Search found 1230 matches

by Faith20879
Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Federal efile rejected * H&R Block
Replies: 33
Views: 4061

Re: Federal efile rejected * H&R Block

Is form 8283 the suspect here?

I have 8283, filed with OLT for free without any problem - in case you are looking for another software.
by Faith20879
Sun Mar 17, 2024 8:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401K Rollover to Vanguard IRA Question!
Replies: 17
Views: 1120

Re: 401K Rollover to Vanguard IRA Question!

Sweetbriar wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:35 pm
Faith20879 wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 5:56 pm OP, I also have a TRP 401k that I've not rolled over yet, for two reasons:
1. I've not got a chace to look into my state's laws about IRA protection vs a 401K. I'm 90% sure they are equally protected but i am in no real hurry.
2. My state exempts part of my 401k distribution from taxable income but not IRA distinction. So again I'm in no hurry to roll it over.

Faith20879....#2 Wow!...What State would that be? Don't think CA would even think of that.
Maryland.
by Faith20879
Sun Mar 17, 2024 8:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Access to Morningstar's X-ray?
Replies: 9
Views: 787

Re: Access to Morningstar's X-ray?

OP, I've always used my free T Rowe Price online account to access the basic x-ray tool. You don't need to have assets held there to get a free account. However I've not accessed the tool since 2022.
by Faith20879
Sun Mar 17, 2024 7:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dealing with empty tIRA account after back door Roth IRA
Replies: 13
Views: 1673

Re: Dealing with empty tIRA account after back door Roth IRA

My apology if this sounds nitpicking, but this would be a conversion so don't forget to include it in the Roth conversion calculation on form 8606.
ssn wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 9:04 pm Thank you all for the replies. I will just go ahead and transfer convert the $7.0 to Roth IRA.

-ssn
by Faith20879
Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Overnight in a DC Hyatt March 2025
Replies: 13
Views: 1515

Re: Overnight in a DC Hyatt March 2025

terran wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:45 pm
joetro29 wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:41 pm ... I’d want to see cherry blossoms ...
My wife was just telling me about she heard (probably an NPR story) that they cherry trees are being removed after this season for some work in the area, to be replaced with new ones later (maybe 2029?).
Can confirm this.
WTOP said:

NPS said 140 trees, but will restore more after the work. We were just at the pond last December during a drought, the flood looked as bad as described.
by Faith20879
Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions around Dulles-IAD Arrival
Replies: 14
Views: 1375

Re: Suggestions around Dulles-IAD Arrival

I often fly out of IAD for international flights and think the hotel prices are quite reasonable. Google airport hotels near Dulles airport with free shuttle. For example the Hyatt Place Herndon Dulles has free shuttle and is $128 per night currently with free breakfast. This is exactly what we do. And, going from IAD to Ellicott city I would rent a car than depending on a driver. I don't know how easy it is for the Uber/taxi driver to pick up a return fare from BWI or Ellicott city back to NoVA. From the woods we live, in upper Montgomery county, I have had a couple of last minute no-shows by Uber and super shuttle. Other times, no Uber ever picked up my order. I can only blame it on our location. It is simply not worth it (impossible to ...
by Faith20879
Sun Mar 17, 2024 5:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401K Rollover to Vanguard IRA Question!
Replies: 17
Views: 1120

Re: 401K Rollover to Vanguard IRA Question!

OP, I also have a TRP 401k that I've not rolled over yet, for two reasons:
1. I've not got a chace to look into my state's laws about IRA protection vs a 401K. I'm 90% sure they are equally protected but i am in no real hurry.
2. My state exempts part of my 401k distribution from taxable income but not IRA distinction. So again I'm in no hurry to roll it over.
by Faith20879
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Extra Low Mileage Drivers: How much do you spend on your car?
Replies: 48
Views: 4185

Re: Extra Low Mileage Drivers: How much do you spend on your car?

tomasm wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2024 3:13 pm ...For me that is certainly worth the luxury of having a car to drive when I need it.
This. And, for us, it is also a backup if one car breaks down. We live in a rural area.

