Recent content by denefi

Sorry, I was referring to the standard deduction. Gotcha. I used Turbotax last year so I'll try to play around with it. Makes sense, thanks!

Thanks all. Am I right that traditional IRA contributions are deducted toward the 6k, whereas pretax 401k contributions are not? If so, seems it would make sense to shift some of my retirement contributions from the 401k to an IRA so that all mortgage insurance would be deductible. Is this sound...

Great - thank you both for the quick response! This helps a lot.

Hi all, I'm currently a renter and am trying to put together a break even analysis on when it would make more sense to purchase a small home or condo. Can someone let me know if I'm looking at this correctly? As I see it, the only interest deduction that should make a difference in my analysis...

That is awesome!!

I've got a long ways to go (28 now) but am fairly open about my desire to retire early. I think that it comes off as whimsical because I'm young and so people take it in with an 'Oh well I want to retire early, too, don't we all?!' I'm single but dating and it's pretty important to me that I can...

I'd definitely be open to relocating in a few years once I'm through school and have vested, so that's a really good point. And, Boston's freakin' expensive! Check and check. Shoveling everything I can spare into the 401k. Amen! I can't wait to do this! I hadn't thought about this. Good...

I have a brother who went to a top law school and landed a great, high-paying job afterward. That was 5 or so years ago and he's still creeping up to have positive net worth (he's a spender, so a big part is on him). Seeing that, and not being 100% certain of what I want to do long term...

Hey all, As a 28 year old single guy working in Boston, I opt to rent a studio ($1300) in a fun area with an easy commute, and where I can live car free. I could probably find a room in a shared apartment in the area for about $500 cheaper per month, but I work hard and am an introvert and...

Only a LITTLE bit less of a kook, though! I'm hoping to get involved with the investment club, which is predominantly full timers, but I'll have to see how much time I realistically have to take that on as well. I've also thought about and am excited to apply the finance skills to the business...

Welcome! I use Fidelity for my rollover Roth and traditional IRAs, and then also savings and checking, and think they're great. I can't offer much in the way of investment-specific advice, but can tell you that they have a lot of commission free ETFs and funds. If you're buying a few large...

Thanks! I'm psyched to take on the MBA. Also, totally know that I'm walking into a crazy amount of work. I just passed the 2nd of 3 Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams in June so I'm hoping that the momentum of doing work outside of work will carry me through. Wouldn't hurt if some of the...

Followup to "Thinking about pulling out of rat race at 32 - - good or bad idea?" Hey all, I had a thread out last October in which I floated the idea of working through 5 years at my company to fully vest in its profit sharing program, and then duck out of the rat race to travel and take on...

Haha I would like to hear that as well. My running joke is that I'll know when I retire what I've decided on as a career.

Wow! You all have really come out of the woodwork to offer up some great thoughts, and I really appreciate it. This type of community is invaluable as this isn’t the type of stuff I’m comfortable talking about with folks at work, or even the friends with whom I have mindless fun. I couldn’t...