Bogleheads.org

I write a personal check and drop it off when I go grocery shopping. That's probably because my simple sole proprietorship of over 40 years has never had any business accounts at any banks.

If you want to make a super-memorable talk that will light up the internet, then here's a topic:

"Why I ditched tilting to small-cap and value equities and now use the 3-fund Boglehead portfolio"

Has anyone navigated a departure from advisors before? Are there threads or resources to review?

from 6 days ago:
viewtopic.php?p=7183853
where this from 3 weeks ago was linked:
viewtopic.php?t=400421

Portfolio Watch is not Portfolio Visualizer.

Portfolio Watch breaks badly from time to time as do other things at Vanguard.com. If one waits, then usually things improve until the next time

Over-The-Air (OTA) of PBS is free, but I suppose you will want to donate to Public Media for which you might get a tax deduction.

I tell them anything they want to know. So far, they don't want to know anything.

I had (for me) a lengthy discussion recently with a CSR trying to reduce the cost of my insurance. It was eye-opening to me how I could reduce the max amount the insurance company would pay for the home (H) and the contents (C). My deductible was already the max allowed. Right on the phone I could build a little table of H across and C down to come up with the annual premium and I suppose risk of shortfall. Anyways, there wasn't much savings to be had for reducing my insured amounts by reasonable numbers, but I did it anyways. And a side note: The county tax assessor has been ignoring the value of real estate around here until this year. The tax assessor bumped up the appraised value by 25% which is amazing as it has been going up about 3% ...

Not much to say because one cannot tell anything about asset location and taxes. One could certainly 3-fund it or 2-fund it as well.

Is that 21% equities?

I'm also laughing at the 2 digits to the right of the decimal points on the past returns.

Some folks would want to know what was the largest loss or dip for this mash-up of investments?
And what the longest time period for this portfolio to be "underwater"?

The lack of showing 2020, 2021, and 2022 returns could be a blessing because the question can be asked: Did the 2004-2019 returns help predict the subsequent returns in 2020, 2021, and 2022? Toss this into portfoliovisualizer.com to find out.

If you are using an accountant or other professional to prepare your tax return, then ask them. If you are preparing your own tax return, then do what the professional would do for you yourself: Fill out a dummy tax return with the current tax-prep software and away you go.

quantAndHold wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 7:03 pm

livesoft wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:57 pm I'm not sure how people decide what percentage of fat is in the ground meat. Do butchers use specific gravity or something like that?

Google says they cook up a bit of the meat, and run the drippings through a “fat tester.”

I'm liking this YT video from Penn State Extension: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVnpmjEoC6U

comfy wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:45 pm

livesoft wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:23 pm
I don't think this is a pro or con: "Other than paying attention when you are able to withdrawal, sell it after the yearly distribution." That's because you can sell and withdraw before or after the yearly distribution. I don't know what you are implying.

The price would be about the same, right? Before price, or after price + dividends.

The value would be exactly the same because the NAV will drop by the per-share amount of the dividend.

If you want to grind your own meat, then you probably already have a Kitchen Aid Artisan stand Mixer has a meat grinder attachment. Put the pieces in the freezer so they are freezer cold beforehand. You can clean after grinding meat by putting some old bread through it.

I'm not sure how people decide what percentage of fat is in the ground meat. Do butchers use specific gravity or something like that?

There are some pros and cons. Pro: No problem with reinvested dividends to watch out for when tax-loss harvesting in Spring, Summer, and Fall. Pro: No "buying the dividend to worry about Spring, Summer, and Fall. Pro: Easy to sell before the Winter dividend and avoid the taxes on the dividend. So tax-loss harvesting may be easier for some folks. Con: December dividend is not as small as some other total stock market index fund dividends in December, so "buying the dividend" may concern some folks. I don't think this is a pro or con: "Other than paying attention when you are able to withdrawal, sell it after the yearly distribution." That's because you can sell and withdraw before or after the yearly distribution. I ...

Make your projects BIG, way BIGGER than you ever thought such as remodeling the entire home. Or sell "as is" and buy something more suitable.