I have a 1997 Civic with a little over 110,000 miles on it. When I was working (30+ years), I also biked, walked, or bused depending on the weather. Since my retirement, I've probably added only 1000 miles to the meter. It was basically a maintenance free vehicle, yearly cost about $1045 : insurance 800, registration 65, gas 160, and maintenance averaged out to 20 per year (a couple quarts of oil/filters per year, a set of new pads every five years, wiper blades, new tires every 50,000, timing belt, muffler, cracked winshield, and etc.) .
by Faith20879
Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Two accountants disagree about Backdoor Roth and Potentially Screwed up our accounts
Replies: 27
Views: 3588

Re: Two accountants disagree about Backdoor Roth and Potentially Screwed up our accounts

... 7.) So, I embarked on a quest to become an expert accountant and try to figure it out for myself which is when I started to learn about the prorata rule which is super confusing to the newbie of the group but, if I understand correctly, both mine and my spouse's IRAs are now completely screwed up because we didn't know to transfer the entire balance by the end of 2023 so we had zero in our accounts when doing the backdoor. Accountant A didn't tell us anything about that. ... I don't think the situation is as bad as you imagined. From what I read, you recharacterized a Roth contribution ($7000+earning) then did a conversion. Schwab seemed to have handled that correctly. Here is what I would do. If Accountant A did not file a 8606, I wou...
by Faith20879
Sat Mar 09, 2024 7:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When do the negatives of Pro Rata outweigh the positives of a Backdoor Roth?
Replies: 11
Views: 1185

Re: When do the negatives of Pro Rata outweigh the positives of a Backdoor Roth?

ofthewoods wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 4:56 pm My wife and I both contributed to Roth IRAs in 2023 and 2024 without realizing we were going to be ineligible due to exceeding the income limits . We've decided to go with the Backdoor Roth approach for both years, ..
It is not clear to me your 2023 Roth came from direct contribution or via backdoor. Please clarify. If former, there is a penalty for ineligible contribution.
by Faith20879
Sat Mar 09, 2024 12:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Impacted by] pro-rata rule when doing backdoor-Roth a few months ago, any possibility to reverse it?
Replies: 50
Views: 4235

Re: Fidelity misinformed me about pro-rata rule when doing backdoor-Roth a few months ago, any possibility to reverse it

bogle005 wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 10:25 am Double taxed because now I need to pay tax again on 6.5k due to pro-rata rule after having paid tax on it when earning those 6.5k through wages.
OP you already received good advice going forward. I just want to add a note about the "double" taxation. You now have 6500 as your basis. As long as you file a form 8606 that has the 6500 (or whatever pro-rata'ed amount) in line 14, you should be able to claim it "gradually" in future years. It will not be double taxed. Better yet if you can clear out that rollover IRA, you may claim the whole basis all together. HTH.
by Faith20879
Sat Mar 09, 2024 11:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax software which can calculate income exempt from state taxes?
Replies: 21
Views: 1476

Re: Tax software which can calculate income exempt from state taxes?

henryphseven wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:55 am I have 6 muni bond funds and 7 treasury bond funds from different fund companies :(
Would a spreadsheet help? We've had 7 or 8 mini funds in the past. I just needed to locate the percentages and punch them into Excel, and then enter the sum into my state's software. Only takes a few minutes for this task.
by Faith20879
Sat Mar 09, 2024 10:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Using withholding on Roth conversion instead of estimated tax payment
Replies: 86
Views: 5893

Re: Using withholding on Roth conversion instead of estimated tax payment

cheese_breath wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:50 am I see this thread is almost three weeks old with lots of replies already. But I'd like to chip in my two cents worth anyway. I've done lots of Roth conversions over the years, and I've always paid the taxes out of my taxable account. I'd rather reduce the balance of my taxable than reduce the balance of my Roth by withholding from the convesion.
I've always thought the same way you do. But after reading the OP (and poster twh's testimony) several times I finally understood how the mechanism works. Essentially he is swapping taxable money with tax-preferred money. The taxes are eventually still paid with taxable money. Quite clever... like someone upthread said, money is fungible.
by Faith20879
Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax-Deductibility of LTC
Replies: 7
Views: 904

Re: Tax-Deductibility of LTC

I don't know if 401k or IRA withdrawals make any difference in the deductibility of long-term care expanses.

