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I have some bonds bought at discount in my taxable account. One matured dec 31 but funds not received until Jan 2. At that time the proceeds of the bond and the final interest payment were received. The 1099 does not include the ast interest payment which was not received until this year. It...

Planning a trip to Greece probably about 3-4 weeks. Either May or Sept, shooting for this May if we can make it work. So subject is Greek Isles. We know we are going to Crete. What other islands would you guys suggest or recommend? We love beaches, hiking, sightseeing, history and adventure...

I hold my HSA with TD Ameritrade and HSA Bank. As part of the Schwab TDA merger my account will soon transition to Schwab. Has anyone already done this might have an impression of the HSA experience at Schwab? Also as I write this I am realizing my account at HSA Bank will likely be...

Not sure how many heard the story of amateur golfer Sam Bennett, who became the highest scoring amateur in eighteen years at this year's Masters. Not a big golf fan here nor did I watch but his story is equal parts cautionary and inspiring and has lessons for just about all of us I think. It is...

We are planning a trip to the Mighty Five in May. Plan is to fly in and out of Las Vegas. We are also planning a southern leg to include Monument Valley, Page Az and Mesa Verde. So the planned path is counter-clockwise hitting Zion last. I am sure many of you have done this trip or live nearby...

With the recent rise in interest rates, investors have renewed interest in investing in bond funds, ETF's and bonds. This is the thread to discuss the pros and cons of owning bonds indirectly through funds, ETFs etc. versus owning them directly. While acknowledging there is no single approach...

We are travelling this Christmas and have decided to spend a few days in New Orleans and take advantage of the great weather. We will arrive either New Year's Eve or more likely New Year's Day. Love to have some suggestions from seasoned travellers and locals of places to stay (French Quarter...

We are planning a trip to Hawaii here in a few weeks. Seems like a great time to go from a weather and cost basis. Our prior trips which have been years ago were both in the summer. Anyone travelled to Hawaii during this time recently? Any big differences due to the season, post Covid, etc?

Well, I was planning ankle replacement surgery for September but after a lot of research have decided to put that off for a couple of years. SO, that means we can travel this early fall. Where should we go in Sept/Oct? We are pretty open. We have never been to Europe as a couple. Last fall...

We have large traditional IRA's at about 60 percent of our portfolio. In our early 60s so we do not really have time to make a big dent in those. But we also have large capital gains in the taxable account that im going to need to recognize soon. Holding these until my passing and avoiding the...

It's been an amazing run. WTI and Brent both over $110 today. I bought quite a bit of independent producer stocks and a little integrated and a pipeline over a year ago as an intermediate trade. It could hardly have gone better. Large unrealized LTCGs. More recently I bought some gas...

Saddened that we have lost this memorable singer, actor and showman. -100 million+ records sold "Bat Out of Hell" remains one of the top selling albums of all time -Actor appeared in Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wayne's World and Fight Club...

We were at a really fun microbrew and gourmet pizza place in Dickson, Tenn (charming little town!) on recent travels and DW and I were asked to produce ID when ordering a beer. Now, as much as I'd like to think we look youthful, I assume it is just policy to do so as there are a few colleges...

We are in the process of booking our trip to Vancouver Island, starting Tuesday (Flying to Seattle from DC). We have time at the end of our trip, and are on the fence as to how to spend it. Our last day on Vancouver Island, at this point is Oct 17. I expect we will be back in the US (maybe...

A new college football season has begun at last. Some early trends include a possibly resurgent Pac-12 with UCLA beating LSU, and Oregon shocking Tosu at Columbus, SEC looking pretty strong so far, ACC looking weaker with Clemson's loss to Georgia, UNC shocked by VA Tech, and Florida State's...

Last year we had planned to go to some concerts with friends. Of course the shows were cancelled. Now they are being rescheduled, including Doobie Brothers w Michael McDonald 50th Anniversary Tour and the quasi Chicago tribute band Leonid and Friends. I checked around and my favorite venues...

Cancer finally took him. Cautionary tale for sure, smoked most of his life.

First time jobless claims fell for 2nd week in a row. Claims totalled 787k, well below the 828K forecast and a decline of 19k from last week. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/31/weekly-jobless-claims.html

After raining all day yesterday it just began snowing here in Northern Virginia. Love snow, hope we get some accumulation. Had it been cold enough yesterday we would probably have 1-2 feet. A white Christmas is so nice. Also love White Christmas, the movie. Do people still dream? or dread?

Our icemaker in our Samsung refrigerator stopped working a couple of weeks ago. To my surprise, they covered the repair as "one-time warranty repair". Apparently they have a class action suit on these, though not my particular model. Happy about that. But the repair guy was interesting...

Most of us seem to use some sort of financial system, whether spreadsheets or personal finance software, to keep track of personal business and investments. Our 28 year old son's finances have become interesting enough that I think he would benefit from such a system, and he has expressed a...

I have end stage osteoarthritis in one of my ankles. An ankle replacement is indicated, but the operation is much more challenging than other joints. I understand the success rate is 60-70 percent which seems pretty low. Failed ankle replacements can be redone, but you begin to be on a path...

In the travel planning thread I had asked advice on beach towns to visit in Florida and got some good ideas and advice. I just returned from my solo trip and had a really nice time. The trip was planned for various locations in advance but I did not book ahead and thus was able to make...

***This is tax policy--not a political discussion*** Is anyone positioning for proposed: Loss of basis step-up at death (heirs pay CG tax as if assets sold)? Seems a pretty profound change for FIRE type folks. https://taxfoundation.org/joe-biden-tax-proposals/

Tom Pettys new album, called "Wildflowers and All The Rest" is now being released just days after what would have been his 70th birthday. It sounds like an amazing work, with a ton of new material including songs cut from what was originally planned as a double album when released originally...