Recent content by Options

Good catch! Let me add Silent Generation to those I am grateful to.

I am one boomer who will be forever grateful for the many sacrifices and gifts left by your generation (named "The Greatest Generation" for good reason) for all those that followed: https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Generation-Tom-Brokaw/dp/0812975294 Of course, I had to be born into the "Me...

+1 Student Loans and Older Americans

What you describe has been called the "leapfrog" technique and has been discussed extensively in the BH forum and also by Michael Kitces. It's not at all that hard, but if you're going to do it, you must be careful to do it correctly (don't want those nasty IRS people nullifying your efforts)...

My retirement spending is approx the same every year based on a budget well in advance, with some categories turning somewhat deflationary. The deflation is offset by spending more in other categories, such as paying for dinner when going out with my FPITW (favorite people in the world...

Thanks for this post. I actually only paid about $28 for TA for fed/state as I pre-ordered, but have been considering FreeTaxUSA. Only thing that has held me back is I can't find enough reviews from users. I for one would very much appreciate your posting an update review of FTU after you've...

Better yet, you could use the "leapfrog method" wherein you convert at the beginning of the year, then convert again later in the year as the market falls. Then you reconvert the "losers" at the end of the year (or up until October of the following year after filing for a tax extension). I've...

+1 First year, I had to manually input large carryover losses which I took from prior year's taxes completed by accountant. Did the same after moving from TT to TA. Thereafter, carryover losses were automatically included each year when importing prior year's taxes in TA. I refuse to pay...

When I wrote earlier that boomers should really get out of the way, I was not referring to those who add value in the workforce, but instead to those boomers with antiquated thinking systems. I find it pathetic/hypocritical when any boomer, one from the very generation that crooned "I hope I...

It's happening now: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-06/older-americans-are-retiring-in-droves

Emphasis added Brilliant! $646 total taxes on $263K in conversions. Sweet. This also means by age 70 fully 85% of your PF will be tax-free while simultaneously shielded from the negative impact of future tax reform (except perhaps for forced RMD's on roths at 70, which is a reform...

Yes, I posted that $2 of every $3 is in taxable, so my strategy works for me. You don't have to convert a substantial portion of your IRA to roth, but again, if you don't find it worth your time, then that's that. Good for you for feeling you've won the game.:)

Emphasis added This not correct and is a misleading statement to make. People tend to make generalized statements when they are unwilling to do the hard work to educate themselves. Particularly in a forum such as this, it's a good idea to refrain from making implications based on conjecture or...

Allan Roth has stated that investing is easy but tax management is hard. If I found it not worth my time, I definitely wouldn't do it, either. Yes, I found it hard at first (when I was planning out tax management to end of PF life), but don't at all anymore. Takes about 15 minutes a year now...

Interesting. I used TT before TA and I don't recall it being more user-friendly. I actually find TA to be user friendly and very easy to understand. The price doesn't hurt, either.