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(I also just noticed the BrokerageLink option, which I don't think was there last time I checked.)drk posted:FXAIX + Thanks! CubicalSucrose posted:All-in FXAIX depending on your age and risk tolerance and rest of your portfolio and target asset allocation. A lot of my 401k is pre-tax, but I do also have a smaller Roth IRA, much of which is invested in Vanguard ETFs (and a couple older mutual funds I invested in when I first started, although now I'm thinking I should ditch those). IIRC, the old adage is you should keep the more aggressive stuff in Roth.
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Dec 2, 2023 05:26
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FPS_Sage posted:Combining the subject of I Bonds and nervousness around sending large sums of 'money' through the mail, does anyone have experience converting paper I bonds to electronic ones on the Treasury Direct website? Similar question around a few old paper EE bonds I have, but they are fully mature and so I would cash them out. Reading the instructions, it seems like a fairly simple process, but the final step seems to be physically mailing in the bonds to the gov't. Any idea how long that process actually takes to go through? And what happens if the USPS loses the envelope? I don't have answers to your specific questions, but when sending important documentation / large checks through USPS, I always recommend adding the tracking option or using certified mail.
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Dec 2, 2023 05:32
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Yeah certified mail means you are paying them to not lose it.
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Dec 2, 2023 05:43
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FPS_Sage posted:Combining the subject of I Bonds and nervousness around sending large sums of 'money' through the mail, does anyone have experience converting paper I bonds to electronic ones on the Treasury Direct website? Similar question around a few old paper EE bonds I have, but they are fully mature and so I would cash them out. Reading the instructions, it seems like a fairly simple process, but the final step seems to be physically mailing in the bonds to the gov't. Any idea how long that process actually takes to go through? And what happens if the USPS loses the envelope? I had a bunch of paper EE bonds that had matured and I just took them to my local Schwab branch and they were able to redeem them and deposit the money into my account. Actually I think I still have a few remaining that might finally have matured.
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Dec 2, 2023 06:11
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drk posted:FXAIX + I want to go a degree further and get total US coverage in there, which according to Morningstar would look more or less like the following for one's US allocation: 72% FXAIX 20% FSMDX 8% FSSNX Of course, you'd have to decide on how much FSPSX and FXNAX to add for your strategy at this stage of your life, but hooray having index funds for each slice of the pie!
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Dec 2, 2023 06:23
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FPS_Sage posted:Combining the subject of I Bonds and nervousness around sending large sums of 'money' through the mail, does anyone have experience converting paper I bonds to electronic ones on the Treasury Direct website? Similar question around a few old paper EE bonds I have, but they are fully mature and so I would cash them out. Reading the instructions, it seems like a fairly simple process, but the final step seems to be physically mailing in the bonds to the gov't. Any idea how long that process actually takes to go through? And what happens if the USPS loses the envelope? I got some 2020 tax returns as paper I-bonds and later mailed them in to "convert." It was an okay process. The instructions are pretty straightforward. I made sure to have scans of the bonds before I sent them, and I used certified mail. It took like 3 weeks from the time they signed for the mail for the bonds to show up in my account.
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Dec 2, 2023 09:28
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Tricky Ed posted:I got some 2020 tax returns as paper I-bonds and later mailed them in to "convert." It was an okay process. The instructions are pretty straightforward. I made sure to have scans of the bonds before I sent them, and I used certified mail. It took like 3 weeks from the time they signed for the mail for the bonds to show up in my account. Good idea to make scans of them first. 3 weeks turnaround isn't too bad, better than I would've expected. And a local bank for the matured EE bonds is a good idea - I will try that.
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Dec 2, 2023 15:54
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I go by my middle name + last name and had some EE bonds from my childhood with the wrong name. I mailed them in and they are in a bit of limbo now since they want more docs but won’t give the bonds back. “Since the names John Doe and Michael John Doe on the documentation submitted differ, we must establish that these names refer to the same person, if that is the case. A disinterested person familiar with the facts must complete the form and show the basis of his/her knowledge. The signature (a disinterested person) must be certified by an authorized certifying officer, available at most financial institutions. The certifying officer must sign and date, include his/her title, and affix the institution's official stamp or seal in the space provided.” Luckily it’s only a few EE bonds. I should have just taken them into a physical branch.
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Dec 2, 2023 16:41
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Tricky Ed posted:I got some 2020 tax returns as paper I-bonds and later mailed them in to "convert." It was an okay process. The instructions are pretty straightforward. I made sure to have scans of the bonds before I sent them, and I used certified mail. It took like 3 weeks from the time they signed for the mail for the bonds to show up in my account.
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Dec 3, 2023 03:04
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Uh poo poo. Is there tax consequences if a bond isn't cashed in the year in which it matures? The internet is suprisingly unclear on this point. I'm assuming a paper EE bond because I would guess that's what you'd gift a baby in the early 90s, I have to dig them out and look. Pretty sure the last of them from my relative that did the gifting mature this year. I forgot about them until thread chat on them as there was a couple of years between maturity dates.
