Bogleheads.org

Paul, I look forward to hearing you speak at the Boglehead's conference in Washington ! You have had a big impact on my investing and asset allocation. I think "How to combine asset class funds for better returns and less risk" would address many of the topics within your expertise. I would not spend a lot of time on 2 funds for Life, as most Boglehead's are looking for something with a bit more precision. One topic to address. Can you muse on why some Bogleheads are adamant market weighted "3-funders", while others have adopted a small cap value tilted portfolio. Do you have a sense of what aspect of investor psychology or personal circumstances drives that decision? One topic not to address. Lastly, I want to ask you n...

Wirecutter has an article The Best Indoor HDTV Antenna

See: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... v-antenna/

Some of their top picks below. The third is $20.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075LFTCTQ/?t ... AAAAAAAfqy

https://www.rcaantennas.net/indoor-hd-a ... ku=ANT3ME1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IF70QCW/?t ... AAAAAAAfq1

May not be a good idea if you live far away from any broadcast antennas.

sailaway wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:30 pm This will be an inherited IRA and subject to the new(ish) 10 year rule.

The one exception might if the divorce provided for a QDRO but that was not completed before his passing. Even then, it would probably only cover part of the balance.

I don't think the above is correct. Since ex-wife is within 10 years of IRA holder's age she can stretch. See link in my post above.

retiringwhen wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:15 pm According to this old post on the Ed Slott IRA forum, you daughter cannot take the IRA as a spousal IRA, so it must be taken as a beneficiary IRA.

https://www.irahelp.com/forum-post/1366 ... -ex-spouse

I have no idea beyond that.

Should be fine as a non-spouse. From IRS:

Non-spouse beneficiary options

Individual who is not more than 10 years younger than the IRA owner or plan participant is considered an eligible designated beneficiary (= can stretch with their own life expectancy)

Just contact your HR and ask them to explain. Most of the above discussion is conjecture. You need facts.

Explaining such stuff is part of their job. No need to be accusatory, just be pleasant and ask how it is calculated so you can "better plan this year's contribution" or some such. Best to get the 401k documentation in writing and not just a verbal from HR.

For what it's worth, I applied for a renewal by mail in late January, paid the extra $60 for expedited service, and received my new passport and passport card in about two-and-a-half weeks. I was amazed! I went to an experienced passport photographer for my photo, and he advised me to fill out the form online, print it out, and mail it in, and that's what I did. My old passport wasn't expiring for 7 months , but I wanted to get ahead of it. A friend had 5 months on his U.S. passport, landed in Istanbul, and was not allowed to enter. Ouch! From U.S. State Department: In the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, many countries require that a U.S. passport have six months of validity remaining for issuance of a visa or for permission to enter...

Most of our assets are in a taxable brokerage account. Our qualified retirement accounts are entirely fixed income. Thus, our international ETFs (VXUS, SCHF, SCHE, IEMG) are in our taxable brokerage accounts and dependably produce non-qualified dividends, which are taxed at ordinary income rates.

Questions:
Are there any ways to identify or choose more tax efficient international ETFs? If so, any articles you would suggest on this topic?
Or are non-qualified dividends just the cost of having international diversification when ETFs are in taxable?

Thanks Bill. Always learn something from your writings!

Question for the BH hive mind: Per Bernstein's article, my read is that holdings in the TSP G Fund would also be considered as addressing one's System 1 'Daffy Duck' urges, similar to T bills. Correct?

kchico,

There are an infinite number of possibilities between continuing with Bad Work Situation and FIRE. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Having the considerable savings you have amassed gives you agency to make choices that are best for you and your family. As others have noted, leave this job and take a break.

In a 12 year old posting, JL Collins refers to FU money. A bit coarse, but the principle holds. When you have substantial funds you can make your own choices, whether or not your boss likes it.

I am not a JL collins fanboy, but along these lines his VTSAX redo video of John Goodman in The Gambler is good for a laugh. Also a bit coarse, not for sensitive BHs.