There have been many discussions about the deductibility of LTC experiences. If you are interested, simply type long term care deduct in the search box and you'll get several hits. Here is the most recent one IRA withdrawals for Long Term Care
by Faith20879
Thu Mar 07, 2024 7:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Has Anyone Had This Scenario/Situation With The IRS
Replies: 21
Views: 2971

Re: Has Anyone Had This Scenario/Situation With The IRS

MarkNYC wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 7:09 pm ...But you did not say whether the IRS requested, and you submitted to them, a copy (front and back) of the cancelled check. The back of the cancelled check would contain an IRS Document Locater Number and/or other information that the IRS can use to track down where the payment went. Without a copy of the cancelled check, the IRS presumably has other methods to find the missing funds but that might be more difficult and time consuming.
In the case that OP did a direct debit, would a bank statement showing such transaction be sufficient?

Thanks!
by Faith20879
Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: preferred tax preparation software? [for tax year 2023]
Replies: 56
Views: 7783

Re: preferred tax preparation software? [for tax year 2023]

Fun to read all the replies. I don't have a preferred software. Over the years I've used pencil and paper (when I only had one form to report), TT, TaxAct, OLT, FFFF, and Taxslayer. I have a reading disability and to me, TT language is very difficult to grasp. Even though TT is developed by Intuit, I find it the least intuitive of the lot. TacAct and OLT are both quite friendly language-wise. Most years I use FFFF but this year we had to file with OLT because the EV credit. I only bring up Taxslayer because I use it for the TaxAide program. It is okay. But most people on this forum probably have circumstances much more complicated than Taxslayer can handle. I hear a lot votes for FreeTaxUSA here. Perhaps I'll give it a try next year. Thanks...
by Faith20879
Sat Feb 24, 2024 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone use Shoe Goo to increase the life of their shoes
Replies: 38
Views: 3774

Re: Anyone use Shoe Goo to increase the life of their shoes

dagsboro wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 4:39 pm Shoe Goo is not "cushiony" so if you spread on a worn out shoe sole, it will prolong its life - but it will not provide the shock absorption you need for your feet, ankles etc. that the original sole composition did.
That is a good point. My favorite NB is just about to wear through the outer most layer, eg. showing a smidge of the soft layer. I think I should apply the goo now before losing too much that cushioning material.
by Faith20879
Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FreeTaxUSA does not support Form 1116, Schedule B
Replies: 8
Views: 899

Re: FreeTaxUSA does not support Form 1116, Schedule B

talzara wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:34 pm
Faith20879 wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:17 pm Uh, I thought OLT is free?
The OP wants to e-file a North Carolina state return, which is $15 at FreeTaxUSA and $10 at OLT.
Ah I see. I saw the title pertains to form 1116 which is Federal and made the wrong assumption. My bad. Whew, so OLT Fed is still free then.
by Faith20879
Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Foreign assets - IRS form 8938 and FBAR
Replies: 8
Views: 906

Re: Foreign assets - IRS form 8938 and FBAR

shahhere wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 5:13 pm
Does this need to be shown/filed in the USA now? 8938? FBAR?
Assuming the proceeds currently is in a foreign bank? I would definitely file 8938 and FBAR.

Also look into form 3520 to see if it applies.

I am not a CPA nor a lawyer, just a commoner who's been dealing with these forms for several years.
by Faith20879
Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FreeTaxUSA does not support Form 1116, Schedule B
Replies: 8
Views: 899

Re: FreeTaxUSA does not support Form 1116, Schedule B

nalor511 wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 4:10 pm OLT.com supports 1116schB and is $5 cheaper
Uh, I thought OLT is free?
by Faith20879
Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: RMD's - Calendar Year Sequencing
Replies: 56
Views: 3826

Re: RMD and Roth--How does IRS know which came first?

