Search found 4112 matches

by Steelersfan
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 76 year old with new IRA from divorce. When to take RMD?
Replies: 8
Views: 1150

Re: 76 year old with new IRA from divorce. When to take RMD?

She has no RMD due, but have her check the separation agreement to be sure that it doesn't contain language that causes her to transfer funds to her ex-spouse to cover part of his RMD since she was the owner of part of the IRA for part of the year.

Not likely but possible.
by Steelersfan
Sun Mar 10, 2024 12:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any unusual medicare advantage benefits - I get $10 a month to exercise
Replies: 39
Views: 3565

Re: Any unusual medicare advantage benefits - I get $10 a month to exercise

Silver Sneakers gym plan (worth $10.00 month).
$200 a quarter in drug store OTC items, which includes everything but food, gift, and beauty items.
by Steelersfan
Sat Mar 02, 2024 6:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cigarette Smell In Now Former Rental Property
Replies: 26
Views: 2478

Re: Cigarette Smell In Now Former Rental Property

runner3081 wrote: Sat Mar 02, 2024 3:25 pm Ozone generator. Just be careful.
I've used one and it worked well for me.
by Steelersfan
Tue Feb 27, 2024 1:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Divorce and co mingling asset question
Replies: 42
Views: 5683

Re: Divorce and co mingling asset question

I had a similar situation. It was only a couple of thousand dollars. I decided not to make a big deal out of it and gave in.

I'm glad i did. It's better to be friends with the ex than enemies.
by Steelersfan
Sat Feb 24, 2024 4:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dental crowns
Replies: 58
Views: 6643

Re: Dental crowns

$1100 last year, but she admits she was underpriced.

She owned the practice and just retired. I'm not looking forward to it what it will cost now that she's sold the business to the two younger dentists who were with her.
by Steelersfan
Thu Feb 22, 2024 8:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Purchase one year of prior service for $36k to increase annual pension benefit by $4.3k?
Replies: 28
Views: 3566

Re: Purchase one year of prior service for $36k to increase annual pension benefit by $4.3k?

mesaverde wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:43 pm
Steelersfan wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 6:59 pm How many years are you from retirement and getting your pension? You'll be paying in current dollars and the benefit is some years in the future.
I'm 51 and will retire soon after turning 55.
So it looks like a good deal.
by Steelersfan
Thu Feb 22, 2024 6:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Purchase one year of prior service for $36k to increase annual pension benefit by $4.3k?
Replies: 28
Views: 3566

Re: Purchase one year of prior service for $36k to increase annual pension benefit by $4.3k?

How many years are you from retirement and getting your pension? You'll be paying in current dollars and the benefit is some years in the future.
by Steelersfan
Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:21 pm
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

I did.

And whenever anybody in my family brings it up, everyone rolls their eyes and gets a good laugh.
by Steelersfan
Tue Feb 20, 2024 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Per stirpes and Vanguard (one more time)
Replies: 83
Views: 5187

Re: Per stirpes and Vanguard (one more time)

I'm not sure this is a "Vanguard problem". My understanding is that the legal definition of "per stirpes" includes actua lineal descendants. Perhaps an attorney could chime in here, but although biological and adopted children fit that category, I didn't think that step children or foster children are included. RM I'm not an attorney. This is from a financial firm's web site: Does Per Stirpes Include Stepchildren? No, Per Stirpes distribution does not include stepchildren unless the testator has legally adopted them. This is because stepchildren are not considered to be lineal descendants of the testator under the law. Lineal descendants, such as children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, are directly descended f...
by Steelersfan
Tue Feb 06, 2024 1:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What's your allocation for International Stocks?
Replies: 101
Views: 6942

Re: What's your allocation for International Stocks?

Strong home (U.S.) bias here. Currently it's 12%.
It's more often in the 15% range but has slide down recently.
by Steelersfan
Sun Feb 04, 2024 4:43 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please Check My Portfolio's Asset Allocation?
Replies: 20
Views: 1647

Re: Please Check My Portfolio's Asset Allocation?

