Elaine, thank you for this post. I know it's been an awfully tough year for you, so your continuing efforts for HD are especially appreciated. When I visit HD, I first read Jonathan's brief nugget (in the middle under "Get Educated"). It sort of screws my head on right as I begin the day. And it's a nice reminder of his continuing presence here. Andrew
Andrew, This is a beautiful, insightful piece. Jonathan helped so many of us, and in so many different ways. I've described before how much he taught me about clean, straightforward writing, with no unnecessary verbiage. Having my articles edited by him was a privilege and a unique learning experience. Another aspect you mention that has really stayed with me was his unflinching, pragmatic, and selfless attitude in the face of death. I especially remember the humor you highlight. I'm paraphrasing here, but I recall his saying, as he tidied up all the finances to make things easier for Elaine and his kids, "I never realized dying was so much work!" Another time I saw a video of a panel he was on and he referenced the title of his long time WSJ column, "Getting Going." He said if he were writing it now, it would better be titled, "Getting Gone." Jonathan was a treasure. Thank you for maintaining his legacy. Andrew
Hi, Bill, and thanks for your kind reply. You're right that we live in Texas and so the surviving spouse should benefit from a stepped up basis. I wasn't even aware of "community property survivorship agreements" till reading your post. It looks like they allow probate to be bypassed for the properties they cover. I think our estates will go through probate in any event, but in Texas, as along as you have a will, the probate process is usually pretty straightforward. You said your main goal in turning off dividend reinvestment for that holding was to simplify cost basis records. I likewise have some mutual funds acquired decades ago for which I had to burn a weekend manually calculating the adjusted basis after including all the many dividend and capital gains that were reinvested. Once that chore was completed, I turned off reinvestment as I never wanted to re-figure those laboriously acquired bases!But let me ask: As to the investment for which you wanted to simplify the cost basis record, you indicated it is new. Since in more recent years brokerage firms maintain and recalculate basis for us, what complications are you concerned with?Thanks as always for your expertise,Andrew
The sky high stock market, especially as to tech stocks, combined with the current elevated interest rates, have increased my desire for a little rebalancing. We happen to have a large portion of our domestic equity allocation in taxable accounts, and have held the postions for decades. So any sales in order to rebalance would come with a hefty capital gains tax bill. I recently took one step, which, while very modest, does avoid the tax problem. I turned off dividend reinvestment for VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market), and a couple of other tech heavy ETFs, VGT (Vanguard Technology) and SCHB (Schwab Broad Market). As future dividends are paid out in cash, I'll probably roll it into money market funds rather than bonds. The MM interest rates are favorable--and probably getting better judging by the Fed's current attitude--and I'm still a little gun shy on bonds given recent experience.
Olin, thanks for the suggestion. I like email because it's fast, easy (and free). My experience has been that if they're going to reply to your email, it'll happen within a day or two. If no response by then, and it's something you're really fired up about, following up with the certified letter could be a good move.
Jeff, good point about the social media approach. I haven't tried it recently, but years ago I was having a huge hassle with Blue Cross / Blue Shield. They were completely nonresponsive and unhelpful. I decided to post on their Facebook page to get their attention and put it out in public. It worked and they finally responded to me. That said, if you go that route, I'd be very careful that you're accurately stating the facts (and can prove it if necessary). Once you've said it in public, if they claim it's false, you could have libel problems.
Mark, Maybe Suzie's already done this, but if not there's one last option she might consider. When regular channels prove fruitless, I'll scour the web for the email address of the CEO of the company in question. A website called www.ceoemail.com might help (scroll down and there's a link for UK companies). Or, if you can at least find the email address protocol for the company, e.g. "John.Smith@ABCCorp.com," you can make a good guess. If you're unsure whether to, say, include a middle initial, send the email both ways. The one that doesn't bounce back is probably correct. Write an email to the CEO. On occasion I've had the CEO him/herself answer, but usually it's someone from the "Executive Escalations" dept. or some such. These people have the power to cut through the B.S. and actually help you. Of course, sometimes the attempt is in vain, but I've had remarkable success with it over the years, including with some of the biggest companies in the U.S. (Chase Bank, Home Depot, Honda U.S.A., Verizon, PayPal, Charter Communications/Spectrum, etc.) And it won't cost Suzie a lot of time---just the time to explain the situation. From your article, it sounds like she's already written the explanation, so just a cut-and-paste. Good luck, Andrew
Comments
Elaine, thank you for this post. I know it's been an awfully tough year for you, so your continuing efforts for HD are especially appreciated. When I visit HD, I first read Jonathan's brief nugget (in the middle under "Get Educated"). It sort of screws my head on right as I begin the day. And it's a nice reminder of his continuing presence here. Andrew
Post: It’s been one year
Link to comment from September 21, 2026
Andrew, This is a beautiful, insightful piece. Jonathan helped so many of us, and in so many different ways. I've described before how much he taught me about clean, straightforward writing, with no unnecessary verbiage. Having my articles edited by him was a privilege and a unique learning experience. Another aspect you mention that has really stayed with me was his unflinching, pragmatic, and selfless attitude in the face of death. I especially remember the humor you highlight. I'm paraphrasing here, but I recall his saying, as he tidied up all the finances to make things easier for Elaine and his kids, "I never realized dying was so much work!" Another time I saw a video of a panel he was on and he referenced the title of his long time WSJ column, "Getting Going." He said if he were writing it now, it would better be titled, "Getting Gone." Jonathan was a treasure. Thank you for maintaining his legacy. Andrew
Post: The Jonathan I Found: Through Others’ Eyes
Link to comment from September 19, 2026
David, thanks for your post. And I'm with you on Medicare and Toyotas. The former is a godsend and the latter last forever!
