Search found 142 matches

by Tortuga
Mon Mar 18, 2024 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Use RMD to pay taxes
Replies: 30
Views: 2591

Re: Use RMD to pay taxes

corn18:

That is essentially what I am doing this year in December. The IRS considers taxes withheld from a RMD timely no matter when they are actually taken. Saves the hassle of estimated tax payments. I don't have state taxes.
by Tortuga
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:59 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New tool for building a TIPS ladder
Replies: 426
Views: 81312

Re: New tool for building a TIPS ladder

kaesler wrote: Tue Mar 12, 2024 8:41 pm
DowntheMiddle wrote: Tue Mar 12, 2024 8:15 pm Just finding this tool - thanks so much for building
Thanks. Hope it helps.

New edition coming along….. (slowly, spare time etc).
Rob Berger now directly links to this TIPS tool at his Website "Tools" page

https://robberger.com/category/tools
by Tortuga
Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portable travel routers
Replies: 22
Views: 3110

Re: Portable travel routers

28fe6:

Dave's Garage has a YouTube video devoted to this topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYxQ4Lvqn14

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Thu Jan 25, 2024 11:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paying for things with a phone
Replies: 18
Views: 1359

Re: Paying for things with a phone

jebmke wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2024 10:15 am I use Apple Pay, credit card or cash. If they don't take one of those, I don't
^|^ This +1
by Tortuga
Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: My kid asked me for advice! Please advise
Replies: 33
Views: 7729

Re: My kid asked me for advice! Please advise

huzen:
For a start, parent and daughter should both read "If You Can" by William Bernstein. Short and free to download the PDF. Plenty of links to other resources. This is what we used for similar conversations with our son.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Dec 29, 2023 11:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Consider donating to this website
Replies: 10
Views: 1772

Re: Consider donating to this website

PersonalFinanceJam wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2023 10:17 am Consider supporting the wider mission through donations to the Bogle center. Based on what the board members have said before it helps support the site as well as all the other great content.
Done, via our DAF.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Thu Dec 14, 2023 11:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to value TIPS for purposes of portfolio rebalancing?
Replies: 7
Views: 882

Re: How to value TIPS for purposes of portfolio rebalancing?

dbr wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2023 9:05 am The whole idea of a portfolio of various assets has to do with return, average and variability, which is computed as a rate of change of current value. So the answer would be that everything is marked to market at every point.
I appreciate the point made and will continue to use market prices for the ladder.

Thanks!
by Tortuga
Thu Dec 14, 2023 8:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to value TIPS for purposes of portfolio rebalancing?
Replies: 7
Views: 882

Re: How to value TIPS for purposes of portfolio rebalancing?

Ret2018 wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2023 8:46 am I'm holding TIPS for the duration, so in many ways the ups and downs of the current market value is irrelevant. How are people valuing TIPS for the purposes of rebalancing to match the desired allocation between stocks and bonds? Par value in current dollars (a conservative assumption) or current market value (which could be greater or lesser than par value)?
I've been using current market value, but I am considering using:

Current Value = (current CPI / dated date CPI) * Face Value

For my ten year ladder that would value the TIPS at 8.75% more than the market quote.

I have not pulled the trigger on this valuation and would like to hear other's thoughts on the validity of doing this.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Wed Sep 27, 2023 12:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How are you self-insuring for long-term care?
Replies: 167
Views: 21994

Re: How are you self-insuring for long-term care?

RationalWalk:

I have built a substantial 10-year rolling TIPS ladder in my IRA which my wife and I will continue maintaining until LTC starts. The plan is to stop rolling the ladder at that point and use the yearly principal and interest to fund expenses. Beyond 10 years, which is not likely, the Roth accounts and other resources will have to come into play.
by Tortuga
Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Personal Finance Without Sharing Username/Password
Replies: 16
Views: 1374

Re: Personal Finance Without Sharing Username/Password

Since we pay our credit cards off monthly through our checking account we calculate total monthly spend subtracting out any investments into our accounts made by checking. Since our income and expenditures are rather lumpy we average 12 months running for planning purposes.

