Search found 15320 matches

by Northern Flicker
Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:13 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio

If OP has access to TSP G why have any int treasury funds at all?
If I understood the OP, the TSP account is 9% of the portfolio and the desired bond allocation is 30%.
by Northern Flicker
Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendation of Biology Major. UW\UCSD\UCDavis\CaseWestern
Replies: 41
Views: 2184

Re: Recommendation of Biology Major. UW\UCSD\UCDavis\CaseWestern

gfirero wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 6:51 pm
KBR wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 3:25 pm
fasteddie911 wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 12:19 pm No big difference for med school purposes, where does she want to live or attend school overall? I spent some time at UW and the campus is pretty incredible and Seattle is wonderful.
My daughter goes there. It is definitely much more of an urban college experience rather than like a big 10 college experience.
Can you please elaborate? My daughter is considering UW and I went to a Big 10 school. Would like to hear your insights on the differences between the college experience.
Academically, UWash is similar to a Big10 school like Wisconsin, Michigan, or UIUC-- large university, rigorous programs, highly rated research programs.
by Northern Flicker
Wed Mar 27, 2024 6:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendation of Biology Major. UW\UCSD\UCDavis\CaseWestern
Replies: 41
Views: 2184

Re: Recommendation of Biology Major. UW\UCSD\UCDavis\CaseWestern

I think UCSD and UW in Seattle are likely ranked higher than UC-Davis or Case Western in biological sciences, Never seen that rank list. Can you share it? I'm basing it on research reputation. For an undergrad degree, that is not the end-all criterion which is why I said that all 4 schools are excellent choices for an undergrad degree. That is an academic assessment. The social atmosphere and travel time from home will also vary unless the OP happens to live about halfway between Cleveland and Davis. Here is a ranking of research expenditures in the biological sciences, which offers some objective support to the research reputations. https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingBySource&ds=herd That data also includes med scho...
by Northern Flicker
Wed Mar 27, 2024 5:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio

The OP has access to the TSP G fund, which I believe is a stable value fund with no credit risk or term (interest rate) risk. Unlike a cash investment, rates are more sticky. I think it would be difficult to match the risk-adjusted return of this investment with some a fixed income fund of any duration. The OP has a fairly aggressive stance based on age with 70% stocks. We could discuss if that is appropriate, but the OP seems to understand the risk of stocks and seems to be comfortable with it. Moreover, the OP has not asked for input on this. If I were in my late 50's holding 70% stock, I would want a substantial portion of bonds in intermediate treasuries to protect against the risk of a disinflationary recession. Because treasuries have...
by Northern Flicker
Wed Mar 27, 2024 2:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendation of Biology Major. UW\UCSD\UCDavis\CaseWestern
Replies: 41
Views: 2184

Re: Recommendation of Biology Major. UW\UCSD\UCDavis\CaseWestern

Congrats to your daughter. That is reflective of excellent achievement. I think UCSD and UW in Seattle are likely ranked higher than UC-Davis or Case Western in biological sciences, but for an undergrad degree, I think all four are excellent choices. Case Western likely will offer more undergrad classes taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty, smaller class sizes, and more student-faculty interaction, but you should assess that independently if it is a decider.

Can you visit the campuses?
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio

The next time I see advice to invest in a Total Bond fund without the risks being explained, I will be sure to drop you a PM to give you a chance, so you can educate the poster before I jump in with my "safety first" advice. Deal? Are you prepared to agree to discuss risks other than preservation of original principal as market value of holdings in your postings? But to answer your question, no, I'm not here to correct any posting you disagree with on demand. There are many postings on BH I disagree with, including many that recommend a total bond market index portfolio without considering the investor's full situation. I can already say that I do not recommend total bond for the OP. 70% stocks is an aggressive stance for an age ...
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Horrified by Schwab Platform -- Where to Next?
Replies: 94
Views: 15601

Re: Horrified by Schwab Platform -- Where to Next?

123 wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 12:59 am If you've got a simple portfolio than just about any broker platform will work. Perhaps you need to simplify your portfolio. Bogleheads strongly recommends the three fund portfolio https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio
Some Bogleheads strongly recommend that portfolio. But I agree that if any of the major platforms don't support one's portfolio management, then too much complexity and/or too much trading are the more likely issues.