Found this gem on visit in 2016. Wonderful informal setting. Light fare of salami, prosciutto, and cheese. Excellent quality. Fair prices.

Prosciutteria Cantina Dei Papi Trevi
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_ ... Lazio.html

OldSport wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 6:07 pm Seems like there would be a lot of greedy sharks in this space for celebrities and athletes, and us "normal" folks that can qualify. How would one even begin to find something legitimate in this space?

Bingo.

I've worked for several small technology startups, so I own private equity and have been intimately involved in the funding process along the way. I would never invest in any of this stuff as an individual investor. KISS

Hi everyone, I've tried Target, Bonobos, and some other brands, and they just aren't doing it for me. Now I'm in the market for some new business casual pants again. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, cc Not sure what you mean by "business casual pants"? My guess is for some people this means high-end sweat pants and for others Chinos. What do you mean? My go to work pants are Ralph Lauren "Lauren" 100% wool pants. Very light, comfortable, maintain creases, look sharp, and are durable. Most docker and other cotton blend pants I've worn start to look beaten up pretty quickly. These pants keep their 'new' look for years. They do require dry cleaning. Maybe too old school for the Lululemonistas among us...

I don't see any mention of Social Security, which will be a critical determinant of your in-laws' quality of life in retirement. After addressing their inheritance windfall, it is worth spending time with them on how to optimize when to file for Social Security.

It is often valuable for the spouse with the greater Social Security Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) to wait to file at age 70. Doubly so when they have such minimal assets and will really need to rely on Social Security in their retirement.

I guess you think every Boglehead has to have a certain level of income? We are low income here; am I not allowed to be a Boglehead? Should I leave? Anyways to each their own. $600 per year is quite a bit for us.. and if we save in a dozen other similar ways that amounts to probably 50% of our savngs each year. I already said right from the initial sentence this won't be for everyone. Please don't take offense. JenniferW, I ❤️ this post. This is what it is all about. I want everyone to benefit from sound Boglehead investing principles, regardless of income. To be a long term investor, one must at some point be a saver. To be a saver, one must at some point learn how to live below one's means. That "live below one's means" calculu...

Aguilar wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 6:52 pm

cchrissyy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 6:43 pm are you a part-owner or is this some other person or entity selling the land and the money coming to you is a gift?

I’m a part owner. My father held half of it and designated his half to my brothers and me. My uncle is managing the sale and he’ll pay me my portion in a check.

Was this land inherited (father passed away) or gifted (while father alive)? This makes a huge difference on the federal capital gains tax, for which the basis is stepped up to that at the time of death. Can you clarify?

Hello everyone, This is my second post. I'd like to share my preferred portafolio which is 35% gold and 65% stocks. Gold appreciates tracking the CPI loosely plus 0.80% and beats having bonds in a negative real yield environment, which we are at. Historically, it captures almost the same return as having a 100% equity portafolio with almost half the volatility. Gold and equities have negative correlations in time periods over three years. In ten year periods, the correlation between gold and stocks is -0.68. In the realm of negative real yields, bonds are confiscation certificates once again. Your thoughts? Alpand, there are over 12,000 past Boglehead discussions of the role of gold in a portfolio in the link below. I suspect that may prov...

Old crusty doc here. First world problem.

Burned out mid-career physicians making $400,000/year are a dime a dozen. Important not to become a statistic.

Once you are making ≥$250,000/year, anything above that is gravy. There is minimal incremental increase in happiness with greater income over $250k. On the other hand going into the hospital every other weekend has a huge impact on happiness.

Everyone has to make their own life decisions and how much they value money vs. happiness.

Art is not an investment, it is a speculation. An example of an investment is an equity ETF, which is ownership in companies, which make a profit by selling a product. With a speculation, such as artwork, increase in value is based on the possibility that it will increase in value over time. I would not confuse the two. I can't predict what the art market for John Singer Sargent will be in 30 years, but I am pretty such the global economic engine will continue to be profitable. If you like art and have sufficient assets to provide for yourself, go ahead and buy art for its own sake. But don't buy it as an investment. We own in the low 5 figures of art, most of which is by artists I've seen exhibited at elite museums, such as the Smithsonian...