We find it perfectly fine to let the detailed breakdown stay obscured although we could go there if needed.
by Tortuga
Thu Jul 20, 2023 5:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Cash Plus Account Pilot
Replies: 462
Views: 100218

Re: Vanguard Cash Plus Account Pilot

Haven't read all the posts on this thread, so apologies if this is old news, but found out yesterday that you cannot automate periodic payments from Vanguard brokerage sweep fund into the Cash Plus account. Confirmed with a representative. He suggested automating payment to an external bank then automating back to Cash Plus as a work-around. I wasn't very interested in that.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Tue Apr 18, 2023 3:04 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How long should a retiree's TIPS ladder be, and why?
Replies: 78
Views: 9711

Re: How long should a retiree's TIPS ladder be, and why?

I am 79 and have held TIPS for 10 years or so. They are in a ladder for the next 10 years with a bond maturing each January that is reinvested at auction. We consider this to be our long-term care fund since we are not insured for that. We also hold assets in non-TIPS fixed income index funds such that TIPS (plus some I Bonds) are about 55% of total bonds. The growth portion of the portfolio is in index equities and our overall asset allocation is 45/55. The portfolio lost less than 9% in 2022 and has recovered half of that so far in 2023.
by Tortuga
Wed Feb 15, 2023 12:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Feedback on parking cash between trades
Replies: 7
Views: 836

Re: Feedback on parking cash between trades

galawdawg wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 12:19 pm Article summary: T-bills.

Seriously...that's it. Not what I'd consider Boglehead-quality discussion.

There are many active threads on where and how to hold/park/invest cash.
+1, also needs grammar edits (to, too), (it's, its)
by Tortuga
Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:08 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service Mega-thread
Replies: 1514
Views: 169404

VG delay in recording interest and matured TIPS

This new thread has been merged into this on-going topic discussion.

Moderator Pops1860


We are now almost two hours into the market opening after the MLK holiday and the Vanguard website has yet to register TIPS interest and the matured TIPS that occurred on Sunday, January 15th.

I understand the limits to low-cost investing technology, but this is below my expectations. My online bank savings account was updated for interest paid on Sunday and an automatic investment on Monday (the holiday) as they occurred.
by Tortuga
Tue Dec 13, 2022 3:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Jan 2023 TIPS: we now know exactly what the value will be at maturity
Replies: 30
Views: 4397

Re: Jan 2023 TIPS: we now know exactly what the value will be at maturity

Kevin M wrote: Tue Dec 13, 2022 3:09 pm
Tortuga wrote: Tue Dec 13, 2022 2:52 pm Kevin M:

I am working on understanding this: so if I keep my face value $100,000 TIP to maturity at January 15, 2023 I will receive $129,050 plus 6 months interest?

Thanks.
Yes, if my calculations are correct.
Thanks!!
by Tortuga
Tue Dec 13, 2022 2:52 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Jan 2023 TIPS: we now know exactly what the value will be at maturity
Replies: 30
Views: 4397

Re: Jan 2023 TIPS: we now know exactly what the value will be at maturity

Kevin M:

I am working on understanding this: so if I keep my face value $100,000 TIP to maturity at January 15, 2023 I will receive $129,050 plus 6 months interest?

Thanks.
by Tortuga
Fri Apr 15, 2022 4:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Math of a donor advised fund
Replies: 53
Views: 5604

Re: Math of a donor advised fund

I don't believe that this has been covered in this thread but age may play a role in the utility of a Donor Advised Fund (DAF). We used a DAF for family giving for a number of years after retirement.

Once a retiree reaches the age of Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from an individual IRA a tax strategy of Qualified Charitable Donations may be used to reduce the amount of tax paid on the RMD. I have found there is a $ limit to our charitable intent in any given year so the DAF has been unused recently, other than a few small one-off donations. That fund continues to grow and will probably continue to be used by heirs eventually.