There have been so many discussions about this topic. Here are three that I can remember:
viewtopic.php?t=307027
viewtopic.php?t=424280
viewtopic.php?t=420924
by Faith20879
Thu Feb 22, 2024 9:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Reinvesting dividends with Spec ID method at Vanguard
Replies: 13
Views: 14545

Re: Reinvesting dividends with Spec ID method at Vanguard

We use spec ID for all our funds. After 30 yrs of automatic reinvestment as you can imagine we ended up with hundreds of small lots. Although Vanguard kept good records of each lot and the cost basis screen is clear and pretty self-explanatory, when the time come to sell it is still quite a chore. I had to scroll down slowly to make sure I didn't miss any lots in between while flipping the pages. After I selected a hundred so lots and hit the submit, Vanguard's website threw a generic error message. I tried 3 more time :? before finally gave up and called Vanguard for help. The rep. suspected there might be a limit on the number of lots in each sale but was not sure of the actual number. So by try and error I broke the lots into 5 smaller b...
by Faith20879
Wed Feb 21, 2024 11:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: DC Mall - where to stay for AirBnB
Replies: 15
Views: 1386

Re: DC Mall - where to stay for AirBnB

OP, here is a crime map near Capital Hill for your reference:

https://spotcrime.com/DC/Washington/Capitol%20Hill
by Faith20879
Tue Feb 20, 2024 8:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best < $100 purchase?
Replies: 299
Views: 55784

Re: Best < $100 purchase?

My post-retirement job requires me to stand outdoor in the winter to dish out boxes of food to needy families. I am usually "frozen" to pale after my shift. Recently invested $99 in a pair of fleece-lined thermo pants made by LLBeans. Never have spent so much in a pair of pants before but it is worth every penny. Plus it came in petite so looks much better on me than all my other pants.

But, since this is the BH site, I have to confess that I have sinned, of lifestyle drift. :D
by Faith20879
Tue Feb 06, 2024 1:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: EV Charging Station tax rebate with H&R Block tax software
Replies: 30
Views: 5156

Re: EV Charging Station tax rebate with H&R Block tax software

Bumping this thread. I have been using Turbo Tax for several years. But apparently it is no longer workable on my older MacBook so I switched to HR Block. However when trying to take the credit for a new EV charger I had installed this summer apparently HR Block does not support form 8911. Has anyone ran into this problem? Has anyone found a workaround other than doing this manually? The law now requires you to live in a low income area to take this credit. Make sure you qualify before worrying about how. Low income or non-urban. Most of the country is non-urban, but by definition that's not where most of the people are. Here's a map. https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3f67d5e82dc64d1589714d5499196d4f/page/Page/ Is there any chance H...
by Faith20879
Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Very concerned about security!
Replies: 34
Views: 5816

Re: Very concerned about security!

Carl53 wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 4:11 am
Faith20879 wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:28 pm
fanofjack wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:37 pm
Thai past weekend I tried to process a Qualified Charitable Deduction from my Vanguard 401K as I have in the past weeks. ...
Are you saying you have QCDed from your 401K in the past? I am under the impression that is not permitted. Do you mind sharing your experience?
QCDs are only allowed from TIRAs, not 401ks. You might check the phone number, possibly misdialed.
Thanks for your insight. And I agree with you.

IF OP has done it in the past, I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt and hear him out.
by Faith20879
Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Very concerned about security!
Replies: 34
Views: 5816

Re: Very concerned about security!

fanofjack wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:37 pm
Thai past weekend I tried to process a Qualified Charitable Deduction from my Vanguard 401K as I have in the past weeks. ...
Are you saying you have QCDed from your 401K in the past? I am under the impression that is not permitted. Do you mind sharing your experience?
by Faith20879
Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mechanics of QCD [Qualified Charitable Distribution]
Replies: 21
Views: 2418

Re: Mechanics of QCD [Qualified Charitable Distribution]

Flobes wrote, "Important: Once you arrive at the "Sell Vanguard Funds" page, at the top of the "Where's the money coming from? dialog, there will be a message within a highlight-yellow box: "You are able to make a qualified charitable distribution." If you do not see this message, Vanguard does not think account owner is 70.5 plus one day." I don't get this message and I don't get the option to send funds to a charity. I think there's a glitch in the Vanguard system, at least as applied to me. The IT folks are supposed to be looking into this. We'll see. I turned 70.5 yesterday. When I try to use this method, I get a "withholding taxes" option at the end which makes me very nervous. If I'm sendi...
by Faith20879
Tue Jan 23, 2024 3:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FBAR filing, failed to obtain a copy. Possible consequences? [Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts]
Replies: 11
Views: 1510

Re: FBAR filing, failed to obtain a copy. Possible consequences?

