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msf

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  • In a taxable account, one would amortize the premium over the life of the bond, so that the net taxable interest would be the same on either bond. This amortization is optional on taxable bonds, mandatory on muni bonds. This amortization helps re…
  • I believe this is what you're referring to: https://www.chron.com/business/enron/article/Enron-executives-may-lose-lawsuits-but-not-all-2070656.php As far as OJ is concerned, Collections attorneys who have experience know how to use the Florida Uni…
  • If the rate is high for twelve months (you're getting a blended 12 month rate of around 8.4%), then the penalty is almost meaningless. Hold the savings bond for 15 months and you get that 8.4% for 15 months instead of 12, which is still around 6.7…
  • Can you say "tobacco"? Unfortunately, no surprise here.
  • I've never figured out how much umbrella insurance to buy. Two rules of thumb I've heard are: - Buy as much as you have assets to protect; and - Buy as much as you can afford. Neither makes much sense. The first because a plaintiff can go a…
  • Why would that matter? In any case, the point is that FossilFreeFunds does not "by definition" exclude any firm that is not exclusively in solar, wind, geothermal, etc. This looks like a straw man. Where did this come from? And why just US? So …
  • I do see that ETRADE has it LOAD WAIVED. The Institutional version is $1M Min. Any takers? Schwab sells EVDIX with a $2500 min and a $49.95 TF. https://www.schwab.com/research/mutual-funds/quotes/fees/evdix Alternatively, if Schwab accepts a …
  • most of the protections carryover from 401k/403b to such Rollover T-IRAs Unless a debtor files for bankruptcy, rollovers receive no protection under the Bankruptcy Abuse Protection and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA). Seems self-evident. Outsid…
  • You forgot the best part - one doesn't have to invest all $3K at once. One can add to the certificate so long as the total amount doesn't exceed $3K. Worst part (aside from having to qualify as an NFCU member)? One must set up direct deposit of …
  • I think this approach makes more sense than relying only on an index of "clean energy companies" that by definition excludes any firm that is not exclusively in solar, wind, geothermal etc Fossil Free Funds does not exclude sizeable utilities that …
  • FRNW has virtually the same carbon footprint as ICLN: 354 vs 358. Still off the chart. https://fossilfreefunds.org/fund/fidelity-clean-energy-etf/FRNW/carbon-footprint/FS0000GZWZ/F00001AEZV FRNW does invest a smaller percentage of its portfolio …
  • As with star ratings or any other magic numbers, one needs look behind the numbers to better understand what they represent. Somewhat like SRI funds that set very stringent de minimis thresholds on investing in "bad" companies, the sites I sugge…
  • And all of the funds we bought get horrible grades from the site recommended by msf. ... CSGZX ha[s] held up reasonably well from our purchase[] in July CSGZX is 'A' rated on fossil fuels, is scored a 17 on carbon footprint and a 35 on carbon int…
  • Yes, I agree with you to this point about primary housing. We've not held individual U.S. gov't bonds in a taxable account; but I recall the ordinary dividends (paid two times a year?) are taxable at a Federal level annually, but not at the state an…
    in I bonds Comment by msf January 2023
  • If a fund has a $100,000 minimum, is it OK if you invest with this amount and shortly afterwards, remove a large portion of the initial sum while maintaining the rest of the investment? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what the fund requires for a …
  • I did a little poking around when doing a writeup on ESG investing. Criteria and metrics are all over the map, so one needs to take care and understand the underlying methodology in looking at any scorecard. With all that said, a site I found us…
  • Elon Musk is doing his best to make Cathie Wood look good. Both in 2022 and now in 2023.