Perhaps this aspect will influence the DAF planning for others on the forum.
by Tortuga
Fri Jan 29, 2021 11:06 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity
Replies: 28
Views: 3207

Re: Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity

I shredded mine last night.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity
Replies: 28
Views: 3207

Re: Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity

BolderBoy:
Lots of activity, including monthly withdrawals for contributions to 529 accounts and dividend deposits monthly and quarterly. It also serves to replenish a bank checking account from time to time.
Tortuga
by Tortuga
Thu Jan 28, 2021 5:07 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity
Replies: 28
Views: 3207

Re: Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity

It was the Municiple Money Market Fund (VMSXX)
by Tortuga
Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity
Replies: 28
Views: 3207

Vanguard checkwriting cancelled after inactivity

I had the unfortunate experience of recently using my Vanguard checkbook from a money market account and the two checks written bounced. Apparently Vanguard cancels check writing after a period of inactivity on the account. In my case this was probably two years or more without using the checking convenience.
Apparently this is a security measure, although I don't remember having received any notice from Vanguard.

You can check your status by going to "My Accounts" --> "Account Settings" --> "Banking and Money Movement" and looking at status "Active" or "Inactive".

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Sun Sep 13, 2020 4:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TIPS Funds vs Direct Purchase from Treasury Direct
Replies: 25
Views: 2485

Re: TIPS Funds vs Direct Purchase from Treasury Direct

LyrehcLover:
Treasury Direct can only be used for purchases of TIPS in taxable accounts, so if you want to hold them in a tax-deferred account, as many recommend, you should use a broker to purchase them. It is an easy process at either Fidelity or Vanguard and there is no expense of either purchase or sale.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Aug 07, 2020 4:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Question on Vngd Advisor Service
Replies: 10
Views: 1068

Re: Question on Vngd Advisor Service

celia wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2020 4:07 pm When one of you dies, will the survivor be able to carry on as usual (including support from an adult child)? If so, you may not need them. If your spouse will be uncertain on things, (s)he could turn to them for assistance. It might even be good to start the relationship with them ahead of that event, so your spouse is comfortable. I'd talk this over with your spouse.
+1 We have interviewed one of their advisors and made the decision that the time was not quite right to make the change -- but my wife was fully involved in the conversation and understands the process when the time comes.
by Tortuga
Thu Apr 09, 2020 4:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: University refund of 529 expense
Replies: 2
Views: 531

University refund of 529 expense

Bogleheads:
My son is a freshman at a major University and was evacuated home to us and remote classes when the current crisis erupted. As a result, the University has refunded board and housing amounts of $1200 to his personal bank account. My concern is that all of his direct school expenses were originally paid with his 529 funds in late December and the $1200 would be a return of a (small) portion of that amount.

My question is, how will the IRS look at this? I have no idea if there is a taxable event or if there is even tax reporting by the University required. If anyone has experience with this I will appreciate some guidance. I would be willing to re-contribute the amount to the 529 if that would solve anything.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Aug 09, 2019 11:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to regularly (auto) e-Transfer funds to someone else’s bank account?
Replies: 16
Views: 1540

Re: Best way to regularly (auto) e-Transfer funds to someone else’s bank account?

BobTexas wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 11:33 am Try Zelle if your bank supports it

+1 We have used Zelle with BOA and USBank for many domestic and international transfers. No hitches on any transactions and much faster than ACH.
by Tortuga
Thu Mar 21, 2019 4:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How detailed is your review of your tax return when prepared by a professional?
Replies: 9
Views: 1492

Re: How detailed is your review of your tax return when prepared by a professional?

In my opinion you owe yourself one or two detail reviews in the early years of the relationship. After 10 years, my review time is minimal since the preparer knows my situation and it hasn't changed appreciably in several years.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Tue Jan 01, 2019 4:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2019 Expenses > 2019 Income – Help us close the gap
Replies: 128
Views: 10710

Re: 2019 Expenses > 2019 Income – Help us close the gap

Ron Ronnerson wrote: Mon Oct 22, 2018 9:23 pm
-I work 180 days a year
... and here is the problem
by Tortuga
Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Intro Geology Textbooks
Replies: 17
Views: 1931

Re: Best Intro Geology Textbooks

nisiprius wrote: Mon Sep 10, 2018 12:21 pm Not a general textbook, but, the "Roadside Geology of [State name]" series is very good, and every big national park we've ever been to has had a gift shop with a book section, and the book section almost always includes the relevant "Roadside Geology" book.
....

