Recent content by big-papa

If I had a Vanguard fund that I was moving over to Fidelity, I'd probably do a conversion to their equivalent ETF first and then move it in-kind. No taxes, no commissions, no fees. Of course, not all of Vanguard's funds have this option. And there are a lot of people who don't prefer ETFs...

I learned a lot from Dr. Bill at the beginning. But I've learned a lot more by everything else I've read and by my own studying and have moved away from much of what he's written about. Or at least not take it quite so literally. - It is correct that the number of positions matter - but only...

Not a teacher, so everything associated with that is outside of my personal experience. I am, however, originally from Louisiana and most of my extended family is still there. Like you, I also live in TX, having just retired after a multi-decade career here. We're starting to think about where...

We already loaded up our 2024 TIPS, including the $5K via tax return, all with 1.3% fixed rate. We do have some 0% fixed I-bonds, but when I go through the math (in real, not nominal terms) I only see one or two that are worth selling and purchasing at a higher yield. A lot of assumptions go...

SPAM blockers on the mobile phone catch about 99% of them. After years of not answering the phone, our landline (really a VOIP with our multi-decade old landline number), is max 1 per day.

Yeah, I hear ya. Only my last employer before retirement had an HSA-eligible healthcare plan. So the amount I could invest over the years was limited. Now, I've kept all receipts, but honestly I can't imagine going back through all of those and reimbursing ourselves for them. Reimbursing...

I have an "if I go first" document for my wife. I did it in powerpoint form for easy reading. Outside of the pages of "what is where" and "who to contact", the salient points are 1. Hire an accountant for taxes. I do them myself today and she's there to review it all with me before I file...

Yes. And there are others that provide the same thing. We use sodasense. They start you off with 3 cannisters, so when 2 are empty, you send the empties back in the box they provide, with the label they provide. Pretty much as soon as the post office scans the label, sodasense starts the...

For a large portion of my life, I watched the evening news - both national and local. In fact, our TIVO still records both every night, and deletes each after 5 days. It's been years, though, since we've actually watched. I tend to want to know what I want to know instantly and prefer to read...

I was fortunate because I was able to have all my international funds in my IRA... Cheers.

I never directly hold a callable security regardless of where interest rates are going. I have indirectly held them in Muni bond funds and an ultrashort bond fund I currently hold has some underlying bonds that are callable. Cheers.

I believe it. There are so many variables involved like one's MAGI, the plans actually available in your area and their coverage area, as well as in-network providers. I spent several weeks at the end of last year comparing ACA plans against each other as well as comparing to staying on COBRA...

Yep, that was the experience of many of my colleagues who retired before ACA showed up and before they were eligible for medicare.

There were plans around. They required underwriting and were extremely expensive.

I would say likewise, at least here in TX. I was on an ACA Marketplace plan its first year as I was between jobs. Of course the rollout of the website was legendary, but the plan I chose was OK, but not great. It was a PPO plan, but those have gone the way of the dodo bird at least in the...