Can track day to day movements of a portfolio without logging in to one's account. Example:

https://finance.yahoo.com/quotes//vti,v ... px/view/v1
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread
Replies: 203
Views: 9231

Re: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread

H-Town wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:25 pm
To a certain degree. When you use your regular email with third party vendors, social media, public forum, etc. it get exposed to the public. There is a higher chance for a bad actor to obtain your email address in those public places if they target you. It's not hard. You can lookup people address, phone number and email address on people lookup website. Why don't you try it?
To answer the question I emboldened, because security by obscurity is a weak form of security, I don't spend time on such techniques unless they have the property of buying time to intervene if there is an actual attack. Your time and energy is better spent maintaining stronger forms of security. And your secret email address most likely ultimately will leak out.
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio

The next time I see advice to invest in a Total Bond fund without the risks being explained, I will be sure to drop you a PM to give you a chance, so you can educate the poster before I jump in with my "safety first" advice. Deal? Are you prepared to agree to discuss risks other than preservation of original principal as market value of holdings in your postings? But to answer your question, no, I'm not here to correct any posting you disagree with on demand. There are many postings on BH I disagree with, including many that recommend a total bond market index portfolio without considering the investor's full situation. I can already say that I do not recommend total bond for the OP. 70% stocks is an aggressive stance for an age ...
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread
Replies: 203
Views: 9231

Re: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread

Neither a dedicated computer nor dedicated email will improve your security posture. A dedicated email address for financial accounts does improve security. It’s a well-meaning attempt to solve a solved problem. Password managers and 2FA address every concern supposedly handled by a separate email account without relying on a human to be infallible. It reduces the risk of bad actor trying to take over your email. They can use Forget Password to send the link to reset password to that email address. If 2FA uses that email address as well, you're out of luck. That applies whether the email address is dedicated or non-dedicated. The most important thing is having your email account locked down properly. Of lesser importance, but still benefic...
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 2:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread
Replies: 203
Views: 9231

Re: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread

Neither a dedicated computer nor dedicated email will improve your security posture. Password manager. 2FA. Automatic software updates. For the vast majority of people that is all you need. Everything else discussed in this thread is a pointless feel-good measure. There are tradeoffs between usability and security. Segregation of security domains allows for different security policies in different domains, and partitioning use cases across the domains allows some domains to be hardened to a higher standard than others without compromising usability for the particular use cases. Having a dedicated machine for financial accounts is an attempt at such a strategy. A problem is that when people without training or background in information secu...
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio

Jimsad wrote: Paychex and tsp -15% each (actively contributing to both - me and spouse) and 70% in vanguard IRA(roll over IRA)
Paychex 401k has access to vanguard funds
What percentage of your portfolio is in all of these tax-deferred accounts in aggregate?
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

lakpr wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:09 am
Northern Flicker wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2024 2:32 am There are many tradeoffs to consider. Cash investments have reinvestment risk.
Were these tradeoffs spelt out exactly when recommending bond funds?
Often, yes.
lakpr wrote: Why am I being taken to task to suggest be mindful of the safety of the principal?
Because focusing solely on safety of principal can expose you to other risks that you likely are not considering. Safety of principal matters, but so do other risks.
by Northern Flicker
Tue Mar 26, 2024 2:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

lakpr wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:31 am
Northern Flicker wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:11 pm I'm not confusing anything here. Recommending that someone eschew all bond funds because you were unhappy with the performance of a total bond index fund is not helpful or sound advice.
Recommending investment in any bond fund without even discussing the risks of such funds is not a sound advice either. The one common feature of all bond funds is they are subject to interest rate risk, and no guarantees that they will keep the principal safe. Is it really bad advice to suggest looking for alternatives that keep principal safe?
There are many tradeoffs to consider. Cash investments have reinvestment risk.
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread
Replies: 203
Views: 9231

Re: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread

H-Town wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 6:21 pm 2) Password changes every week.
If you would not need to login other than to do the weekly password change, having the process of doing that weekly for the password change will weaken the security of your password(s).
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