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Dec 3, 2023 16:12
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Turbinosamente posted:Uh poo poo. Is there tax consequences if a bond isn't cashed in the year in which it matures? The internet is suprisingly unclear on this point. I'm assuming a paper EE bond because I would guess that's what you'd gift a baby in the early 90s, I have to dig them out and look. Pretty sure the last of them from my relative that did the gifting mature this year. I forgot about them until thread chat on them as there was a couple of years between maturity dates. The IRS is actually pretty lenient about this. First, for a paper bond, you only receive the interest when you actually cash it in. Second, for tax purposes, from the IRS website: IRS posted:You have a choice. You can Edit: To be clear, there are no penalties or anything for cashing them late. Occasionally even old bonds like series E or H still get cashed in, as people find paper records going through old inheritance stuff. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Dec 3, 2023 |
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Dec 3, 2023 16:53
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Cool, thanks. Probably ought to cash them in next year anyways and use them for my bold plan of put money in my IRA for once. Edit: I dug them out and lol three of them came due over the past three years, none of them in 2023 though, not entirely sure why that year stuck in my head. One that's not due for a few years has my name horribly mispelled so that will be fun for future me. At least the ssn is right. Turbinosamente fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Dec 3, 2023 |
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Dec 3, 2023 16:58
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Turbinosamente posted:Cool, thanks. Probably ought to cash them in next year anyways and use them for my bold plan of put money in my IRA for once. My wife was able to cash in a paper EE bond that had her maiden name on it just fine since the SSN matched.
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Dec 3, 2023 19:35
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Antillie posted:My wife was able to cash in a paper EE bond that had her maiden name on it just fine since the SSN matched. Good to know, mine is just straight up transposition of a couple letters in my first name and a wrong letter in my last. And who knows, if I play my cards right it will be my maiden name on it by the time it matures.
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Dec 3, 2023 19:40
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smackfu posted:Luckily it’s only a few EE bonds. I should have just taken them into a physical branch. Of those six, two had my name right. Two had no middle name. One was in a parent's name with my name on it. One was in the name of my uncle who purchased it (same last name). ...the tellers were like "yeah we see this all the time, no trouble" and no trouble was had. It's very easy.
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Dec 3, 2023 22:42
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Antillie posted:My wife was able to cash in a paper EE bond that had her maiden name on it just fine since the SSN matched.
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Dec 4, 2023 04:47
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Anybody have thoughts/experience with munis? I have a chunk of cash that I'd like to keep separate from other investments, and am currently taking a very, very low risk stance with. I like the tax advantages, but the time horizons on them seem very, very, very long.
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Dec 5, 2023 04:51
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the general sentiment is that the tax advantages are incorporated into the price, so it's generally advised for people in very high tax situations where your marginal tax rate outweighs the assumed cost premium also muni's tend to not have much credit risk, but they do go to bankruptcy way more often than us treasuries on the balance
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Dec 5, 2023 05:20
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When manually rebalancing a three fund portfolio should allocations be based on cost basis or market value?
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Dec 5, 2023 16:03
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Awkward Davies posted:When manually rebalancing a three fund portfolio should allocations be based on cost basis or market value?
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Dec 5, 2023 16:10
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Depending on the security, I'd argue basing it on cost basis is important for securities that you'll hold to maturity, but otherwise yeah I would just use market value.mdxi posted:Anybody have thoughts/experience with munis? I have a chunk of cash that I'd like to keep separate from other investments, and am currently taking a very, very low risk stance with. You can access some really stellar credits with munis, but generally the benefit is highly dependent on your tax situation. You can calculate the tax-equivalent yield of a muni, but be mindful it's extremely common for there to be 10-year par calls. Some of them have make-whole call provisions though. I think I've seen investment-grade munis with 8%+ TEY in recent times if you want to do some hunting. Just make sure you understand the tax exemption rules.
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Dec 5, 2023 16:11
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If I have to park cash for a while, is there any reason not to use Fidelity's premium money market fund (FZDXX) over SPAXX? I guess it invests a bit less heavily in U.S. Government securities, but other than that the yield is slightly higher and presumably the main barrier from it being a standard recommendation is the 100k minimum purchase.
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Dec 6, 2023 11:56
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caluki posted:If I have to park cash for a while, is there any reason not to use Fidelity's premium money market fund (FZDXX) over SPAXX? I guess it invests a bit less heavily in U.S. Government securities, but other than that the yield is slightly higher and presumably the main barrier from it being a standard recommendation is the 100k minimum purchase. That sounds likely. For the most part money market funds are all interchangeable and practically all are backed by the SIPC, similar to the FDIC backing of bank accounts.
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Dec 6, 2023 13:52
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Is there a website that lays out how much of a rip-off whole life insurance is? I'm looking for something that has examples with actual numbers in it. Ideally a spreadsheet of some kind that shows the returns and the fees that you pay each year.