After further digging through, I've come to believe that keeping a copy is more for a filer's own record than a proof of filing. I think I am just going to download a blank pdf and fill/save it the same way I did on the online web form and leave it at that. They offer two ways to file: 1. download a pdf , fill it while offline, and 2. Online submission. I've always taken the online route. A sincere thank-you to everyone who chimed in. I thought from your earlier post (which mentioned signed) that you had downloaded a pdf, filled, signed and submitted it, so my response was geared to that (and clearly not applicable to someone who filled in online). Just so that I don't confuse anyone who reaches this thread through a search in the future, ...
by Faith20879
Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FBAR filing, failed to obtain a copy. Possible consequences? [Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts]
Replies: 11
Views: 1510

Re: FBAR filing, failed to obtain a copy. Possible consequences?

Thanks, LadyGeek for righting my oversight! Are you able to view the submission online and take a photo of it with your phone? I could've gotten a screen dump before hitting the submit. But since I never had trouble in the previous 9 times, I got complacent. Sigh... BTW, after hitting submit and realizing the "Download your copy..." on the subsequent page not working, I tried using the browser's back button but it didn’t take me back. After further digging through, I've come to believe that keeping a copy is more for a filer's own record than a proof of filing. I think I am just going to download a blank pdf and fill/save it the same way I did on the online web form and leave it at that. They offer two ways to file: 1. download a ...
by Faith20879
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FBAR filing, failed to obtain a copy. Possible consequences? [Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts]
Replies: 11
Views: 1510

FBAR filing, failed to obtain a copy. Possible consequences? [Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts]

This is my 10th years filing FBAR online. Pull up the website, fill the numbers, sign, submit, and save a copy. The whole process takes but 5 minutes never a problem. This year I followed the exact same steps except after hitting the submit button, on the acknowledging/received page, the "Download your copy of FBAR " button was grayed out, meaning disabled. I sent an email to the helpline email address describing my situation and asked if there is a way to obtain a copy. Their response basically repeats that it is my responsibility to keep a copy. Not very helpful. Has anyone been in this situation? Any remedy you can share? Will I run into any potential trouble if I can't produce a copy when they come asking? Ps. I did receive an...
by Faith20879
Tue Jan 16, 2024 11:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [2023 Taxes] Vanguard U.S. government obligations income information
Replies: 8
Views: 1320

Re: [2023 Taxes] Vanguard U.S. government obligations income information

Thanks for the link.

Interesting enough I found another file for advisors a few minutes ago. I wonder why the two different versions?
https://advisors.vanguard.com/content/d ... 012024.pdf
by Faith20879
Tue Jan 16, 2024 6:24 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Is anyone else having problems with Vanguard's "RMD Snapshot" calculator?
Replies: 12
Views: 1943

Re: Is anyone else having problems with Vanguard's "RMD Snapshot" calculator?

Small Law Survivor wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2024 3:00 pm Still not working as of today, 1/16/24.
Had the same error message Jan 3, called Vanguard CS, she signed us up for RMD service and that solved the problem.
by Faith20879
Mon Jan 15, 2024 6:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Leaving Vanguard For Blocking Free Choice
Replies: 22
Views: 2419

Re: Leaving Vanguard For Blocking Free Choice

If Target doesn't carry something that I wanted I'd go to Walmart. I don't think Target is necessarily "blocking" me from anything. However if Target consistently mistreat me as a customer, I'd have no problem bringing my business somewhere else. There are plenty of options around town.
by Faith20879
Sun Jan 14, 2024 2:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anyone have Fidelity or Vanguard hacked?
Replies: 34
Views: 5359

Re: Anyone have Fidelity or Vanguard hacked?

journeyL wrote: Sat Jan 13, 2024 9:19 pm ... noticed a debit/withdrawal of $999 on my Fidelity Solo 401K...
Do you mind sharing a little more details, for educational purpose:
1. Did the money come from the settlement fund or selling one of the holdings? If latter, a transaction musta have happened. Did Fideliy send any sort of confirmation?
2. When I withdraw, money gets transferred to the linked bank account. I've never done a debit. How is it shown in the transaction history? Does it show where it went or just disappeared in the air?

Thanks!
by Faith20879
Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who's up for pickleball? Zero-zero-two. Game On!
Replies: 377
Views: 84294

Re: Who's up for pickleball? Zero-zero-two. Game On!