We just had our roof replaced and the exterior of our home repainted. Since the paint crews were on site, we convinced them to do a few additional things on the interior. OTOH, I just repaired myself the garage door opener and the lawn irrigation system. Neither were particularly hard to do. My friends who are your age do even more than me and lend me tools and sometimes help out. Of course, I reciprocate by lending out tools and helping them as well.

What kind of daily volume of water would meet your needs? There are plenty of backpacking water filters on the market and some are sold at WalMart that would filter a liter every few minutes by gravity with the proper setup. Example: A CNOC Vector FDA-approved TPU bag coupled to a Sawyer Squeeze filter.

If you had to board your cat, then how much would you have to pay? If you had a service come to your house, then how much would you pay?

Moment makes lenses for a cell phone and cases that go with them. They have a competitor as well, but I forget the name.

I look at the "transactions" in my accounts and that's it.

I easily know what I add to accounts and what I withdraw from accounts. What is harder is to make sure the dividends paid match the published dividends per share.

I thought the mom was in pretty good financial shape. Didn't anyone else think so? No way close to "very bad" in any case. Clearly, we don't know the whole story here.

Years ago my spouse took out a $50,000 401(k) loan. Not to buy a house, but to avoid the almost 2% expense ratio of the lowest e.r. fund that the 401(k) was invested in. 2% of $50K a year is $1,000 a year. The money was used to buy a substantially identical investment in 529 plans with an expense ratio under 0.05%, thus any increase in the 529 plans could (and was) eventually withdrawn tax-free. All was well and good until her company was sold. She did not lose her job, but continued under the new owners. However, the 401(k) plan was shut down and folded into the new buyer's existing 401(k) plan. Her 401(k) loan came due in 30 (or 60?) days. My spouse just paid back the loan using money in our taxable account. She learned that a colleague h...

So the FidFolios direct TLH'd. Did you TLH'd the $10,000 you put into VOO as well?

blaire951 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 5:35 pmNo need to notify my 401k provider right? Can just let the tax software handle it and I will accept getting double taxed? (Once as income and another when I withdraw from 401k)

This has happened to me. It happens often, so your payroll/HR/401(k) folks know what to do. Just call them up and they may have a form for you to fill out. It should all be taken care of on Monday in 5 minutes. I certainly would not pay all those extra taxes for this. Did you read any of the links I gave you?

I have always used "2) the date that the asset leaves your account" and never had any issues with that. Does it even matter? The charity always tells me the value of the donation. I haven't donated to shares to organizations that don't know how to receive shares, so I have never had to question the value they report --- and I check the value myself because there are historical prices available for shares.

I was speaking to a friend of mine this morning who lives in NYC and their first ever camping experience came up which happened in the past few years while they were in their 40s. They could be the OP. The bottom line: Their experience was "good" because it was so terribly bad that they will never ever go camping again. I think they will stick to hotel camping from now on.

I read this thread and didn't see any problem described. It seems all is in order to me with nothing unusual to worry about.

I don't know, but I would use Google (via chrome browser) on the phone to ask them that exact question. At the bottom of your home screen you should see a place to ask questions:

>I'm so confused from the information I read from googling (Investopedia and Motely Fool).

In situations like this I would restrict my googling to the irs.gov and perhaps bogleheads.org

Here's a search example: https://www.google.com/search?q=excess+ ... eheads.org
and for IRS.gov
https://www.google.com/search?q=excess+ ... %3Airs.gov

This happens so often that it is easy to fix.

I'd start in your backyard if you have one. Then maybe graduate to the closest state park because you can probably park your vehicle next to your tent. Or are you intending to stay in a recreational vehicle? Some people want toilets, showers, and running potable water, but those things are something that are not required for others.

KlangFool wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:30 pm

livesoft wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:25 pm USPS and Bundespost.

Do you use priority mail of the USPS?

Thanks.

KlangFool

No. My spouse got a renewal recently in 6 weeks.

Starfish wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 7:21 pm

livesoft wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:33 pm Literally: Buildings in Turkey have collapsed.

Different continent, mostly. But thanks for strengthening the stereotype

You are welcome. I'm totally the stereotype having lived in Europe and stayed in Turkey on both sides of the Bosphorus.

USPS and Bundespost.

Vanguard User wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:57 pmShould I stick to these funds and allocation?

