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Glomar

To make changes during this special 60-day special enrollment period, FSAFEDS participants should visit www.fsafeds.com. If they have questions or seek additional information, they may call 1-877-FSAFEDS (1-877- 372-3337). Note that because the special 60-day enrollment period to make changes start...

Glomar

This is an FYI and a question. FYI: starting July 1, there is a special 60-day election period to make changes to FSAFEDS. See below. Question: does anyone know how to go about making a change to the election? I can't find anywhere to do this on the website. I tried calling, but as expected no one a...

Glomar

Instantwatcher is a nice website that allows you to search for movies & TV shows currently streaming on Netflix and Amazon. https://instantwatcher.com/ If you click on "Amazon" it shows you the most popular titles right now. You can also search using search filters for release date, IM...

Glomar

I just watched this forum from Harvard University - thought it was very good. No, I would not go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr7U8ig ... e=youtu.be

Glomar

I think it's sensible to view money someone has just handed you as potentially "dirty". In the same way a door handle or the keypad at the ATM might be dirty. Wash hands first thing when you get home, and before eating (or use hand sanitizer if you don't have access to soap and water). I'v...

Glomar

"Hello" brand floss sounds like what you're describing. https://www.target.com/p/hello-activated-charcoal-floss/-/A-75574748 I stopped using Oral B floss because it contains PFAS ("forever" chemicals) https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/dental-floss-harmful-chemica...

Glomar

Curious, have you tried to use a copay card/coupon at the pharmacy and been denied? 1) Yes, they do enforce the "no copay coupon" rule. I suppose you could go to a pharmacy and ask to pay cash w/ coupon (not run through your insurance), but then it would not count towards your deductible....

Glomar

I have some question for those already on the GEHA HDHP. The GEHA HDHP brochure (and I think all the GEHA plan brochures) includes the following disclosure under the prescription drugs section: Drug coupon/copay cards: We do not honor or coordinate benefits with drug coupon/copay cards. You are res...

Glomar

Thanks everyone! I was able to find the price on Washington Post print archives - a bit tedious paging through every page - but much better than having to report a $0 cost basis!

Glomar

Which First Fidelity Bank? :) www.ffb.com has a "Contact us" form. I'd try that. Thanks, this was a First Fidelity Bank in NJ, which does not exist anymore (not the same as ffb.com). First Fidelity merged in 1995 to become First Union, which then merged with Wachovia in 2001, which was th...

Glomar

fabdog wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 1:32 pm Yahoo Finance... history tab...

Mike

Thanks! Yes, should have mentioned - I tried that but was unable to find any info for FFB, perhaps because it's too old/ does not exist anymore. I'm on to the Washington Post print archives now...

Glomar

I'm trying to calculate the cost basis for non-covered shares in FIRST FIDELITY BANK, and seem to be stuck. The shares were inherited - relevant date is Sunday 10/22/1995 (date of death) so I am looking to find the share price of the stock on 10/20/1995 (the previous Friday, last trading day). Based...

Glomar

I'm not in Boston, but same problems in our area. We've had the best luck with our neighborhood listserve and also Consumers Checkbook:

https://www.checkbook.org/boston-area/

Glomar

Try contacting your local agency on aging - they should know what resources are available:

https://aging.ny.gov/NYSOFA/LocalOffices.cfm

Glomar

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Financi ... s#Podcasts

And of course,
https://bogleheads.podbean.com/

Glomar

My goodness. That experience is terrible. A question on spraying the alarm units with compressed air: do you live in a dusty area such as a desert? Nope, I thought maybe pollen but we rarely open windows. And no problems with any other smoke alarms in the house (various ages). First Alert's suggest...

Glomar

We had a bad experience with the First Alert 10-year (bought from Costco). About 9 months in, both units (it was a 2-pack) started alarming for no reason (no cooking or anything, and usually in the middle of the night). They would take turns going off at different times. We contacted the company and...

Glomar

Roth sounds like the right call to me.

Glomar

I've also heard that it's possible to put your sick leave towards retirement? Unused sick leave can increase the amount of your pension. It cannot be used to meet years-in-service requirements (so e.g. for 60/20 retirement you need to really have 20 years of service, not close to 20 and some sick l...

Glomar

If you retire before age 57, you lose FEHB health insurance forever. The exception would be if your agency happens to offer an early retirement buyout program (VERA), but I think those are few and far between. Since you already have 10 years of service, if you retire at 52 you would still be eligibl...

Glomar

Another comment - I might be misunderstanding this section, but it struck me as odd to say "prefer Roth savings...if one is in retirement". In my understanding if one is retired, it is not possible to contribute to either traditional or Roth since there is no earned income. Tax considerati...

Glomar

I do like the additional guidance to help spreadsheet-savvy folks make their own spreadsheets, but would like to see links to ready-made spreadsheets remain. In the past, I have at least one of the spreadsheets linked from the current version of this page. I don't think that even with the additional...

Glomar

Really happy with our Smith Brothers of Berne sofa - 6 years and still looks pretty much brand new; cushions holding up great. We purchased through a local dealer so we were able to try it out in store. https://smithbrothersfurniture.com/ OTOH did not have a good experience with Mitchell Gold sofa, ...

Glomar

Agree with DrGoogle2017 - assuming your wife is currently age ~59 with 5 years of service, she'd need to wait until age 62 to be able to retire under the age 62/5 years of service provision. She will reach age 62 before she reaches eligibility for MRA + 10 (in 2024). Possibly, the advisors have in m...