Philips Sonicare 6100. I love it. Have had it 4 years and going strong!

Wish I had bought one when my dental hygienist first suggested it 20 years ago.

The discussion around predicting bear market timing is more noise than signal. It is not knowable.

The OP is struggling with how to deal with uncertainty in investing. This is as much an issue of investor psychology as it is finance.

Lump sum? Dollar cost average?
Maybe split the difference and invest 50% ASAP and 50% in 3 months and be done with it.

Don't overthink this. By doing nothing and staying in cash you are still making a choice.

OMY

One morning you will wake up and realize that you have more money than time left on the planet. That realization and how it enters into your retirement is an individual decision.

17outs wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:33 am I would like to understand this as well. I was looking at guaranteed 20 years for a bridge. I was always told DIA were the devil, but at these options and comparing them to a TIPS ladder with fixed COLA there doesn't seem to be much of a comparison, but the little voice comes back and says, "What am I missing?"

In a word, "Mortality Credits" & risk pooling. A TIPS ladder is for a specified number of years. A SPIA lasts for as long as you are alive. See nisiprius' posting above.

I'll let others answer your questions, but Schwab has very good customer service in my experience.

One additional very important point. She should do the rollover as a "direct rollover", which does not require the tight 60 day time line. With a direct rollover the check is made out to the account, not to the account owner. Typically the check will be made out to "“Schwab Account BlahBlahBlah FBO Your name here”, where FBO stands for "for benefit of".

See: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/IRA_rol ... _transfers

I think the main BH approach is to have so much money invested for retirement when retired that one doesn't have to worry about any approach. Simply withdraw as needed whenever you feel like withdrawing. That's the "main" approach? I highly doubt that even here, among Bogleheads, there are enough people wealthy enough for the "Alfred E. Neuman Strategy" to be prudent for the majority of members — or even anywhere close to a plurality of them. Most of us have to think a bit more carefully about it... Per my signature line, I guess I must be an adherent of the "Alfred E Neuman Strategy". But to iceport's point, the real value of retirement financial planning is for those whose assets are ≤25-30x (≈4% withdrawal ...

If the problem is a non-available circuit board, this company sells refurbished appliance circuit boards at a very good price point.

https://circuitboardmedics.com/about-us/

You order a refurbished circuit board; they send by express mail along with a return envelope; you return your faulty circuit board, which they then refurbish for a new customer.

They have Youtube videos to help in your replacement.

I did this and had a great result at a good price. Not for everyone, but worth considering.

In general, I'm a moderately healthy 50-something male, subject to many of the usual behavioral glitches (don't eat great, exercise much, etc.) I'm interested in information and behavioral/medical modifications that provide fairly clearly demonstrated health improvements, at a cost (financial/behavioral/medical/etc) that makes it worthwhile. Old cranky physician here. Take the below candor in the positive spirit it is intended; I wish you happiness and good health. Making good healthy life choices are one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Most lay medical journalism is infotainment. If you want to be entertained great, but reading more is unlikely to affect your health. You already mention "behavioral glitches" of not ...

In general, I'm a moderately healthy 50-something male, subject to many of the usual behavioral glitches (don't eat great, exercise much, etc.) I'm interested in information and behavioral/medical modifications that provide fairly clearly demonstrated health improvements, at a cost (financial/behavioral/medical/etc) that makes it worthwhile. Old cranky physician here. Take the below candor in the positive spirit it is intended; I wish you happiness and good health. Making good healthy life choices are one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Most lay medical journalism is infotainment. If you want to be entertained great, but reading more is unlikely to affect your health. You already mention "behavioral glitches" of not ...