Sure, why not?


As an aside, I am amused that the change was 7 months ago and you are asking this now.

Literally: Buildings in Turkey have collapsed.

Distributions are not just from fixed income dividends or interest. Distributions can be from realized capital gains that the fund managers have created.

Some people I know have the spouse get a real estate license. They sell their primary home and get the capital gains exclusion and move into one of their other houses for a little while to get the capital gains exclusion for it, then repeat.

We don't have a landline anymore. It is trivial to block the Fidelity phone number on my cell phone, so I have done so.

6d1v7x3 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 2:56 pm Just so everyone knows I bought these shares back when they were worth more than they are now. So that means I'd be gifting unrealized capitol losses? Sorry for my ignorance. Does the fact that my family member won't be selling matter? Thank you again for your help.

Why not sell them and gift the cash?

6d1v7x3 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:57 pmCan you please tell me what the rules are for unrealized losses? Thank you.

Sorry, I cannot as I have never had to do that, so I have not studied them.

Conveniently, this was just posted a few days ago: viewtopic.php?t=400421

A lot of the comments assume there are unrealized capital gains, but there could be unrealized capital losses. The rules are a little different if one gifts shares that have unrealized losses.

Note enough info. Is your family eligible for the American Opportunity Tax Credit? The Lifetime Learning Credit? Other education tax credits?

JenniferW wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:22 pmBut with this setup I am guaranteed a near 5% return with potential of buying VTI at nice discounts as well. Seems like a win for 25% of an emergency fund.

What do you mean "Seems like a win"?? If all those orders execute, then with the last order executing at $160, you will have lost some money.

Instead of submitting limit orders, maybe just have your brokerage send you an alert if VTI trades at those prices, so that you can at that point in time decide what to do?

I like that you are doing this. I am sure you will learn something from it.

Miriam2 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:14 pm

livesoft wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:45 pm Nope, never. But that's probably because I never patronize these establishments.

Oh livesoft - next holiday season, just for a little treat, go in or drive through Starbucks & order a hot Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino - I'll pay

Noted. Thanks!

Nope, never. But that's probably because I never patronize these establishments.

joechristmas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:42 pm Bolivar - Pro: Quiet; Con: Not easy to get to
[...]

Thanks, been to all those more than once over the past 45 years. Our favorite is Mustang Island halfway between Port A and Corpus. I don't care about "recreation" myself as just running in the morning along the deserted shoreline is all I need. But folks can play golf in Corpus and take fishing trips out of Port A. A plus is that the sand there is superb for sand castle building because the amount of silt and oil allows for towering structures that you cannot make with sand from other beaches.

Since you've been to the Texas beaches already, I would not mind reading a sentence or two about all the ones you have been to with one good point and one bad point about each of them. Thanks!

If one can make partial transfers as already noted AND if one is not 100% equities, then doing a transfer can be easy. Repeat until done: 1. Transfer existing cash allocation. In existing account: Sell some bond fund shares when bond funds are not volatile or they have popped. For instance, today the FOMC has a press conference and something will happen to bond fund shares later today, so it could be a good day or not. 2. Transfer cash from sold funds. 3. After successful transfer: Exchange bonds+cash into equity funds in new account. On same day in old account: Exchange equity funds into cash. 4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3. Until all transferred. There would no zero days that hasn't kept equity allocation intact and a maybe a few days when bond ...

I think an answer would be:

1. Import your 1099-B into your tax-prep software.

2. Your tax-prep software will do the right thing. Look at your Form 1040 Schedule D to understand what your tax-prep software did.

Remember (after wash sale losses are used to adjust cost basis and in doing so become unrealized):
a. Long-term loss offset Long-term gains.
b. Short-term loss offset Short-term gains.
c. Leftover losses offset leftover gains.
d. Any more leftover losses offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income (i.e. you already offset ALL realized capital gains)
e. Any more leftover losses get carried over the the next year.

I think you have assume that the short cannot offset long and that long cannot offset short. They can as described above.

By "push mower" do you really mean a self-propelled walk-behind mower? I use my sport watch to time my mowing activity and distance walked. It isn't even 30 minutes a week, but I could do front and back on different days for say 15 minutes each.