Glomar

William Bernstein's "If You Can" (not a book but a booklet - and free!)

https://www.etf.com/docs/IfYouCan.pdf

Glomar

I'm sure you have this one covered, but I try to keep in mind the eligibility rules for continuing FEHB health insurance into retirement: Must have been continuously enrolled (or covered as a family member) in any FEHB Program plan (not necessarily the same plan) for the five years of service immedi...

Glomar

If I miss the pass through will it get made up later or is it just gone? I assume we can set her paycheck up to max out the account even if we get started late in the year? You will not miss the pass-through. They do not seem to show up on an exact schedule anyway, but everything tallies in the end...

Glomar

I would insist on a refund and go elsewhere. It doesn't sound like those frames, with your prescription lenses in them, can ever be adjusted to fit you properly. I think Costco should acknowledge that this is not acceptable. I'm no expert but I also have a strong prescription and have experienced th...

Glomar

margered wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 12:31 pm How about just eyeglass frames for your future needs?

May want to check with insurer first on this one. My Lex-FSA will not pay for just eyeglass frames, unless you can provide documentation that Rx lenses were installed into the frames.

Glomar

Only available in certain areas, but I have had more luck with Consumer's Checkbook:

https://www.checkbook.org/

Glomar

We worked with live-in aide hired through an agency plus an additional person (privately, not through an agency) for several hours a week who bought groceries and supplies. The live-in aide was there 24-7 and the cost was approx. $300/day (medium/ HCOL area). Less expensive than 2x 12-hour shifts st...

Glomar

Long story, but I am not sure what my MAGI will be this year. So far, I have contributed $0 to the TSP for 2016. I am filing single, and my MAGI will be somewhere around $110-130K, essentially meaning I will probably not be eligible to do a frontdoor IRA contribution. I believe rental income counts...

Glomar

I rolled a tIRA into the TSP. It was not too difficult, but will take a little time (I did it by snail mail). You have to fill out part of the form and then have your current tIRA company fill out part, then it will get sent along to the TSP. TSP-60 form, available here: https://www.tsp.gov/forms/tr...

Glomar

We were there last September and also stayed at Edgewater Motel in one of the cottages. No frills but clean and quiet with a nice view of the lake. It's a nice place, but if we went back (at least at that time of year) we'd probably opt to stay in downtown Bar Harbor. We kept walking by the Bar Harb...

Glomar

I like both of those, and would add two more:

The Dough Roller Money Podcast
White Coat Investor Podcast

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Financi ... s#Podcasts

Glomar

No experience with Canadian pharmacies, but it looks like the manufacturer offers a savings program:
http://www.qvar.com/savings.aspx
I'm sure there is fine print, but may be worth a try...

Glomar

I had problems with this last year (and I do have the upgraded brokerage account). I won't go into all the details, but that experience plus having a few transactions throughout the year with incorrect cost basis (check your statements!) that I had to contact them to correct....well, it concerned me...

Glomar

Success! Thanks to everyone for the advice and encouragement... Ultimately, this was the form they wanted for my situation (ETF shares held in Vanguard brokerage account, to be donated to a charity that also had a Vanguard account): https://personal.vanguard.com/pdf/v107t.pdf?2210099195 Posting in c...

Glomar

http://camelcamelcamel.com/ is a price tracker just for Amazon. It shows price history for an item so you can check if it is a good deal or likely to drop in price, and you can also sign up for alerts.

Glomar

Trying to do this for the first time this year, and am having difficulty. I have both mutual funds and ETFs that are held in a Vanguard brokerage account. Have been in contact with several charities, none of which have a Vanguard brokerage account. The Wiki (https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Donating_...

Glomar

I feel your pain! I'm a side sleeper but I find most pillows to be too high. I'm not sure if that is the same neck issue you are having. I've tried many pillows last year or so; here are the two that made the cut: Dr. Maas "Sleep for Success" from Bed Bath & Beyond They sell a side sle...

Glomar

The Dough Roller, Jill on Money, and Paul Merriman's Sound Investing are my favorites. Stacking Benjamins is more personal finance and it can have a lot of fluff/ entertainment, but I also enjoy it occasionally. I usually only listen to those episodes with topics that interest. Check the wiki page t...

Glomar

Great ideas! We are snowed in but are eating like kings tonight out of our freezer: Turkey tikka masala, with turkey pieces leftover from thanksgiving. Masala sauce we save and freeze the remnants from when we get takeout chicken tikka masala from our favorite Indian place. Yes we are that cheap, bu...

Glomar

I had the exact same thing happen a month or so ago. My spouse and I were both at the computer so we are positive SpecID was selected (and that account had always had SpecID only as the cost basis). Transaction went through as FIFO. We called Vanguard and it took about a week but they did correct th...

Glomar

I just spoke with GEHA and after a little back-and-forth, the final answer was that for any one individual the catastrophic OOP max is $6000 (under either Self Plus One or Self Plus Family). Once any individual reaches $6000 any further expenses for that individual will be paid at 100%. The represen...

Glomar

Our indoor cats love their heated cat beds - could work well for your garage kitty:

http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-The ... B00176F9AM

Glomar

The GEHA brochure (page 27) states: (emphasis mine) Your catastrophic protection out-of-pocket maximum for deductibles and coinsurance $6,000 for Self Only or $12,000 for Self Pus One or Self and Family (an individual under Self Plus One and Self and Family enrollment will never have to satisfy mor...

Glomar

No need to worry - there will not be a gap if all you are already enrolled and are just changing plans. Your current plan will be in effect during that period. We have switched FEHB plans several times and they time it correctly so old plan ends one day and new plan starts up the next.

Glomar

Thanks again - that makes a lot of sense.

Glomar

Thank you, DSInvestor! And by tax exempt bond fund, you mean a muni fund, is that correct?

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