My EF is about 8 months expenses It is in taxable account - half in ultra short term tax exempt (to avoid taxable interest) and half in money market No state tax; top federal tax bracket Can you locate bonds in a tax-deferred account? What percentages of the portfolio live in taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts? Yes. I can locate all bonds in tax deferred Presently taxable and Roth are 85% in stocks and tax deferred is about 55: 45 stocks and fixed income Trying to get to 70:30 overall Then I would locate bonds in tax-deferred space, taking munis off the table. Here is some info about asset location planning: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Tax-efficient_fund_placement Where are your tax-deferred accounts (401K, IRAs etc.)? This is to...
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

lakpr wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:53 pm
Northern Flicker wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:50 pm While it is an error to recommend total bond as a 1-size-fits-all bond portfolio, it is at least as significant of an error to say that one needs a 7-year horizon to invest in any bond fund, regardless of duration.
I think you are confusing the cause and symptom. The symptom (me rejecting bond funds) came about because of Total Bond Fund being peddled as one-size-fits-all for more than 13 years I have been on this forum (cause), and my annoyance began only in 2022, and progressed to distaste only in 2023.
I'm not confusing anything here. Recommending that someone eschew all bond funds because you were unhappy with the performance of a total bond index fund is not helpful or sound advice.
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Those complimentary dinners for retirees by investment advisors
Replies: 137
Views: 10139

Re: Those complimentary dinners for retirees by investment advisors

I would gladly pay to have the presenter go away so we can enjoy our dinner. Oh wait, we already can have that experience at a restaurant we choose.
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 5:07 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Viewing your portfolio vs viewing them as separate components
Replies: 14
Views: 1114

Re: Viewing your portfolio vs viewing them as separate components

Portfolio return is what matters. I consider liquidity and tax-efficiency of individual assets. I do look at individual asset returns, but that does not make it beneficial to do so. Often, it will just be a source of emotional churn, as in, "If we had been holding bond fund B instead of bond fund A our return would have been a little higher".
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

lakpr wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 5:23 am
Northern Flicker wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:56 am
lakpr wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:48 pm
Jimsad wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:42 pm So are you saying no retirees should have any bond funds in their portfolios ?
Right. No. Not unless they are willing to wait for 7 years to "make up" any adverse impact to their bond funds.
Bond funds are available in a wide range of durations, so I don't know why you have a constant 7 years as the required investment horizon.
Because the Total Bond Fund is being proselytized on this forum. Take just this thread and see how many mentions of VBTLX are made
While it is an error to recommend total bond as a 1-size-fits-all bond portfolio, it is as significant of an error to say that one needs a 7-year horizon to invest in any bond fund, regardless of duration.
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

My aim is to have about 30% of my portfolio in fixed income. Presently I have - 16% in vanguard money market 2 % in I bonds 5% in vanguard total bond fund 2.5% in limited term tax exempt 2.5 % in VIPSX- inflation protected securities 2% in treasuries Should I move about 10% from money market to VIPSX? Is it a good time to buy that ? Or should I buy more of VBTLX instead? Or dump whole fixed income n VBTLX or VIPSX? The above is separate from my EF. How large is your EF? In what account types (taxable, trad IRA, Roth etc.) will the assets be located? If in a taxable account, what are your Federal and State marginal brackets? My EF is about 8 months expenses It is in taxable account - half in ultra short term tax exempt (to avoid taxable int...
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 3:00 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

My aim is to have about 30% of my portfolio in fixed income. Presently I have - 16% in vanguard money market 2 % in I bonds 5% in vanguard total bond fund 2.5% in limited term tax exempt 2.5 % in VIPSX- inflation protected securities 2% in treasuries Should I move about 10% from money market to VIPSX? Is it a good time to buy that ? Or should I buy more of VBTLX instead? Or dump whole fixed income n VBTLX or VIPSX? The above is separate from my EF. How large is your EF? In what account types (taxable, trad IRA, Roth etc.) will the assets be located? If in a taxable account, what are your Federal and State marginal brackets? My EF is about 8 months expenses It is in taxable account - half in ultra short term tax exempt (to avoid taxable int...
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

lakpr wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:48 pm
Jimsad wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:42 pm So are you saying no retirees should have any bond funds in their portfolios ?
Right. No. Not unless they are willing to wait for 7 years to "make up" any adverse impact to their bond funds.
Bond funds are available in a wide range of durations, so I don't know why you have a constant 7 years as the required investment horizon.

