nov 24, 2023 8:32 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 software offer
Replies: 246
Views: 39291

Re: H&R Block 2023 software offer

cvn74n2 wrote: Fri Nov 24, 2023 7:32 am I bought the Deluxe with State version on Amazon using the Amazon Prime credit card that offers a 20% reward on the purchase, resulting in a sub $20 net cost.
Wait, what? I didn't get that why my Amazon Prime credit card!
by tuningfork
Fri Nov 24, 2023 8:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 software offer
Replies: 246
Views: 39291

Re: H&R Block 2023 software offer

Almost grabbed this yesterday at Newegg, but held out for Amazon so I could get 5% cash back with my Amazon Prime card. A savings of $0.75 compared to using a 2% card at Newegg. Woohoooooo! :moneybag
by tuningfork
Sun Nov 19, 2023 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PC Build Thread - 2020... and beyond!!!
Replies: 1358
Views: 141715

Re: PC Build Thread - 2020... and beyond!!!

The first POST of my AMD 7950X build also took several minutes with a black screen. I had read about it beforehand so I just sat patiently until the BIOS screen finally appeared (whew!). I haven't researched it, but it makes sense that it's due to using conservative memory timings to help ensure the first startup is successful. I had issues on an older computer with the USB keyboard not being recognized by the BIOS. It had been working for years, then suddenly at boot I started getting the beep-code saying there's a problem with the keyboard (I always liked the very old systems that would halt with the message "Keyboard not found, press any key to continue" :D ). The keyboard would work in Windows but not in BIOS. I have no idea w...
by tuningfork
Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1374
Views: 167011

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Received an email saying I was "in the running" (or some such verbiage) to win a 225-piece tool kit from HF. Deleted it without opening because I assumed it was too good to be true. Too bad because I was recently considering a smaller tool kit to put in my old truck. Wonder how they knew? I'm using the FireFox browser and DuckDuckGo search engine and thought they were NOT supposed to be tattling on me. Pretty much everyone with an email address got that spam email. I was getting it multiple times per day for awhile. Just like now, I must have over a hundred packages waiting for me at the USPS warehouse that can't be delivered due to an incomplete address (or some other nonsense). They're going to have to build a bigger warehouse!...
by tuningfork
Fri Nov 03, 2023 9:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 software offer
Replies: 246
Views: 39291

Re: H&R Block 2023 software offer

student wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 9:26 pm Is this a legit place $19 for Deluxe + State.
...
I did a google search and after reading some stories, I am not too certain whether I can trust it.
No opinion on legitness of that site, but that's the 2022 version.
by tuningfork
Thu Nov 02, 2023 1:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Quick Internet Puzzle Games (1 to 5 min) - What Do You Play?
Replies: 22
Views: 3089

Re: Quick Internet Puzzle Games (1 to 5 min) - What Do You Play?

Solving Wordle and Waffle have been my daily habit for awhile, along with Octordle if I have a bit of downtime later in the day.

I recently discovered https://squaredle.app/ and really like it. It takes a lot longer than 5 minutes though, and some days are significantly harder than others. I like that it's a mix of word lengths, not just 5 letter words like the simpler word games.
by tuningfork
Tue Oct 31, 2023 8:00 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Forum software upgrade bug reports and change requests
Replies: 709
Views: 282951

Re: Forum software upgrade bug reports and change requests

LadyGeek wrote: Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:32 pm The forum software has been updated to phpBB 3.3.11 (we skipped version 3.3.10). This update fixes the Safari bug described in Probably a macOS Safari 16.4 bug: empty blue space in posting window - Bogleheads.org..
This evening I am no longer seeing the red text identifying replies from the original poster. Was this feature removed, or perhaps a forgotten step to activate it after the update?
by tuningfork
Wed Oct 18, 2023 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1374
Views: 167011

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Be careful of this old scam that's undergoing a revival. If you visit a site and it tells you to update your browser to view the content and offers a link to update it, don't click on the link! It's malware. Most browsers update automatically these days so you are probably already running the latest version. If you think you may need to update your browser, get it directly from the browser's website, not from some random website even if you think you trust it. https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/10/the-fake-browser-update-scam-gets-a-makeover/ As said at the end of this article: “If you didn’t go looking for it, don’t install it.” So the same goes for sites that ask you to update things like Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash (this has been obs...