Post: Flipping the Script on Asset Allocation?
Link to comment from September 19, 2026
Thanks, Randy. I may look into that.
Post: Flipping the Script on Asset Allocation?
Link to comment from September 19, 2026
Thanks, Bill. As always, your replies are detailed and helpful. Andrew
Post: Flipping the Script on Asset Allocation?
Link to comment from September 18, 2026
Hi, Bill, and thanks for your kind reply. You're right that we live in Texas and so the surviving spouse should benefit from a stepped up basis. I wasn't even aware of "community property survivorship agreements" till reading your post. It looks like they allow probate to be bypassed for the properties they cover. I think our estates will go through probate in any event, but in Texas, as along as you have a will, the probate process is usually pretty straightforward. You said your main goal in turning off dividend reinvestment for that holding was to simplify cost basis records. I likewise have some mutual funds acquired decades ago for which I had to burn a weekend manually calculating the adjusted basis after including all the many dividend and capital gains that were reinvested. Once that chore was completed, I turned off reinvestment as I never wanted to re-figure those laboriously acquired bases! But let me ask: As to the investment for which you wanted to simplify the cost basis record, you indicated it is new. Since in more recent years brokerage firms maintain and recalculate basis for us, what complications are you concerned with? Thanks as always for your expertise, Andrew
Post: Flipping the Script on Asset Allocation?
Link to comment from September 18, 2026
The sky high stock market, especially as to tech stocks, combined with the current elevated interest rates, have increased my desire for a little rebalancing. We happen to have a large portion of our domestic equity allocation in taxable accounts, and have held the postions for decades. So any sales in order to rebalance would come with a hefty capital gains tax bill. I recently took one step, which, while very modest, does avoid the tax problem. I turned off dividend reinvestment for VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market), and a couple of other tech heavy ETFs, VGT (Vanguard Technology) and SCHB (Schwab Broad Market). As future dividends are paid out in cash, I'll probably roll it into money market funds rather than bonds. The MM interest rates are favorable--and probably getting better judging by the Fed's current attitude--and I'm still a little gun shy on bonds given recent experience.
Post: Flipping the Script on Asset Allocation?
Link to comment from September 18, 2026
Olin, thanks for the suggestion. I like email because it's fast, easy (and free). My experience has been that if they're going to reply to your email, it'll happen within a day or two. If no response by then, and it's something you're really fired up about, following up with the certified letter could be a good move.
Post: When $2000 Isn’t Worth the Hassle
Link to comment from September 16, 2026
Jeff, good point about the social media approach. I haven't tried it recently, but years ago I was having a huge hassle with Blue Cross / Blue Shield. They were completely nonresponsive and unhelpful. I decided to post on their Facebook page to get their attention and put it out in public. It worked and they finally responded to me. That said, if you go that route, I'd be very careful that you're accurately stating the facts (and can prove it if necessary). Once you've said it in public, if they claim it's false, you could have libel problems.
Post: When $2000 Isn’t Worth the Hassle
Link to comment from September 16, 2026
Mark, Maybe Suzie's already done this, but if not there's one last option she might consider. When regular channels prove fruitless, I'll scour the web for the email address of the CEO of the company in question. A website called www.ceoemail.com might help (scroll down and there's a link for UK companies). Or, if you can at least find the email address protocol for the company, e.g. "John.Smith@ABCCorp.com," you can make a good guess. If you're unsure whether to, say, include a middle initial, send the email both ways. The one that doesn't bounce back is probably correct. Write an email to the CEO. On occasion I've had the CEO him/herself answer, but usually it's someone from the "Executive Escalations" dept. or some such. These people have the power to cut through the B.S. and actually help you. Of course, sometimes the attempt is in vain, but I've had remarkable success with it over the years, including with some of the biggest companies in the U.S. (Chase Bank, Home Depot, Honda U.S.A., Verizon, PayPal, Charter Communications/Spectrum, etc.) And it won't cost Suzie a lot of time---just the time to explain the situation. From your article, it sounds like she's already written the explanation, so just a cut-and-paste. Good luck, Andrew
Post: When $2000 Isn’t Worth the Hassle
Link to comment from September 16, 2026