But that applies to assets where you are spending principal. For bond assets that are generating income via interest, a short duration bond fund or money market is exposed to the risk of a considerable drop in interest rates and concomitant falloff in income. This could lead to spending principal whereas a somewhat longer duration would have provided for stability of income.
by Northern Flicker
Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Gotchas when selling real estate (Primary residence)
Replies: 4
Views: 956

Re: Gotchas when selling real estate (Primary residence)

Hello, I am about to put my house in NoCal (Bay area) on the market. I lived in that house for 4 years, till the end of 2022 and renting it out for the last 1 year or so. I believe I will make somewhere around 300K-500K in gains. I know that I won't have to pay any capital gains up to 500k because this house was my primary residence. A married couple filing jointly gets a $500K exclusion as long as other criteria are met. A single person only gets a $250K exclusion. You have to have lived in the house for at least 24 of the previous 60 months (the lookback is from the date of closing), and there are other criteria. I believe you still will have to recapture as regular income the property depreciation that lowered the property basis. I woul...
by Northern Flicker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 10:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bond choices in 401k
Replies: 35
Views: 3315

Re: Bond choices in 401k

Hi, I am probably overthinking this, but my 401k has two low cost bond funds available, and I am wondering if it makes any difference which one should I choose. Currently all of our bonds are in Option 2 (FIPDX). Option 1: State Street U.S. Bond Index Securities Lending Series Fund Class XIV Gross Expense ratio: 0.022% Benchmark: Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index Duration: 6.13 years It holds about 44% Treasuries, 28% Mortgage backed securities, 25% corporate bonds Option 2: Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund (FIPDX) Gross Expense ratio: 0.05% Benchmark: Bloomberg US TIPS Index Duration: 6.46 years It holds 100% US Treasuries Other context: We are a 48/52 year old couple, planning to retire in 4 years, and currently our portfolio...
by Northern Flicker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread
Replies: 203
Views: 9231

Re: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread

Halicar wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2024 9:27 am These threads always have lots of anecdotes, but as far as I can tell, no one provides any actual evidence that there is a benefit to having a dedicated computer, or a detriment to not having one. Given that, I'll continue to use a single computer for everything.
Using a single computer for everything is not the only alternative to having a dedicated computer for financial access.
by Northern Flicker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 4:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help me organize the fixed income part of my portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 8087

Re: Please hep me organise the fixed income part of my portfolio

Jimsad wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 5:08 pm My aim is to have about 30% of my portfolio in fixed income.
Presently I have -
16% in vanguard money market
2 % in I bonds
5% in vanguard total bond fund
2.5% in limited term tax exempt
2.5 % in VIPSX- inflation protected securities
2% in treasuries

Should I move about 10% from money market to VIPSX? Is it a good time to buy that ?
Or should I buy more of VBTLX instead?
Or dump whole fixed income n VBTLX or VIPSX?


The above is separate from my EF.
How large is your EF? In what account types (taxable, trad IRA, Roth etc.) will the assets be located? If in a taxable account, what are your Federal and State marginal brackets?
by Northern Flicker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 2:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?
Replies: 47
Views: 3562

Re: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?

We always obtain and use referrals from friends and family, for reputable handymen. I also have a home warranty contract I use for covered systems under the contract. I have heard that home equipment warranty companies are generally rip-offs. In one case, the buyer of a home bought a warranty for their home for the first year after the sale, in case something broke that wasn't caught during inspection. Sure enough a few months later, the A/C started leaking. The warranty company said fixing it wasn't in the scope of the contract as the leak was outside the walls of the house and they covered only equipment within, according to the fine print. The other scam is saying that you only pay $75 for a service call and the issue is addressed. Then...
by Northern Flicker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 2:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?
Replies: 47
Views: 3562

Re: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?