Rex687 wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2024 3:04 pm Dividends are taxed at the local level, and at the state level, capital losses don't offset capital gains, so loss harvesting isn't possible. (Page 15 of PA-40 2023 for reference)
What you wrote is true about capital gains at the state level, but the benefit at the federal level is great enough, and the state tax level is small enough, that you still want to use tax loss harvesting when you can.
by Steelersfan
Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Helping my mom (71) with her portfolio?
Replies: 5
Views: 1031

Re: Helping my mom (71) with her portfolio?

I agree that Marcus (or some other high yielding CD institution) is preferable to Treasury Direct, just for simplicity.
by Steelersfan
Sun Jan 21, 2024 8:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendation for 100% cotton men's undershirt?
Replies: 32
Views: 3087

Re: Recommendation for 100% cotton men's undershirt?

Am I the only one who likes Jockey V-necks?
by Steelersfan
Sat Jan 13, 2024 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Has anyone switched from a Megigap G to a High deductible G without underwriting?
Replies: 9
Views: 1439

Re: Has anyone switched from a Megigap G to a High deductible G without underwriting?

Pennsylvania has no right to switch plans so it's up to each company to set their own policy. He might have to switch to a different company to get a different plan, which probably means underwriting.

Have you looked at Medicare Advantage plans? They don't require underwriting.
by Steelersfan
Mon Dec 18, 2023 5:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: paper savings bond conversion -- multiple manifests per envelope?
Replies: 14
Views: 1364

Re: paper savings bond conversion -- multiple manifests per envelope?

How much is it going to cost to send one manifest in it's own envelope?
by Steelersfan
Mon Dec 18, 2023 5:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Financial Advisor Fee Change
Replies: 16
Views: 2140

Re: Financial Advisor Fee Change

If you have occasional questions post them here.
You'll probably get better advice than you would from an advisor.
And it's free.
by Steelersfan
Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:27 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Text alerts for extra security?
Replies: 15
Views: 1778

Re: Text alerts for extra security?

I signed up.
If, after a month or two, the alerts get annoying I'll cancel.
Otherwise I think it's a useful service.
by Steelersfan
Mon Dec 11, 2023 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard “We’re experiencing technical difficulties”
Replies: 51
Views: 7480

Re: Vanguard “We’re experiencing technical difficulties”

nisiprius wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 3:00 pm
I am 99% convinced that Vanguard has multiple servers that are in a cluster, or whatever, and that different people are getting connected to difference servers and that one can be down when others are up...
I'm sure you're right.
That would be 100% appropriate for a company like Vanguard, to set up their servers like that, to handle load and provide uptime in case of a server or network component failure.
by Steelersfan
Thu Nov 02, 2023 8:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?
Replies: 207
Views: 30859

Re: Can vanguard force transition to brokerage platform?

Silk McCue wrote: Wed Nov 01, 2023 8:19 pm It’s been discussed ad nauseam in multiple threads. Unless you can identify some major concern of why you have to stay on the legacy system just make the switch in the first week of January to have a cleaner break from a reporting perspective. We made the change very early on years ago.

Cheers
That's what I did a couple of years ago after procrastinating for years.
The transition was easy and the brokerage platform is just fine
by Steelersfan
Fri Oct 20, 2023 7:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medigap and Plan D questions
Replies: 13
Views: 2299

Re: Medigap and Plan D questions

My Medigap Plan G reprices in July. In previous years, when I had Plan F (from the same company), it repriced in January.
I don't know if the change in plan caused it or if it was a change is pricing strategy by the company.
by Steelersfan
Thu Oct 19, 2023 5:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bank calling on source of funds
Replies: 73
Views: 9650

Re: Bank calling on source of funds

It seems legit to me with that much money in an account with no history of deposits like that.

