Bogleheads.org

John151

Good to know, LK2012. Thank you for posting this.

John151

Thank you, lazyday. You’ve convinced me that I should proceed. I started investing in I Bonds in the late 1990’s, when the fixed rates were over 3%, and I stopped buying them when the fixed rates dropped below 1%. Now I’ll start buying them again as a replacement for distributions from my Vanguard S...

John151

My IRA is invested in Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities. This is my first year for taking required minimum distributions, and that includes taking roughly $10,000 from my IRA. I realize that this amount will change over time. I’m thinking about funneling the proceeds into I-Bonds. T...

John151

The September CPI-U was released this morning. https://www.bls.gov/schedule/news_release/cpi.htm Can any of the resident experts calculate what it means for the inflation -based component of I Bonds to be issued during the six months beginning November 1? Thanks. March: 243.801 September: 246.819 (...

John151

As a conservative investor in my sixties, I was 35% in stocks, and 65% in bonds, when the Great Recession hit. As the stock market tanked, I bought enough shares to keep my stocks at 35%. The fact that I had most of my investments in bonds helped me resist the temptation to sell. Now that I’m in my ...

John151

I rebalanced all through the 1990’s and during the first decade of the 2000’s. But now my stock allocation is about five percentage points above my target, and I’ve decided not to rebalance. The reason: all of my stocks are in taxable accounts, and rebalancing by selling shares would trigger signifi...

John151

I process exchanges myself online, and I call a Flagship rep only when I’m doing something new, such as investing in a new fund or setting up my first required minimum distribution. I’ve never had a problem.

John151

I’m a retired state employee, and my retirement benefits include comprehensive health insurance with all premiums to be paid by the state. I only have to make modest co-pays. Several years ago, the state tried to require state retirees to pay part of their premiums, but the state supreme court ruled...

John151

I charge almost everything to my credit cards and pay off the balances each month. Other than that, I’ve never been in debt. I rented a car until I had enough cash to buy one, and I lived in rental apartments until I could pay cash for my modest condo. Being debt-free provides a sense of security I ...

John151

I buy Hershey Bars in bulk from Amazon. It’s cheaper than buying them at the supermarket, and I like knowing that I have three pounds of Hershey Bars stashed away in case of emergency. I usually have two or three emergencies a day.

John151

I retired from a state government job when I became eligible at fifty-five. My pension covers most of my basic living expenses, and income from my investments covers the rest.

John151

Anything over a certain amount in my local checking account goes to Vanguard, and that’s usually once a month.

John151

I was twenty-seven. I had recently finished graduate school, I was settling into my first full-time job, and I was earning a decent salary. I received a credit card invitation in the mail, filled it out, and was initially turned down, probably because I didn’t have a credit history. I mentioned this...

John151

runner26 wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 02, 2017 2:14 pm
I got no offer, even though I used TA the last 2 years, and 7 of the last 9. I use the download version. For those of you getting these offers, are you online or download users.

I got the offer, and I’m an online user.

John151

I’ve compared TaxAct’s price this year to what I paid last year and the year before: $14.98 for e-filing my federal and state returns using TaxAct Plus online for tax year 2015, and $35.50 for e-filing my federal and state returns using TaxAct Plus online for tax year 2016. This year my cost for e-f...

John151

To all the returning customers saying they didn't receive the email: I found it. I had to search through my Junk Mail folder for it, because they sent it from a different domain than usual. info@em.taxact.com Mine was sent yesterday afternoon. $13.50 Mine was sent from that email address too, and I...

John151

barber wrote: ↑
Wed Aug 30, 2017 8:40 am
My email, for returning users, stated to log in and go to 2016 tax forms and to click auto pay. This is for 2017 tax act deluxe @ 13.50, state and federal.

That’s the same email that I received, except that in my case the offer was for TaxAct Plus for federal only.

John151

tetractys wrote: ↑
Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:52 pm
Never got the email. Don't see anything about it anywhere outside this thread. Maybe OP's been fished. -- Tet

I don’t think so. You don’t sign on via email. You sign on at TaxAct’s website, and I was careful to make sure that the website was truly TaxAct’s.

John151

dbltrbl wrote: ↑
Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:46 pm
John,

I am a returning customer. In fact for 10 out of last 11 years, I have filed with Tax act must be some special promotion.

You may get an email offer too. They may not email everybody on the same day.

John151

The offer came by email, and it’s probably a special price for returning customers. I don’t know what the price will be for first-timers. They usually post their prices later in the year, so you might want to check their website periodically.

John151

I’ve filed my income taxes with TaxAct for the last couple of years, and today I received an email from them offering TaxAct Plus for filing my 2017 federal income taxes for $13.50. The state return will be extra, at a price that hasn’t been announced. I signed up right away. The offer expires on Se...

John151

Vanguard also offers a Prime Money Market Fund, a Federal Money Market Fund, and a Treasury Money Market Fund. I think that any of Vanguard’s money market funds would be a reasonable choice for most investors.

John151

This is my first year for taking required minimum distributions. One of them is from an IRA invested in a Vanguard bond fund, and the other is from a stable value fund in my 403(b). This is money that I don’t need to spend right away, so the proceeds are going into my Vanguard tax-exempt bond fund.

John151

I think this is a very individual decision. People will vary as to how much they spend in a year and what percentage of their investments that represents. I keep about two years’ worth of expenses in a Vanguard money market fund, and that represents about five percent of my investments. Also, keep i...

John151

I keep my emergency money in a Vanguard money market fund. It doesn’t bother me that it’s paying very little. I just like knowing that it’s there if I need it.