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Dec 6, 2023 13:56
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daslog posted:Is there a website that lays out how much of a rip-off whole life insurance is? I'm looking for something that has examples with actual numbers in it. Ideally a spreadsheet of some kind that shows the returns and the fees that you pay each year. No. But stop. Why are you considering whole life in the first place? Whole life has potential benefits, not a scam, if you tick ALL of the following boxes: 1. You have maximized all your available tax sheltered accounts, 2. You want to pass this money to your estate/survivors 3. You are not a super aggressive investor. If you do not tick all the boxes, it gets complicated. If you tick only one box, forget about whole life.
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Dec 6, 2023 15:24
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Jenkl posted:No. But stop. I assume the question, when asking for examples of how much of a rip off it is, is to help the OP stop friends/family from doing it.
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Dec 6, 2023 15:53
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spwrozek posted:I assume the question, when asking for examples of how much of a rip off it is, is to help the OP stop friends/family from doing it. Exactly.
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Dec 6, 2023 16:27
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daslog posted:Is there a website that lays out how much of a rip-off whole life insurance is? I'm looking for something that has examples with actual numbers in it. Ideally a spreadsheet of some kind that shows the returns and the fees that you pay each year. White Coat Investor has put out a ton of anti-whole-life content over the years. Here's one post that has links to others - https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/debunking-the-myths-of-whole-life-insurance/ Note that the target audience for this person's content is "Very high income, high net worth individuals" which (I would hope) can make whatever message you're trying to send a bit more powerful.
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Dec 6, 2023 16:32
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Fuschia tude posted:That sounds likely. For the most part money market funds are all interchangeable and practically all are backed by the SIPC, similar to the FDIC backing of bank accounts. SIPC protection does not protect against the loss of value, only the failure of the institution holding the fund shares. That means that money market funds that take on additional credit risk by holding corporate debt are actually riskier - if the company issuing the debt defaults, you absolutely can take a loss and SIPC does nothing to make you whole.
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Dec 6, 2023 16:39
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caluki posted:If I have to park cash for a while, is there any reason not to use Fidelity's premium money market fund (FZDXX) over SPAXX? I guess it invests a bit less heavily in U.S. Government securities, but other than that the yield is slightly higher and presumably the main barrier from it being a standard recommendation is the 100k minimum purchase. Do you have state taxes? How long is a while? Longer than a few weeks? You might consider auto-rolling short treasuries at Fidelity, which is going to get you income at the risk free rate at no cost. You could also consider something like SGOV or XHLF, which is the same thing in a cheap ETF (may require ~math~ at tax time).
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Dec 6, 2023 19:02
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My version of the ‘girl math’ concept is setting my Roth 401k rate to max my contributions in early December. So long as nothing else in the household budget got blown up, my last couple paychecks magically have a couple hundred dollars more free money to be used for fun purchases.
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Dec 6, 2023 21:55
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Another cute “trick” is to buy an extra week of vacation if your employer allows. Either you use it or you don’t and they pay you an extra week of pay in December.
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Dec 6, 2023 22:53
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smackfu posted:Another cute “trick” is to buy an extra week of vacation if your employer allows. Either you use it or you don’t and they pay you an extra week of pay in December. In another job, in another country, a while ago, we had the opposite thing where we were allowed the option to sell our normally allocated paid vacation time if we didn’t think we’d use them. I think the number I had was like 40… days… of which we could sell a maximum number of a week or 2? Idk it was a bit ago. I remember asking the person I reported to if this was a good idea to sell some days. He laughed and said what dude why would you sell your vacation days.
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Dec 6, 2023 23:00
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smackfu posted:Another cute “trick” is to buy an extra week of vacation if your employer allows. Either you use it or you don’t and they pay you an extra week of pay in December. My employer lets me buy more vacation but it's non-refundable and I either use it before December 31 or I lose it January 1.
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Dec 6, 2023 23:47
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SamDabbers posted:My employer lets me buy more vacation but it's non-refundable and I either use it before December 31 or I lose it January 1.
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Dec 6, 2023 23:52
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SamDabbers posted:My employer lets me buy more vacation but it's non-refundable and I either use it before December 31 or I lose it January 1. Sounds illegal! But also, why would anyone prepay for vacation days that expire
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Dec 6, 2023 23:52
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My regular vacation days don't roll over either so I make sure to use every minute of my PTO each year. Usually that means I peace out for the second half of December with however much is left, and I enjoy my time not working very much.
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Dec 6, 2023 23:59
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we now have unlimited vacation days at my job, which means nobody takes as much as they used to when we accumulated three weeks a year
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Dec 7, 2023 01:33
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drk posted:Sounds illegal! Legality depends on the state. And yeah if the days get forfeit it is a lot more risky.
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Dec 7, 2023 01:58
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Leperflesh posted:we now have unlimited vacation days at my job, which means nobody takes as much as they used to when we accumulated three weeks a year isn’t that great how it works?
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Dec 7, 2023 02:01
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