Since they're holding the money it's best to cooperate.
by Steelersfan
Fri Oct 13, 2023 3:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is a prenuptial agreement suggested in Washington state
Replies: 52
Views: 5201

Re: Is a prenuptial agreement suggested in Washington state

I read that the increase in value (home price or portfolio price) that occurs after inherited, may e considered community property and divided as such. So lets say he inherits our 700k home. 10 years later they divorce and the property is valued at 900k, the 200k increase in value is treated as a community property. I would love to think it's a non issue and that they will never divorce, but I am a realist. That is correct for the state I am in. The $200k was made while married. A trust likely gets around. But it is not something I really worry about since I would expect some of the value post divorce would go to grandkids at least indirectly. In the state I'm in that was not the case. It was an interest bearing account and the entire bala...
by Steelersfan
Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is a prenuptial agreement suggested in Washington state
Replies: 52
Views: 5201

Re: Is a prenuptial agreement suggested in Washington state

BogleTaxPro wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2023 11:05 am I am not a lawyer, but I know how to Google.

https://www.goldbergjones-wa.com/divorc ... heritance/

Washington state will not consider this community property as long as he keeps it separate property. This doesn't have to be a trust, it just has to be a separate account with no commingled funds.
I'm in a different state, but one with the same provisions about inheritances, and that's my plan.

BTW - it doesn't matter what state you're in, it's what state he's living in if he gets divorced.
by Steelersfan
Fri Sep 29, 2023 8:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Medicare Part D Choices for 2024 available
Replies: 123
Views: 17949

Re: Medicare Part D Choices for 2024 available

triggertreat wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2023 6:55 pm
Steelersfan wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2023 4:20 pm I've been on Humana Walmart Value Rx Plan for years. For 2024 Aetna's SilverScript SmartSaver is $350 less.

I'll watch and see if costs changes as the site gets updated.
Same coverage here . A change is a no brainer if the previews are even close. Humana is history.
I'm hoping my online scripts will transfer with action on my part. I just got renewals this month.

I know I'll have to present my new card with the local pharmacy I use for one script.
by Steelersfan
Fri Sep 29, 2023 5:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is owning a condo worth the risk?
Replies: 55
Views: 7710

Re: Is owning a condo worth the risk?

investor997 wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2023 5:19 pm
Most of the feedback I've received on this thread has been expected, which is to say, "Sell it."
"Sell it" is not "Sell it now". Your risk in the short term is low, and increases only slowly year by year.
by Steelersfan
Fri Sep 29, 2023 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Medicare Part D Choices for 2024 available
Replies: 123
Views: 17949

Re: Medicare Part D Choices for 2024 available

I've been on Humana Walmart Value Rx Plan for years. For 2024 Aetna's SilverScript SmartSaver is $350 less.

I'll watch and see if costs changes as the site gets updated.
by Steelersfan
Mon Sep 04, 2023 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Owners contact info when the house is in a trust
Replies: 4
Views: 821

Re: Owners contact info when the house is in a trust

Our condo has two fields for each unit. Contact information is kept for both.

One for the owner, who votes on any issues and is ultimately responsible for the unit.
The other is the occupant, who pays the bills and is the person on-site for any short term issues. That person is sometimes a renter, sometimes a child occupying the unit, sometimes a person who occupies the unit who's related to an owner or a trust, e.g. a widow.
Your situation sounds most like the third.
by Steelersfan
Fri Sep 01, 2023 8:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Estate Planning - MUST HAVEs
Replies: 31
Views: 3525

Re: Estate Planning - MUST HAVEs

1. Yes and yes, not an "or"
2. Yes for healthcare, the others depending on your status
by Steelersfan
Sun Aug 27, 2023 5:47 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Liquidating Mutual Funds / avoiding commissions
Replies: 13
Views: 965

Re: Liquidating Mutual Funds / avoiding commissions

Sarcasm warning turned on.

Wells Fargo doing shady things to their customers?

I'm shocked! :moneybag
by Steelersfan
Tue Aug 22, 2023 7:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Condo buying and financing question…
Replies: 26
Views: 2227

Re: Condo buying and financing question…

kavm wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 10:54 am
Thank you! We live too far away to spend weekends there. But, will likely spend summer and/or winter there. Renting is a possibility and haven't' thought that far ahead - but currently we don't plan to.
If renting is a possibility, be sure and check whether the condo will allow rentals. Some do, some don't, some do but with restrictions.
by Steelersfan
Sat Aug 12, 2023 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRMAA 2-year Look Back???
Replies: 10
Views: 1534

Re: IRMAA 2-year Look Back???