+ 1. This series is a great take-along on any road trip, and reads easily for both professional and amateur.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Mon Jul 16, 2018 4:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have you ever purchased a pricy musical instrument?
Replies: 106
Views: 10353

Re: Have you ever purchased a pricy musical instrument?

About 7 years ago I spent over $6000 on a 1931 Gibson Mastertone 5-string conversion banjo. The conversion replaces the original 4-string tenor neck with a newly carved, finished and inlaid 5-string neck. The conversion works well because the sound quality is mostly due to the tone ring and rim of the original instrument. The sound and play-ability of this instrument are far superior to any of my other banjos and I can't bring myself to pick up the other ones any more. The purchase was made in North Carolina from a well-known bluegrass banjo player and afforded me the chance to meet him and spend a morning in his bluegrass banjo museum. One of my better splurges and worth every penny for travel and cost.

tortuga
by Tortuga
Wed Feb 07, 2018 4:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: State Income Tax on a grant received
Replies: 4
Views: 607

Re: State Income Tax on a grant received

David:

Thank you for the explanation. It is very clear.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: State Income Tax on a grant received
Replies: 4
Views: 607

State Income Tax on a grant received

Bogleheads:

I reside in a no income tax state "A" and I am the owner of some undeveloped property in a different state "B". I have the opportunity to apply for a small grant from state "B" for some conservation planning. As I understand it, this grant will be taxable income to me and I will file a State income tax return for the year the grant is received.
My question is: is there danger that income from other sources will thereby be State taxable by "B"? If this were to be the case, I would elect to not apply for the grant.

Thanks,
Tortuga
by Tortuga
Mon Dec 25, 2017 2:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How can I obtain compensation data?
Replies: 41
Views: 8670

Re: How can I obtain compensation data?

Mr. Jones:
For technical specialties with societies that publish and support them, there are salary surveys that are updated usually yearly. This is normally questionnaire-based from the membership of the society. Many engineering and scientific fields have such societies. The data, of course, are not company specific, and I have found them only moderately useful. One of the problems is that someone may identify as a petroleum engineer, but as he grows in the job his position modifies to take over more management/supervisory responsibility which may be compensated by different standards.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:24 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Thank you Boglehead.org
Replies: 24
Views: 3392

Re: Thank you Boglehead.org

...and don't forget the "Support this Site" link at the top of the page!

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Thu Oct 12, 2017 4:27 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Getting Malwarebytes warnings on this site
Replies: 18
Views: 4721

Re: Getting Malwarebytes warnings on this site

Great detective work by all!

Thanks,

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Sep 01, 2017 6:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard - How to combine spouse accounts
Replies: 28
Views: 20702

Re: Vanguard - How to combine spouse accounts

Frisbee:

Vanguard did it for me with one phone call.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Jul 28, 2017 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TSA Pre-check for free
Replies: 75
Views: 9538

Re: TSA Pre-check for free

Momo54:
I fly SWA and get TSA pre-check every time. I have never applied or paid money for this.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Jun 30, 2017 9:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Ideas for a week in Spain
Replies: 42
Views: 4970

Re: Ideas for a week in Spain

Victoria:
We enjoyed a day trip to Montserrat just north of Barcelona (neat geology and history). It is a 45 minute drive to the base with a tram up to the monastery or you can drive or walk up as well. I am sure there would be public transportation, but we took a car.