If a permit is required, there should be an inspection to determine if the permitted work meets code. Try to find out if a permit is needed and ask the contractor if they will be pulling the required permits. I agree with Big Dog. We have a plumber, electrician, roofer, and HVAC contractor each that we've hired before and trust. But that does not guarantee availability in an emergency. That's my problem. I used to have a great plumber, but he is in high demand and doesn't work weekends, so he's not a good resource for emergencies. I know now that a lot of the work I'd previously had done was not up to code and not permitted. Lesson learned. It’s pretty rare that a repair would ever require a permit. Total replacement of one of your mechani...
by Northern Flicker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 2:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?
Replies: 47
Views: 3562

Re: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?

mikejuss wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 7:38 pm
Northern Flicker wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 7:30 pm If a permit is required, there should be an inspection to determine if the permitted work meets code. Try to find out if a permit is needed and ask the contractor if they will be pulling the required permits.
A fine idea, but permits take a while to pull--sometimes months.
How well the permitting process functions varies regionally. You can open a permit where I live in 5-10 minutes online. Inspections can be scheduled with 48 hrs lead time. Inspectors only inspect the work covered by the permit. If they see other things that are not up to code during the inspection, they will mention the issues, but not flag them. That is to encourage the use of permits.
by Northern Flicker
Sun Mar 24, 2024 1:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: short term munis acceptable?
Replies: 20
Views: 1401

Re: short term munis acceptable?

Single entity risk can be diversified away, but muni spreads can widen in response to macroeconomic events.

We may compare the after-tax yields of duration-matched munis and treasuries, but munis are not treasuries:

https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/bac ... kY7IBPrXt5
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 7:35 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: short term munis acceptable?
Replies: 20
Views: 1401

Re: short term munis acceptable?

As I understand it, most people's concern with munis is primarily default risk and, to a lesser extent, the callability of munis. Regarding callability, that risk does exist, but it's known to the fund managers and is factored in to their strategy. It's also factored into the average stated duration of the fund so you don't have to do the calculations yourself. As for default risk, it's negligible in a national bond fund. There have been rare instances of individual municipalities defaulting, but it's never happened on anything like a nation-wide scale. Regarding short term vs. other durations, I don't think it makes any difference when it comes to these two risks. Default risk also includes the default risk increasing leading to the risk ...
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 7:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?
Replies: 47
Views: 3562

Re: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?

If a permit is required, there should be an inspection to determine if the permitted work meets code. Try to find out if a permit is needed and ask the contractor if they will be pulling the required permits.

I agree with Big Dog. We have a plumber, electrician, roofer, and HVAC contractor each that we've hired before and trust. But that does not guarantee availability in an emergency.
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 4:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: short term munis acceptable?
Replies: 20
Views: 1401

Re: short term munis acceptable?

boglebrain wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:16 pm Yes, my net worth is high and my income is high from taxable qualified dividends. If I buy regular bonds I’ll start climbing tax ladders.

If I buy munis I can move $100k over from a traditional 401k to Roth and do it mostly at <22% tax rate.
retired@50 wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:50 pm Can you clarify...

You say you won't be earning income for 2-4 years, so why municipal bonds?

Typically munis are suitable for high income folks.
Right.

The correct way to evaluate munis is by comparing their after-tax yield for one's bracket with that of other bonds, not by evaluating the tax bracket.

Treasuries are exempt from state income tax if you pay that.
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why
Replies: 89
Views: 5018

Re: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why

An insurance broker who specializes in medicare policies told someone I know that United American offers many (or all) of their G-HD customers an 1-time opportunity to upgrade to a G plan after 2 years on their G-HD plan. I don't know if that is true for all customers or all states or even if true at all, but it is interesting etc. Even if they do their regular g plans in my area are over $300 per month so it would make no sense at all. Yes, United American does offer holders of G-HD policies a one-time opportunity to switch to Plan G without underwriting at the two year mark. In my zip code the rate for their Plan G is slightly over $200 a month, which is a little high but not outrageous. The G plan premium partly covers having the G plan...
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread
Replies: 203
Views: 9231

Re: Dedicated Financial Computer Master Thread

I can see the arguments for using a separate dedicated computer, but think it would be overkill if you do the following. (partial list for comments below) Use unique, long passwords Use a different username for each financial account Use a dedicated email address for financial accounts Install anti-malware (e.g., Malwarebytes) on your computer Long unique passwords are a great idea, but that does not mitigate the risk of a machine being compromised, which is what having a dedicated machine attempts to address. Using different and/or random usernames for each account does not provide much. Having as much of the entropy for the combined username and password as possible in the password is more secure as it should be stored securely at the se...
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA reimbursement for first 7.5% of AGI
Replies: 9
Views: 841