    in TSLA Comment by msf January 2023
  • There seem to be several "mostly closed" funds that are listed as open at E*Trade. Closed funds often have a loophole - that you can open a new account if you are investing through an advisor who already has money with the fund. (Another common …
  • RPHYX/RPHIX still managed to return below 3% for the year, as compared to a few banks/CUs that pay above 4% This is an apples to oranges comparison, comparing past one year return for RPHYX with the current APY on MMAs. A retrospective comparison…
  • Anybody buying this year? Seems like a no brainer Are you all in? One can overpay one's taxes by $5K by making an estimated payment on or before January 17th. That enables you to buy an extra $5K in savings bonds with the refund, though they wil…
    in I bonds Comment by msf January 2023
  • They settle on a relatively consistent, usually conservative monthly distribution early in the year, with the result that most years, there's excess income to distribute at the end of the year. This is by design. Many CEFs including PDI have a m…
  • Thank you Lewis. I had related thoughts. That wondering about how much the US has to do itself to protect the US carries with it the idea that every other country has to likewise act on its own to protect its own self interests only. From an e…
  • But it seems to me that the US needs to intensively examine what critical resources we are presently importing from potential enemies (ie: precursor drug ingredients) that could also be manufactured or sourced here, or from a friendly alternate back…
  • There are many different issues and concepts mixed in here. All worth discussing, but not a simple question. I'll just try to identify some of what's in the mix. Way too much to go into detail in a post of this type. Supply chain concerns - lo…
  • Pimco filed its latest report with the SEC just two weeks ago (Dec 8, 2022). That's almost surely as current as there is. That's the date of the data on M*'s page, and it's the date of the individual holdings in the holdings report on Pimco's Inc…
  • Here's KPMG's description of every section of Secure Act 2.0 that made it into the omnibus bill (19 pages). https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/us/pdf/2022/12/tnf-secure-act-section-by-section-dec20-2022.pdf Full text of bill: https://www.appropria…
  • Medicare beneficiaries with an IRMAA who meet certain criteria can request that we make a new initial determination of their IRMAA. NOTE: The original IRMAA decision takes effect and continues until we make a new initial determination. If we make a…
  • Even at the highest IRMAA, the Medicare premiums are subsidized. The basic Medicare premium is really a great deal, but we do pay for it partially via payroll taxes. The Medicare premium is applied to Part B coverage (care providers) only. As you…
  • HAINX did well with Castegren, but after he was gone, Harbor stuck with Northern Cross for another seven years (2011 - 2018). Harbor wasn't quick to pull the trigger here, as outflows and poor returns piled up. The firm was axed from the fund foll…
  • OK, then. And they sent us a credit card we NEVER have used A Fidelity 2% cash back credit card requires you to have a Fidelity account to redeem that 2%. The WF card doesn't come with a similar requirement. I guess WF figures that once it's g…
  • CIted WSJ column: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mutual-funds-professor-is-blunt-with-the-criticism-1415048456 Indexing as in index funds or as in constructing a market (or segment) index? Total market index funds typically sample and I suspect m…
  • There's a VA clone of DFAT that oddly has performed about 2% better YTD (-5.24% vs. -7.26%), 3⅔% better (annualized) over three years (11.73% vs 9.08%), 1⅔% better over five years (7.59% vs 5.90%), and 3/4% better over ten years (11.26% vs. 10.44%).…
    in Mid & Small Comment by msf December 2022
  • In the current negotiations, the NewsGuild is demanding a wage increase averaging 5.25 percent a year over four years.... According to the union, the Times’ latest wage offer comes to 2.875 per year... Meanwhile, the Times raised paper subscription …
  • That was a quote from the FDIC. Brokered CDs are securities, so if you held them in a brokerage that went belly-up, they'd be handled by the SIPC the same as MMF shares, or TSLA stock. Lewis provided a link explaining this in a post above.
  • If we're talking about old times and good friends, it used to be that "You have a friend at Chase Manhattan." Bankers Trust responded to Chase's ad campaign: IF YOU WANT A FRIEND GO BUY A DOG. YOU’LL FIND A BANKER AT BANKERS TRUST. https://www.c…
  • The average rate on money-market and savings accounts at the five largest banks nearly tripled in the third quarter from where it was in the second Trippled, wow. BofA's base savings account rate went up from 0.01% all the way up to ... 0.1%. W…
  • You're not going to sucker me into going through SIPC vs FDIC again :-) (See thread on sweep accounts). Suffice to say that brokered CDs are actually securities and thus theft of CDs would be covered by SIPC. The value of the CDs themselves is…
  • Surprisingly, I found the (relatively short) document interesting. Initially what caught my eye was that the Harbor HY Bond Fund (HYFIX / HYFAX / HYFRX / HNHYX) is being merged into Harbor Scientific Alpha High-Yield ETF (SIHY). Oooh, not just a…
  • Perhaps you should "Think" about that? https://www.tdameritrade.com/tools-and-platforms/thinkorswim.html
  • conversely, if issue price is more than 100, the YTM will be lower than the advertised yield. Exactly. Same as with a bond. Note that if you buy a CD on the secondary market at a premium (price over 100), the excess amount is not insured. Ho…