Carno wrote: ↑Tue Jan 24, 2023 8:22 am Let's say you have 250 trading days a year and you gain or lose several thousand dollars a day. Then you have a few bonuses a year (maybe 2 to 3) each in the $500-$1,000 range. That is like $3,000 a year; something like 3 days of gain off your assets.

For me, not worth the time and energy of having to track assets and changes and deal with the inevitable mistakes/miscommunications that arise. With mid seven figures I'm sure I could make a few bucks doing this. Personally, I have better things to do with my time. YMMV.

He currently lives pretty comfortable off of $2200 of take-home money . Are these his take home wages or some other sources of income? He had heard that he would not get much Social Security because of the Windfall Elimination Provision. I told him that it was my understanding that he would get most of it because he had almost 30 years of service. I think he may lose roughly 15% to 20% overall. • He should talk with Social Security. This is too important for guessing games. • He should register with MySocialSecurity.gov Note that registration requires having a bunch of your personal financial history information to verify you are who you really are. • Human resources at the school or school district has got to have someone who can help ans...

You are 55, spend $120K per year, and have $7mm saved. You are asking the wrong question. The correct question is, "How many more Monday's do you have?" 2000? How many of them do you want to spend at work? At this point you're not going to work for the money. That's only okay if you love it. +1 on Mondays The most important issue is to shift from "accumulation phase thinking" where your focus is on your net worth, to "distribution phase thinking" where your focus is on cash flow & expenses. With assets and expenses as noted above you can retire. The big issues are: 1. when 2. how best to optimize taxes 3. how best to optimize the quality of your retirement life experience -Personally, hoping for another 15...

marginal wrote: ↑Mon Jan 23, 2023 8:52 pm 2) It makes sense to be more conservative before retirement. After retirement I also want to have growth so I can have a reserve for draw down later. Basically make up for slow down and build up for spending at age 72-79.
Do you think ramping up after retirement age 72+ for another 7 years (like V-shape) makes sense?

Search "Bond tent" on Bogleheads or check out Michael Kitces/Wade Pfau's initial work here: https://www.kitces.com/blog/managing-po ... -red-zone/

Michael, it sounds like you are in pretty good shape as is. It does not sounds as if having a taxable account is going to move the needle for you. Lots more important variables for you, such as when to take Social Security. For people with 25% and higher income tax marginal rates and for those planning to leave inheritances to others, having some assets in taxable accounts may have some advantages (i.e., step up in basis = tax free inheritance). It does not sounds as if either of those are an issue for OP. For much of my career I did not have access to an employee sponsored retirement plan, so most of our investments (≈60%) are in a taxable brokerage account and only 27% are in TSP/457/IRA pre-tax retirement accounts. Because we have substa...

Anker peripherals are Apple MFi certified. Would not use anything that was not.

See https://community.anker.com/t/what-is-a ... tion/56996

My Volt lighting project is the best DIY project I've done in years. Search the BH website for "volt lighting" for past discussions.

https://www.voltlighting.com

I have my system hooked up to a Kasa smart plug. It turns on every day at sundown and off at 10:30 at night. I can turn it on/off with my Smart Phone app as well.

mruizesparza wrote: ↑Sat Jan 21, 2023 7:23 pm
Age: 61; wife: 59
Social Security: we will both apply at age 67

You don't mention your estimated relative PIAs (primary insurance amounts, amount you will receive at age 67). It will likely be better for the higher earner to wait until 70 and burn a bit more cash during those 3 years. Check out Open Social Security for example.
https://opensocialsecurity.com

Also, if you have not done so already, register with mysocialsecurity.gov That will give you a better idea of your benefit options.

Gave them the same as what my partner and I got from our respective parents and my father got from his parents: full support for tuition and living expenses.

YMMV

May want to review Stan The Annuity Man website

https://www.stantheannuityman.com

aristotelian wrote: ↑Wed Jan 18, 2023 8:51 am If you get rid of it you can claim the loss for tax purposes.

No. It is in an IRA, cannot use it for capital loss.

Good lession. Don't put speculative assets in retirement accounts.