John151

I stopped going to movie theaters several years ago. If a movie comes out that I want to see, I wait until it’s available on DVD and then order it from Amazon. That’s maybe three or four times a year. For me, it’s much more enjoyable watching a movie at home. I don’t have to listen to other people’s...

John151

Defining “cash” as my checking account and my Vanguard money market fund, I keep 2% to 3% of my investments in cash. I classify all of my other fixed income investments as “bonds.”

John151

I’ve wondered about that too. Perhaps it costs Vanguard less to manage one account with $50,000 than ten accounts with $5,000? If Treasury yields rise, Vanguard may lower the minimum.

John151

About half of my bond holdings are in Vanguard bond funds. Early this year, I shifted some of that into shorter-duration funds. My bond funds’ average duration is now about three years. It used to be about five years. The rest of my bond investments are in I Bonds and a stable value fund. New money ...

John151

I stocked up on I Bonds when the fixed rate was over three percent, and I continued to buy them until the fixed rate dropped to under one percent. Even with a fixed rate of zero, I Bonds are still a reasonable investment for many people. They offer safety, some inflation protection, tax-deferred inc...

John151

There have been a number of complaints about Vanguard’s customer service, including customer service for Flagship investors. I’d like to report exactly the opposite experience. So far this year, I’ve opened a new tax-exempt bond fund, taken my first required minimum distribution, changed from one Va...

John151

My 403(b) is entirely in TIAA Traditional. I’d love to add to it, but I’ve recently turned seventy and have to take required minimum distributions. My advice would be to put as much as possible into TIAA Traditional and then invest in Vanguard stock index funds in your taxable accounts. Another poss...

John151

Here’s a link to Treasury Direct:

https://www.treasurydirect.gov/

John151

I stopped buying when the fixed rate dropped below 1%. Happily, I have quite a few paying as much as 3.4% plus the rate of inflation.

John151

I keep an emergency reserve of about one year’s expenses in a Vanguard money market fund. It doesn’t bother me that it pays very little. I like knowing that it’s there if I need it.

John151

Zero for me too. I bought my condo thirty years ago, and its value hasn’t kept up with inflation. My net worth is the result of frugal living and careful investing, mostly in index funds.

John151

Credit Karma offered free e-filing of both federal and state income taxes for tax year 2016. Unfortunately, they didn’t support Form 1116 (Foreign Tax Credit), so I filed with TaxAct instead.

Did you try out Credit Karma, and if you filed with them, how would you rate their service?

John151

I haven’t decreased my bond allocation, but I’ve shifted about half of my bond holdings from intermediate-term bond funds into short-term bond funds, and new money is going into my Vanguard money market fund. Is this a wise move? I don’t know, but I guess I’ll find out.

John151

Perhaps I’ve lived a charmed existence, but I’ve been investing with Vanguard for over thirty years, and I’ve never had a service problem. The phone reps I’ve talked with have always been helpful, and all of my transactions have been processed flawlessly, including my first required minimum distribu...

John151

I asked this question last year, and I’ve decided to ask it again: If you’ve done your income taxes, how did you do them? Did you do them by hand? Did you have a paid preparer do them for you? Or did you use computer software, and, if so, which software package did you use? I calculated my federal a...

John151

It can cost more than $20 to e-file a state return. For their online products, TaxAct currently charges $37 to e-file a state return, and TurboTax charges $39.99. As FYI - TurboTax only charged me $24.99 to e-file state. Maybe the $39.99 is the cost if you don't pay for the software or some other p...

John151

It can cost more than $20 to e-file a state return. For their online products, TaxAct currently charges $37 to e-file a state return, and TurboTax charges $39.99. As FYI - TurboTax only charged me $24.99 to e-file state. Maybe the $39.99 is the cost if you don't pay for the software or some other p...

John151

It can cost more than $20 to e-file a state return. For their online products, TaxAct currently charges $37 to e-file a state return, and TurboTax charges $39.99.

John151

I was able to retire at fifty-five from a government job with health insurance for life. My cousin retired at the same age from a private-sector job with no health insurance at all. She was able to buy private medical coverage, beginning at around $450 a month, but the premiums skyrocketed before sh...

John151

As I wrote in a related topic, I filed with TaxAct Plus online in late January for $10.50 (federal) and $25.00 (state). Total price: $35.50. But TaxAct has raised its prices to $33.00 (federal) and $37.00 (state). Total price: $70.00. Since TaxAct didn’t import my 1099-DIV and 1099-B information, I ...

John151

I filed with TaxAct Plus online in late January for $10.50 (federal) and $25.00 (state). Total price: $35.50. But TaxAct has raised its prices to $33.00 (federal) and $37.00 (state). Total price: $70.00. I’m glad I filed early.

John151

Redecorate your house? New wall paint, new flooring, new kitchen, new bathrooms . . .

John151

I’m quoting TurboTax’s charges for their online product: Premier at $54.99, plus $36.99 for preparing and e-filing my state return. TaxAct charged $10.50 for my federal return, and $25.00 for my state return.

John151

I filed my federal and state taxes with TaxAct for $35.50. They’ve since raised their price to $60.00, a jump of 69%. But that’s still less than the $91.98 TurboTax would have charged me.

John151

As I said above, I sold some securities and will have to file a Schedule D. That means using the online version of TurboTax Premier at a cost of $54.99. My state return will cost another $36.99. Total cost: $91.98. TaxAct will charge me only $35.50. Granted, TurboTax will automatically import my inv...

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