Search results

I get your frustration & you may not be really asking for detail, but...you might get better clarity if you ask about specific funds. Your title mentioned TIPS, but your text only referenced bond funds. & equities is also a broad term. Think about what really impacts the NAV of a bond fund &...

Not an expert by any definition, but I do know there is a difference between pre-planned, pre-paid, burial/funeral insurance, & I'm sure more. The insurance/annuity business tout untold variations; which can also be impacted by state law. That coupled with people being uneasy about funerals &/or...

An additional consideration is the tax implications of the growth of the $s. Other info would be needed to make a more definitive compare, but remember an annuity may be a product for converting qualified dividends & long term capital gains into ordinary income. Funds available inside an annuity...

1st, there may be a few approaches to finding a fee only advisor. The Napfa (National Assoc of Personal Financial Advisors) can provide you with some based on your zip, etc. Resources for references might be who does your taxes, wills, insurance, banking, even Nextdoor app. Sounds like a good...

Did he perhaps have about $3000 withheld & put into a 401k (box 12 code d)? My 1st thought & an oversight of mine in earlier post.

I believe if you file the ssa will look at see which is greater -- spousal or if you applied starting now. If spousal is less, then you wouldn't get spousal but would start on your own record.

With any luck, cathy will weigh in on this as I'm not fully confident in my understanding. I believe the most common case is for Box 3 and Box 7 to add up to Box 1, with Box 7 being the 'reported' tips & Box 3 being perhaps wages earned on a per hour basis. The ss withholding is based on Box 1...

Total & sp500 both will have about 30% +/- in the same top ten holdings, depending upon performance, et al. They may adjust companies at different times. Recency bias skews toward mega cap growth & thus a few companies drive most of the result

doesn't solve your situation, but I think this is foreign tax paid, not 199a. As you said, you only have a 'predicted' irmaa level now, so maybe you'll edge by. With irmaa, a dollar short isn't a bad thing

To me there seems to be one clear explanation for the Vanguard "no-nos" mentioned: they are a mutual company. There is a cost involved in each of these & the question becomes who bears the cost? Or more directly, how much are you willing to pay someone for these to be offered? Competition feeds...

Just to be clear, it isn't just gain from death until sold, it is ongoing gain that results from what is done with the $s assuming they are invested in some way. If you were near the top of a bracket, the incremental income might nudge you over. Sounds as if it doesn't apply here, but many...

There is math supporting this, but I believe also some assumptions that may get overlooked. Outside pristine study environment, it is more of a guide than a quantified prediction. I didn’t take the time to look up & confirm, but expect someone else might if they think I misspeak. 1st is the...

1st post you ask 2 questions: (1) “can” rates go up? My answer is ‘of course’ & list of reasons wouldn’t be short. That list depending upon what I’m mentioning in #2; (2) “will” rates go “much higher”? To really answer that there needs more clarity on 3 parts: (a) which rates? (b) over what time...

Zeros are not the only instance of bonds being issued at other than par. Also, there are some different rules for munis than corporates. In general I think the coupon rate is set more by art than science. Issuing entity wants to pay the least, but underwriter has to make sure it is high enough...

Anyone interested in VIG? Not as concentrated & does prioritize growth of dividend over time (vs higher dividend now). That choice will likely (imho) determine much of the difference in future returns if you factor expenses in

A full answer to this would be quite lengthy & complicated. At a high level, one could say it works very much like stocks in that the price is set between a buyer & a seller. But for bonds, the process isn’t as standard to get there & that is one reason you’ll see mixed replies. You might start...

tl;dr version -- I was mildly curious enough to ask for more, but not so much that I'll continue. As in my 1st post, I'm not following relevance of the topic. Appreciated your reply & didn't want to leave hanging. So, here's full version.... Not sure I can ask any clearer. Restating after...

Could you expand on the difference reducing? May not match the 2 funds OP has, but data was easier for me to get for treasuries. Looked at a 10 year from 5 years ago. So, it was at 3.12% -- coupon rate to stay the same for life of bond. Today, 5 years later, the 5 year is at 4.8% (thinking of...

May seem like a small thing, but just as an illustration, apply it to immediately preceding post where you are looking at the one specific example. The 'no conversion' scenario for the $12k was calculated at $43671 (I didn't check, but assume it matches explanation). That was based on the...

Not sure of relevance. Note the turnover of each fund. I know this is counter to much of what is said on this board, but funds don't usually hold to maturity -- they buy/sell to match benchmark as bonds age. Assuming you are reinvesting in your retirement account, if rates go up & prices...

Be sure to consider the difference your personal situation brings & difference in tax laws between taxable & tax deferred. For example, consider your asset allocation. What if you have a $1m taxable & a $1m tira with a 60/40 split….& implemented as tira with $800k bonds & $200k stocks. Taxable...

A couple of considerations...Is the check made out to your wife (that is, beneficiary of IRA)? If not, it could still be a trustee to trustee transfer on a 60 day clock. Is it possible that this represents a RMD made for your MIL in 2023? Often the case, that the current year RMD will be taken...

I've not read the entire thread, but feel as if I've seen the discussion many times before! The rigor one puts in determines the accuracy. I have yet to see in the thread an approach that wasn't filled with holes, inaccuracies, etc. Each introduce imprecision. Most end up showing the comparison...

Are you considering the entire 40 year span? Once RMDs begin for one but not the other, it would seem that whether the good years were before or after that would have a bearing. Especially since the taxable accounts aren't being considered in most of the discussions. I think it goes past that...

I'm not sure if this is a math thing or not, as I'm having some trouble eyeballing this. It would help me if you took a year -- say year 10 -- & show the 2 equations with specific numbers to get to the 2 RMDs. I started looking out at age 100 & somehow I'm not getting it. Re: including RMDs...I...