Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
@rono- Not to worry! While your state government may be a little "iffy" right now the folks in DC are on top of everything and will compensate for any local problems.
In other news, I'm feeling much better on the new meds and they gave me a pass ou…
@MikeM- If I'm reading Anna correctly, she seems to be extrapolating on my observation that an HSA is an advantage only under very limited conditions.
First, if you don't have a pretty decent income to start with, it seems unlikely that you are goi…
Just one quote from DM's Washington Post link:
“What if 30 percent of the public had Health Savings Accounts?” said Paul. “What do you do when you use your own money? You call up doctors and ask the price"
"Hello, my foot is swollen and it really hu…
My own impression was that the Rand Paul $5000 HSA tax credit would be fine for those who had a spare $5000 handy to put into an HSA every year. I suspect that many of the lower-income people most in need of help with medical care wouldn't get much …
A very good opinion piece by Republican commentator Peggy Noonan. Dated two weeks ago, it's a shame that no one listened.
Reach Across the Aisle, Mr. President For health-care reform to succeed, it requires buy-in and compromise from both parties.
@Derf- A mutual decision re S/S and one bowl. (Mutual, with my wife having the deciding vote, since she does most of the work in that area.) Once she had given me her general preferences I then tried to find the best quality/best price. I realize th…
@PRESSmUP- Just been there and done that. If you haven't yet purchased your new sink, we found this one to be very high quality 16 guage S/S (nothing like the crap at Home Depot or Lowes), and at a price that no one could match locally. We've used i…
@catch22- re: "The "annual deductible", and a question. Is the deductible a dollar amount you have to pay to fill a deductible payment gap"
Yes, it is, but I have no idea what the formula might be that establishes the deductible amount.
Hi @PopTart- We use Schwab, and I frequently use their site to follow up on suggestions made here on MFO. I've noticed quite a few waived loads, but not always. Hard to predict. Like most here, I won't touch a load fund any more, although our very e…
@Derf- As I mentioned, this Medicare Advantage (MA) situation just started in January, and I haven't yet enough experience to compare it to the previous plan. That previous setup had Medicare pay up front (with the annual deductible), and then Unite…
And I'll just bet that "flood of used cars" is in really top condition, because the people who didn't intend to pay for them took really good care of them.
Not certain if this info will help but beginning this year the SF retirement system changed the setup, leaving only two choices: Kaiser, or a United Health MA.
With respect to United Health, previously it was available as a secondary insurance to M…
@catch22- Hi there, catch! Yes, we still pay the regular SS deduction plus the additional premiums that I just noted in an add to my comments above. I say "we" because my wife and I both have individual SF retirement plans, as we were both city empl…
Not certain if this info will help but beginning this year the SF retirement system changed the setup, leaving only two choices: Kaiser, or a United Health MA.
With respect to United Health, previously it was available as a secondary insurance to M…
>> Part C plans are ... run by for-profit companies / You are mistaken here, I believe.
You are both correct, to an extent:
"Medicare Advantage plans are sometimes referred to as Medicare Part C. They are Medicare-approved private health i…
Top four, because 2, 3 & 4 are so close:
American Funds New Economy Fund / ANEFX / 10.7%
IShares Minimum Volatility USA / USMV / 7.5%
American Funds Smallcap World Fund / SMCWX / 7.4%
American Funds American Balanced Fund / ABALX / 7.3%
"So, essentially, because Bannon’s father made a bad, hurried financial decision based on watching TV, we now have to slash Meals on Wheels, Big Bird, the arts, after-school programs, health insurance, immigration from Muslim countries, climate-chan…
From the article under discussion: "No White House official has more influence on a wider portfolio of issues than Steve Bannon."
"There were many factors that turned Steve Bannon into a divisive political firebrand. But his decision to embrace “ec…
"Tell us how exactly your investment plans will be adjusted/altered based upon what you gleaned from this article."
@Flack- I've significantly increased our cash position because of concerns over the increasing instability and unpredictability of o…
@Sven- They had eight years to think about all of this. Doesn't seem to have helped much. John Boehner is just sitting out there laughing, and I'm sure very happy that he no longer has to deal with all of this ignorance and stupidity. It's not herdi…
@Flack: If you had read the article under discussion you would be aware that it describes how the perspective of a very influential White House adviser was formed by his father's financial losses in the 2008 recession.
Those losses were incurred be…
I'm guessing that VF is looking for a situation where funds may attempt to protect a bit on the downside by shifting from 100% invested to a lesser amount if they suspect that trouble is immanent.
Yes, he could attempt to do that juggling act himse…
I read that article over in the WSJ and was equally appalled. So now we have Bannon & Breitbart "leading" us who knows where because AT&T went down in 2008?
Pitiful, yes. Comical, no. Insanity!!
"This is not the first article where I've read that ACA experts feel the 3:1 (old vs. young) cap on pricing is too narrow. Something to keep in mind when you read that the AHCA would expand the cap to 5:1. One can debate how big that expansion shoul…
Lewis- surely you're not suggesting that we may have yet another "mole"? Goodness, right after "Dex", "Dan Hardy", "Mary Kay" and "Sandra Wisdom"! How exciting!
