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  1. big-papa

    Vanguard, Fidelity or Schwab?

    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...
  2. big-papa

    Vanguard, Fidelity or Schwab?

    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...
  3. big-papa

    Texas Teacher Retirement/other options?

    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...
  4. big-papa

    I Bonds...splitting the difference.

    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...
  5. big-papa

    Poll: How Many Scam Cold Calls Do You Get Per Day?

    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.
  6. big-papa

    After I'm Gone

    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...
  7. big-papa

    After I'm Gone

    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...
  8. big-papa

    Walmart limit one Sodastream cartridge per day

    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...
  9. big-papa

    Anyone else NOT watch the news?

    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...
  10. big-papa

    International Investing....why?

    I was fortunate because I was able to have all my international funds in my IRA... Cheers.
  11. big-papa

    Callable Bonds & CDs being called

    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.
  12. big-papa

    So grateful for the ACA

    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...
  13. big-papa

    So grateful for the ACA

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

    So grateful for the ACA

    There were plans around. They required underwriting and were extremely expensive.
  15. big-papa

    So grateful for the ACA

    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...
  16. big-papa

    Fidelity 401k is sneaky... Work around

    Agree - it's a big haul from 2.7% to something around 5%, which is where most all of the MM's play today... Cheers.
  17. big-papa

    Need to limit my account viewing.

    I look at my account daily, primarily during my "me time" in the early morning hours before anybody else is awake. Look at data, update spreadsheet, and then move on to something else. Merely looking isn't a bad thing unless you're prone to make decisions based on what you just saw or if you...
  18. big-papa

    Fidelity 401k is sneaky... Work around

    Anyway, outside of our questions on what you mean by 3% difference, what you describe is pretty common in 401K's that I've had. My current one from my former employer has 2 competing funds, both by Vanguard: One is a MM fund and the other is a stable value fund, and these have the 90 day...
  19. big-papa

    Fidelity Instead...

    I've been DIY'ing since Day 1 and except when various 401K's, deferred compensation, and HSA's were held elsewhere due to my employers' choices, I've pretty much always been at Fidelity. Retired now and everything has been moved to Fidelity. They probably don't like me all that much. Except...
  20. big-papa

    Est tax calculator?

    I've been using this one for years while working in order to get my withholdings optimized. It's linked on the bogleheads page shown above. https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Tools_and_calculators#Personal_finance_toolbox Will continue to use it going forward now that I'm retired. Cheers.
  21. big-papa

    Fidelity 401k is sneaky... Work around

    At Fidelity SPAXX, SPRXX and FZDXX are all around 5% as you noted. At Vanguard VMRXX, VMFXX, and VUSXX are all around 5.3% Most of the difference between Fidelity and Vanguard's MM funds are mainly due to higher e/r's at Fidelity. Perhaps the OP meant 0.3% instead of 3%? Cheers.
  22. big-papa

    Croatia advice?

    Split is great as are some of the other nearby coastal towns. Consider Krka National Park on your list - the waterfalls are phenomenal... Cheers.
  23. big-papa

    My Recent Calcium CT Scan

    Anywhere from $50-$90 around here. Cheers
  24. big-papa

    What kind of stock/bond mix you looking at in retirement?

    I started retirement at around 60/40, but that doesn't really tell the story. The "40" that I started with is actually a TIPS ladder and I won't rebalance between it and stocks. So it will drift where ever it drifts because it doesn't matter what its market value is at any given time since...
  25. big-papa

    My Recent Calcium CT Scan

    This! Thank you. Pretty much the same experience as me. When I first had the test, the cardiologist I went to told me that the test is really only good as a one-time thing and that there is little value in repeating the test unless you tested at 0. Lowering the calcium score isn't the goal -...
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