This Wednesday I played a PB match for the very first time. My serve was decent (not pretty but stayed inbound mostly) but missed the return terribly. Either my paddle was too small or I'm losing the handeye coordination. My knees hurt a little right after the game but went away the next morning. The best part was I slept like a baby afterwards which hadn't happened for a long long time. I can see why so many seniors are into this sport. Now if only I can find a paddle that's big enough :D
by Faith20879
Tue Jan 09, 2024 11:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard Donor Advised Funds
Replies: 2
Views: 604

Re: Vanguard Donor Advised Funds

filbert wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 11:55 am Does anyone know when Vanguard calculates their fees for Donor Advised Funds.
When we first opened the account, I asked the CS when exactly is the annual fee assessed (not the low balance fee as it is already documented on their website). The person hummed and hawed and never gave a specific date. Somehow I got the feeling that if I am asking then I can't afford it. We didn't have much to give anyway so I didn't pursue an answer.

For the past two years we basically used the fund as a passthrough for small charities who can't handle stocks and MFs. We typically contributed in March/April and cleared out by September, never paid any fees. So you should be safe at least before October, can't say about later months.
by Faith20879
Fri Jan 05, 2024 8:25 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: When does Vanguard update its RMD calculations?
Replies: 24
Views: 3915

Re: When does Vanguard update its RMD calculations?

colodane wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2024 5:12 pm My 2024 monthly distribution amount was on the Vanguard website this morning (3 Jan) .
Same here. Already saved as pdf for record. It's in the "calculate my RMD" link, you can't miss it.
by Faith20879
Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Current Vanguard account balance discrepancies
Replies: 46
Views: 5567

Re: Current Vanguard account balance discrepancies

. Our statements were available Wednesday evening. However, a quick check seems to indicate the dollar values were calculated by multiplying the shares by the share price and then truncating instead of rounding, resulting in some dollar values to be off by a penny. Although it might be some internal representation that is off because in one case the dollar value was a penny lower than the Excel TRUNC function result. EyeDee also reported up thread that he or she received their statement yesterday We also received ours (4 sets, all brokerage platform) Wednesday the 3rd. Interesting thing was, I checked around 10 am and there were nothing, checked again 2 pm and voilà there they were. Didn't think they'd update during business hours. We hold...
by Faith20879
Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What UN-frugal thing do you do? What do you splurge on?]
Replies: 785
Views: 82842

Re: [What UN-frugal thing do you do? What do you splurge on?]

We took our new EV on a road trip (for the first time) yesterday. The whole distance round-trip is a little over 200 miles. According to PlugShare, there are at least a dozen so free L2 chargers along the way. But for peace of mind, we stopped at the interstate rest area and spent $20 on DCFC. It is un-frugal , I know, but it sure tamed the range anxiety.
by Faith20879
Fri Dec 29, 2023 7:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: DAF - Vanguard, Fidelity, or ?
Replies: 28
Views: 2387

Re: DAF - Vanguard, Fidelity, or ?

rkhusky wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2023 5:38 pm
Faith20879 wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2023 5:22 pm
djmbob wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2023 1:06 pm I had my DAF at Vanguard, but the fees were too high ..., so I moved it to Fidelity.
Last time I looked, both houses charge about 0.60% in normal situation. Did Vanguard attach something extra?
Vanguard costs more if you have less than $25K, otherwise they are the same.
Ah, you are right ... the low balance fee.
by Faith20879
Fri Dec 29, 2023 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: DAF - Vanguard, Fidelity, or ?
Replies: 28
Views: 2387

Re: DAF - Vanguard, Fidelity, or ?

djmbob wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2023 1:06 pm I had my DAF at Vanguard, but the fees were too high ..., so I moved it to Fidelity.
Last time I looked, both houses charge about 0.60% in normal situation. Did Vanguard attach something extra?
by Faith20879
Mon Dec 25, 2023 8:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Eversource paid me $ 95 to charge my Electric Vehicle
Replies: 8
Views: 2061