I was in a similar position after the 2000 tech bubble in having a bunch of worthless single company stocks in my IRA (did not have the $5 issue). I lost ≈$50k at the time.

I left these in the account for ≈10 years to remind myself of this folly and avoid similar in the future.

The good news: Fast forward 20 years of Boglehead investing and those $50k of losses are just a blip on the path to financial freedom. Our savings are at 50x of our wildest spending upside.

We all make mistakes along the way. The important thing is to learn from them.

Normchad wrote: ↑Tue Jan 17, 2023 9:47 am Here’s my confession. I don’t have a written IPS. A lot of us don’t. A lot of us don’t need one. But some of us do.

Putting my financial & investing thoughts on paper into an Investment Policy Statement is the single most impactful action I have taken in our financial planning. Committing thoughts to paper is incredibly empowering. I often ask BH posters if they have an IPS and link to the Wiki.

I can't imagine not having a written plan for something that is so important.

Is a part time option available? That might give you the best of both worlds.

duplicate post

Would that $12,000/yr she would receive as a survivor benefit on your pension be adjusted for cost of living? If not, what is that really going to do for her as far as spending power in twenty (20) or thirty (30) years? • I have not seen the above COLA question addressed. • The other BIG QUESTION is what is your social security strategy as a couple? These two issues are related. • Safe COLA adjusted income is an important part of any retirement plan. Having this income forever provides a great sense of comfort to us. If your wife was my sister, my advice would be to seriously consider a ≈50% survivor benefit (particularly if it has a COLA). [FWIW, my military pension provides a 55% survivor benefit for a 6.5% haircut on my current pension ...

Subspecialty internal medicine doc here.

Another thought. Given the amount of time, energy, and money put into one's health care, it may make sense to travel a distance to get the best care. For example, driving a couple of hours to a nationally recognized expert at a major medical center rather than the local doc.

I've read in another discussion forum that Ray Dalio had a serious medical condition. The 1s and 2nd opinions were pessimistic. The 3rd opinion was more optimistic. The 4th and 5th opinions agreed with the 3rd one. Dalio proceeded with the course of treatment recommended in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th opinions, and they turned out to be correct. Victoria Not sure the above is a good model to emulate. • It is more or less what Annie Duke ("thinking in Bets") describes as " Resulting ", evaluating an isolated decision based on its outcome. When you have an "n of 1" single decision a good or bad result proves little. A single person investing in Bitcoin and coming out ahead does not provide proof that Bitcoin is a good...

I installed rigid ducts for my dryer last year, it was a reasonable DIY project. The duct travels about 20 feet from dryer to wall vent. I used the rigid ducts from Home Depot and then semi-rigid duct for right angles, etc. I'm reasonably handy, but not excessively so.

sschoe2 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 7:04 pm 1. Poodles
2. Road bikes

+ 1 for both!

My favorite cruise ship joke.

Cruise ship passenger 1: Oh, the food on the Cruse ship is awful!

Cruise ship passenger 2: Yes, and they give such small portions!

snackdog wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:21 pm

badger42 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:53 am You would have to pay me a lot more than $11/night to get me on a cruise ship. No thanks.

Because …? Fear of water?

I live in a city with hundreds of goods restaurants & entertainment venues. I can't fathom why anybody would want to live on a congested densely populated floating city for a week or two. Obviously, many people do enjoy cruising. Just not my jam. YMMV.

I left Federal service 6 years ago and have kept my TSP, 100% of which is invested in the G Fund, which is ≈12% of our investment assets. I like having that super safe money available independent of any market chaos that might occur. If the Zombie Apocalypse comes and we need long-term care, the G Fund will be there. Indeed, I like the G Fund so much that I have rolled my 401k & IRA into the TSP. One caveat. TSP is not user friendly when it comes to distribution after death, particularly for non-spouse beneficiaries. For non-spouse beneficiaries, there is a limited amount of time after death to settle the account, after which they simply mail the beneficiary a check (with all of the associated tax implications). If spouse/mom is alive n...