Re: HSA reimbursement for first 7.5% of AGI

I believe that the answer is no. From: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502#en_US_2022_publink1000179059 This publication explains the itemized deduction for medical and dental expenses that you claim on Schedule A (Form 1040). It discusses what expenses, and whose expenses, you can and can't include in figuring the deduction. and You can’t include expenses you pay for with a tax-free distribution from your health savings account. and You must reduce your total medical expenses for the year by all reimbursements for medical expenses that you receive from insurance or other sources during the year. My interpretation is that you cannot include expenses reimbursed by an HSA distribution in the process for determining your deductible medical e...
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 12:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why
Replies: 89
Views: 5018

Re: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why

An insurance broker who specializes in medicare policies told someone I know that United American offers many (or all) of their G-HD customers an 1-time opportunity to upgrade to a G plan after 2 years on their G-HD plan.

I don't know if that is true for all customers or all states or even if true at all, but it is interesting.
by Northern Flicker
Sat Mar 23, 2024 12:04 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Feeling Lost with 529s
Replies: 20
Views: 1900

Re: Feeling Lost with 529s

In NJ, your first $750 contributed is matched with $750 from the state. This is free money. After that, up to $10K/yr of contribution can be deducted from income for state tax purposes.

https://www.njbest.com/why-njbest/njbest-benefits

Withdrawals are not taxed if spent on eligible educational expenses (tuition, fees, room & board not to exceed the cost of a standard dorm room and standard dorm meal plan, books, required supplies).

The main risk is overfunding it or student not attending a college or university, and the unused funds being subject to tax plus penalty on withdrawal.
by Northern Flicker
Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:33 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do you hold Canada fund because it is missing in your international stock fund?
Replies: 21
Views: 1809

Re: Do you hold Canada fund because it is missing in your international stock fund?

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2024 6:54 am
ScubaHogg wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2024 6:24 am
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 9:55 pm I hold what Jack Bogle held. US Stock and US Bond. Name a US company that doesn't do any business internationally. That was Jack's explanation and I completely agree.
This never made a lick of sense. This would be like not investing in California companies like Apple because Walmart has stores in California. Does that strike you as sensible?

The point isn’t to have access to revenue in those countries, it to have access to the earnings of the companies in those countries
Does it make sense? Yes it does. Tell me....where is most of the "good old boy" Texas Instruments business.
You are assuming that source of revenue is the only reason for diversifying internationally.
by Northern Flicker
Fri Mar 22, 2024 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Umbrella Policy: Multiple Insurers, One Coverage?
Replies: 10
Views: 1020

Re: Umbrella Policy: Multiple Insurers, One Coverage?

I have been thinking about an umbrella policy for a while, but I finally want to pull the trigger now. I have 1 question regarding coverage. Do all the home and auto policies need to be from the same insurer where I'll get the umbrella policy? Context - We have a single-family home (primary residence), a rental (another single family) and a car. Our rental (landlord insurance) and car are covered by State Farm. Our primary residence (homeowner's insurance) is covered by Geico since State Farm's quote was > 2x Geico's. If I get an umbrella policy with State Farm, will it also cover any liabilities at our primary residence? Or would I need to move my homeowner's insurance to State Farm to get coverage for all 3? Ask your State Farm agent.
by Northern Flicker
Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Active fund for international equity allocation?
Replies: 34
Views: 2602

Re: Active fund for international equity allocation?