The country of Andorra in the Pyrenees on the border with France is also accessible from Barcelona. It is a shopping destination but also provides hiking, and other outdoor activities. The trip to Andorra was spectacular. It would be worth staying a couple of days.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Wed May 03, 2017 9:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: best way to get a handle on expenses?
Replies: 16
Views: 2031

Re: best way to get a handle on expenses?

gips: Our monthly checking account statement provides everything we need. All retirement income (SS, RMD, Miscellaneous) is deposited in the one account and all payments are debited from the same account. We scan each statement for any pass-through amounts such as a portion of the income that is re-invested directly into taxable accounts. Monthly total expenditures are then adjusted down by those investment amounts. We keep yearly and running averages. If any month shows an expense anomaly we can then dig deeper but generally don't need to. By virtue of our life style our monthly expenses are fairly constant and we don't feel it necessary to slice, dice and analyze by category. The only major expenditures that are excluded from this analysi...
by Tortuga
Mon Feb 06, 2017 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Can you hear me scam
Replies: 13
Views: 2779

Re: Can you hear me scam

likegarden wrote:This does not bother us. We only pick up phone calls from people we know, others have to leave a message which most don't do.
+1 Also using "nomorobo" we get a single ring and the sales call is routed elsewhere.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Sat Jan 28, 2017 10:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Glass top for a new kitchen table
Replies: 15
Views: 3255

Re: Glass top for a new kitchen table

BashDash:

For calculating weight, quarter inch thick glass weighs ~3.27 pounds per square foot. 45 inch diameter round quarter inch glass would weigh nearly 46 pounds. Quarter inch may not be sufficient thickness.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Sat Dec 31, 2016 8:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 Plan Disbursement Administration
Replies: 4
Views: 703

Re: 529 Plan Disbursement Administration

My sincere thanks to bulbul, Spirit Rider and RudyS for their responses and the information.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Fri Dec 30, 2016 3:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 Plan Disbursement Administration
Replies: 4
Views: 703

529 Plan Disbursement Administration

I have done some searching on the Wiki and other references to try to answer this question but without luck. If there is a resource I've missed, please direct me to it. I have been contributing to 529 plans for our grandchildren for quite a few years, and now the eldest grandchild is close to the point of needing to tap into the funds. My concern is with the administration of expenditures from the plan to the academic institution. In reality, I would be most pleased to transfer the plan ownership to each grandchild's parents so that they can manage and coordinate with other sources of funds. Is there a downside to this? I know that Financial Aid is somewhat penalized with parental ownership of a 529, but are there other problems with this a...
by Tortuga
Wed Nov 23, 2016 11:20 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Glide Paths : Help with Theory
Replies: 31
Views: 6273

Re: Glide Paths : Help with Theory

EHEngineer:

This is a bit simplistic, but why not work on the end points (current allocation and desired allocation at retirement age) and draw a straight line? Unless you have reason to believe that some other curve is optimal you probably won't be far off from the answer that is right for you. This is what I did and it worked out just fine.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:37 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Wealthy Barber Returns free eBook
Replies: 4
Views: 2176

Re: The Wealthy Barber Returns free eBook

On first read, I thought the Wealthy Barber didn't like the free ebook so he returned it!

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Texas [road trip]
Replies: 63
Views: 9017

Re: Texas [road trip]

Stop by and say "hi" to John Wells at The Field Lab. Creative living off the grid near Big Bend NP. Only place I know that you can pet a longhorn by the name of "Ben".

http://thefieldlab.blogspot.com/

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:40 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How do I calculate my basis for a Mutual Fund.
Replies: 12
Views: 1574

Re: How do I calculate my basis for a Mutual Fund.

Abe:
Make sure you account for any commissions you paid to the broker, such as a front end load or a transaction fee. They will reduce any gain or increase a loss in the calculation.
Tortuga
by Tortuga
Mon Oct 17, 2016 8:56 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: diversification across risky assets requires discipline and patience
Replies: 12
Views: 2137

Re: diversification across risky assets requires discipline and patience

Larry:

For me, a very timely contribution. Over the weekend I noticed that my international to total equity ratio hit a re-balance band last week and my exchange order goes to Vanguard today.

Tortuga
by Tortuga
Thu Aug 18, 2016 11:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: spreadsheet [to organize a portfolio]
Replies: 23
Views: 3993

Re: spreadsheet

Here is the Wiki discussion:

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Using_a ... _portfolio

Tortuga