Recent content by cat4ever

Although a small sample size, this isn't what we experienced. My son needed a procedure on his nasal passages which were too narrow and he always had trouble breathing, especially during allergy season. Rebuilding the passages after such a procedure is done by a plastic surgeon, and insurance...

+1 for Medicaid When I filled out the ACA I entered my honest monthly income and was forced onto Medicaid, which actually turned out great. No costs, ever, for anything here in MO anyway. But, there is a clause that after you and your wife die, they can come after your estate for whatever...

Sounds like you went over the top of the BTD rollercoaster and are still on the downward spiral, thinking "what the hell did i just do!". But like a coaster you'll reach bottom and probably be glad you did it. I can't get up the nerve to go over the top in considering spending 60K on a new car...

401K's from the company you retire from are tappable penalty free at 55, not 59 1/2. And if you have other 401Ks out there it's possible you can transfer them to your current 401K before then.

state tax deduction is the diff I agree with some of the others here, why pass up the state tax deduction on the principal, which you won't get on the Roth. You should at least be taking that into consideration if you haven't. Sounds like IL (like MO where I'm it) may have good options for...

Thanks Exchme for the thorough explanation. I think I'll move on as you suggest.

I just want to verify that it's not using old or incorrect numbers in their calculations, and that the ones they are using are up do date. If not I don't want to go to the trouble of entering in my info.. I did send an email asking them about this directly, will post if I get a response.

The IORP site states the following about ACA: "Early retirees may wish to keep their Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) below ACA qualifying limits in order to obtain the subsidies that may save a couple $5000-$10,000 annually... If your MAGI is $20K, you get a $10K discount, whereas if...

No Budgeting in Credit Karma? From the stories I've read, there is no way to setup budget categories in Credit Karma. That's a non-starter for me. I haven't read the bogleheads link yet, so that's my first step. I'm dreading this a little right now to be honest.

ahh, if the tax software programs catch it then I'd probably have been ok. For people with large Roth's and/or with fairly big pensions I could see it as a temptation to keep their tax rate at 12%, as well as for reducing healthcare.gov premiums or even to use to qualify for medicare...

Thanks Cathy, very succinct answer. I'm already retired with no other income so looks like I'm out of luck. And thanks for the note about IRA contributions only allowed if you have earned income, I didn't know that and you probably saved me from some penalties and headaches. Is that a...

Hello, I'm receiving a monthly pension distribution payment and would like to defer taxes on it as much as possible as I don't need the money now. Was wondering if there might be any strategy that would defer all taxes on them e.g. like "rolling over" each monthly distribution into an IRA...

I still say they should have hung that jerk that invented lawns.

I go through 4-5 750 milliliter whiskey bottles of water every day, plus at least 2-3 12 ounce cans of flavored seltzer water. Adding in water I get from food I'm well over a gallon every day. I like to sing at jams and in a jazz band so I make it a point to stay well hydrated to keep my...

As it relates to my retirement standard of living (or whether, oh crap, i might have to work again), I think a redefined one that does take inflation into account would be more interesting, and isn't that the bottom line of what everyone here is trying to measure?