Another extreme example is Japan. Japan's stock market used to account for half of the global stock market. If you had bought international stock index fund at that time (assume it existed), it would take you 30 years to recover the loss. Are you saying that active international management would have avoided Japan toward the peak of valuations? I don't know but did that actually occur? I don't know because I don't have data at that time. Some international stock funds (truly ex-US instead of Developed Markets) did avoid China such as GSIHX and PWJZX. A number of funds were overweight Russian equity at the start of the war with Ukraine. You are confusing hindsight with foresight. Sure, once we know that Chinese equities underperformed in th...
by Northern Flicker
Fri Mar 22, 2024 1:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Dividend warning when buying
Replies: 19
Views: 2340

Re: Dividend warning when buying

Vanguard gave me a warning yesterday that I was about to buy VTSAX before a dividend and that got me all worried that I might be buying at the wrong time so I decided not to buy it. I’m going to wait until Tuesday now, but is this really something I should be worried about and may lose money buying at the wrong time around a dividend? The dividend distribution will be taxable. The dividends have accumulated in the fund since the previous distribution. If you buy the fund say the day before or day that it goes ex-dividend, the dividend distribution is de facto just returning some of your principal back to you as a taxable event. (You got about 1 day of return on the investment of those funds). It is not a disaster, but it may cost you 10-20...
by Northern Flicker
Fri Mar 22, 2024 12:47 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Active fund for international equity allocation?
Replies: 34
Views: 2602

Re: Active fund for international equity allocation?

As I mentioned, one of the problems of actively managed international stock funds is high expense ratios. I would like to see the results "before" expense ratios. That's why I suggest those active funds can try to reduce expense ratios like just buying single country ETFs. Single country ETFs that I'm aware of are not particularly inexpensive. But it would be very difficult to overperform by just picking countries-- I think harder even than by picking stocks. As an example, the crackdown on Chinese megacaps was not predictable a priori. And I doubt you would have predicted that India, Mexico, and Turkey would be top performing EM equity markets moving forward from the COVID bottom in 3/2020: https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/ba...
by Northern Flicker
Thu Mar 21, 2024 8:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Active fund for international equity allocation?
Replies: 34
Views: 2602

Re: Active fund for international equity allocation?

henryphseven wrote: If an active international stock fund had excluded Russia and China from its portfolio, its performance would have outperformed VTIAX or VXUS with ease.
And if they overweighted them, they would have underperformed with ease.
by Northern Flicker
Thu Mar 21, 2024 6:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do you hold Canada fund because it is missing in your international stock fund?
Replies: 21
Views: 1809

Re: Do you hold Canada fund because it is missing in your international stock fund?

henryphseven wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 6:06 pm MSCI EAFE Index is tracked by many Developed Markets funds and it excludes Canada.
Do you hold Canada fund in addition to international stock fund?
Or it is not important because Canada stock market is highly correlated with US stock market (not sure about this)?
I guess Canada stocks are probably undervalued because of lower demand.
IEFA -- EAFE fund
IDEV -- EAFE + Canada
VEA -- EAFE + Canada + S Korea + Poland

I would expect any mis-valuations in Canadian stocks to be arbitraged away quite rapidly by the market.
by Northern Flicker
Thu Mar 21, 2024 3:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Absolute cheapest "total stock" ETFs
Replies: 54
Views: 7373

Re: Absolute cheapest "total stock" ETFs

Once the difference in ER is just a few basis points, you also have to look at expenses not accounted for in ER to decide which fund is cheapest. That is hard to do with an ETF given the opacity of transaction costs.
by Northern Flicker
Thu Mar 21, 2024 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why
Replies: 89
Views: 5018

Re: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why

From reading the discussion, the rational choice for us (1-2 years away) would be G-HD. The main drawback I see is the hassle of needing to pay (a small fraction) of every single charge (until the deductible). Whereas with G, you don’t really see the bill at all. How much weight to put on this convenience factor is not clear? But, it might push me towards plan G. I'd add: In doing the math, one should also consider the state they live in and whether or not they can change Plans in the future without going through medical underwriting. One might choose G-HD during open enrollment and then find they're stuck with it when they'd like to change to G. Most states in which you can change plans without underwriting requirements, you will not be a...
by Northern Flicker
Wed Mar 20, 2024 10:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why
Replies: 89
Views: 5018

Re: Medigappers: which plan do you have and why

kavm wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 9:44 pm From reading the discussion, the rational choice for us (1-2 years away) would be G-HD. The main drawback I see is the hassle of needing to pay (a small fraction) of every single charge (until the deductible). Whereas with G, you don’t really see the bill at all. How much weight to put on this convenience factor is not clear? But, it might push me towards plan G.
Some of the G-HD providers have interest bearing savings accounts that can automatically pay your coinsurance so that there is no bill to pay after a claim is processed.