Is it worth being without health insurance for a month to save a couple of hundred dollars?
by Steelersfan
Sat Aug 12, 2023 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Selling gold jewelry with diamonds
Replies: 8
Views: 2194

Re: Selling gold jewelry with diamonds

HomeStretch wrote: Fri Aug 11, 2023 9:14 pm Take the jewelry to a reputable local jeweler to see if they will buy the stones.

I sold unwanted gold jewelry with small diamonds and other gemstones from two family members’ estates this year. Unless the stones are of high quality, jewelers were not interested in buying the gems and would only pay for the gold.
That's exactly what I found out just last week.
by Steelersfan
Sat Aug 12, 2023 8:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Medicare Data Breach
Replies: 3
Views: 601

Re: Medicare Data Breach

Data on 600,000 people was compromised. There are 65 million people on Medicare, so your chances of being exposed are about 1%.

Also it wasn't Medicare that was hacked, but one of it's vendors.
by Steelersfan
Sat Jul 29, 2023 7:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Carrying cash for tips?
Replies: 81
Views: 6593

Re: Carrying cash for tips?

I usually tip using cash, at bars, coffee shops, household staff at hotels, restaurants.
If it's a large bill at a restaurant where I'm paying for lots of people at a family gathering, I add the tip to the credit card
by Steelersfan
Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Edward Jones New Low
Replies: 110
Views: 19826

Re: Edward Jones New Low

No cell phone service in my local ER. Fortunately text was available so I could let someone know I was there. Definitely not an expert, but I didn't know one could easily be made available without the other...? Text messages ride on top of a low-bandwith control signal. That's why it was a crock that you ever had to pay for text messages. The cell phone companies were just using otherwise dead air. So, the higher bandwidths are... being blocked somehow? The signals might not penetrate as well. Or, the concentration of phones makes reception difficult because the tower is overloaded. Voice traffic takes a lot more data than a series of 160 byte packets. When I was with my son during his cancer chemo treatments on the upper floor of an urban...
by Steelersfan
Fri Jul 14, 2023 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Documents in PC gone - Crash or a hacker?
Replies: 23
Views: 3235

Re: Documents in PC gone - Crash or a hacker?

This will be of little help, but a couple of years ago I logged onto my PC and found all my documents had disappeared. I had almost all of them backed up so I wasn't too concerned.
A day later they just showed up. I had done nothing to find or fix them. I have no clue what happened.
by Steelersfan
Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you reconcile your personal accounts?
Replies: 112
Views: 7712

Re: Do you reconcile your personal accounts?

Nope.
I do review my checking and credit card accounts several times a month for any incorrect entries.
I keep a check register and correct the balance there every couple of months to correct the balance for any errors I've made.
by Steelersfan
Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:27 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wells Fargo Managed Account Pros and Cons
Replies: 31
Views: 3893

Re: Wells Fargo Managed Account Pros and Cons

livesoft wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:07 pm I think Wells Fargo had the first institutional index fund. Mr. Bogle came later with an index fund for retail investors.
That's true.

How far they've fallen.
by Steelersfan
Wed Jun 28, 2023 11:15 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wells Fargo Managed Account Pros and Cons
Replies: 31
Views: 3893

Re: Wells Fargo Managed Account Pros and Cons

What is her fee for a managed account?

What are the fees for the funds you're in now?

What are the fees for the institutional shares version of those funds?
by Steelersfan
Tue Jun 20, 2023 5:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Careful when enrolling with Vanguard Digital Advisor
Replies: 42
Views: 7195

Re: Careful when enrolling with Vanguard Digital Advisor

CarefullyCarele$$ wrote: Tue Jun 20, 2023 4:26 pm
But word of warning: if you're thinking of enrolling into Digital Advisor in the near future, just don't play around and make sure to input 100% accurate information during your risk assessment.
Could you unenroll, wait a bit of time, then enroll again with the right values?
by Steelersfan
Sat Jun 17, 2023 5:47 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Easy way to present estate allocation to grandparents?
Replies: 3
Views: 663

Re: Easy way to present estate allocation to grandparents?

