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@msf
Similarly, we received shares of Prudential when it demutualized. The tax basis wasn't clear, but it really seemed what you said: 0.
So we contributed the shares to Fidelity Charitable Trust and were able to deduct the full values as a charitab…
People say "Someday I'll do ...."
Today, 9/10/19, is Sumday --- 9 + 10 = 19.
So lots of things that have been put off should have gotten done today.
David (the math prof)
Nice job. David is precise, unhurried, polite, knowledgeable and trustworthy. (I sound like I'm writing a letter of recommendation for one of my own students!)
David, did you know ahead of time which funds Chuck would ask you about, or were your res…
A classic example showing how legislators can be "influenced" by campaign contributions, to the detriment of their constituents.
Some years ago, I realized how much I was paying in M&E fees to my 403b provider, so I switched to Fidelity. Some r…
This is a really interesting question, but this article is a disappointing quasi-answer. Ben and Christine spend too much time talking about low-probability situations and muddying the whole issue.
I think the final conclusion is
"ETFs .... tend t…
Agreed, the markets have risen nicely this year.
But the widely-quoted rise in the markets since January 1 forgets about the steep drop in December. So we're working off a low base.
If we include the downs and ups, the past 12 months total return f…
Maybe it's the reverse -- the market got the President's message.
If I were a cynic, I might believe that Trump (and friends and family) sold the market short or bought some inverse funds or ETFs, then tweeted about ramping up the tariff wars.
Giv…
Question 4 is completely different from 1, 2 3 -- it depends upon knowing the definition of the term "interest capitalization". I would not have been able to define the term, but I'd have answered the question correctly because of the way the answer…
How frequently is the $50 paid?
Schwab should show the rate of return to maturity.
Call them and ask.
(I had to go through this procedure with Fidelity and their fixed-income person was very helpful.)
David
My best wishes for those of you in the winter storm deep freeze; it's only going a little below freezing here in Southeast Georgia.
I'm sipping Glenlivet 15 to warm my innards.
David
I love this thread!
My Mom and Dad always drank Evan Williams bourbon for "the social hour". He bought it by the case. He passed away just three years ago, at age 98. I recently finished off the last bottle from his cupboard.
But Dad also loved a go…
Right, Hank. The RMD is established at midnight, Dec 31, by the value of your IRA and your age.
It does not change during the year.
I wonder what the author of the statement was thinking about?
David
I suspect it''s possible to increase one's taxable income enough (with your RMD or windfall or big mutual fund distributions) to bump up the IRMAA surcharges on your (and your spouses) Medicare premiums without moving up to the next tax bracket.
Da…
As MSF points out, capital gains is really not a big deal. What matters is your tax bracket and when do you take your second RMD?
If you wait to take the second half of this first RMD in 2019 AND you take your second RMD in 2019, it might increase …
The way Morningstar phrases these factors:
"The Canadian banks are also more geographically diverse on average than, for example, most U.S. regional banks, which are often concentrated within states or local economies. This diversifies credit risk, …
Pay careful attention to the price you pay and the commission you pay. Just making up numbers here, but it might be the case that you pay $1050 for a bond which will pay you $1000 on 2/1/2020 (so you have a capital loss of $50).
Even though the cou…
It seems that many of these type of bankruptcies happen after somebody takes over and assumes an impossible debt load, while taking money out of the company and selling off assets (Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliances, for instance).
I don't know…
Most significantly
"Gundlach told Reuters he was still forecasting 6 percent on the 10-year yield by the next presidential election or a year after."
That will be bad for stocks, funds and the economy.
David
The author of the article says "A new study nevertheless finds that early claiming leads to a significant increase in the number of retirees living in poverty."
But the study itself says "upon taking all income sources into account, they found that…
The only thing more frustrating than waiting for days as a hurricane creeps toward you is waiting for days with such uncertainty -- Florence was scheduled to hit land tonight and now nobody quite knows where/when it will do damage. We have a condo o…
Excellent article and reminder of that crucial period.
Especially note Paulson's two-pronged warning at the end: "it is important to begin to address a fiscal deficit that threatens our long-term economic security ...... income disparity, driven by…
I would add Commandment #11 -- Exercise.
Perhaps that should be #1.
(I'll grant that the focus of the article's "comfortable" retirement was financial issues. But not much else matters without good health.)
David
The author seems to have a different notion of risk aversion than I would, especially when he equates financial decisions with sports choices, or draws any conclusion about a $10 gain/loss.
What I'd consider as risk aversion, he dismisses as rationa…
A postscript.
Like many on this board, my parents were of the Greatest Generation. They grew up in the Depression, raised a family, lived full lives. My grandmother, who immigrated from Scotland at age 8, was a firm believer in education (and in t…
I believe that my folks had a plain vanilla living trust, revocable up to the moment she died (I had encouraged my Dad to revoke it). Her half of their assets received the step-up basis then. But they grew and that step-up had been used up.
Perhap…
I have had no problems with Morningstar. Maybe it depends upon the browser -- I use Safari and Firefox on my Mac. No problems accessing or navigating.
Let me throw in a good word about Morningstar.
A few months ago, they redid their front page, p…
Personal example (and an argument against establishing a living trust).
My parents established a living trust and transferred all of their assets into it (pain!!). My Mom passed away first. Half of those assets then went into "Trust B" (all in a br…
Interesting -- Number 11 INVESTMENT-GRADE YIELDS has been well above 2% since 2009 (except for a recent brief dip below). That's a long time to be indicating a recession which still doesn't seem to be imminent.
David
It's not really germane to the point of the story, but SCANA is a regulated electric utility and natural gas company based in South Carolina. (The "SC" is pretty much a dead giveaway.)
How did the Fortune authors get it wrong? The second author, an…
I've used Fidelity for decades and have only been in a physical office one time (when I was on vacation, just to actually to see what it was like). Fidelity is so professional, knowledgeable and helpful and offers many services (many of which I neve…
The etf.com article is the best explanation I've seen of what AMZA does.
That's a very scary yield. If it's doable without the chance that I'll lose my shirt tomorrow, why aren't others also doing it? And why doesn't the price per share rise to mak…
Art Cashin is still talking about "testing the lows" . In fact, he seems to be bemoaning that we haven't done that. It looks more likely that we'll retest those January highs. The NASDAQ has already recouped its losses. I think the Dow has 900 point…
While I was at the Abbott and Costello place on You Tube, I watched their "Who's on First" skit once again. I'm still laughing. I should've gone there the day the Dow dropped a thousand points: "I don't care". "Third base."
@msf Thanks for the information. Sad to say, the representative I talked to on the phone didn't seem to know much, or wouldn't commit to much.
You're probably right about collecting fees to the last second. And charging the liquidation expenses to …