Re: Eversource paid me $ 95 to charge my Electric Vehicle

vg55 wrote: Mon Dec 25, 2023 7:22 pm Its for your information. If you have an EV, your utility may also pay you to charge off-peak. FYI if you are interested in money saving opportunities.
It's good that it worked out to your advantage. Our utility company Pepco is not as generous. Its TOU program offers off-peak rates but also jacks up the regular rates many folds. We are retired and majority of our usage happens during the day, meaning during regular hours. So after weighing the charging rates vs the other usage, we've decided that the program would've cost us more, not less.
by Faith20879
Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Couple buying 1 business class seat and 1 economy seat
Replies: 49
Views: 7883

Re: Couple buying 1 business class seat and 1 economy seat

CuriousJoe wrote: Mon Dec 04, 2023 2:10 pm Folks
Just curious.
For a long haul flight, can a couple buy 1 business class seat and 1 economy seat, and midway swich seats so each can get about 5 hours of sleep ?
Does the airline, in this case Emirates allow this ?
Don't know about Emirates, United discourages such practices. We tried it once in one of our many transpacific flights with United - the victimized spouse was intercepted at the divider by the flight attendance, received a lecture, and was told not to do this again. This was prepandemic though.

The spouse who came up the great idea almost got strangled in the destination airport :D
by Faith20879
Sun Nov 26, 2023 9:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best ways to get gifts to overseas family?
Replies: 7
Views: 834

Re: Best ways to get gifts to overseas family?

My methods:
1. Cash via a Schwab debit card. Every birthday and Christmas, I transfer $ into the account and tell them it is available for withdrawal.
2. Gifts via their Costco or whatever online merchants they prefer. I sign in to purchase the stuff they pick out and deliver to their addresses. Fortunately the Costco in their country accepts my US Costco credit card.
by Faith20879
Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Big News For Those On FEHB BCBS And Other Plans
Replies: 156
Views: 32838

Re: Big News For Those On FEHB BCBS And Other Plans

tallguy3891 wrote: Sun Oct 01, 2023 2:18 pm Heads up! As mentioned elsewhere, FEHB plans were given the opportunity to allow plans to offer those enrolled in FEHB and Medicare additional Rx options. These are through Medicare Part D.
...
Thanks for the heads-up. DHs annual drug copay is about $500 (2 Rx). We looked at it with and without D and have decided to opt out for the coming year. Will reevaluate again for 2025.
by Faith20879
Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:28 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Late Boomers (born 1960-65) study on having so little wealth...
Replies: 103
Views: 15435

Re: Late Boomers (born 1960-65) study on having so little wealth...

CyclingDuo wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:56 pm Calling all Late Baby Boomers who were born between 1960-65!
...
Thanks for the interesting reads. I'm in this group, actually am the eldest of this cohort.

Earlier there were talks about people born in 1960 (or thereabouts) face potential permanant social security benefits reduction. I wonder if that has been proved right or wrong, now that we are approaching the end of 2023? If it is true, how much of that plays into these studies?
by Faith20879
Thu Nov 09, 2023 2:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What frugal thing did you do today?
Replies: 4522
Views: 617066

Re: What frugal thing did you do today?

My father who's gone to be with the Lord left me a few collectable coins. DH and I had decided to be rid of them asap to minimize clutter. But I kept dragging my feet because all the research is involved. Today I finally bit the bullet and sold to the first dealer popped up in Google. Did I get the best price? Probably not. But the feeling of having accomplished something today is priceless. Perhaps some of you don't see this as anything frugal. I did turn something useless in the drawer into a few nice meals.
by Faith20879
Tue Oct 24, 2023 12:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Please educate me. Are all USB-c cables the same?
Replies: 20
Views: 2532

Please educate me. Are all USB-c cables the same?

My cellphone#1 uses a micro USB cable. It took me a lot head strachinges and wasted money to realize that not all these cables can be used to transfer data.

My newly acquired cellphone#2 uses a USB-c cable. Before I go out to buy the wrong kind of cables again, can someone enlighten me. Are there USB-c cables for charging only but do not transmit data? Are there any physical characteristics that can help to identify them?

Thanks in advance for your input!
by Faith20879
Sun Oct 08, 2023 6:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trouble Accessing TSP Account
Replies: 26
Views: 1963

Re: Trouble Accessing TSP Account

gouldnm wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2023 10:21 am I have been trying for two days now from both Chrome and Safari, without any luck.
Have you tried incognito in Chrome? It has saved me a few times in the past. I have no actual knowledge why it worked, just a possible workaround from previous experience.