I would include a column to show the percentage of the total assets by major asset type, e.g. domestic stocks, foreign stocks, bonds, real estate, cash, etc.
by Steelersfan
Fri Jun 16, 2023 9:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What periodicals do you subscribe to? Cost? Print or digital? (2023)
Replies: 94
Views: 6041

Re: What periodicals do you subscribe to? Cost? Print or digital? (2023)

MtnTravel wrote: Fri Jun 16, 2023 8:48 pm I’m curious for those of you with print subscriptions… how reliable is your delivery?

We used to get WSJ and the delivery was very spotty (we’re in a big city). I liked the physical paper, but it cost quite a bit more and would only show up 70% of the time. So I ended up reading it on my iPad anyway. It drove me crazy to pay more for print when it wouldn’t show up. The only time it seemed to show up consistently was when we put it on hold when we were going out of town :oops:
I'm in a suburb of a medium sized city. My delivery is at least 95%, probably higher and it only varies by a day or two.
Completely missed deliveries are rare but do happen
by Steelersfan
Fri Jun 16, 2023 4:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Executor experience (PNC/Fido/Pa/iBonds)
Replies: 18
Views: 2427

Re: Executor experience (PNC/Fido/Pa/iBonds)

Lots of real, practical experience there.

PA resident here:

Note to self:

Don't create any joint accounts.
Pat yourself on the back for transferring your I-Bonds to your heirs while you're still alive.
by Steelersfan
Thu Jun 15, 2023 7:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What periodicals do you subscribe to? Cost? Print or digital? (2023)
Replies: 94
Views: 6041

Re: What periodicals do you subscribe to? Cost? Print or digital? (2023)

The Economist and the New Yorker in print.
Washington Post and my local newspaper online.
All at regular subscription rates. I think it's important to support journalism.
The two print magazines I read when eating at home, at a restaurant, or in a waiting room.
by Steelersfan
Mon Jun 12, 2023 5:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What are you using for Bond portion of portfolio?
Replies: 104
Views: 11733

Re: What are you using for Bond portion of portfolio?

I haven't changed anything in at least a decade.

Total Bond and TIPS in tax deferred.
Intermediate Term Tax Exempt in taxable since I need to put some bonds there per my asset allocation
by Steelersfan
Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Munich in July
Replies: 23
Views: 2190

Re: Munich in July

The Residenz, and be sure to include the Treasure Museum.
Prepare to be amazed how much wealth could flow to a ruling family when they controlled both the church and the state.
by Steelersfan
Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Estate planning/administration without a lawyer. Is it possible?
Replies: 44
Views: 3422

Re: Estate planning/administration without a lawyer. Is it possible?

miket29 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 3:56 pm According to https://probatestars.com/how-long-does- ... nsylvania/ probate in PA typically takes 1-2 years. If the house was owned by a revocable trust the time before it could be sold may be less. And by putting the house in the trust you may be able to use the quicker small estate probate procedure since I think TOD accounts are also excluded from the assets summed up to see if you qualify for the small estate probate. Also I don't know if you have to have a will in order to use small estate probate.

caveat: IANAL
I think 1-2 years is WAY overstated for a typical estate in Pennsylvania.

And look who posted that - one probate lawyer in Florida trying to scare you into using his services.
by Steelersfan
Mon May 29, 2023 7:47 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where to classify cash value life ins in asset allocation?
Replies: 11
Views: 808

Re: Where to classify cash value life ins in asset allocation?

I include the cash value of my life insurance in the personal net worth statement I do every year, which also includes equity in my house. I don't include it in my asset allocation.

Since it only represents 10% of your assets I don't think that should make a material difference in your asset allocation. That percentage will likely go down as your equity assets increase in value faster than the cash value of your life insurance.