Dan Malone

Comments:

• Rick, your welcome. I was glad to be able to learn from Mike Piper on this topic as well.

  Post: QCDs: Concerns for First Timers

  Link to comment from December 4, 2024

• Linda, your welcome. And terrific that you'll start making QCDs in 2025!

  Post: QCDs: Concerns for First Timers

  Link to comment from December 4, 2024

• Thanks, William. I'll be doing Roth conversions to reduce qualified account balances, so no need for me to worry about contributing to a traditional IRA at that point.

  Post: QCDs: Concerns for First Timers

  Link to comment from December 2, 2024

• Thank you, Kathy.

  Post: QCDs: Concerns for First Timers

  Link to comment from December 2, 2024

• This CPA firm says the IRS has disallowed contributions without the requisite language, but doesn’t cite any authority for that -- or the possibility of obtaining such a statement upon specific request from the charity if you are audited on that basis. Good to know Schwab's check writing feature.

  Post: QCDs: Concerns for First Timers

  Link to comment from December 2, 2024

• Your welcome, Andrew!

  Post: QCDs: Concerns for First Timers

  Link to comment from December 2, 2024

• Just wondering if you've ever tried, or considered, automating the payment of your bills. I don't have a single monthly bill that is not paid automatically, except for my annual property tax bill (that I wait until the last day possible to continue earning the interest). I still review the bills, including credit card statements, to assure no fraudulent charges. Just seems like a considerable amount of precious time you could spend more productively every morning. Have you totaled up how much time this routine consumes each month, or over an entire year?

  Post: Tracking My Progress

  Link to comment from October 31, 2024

• Jim, your dollar amounts only compare the cost of annual premiums, which ignores the fact that after paying the premiums, Dick pays only the Part B deductible of $240 under Plan G and nothing else. Someone on an Advantage plan avoids the annual premiums, but pays considerably more -- in copays, coinsurance, time, and often frustration -- as they attempt to access healthcare that Advantage companies often deny. The Wall Street Journal ran an article today, and is doing an ongoing expose, on insurer abuses in the Advantage system.

  Post: Prefer the Original

  Link to comment from October 24, 2024

• Mark Zoril of PlanVision charges $299 for the first year and $96/year thereafter. He is a big Bogleheads favorite.

  Post: Finding a flat-fee financial advisor

  Link to comment from October 24, 2024

• You may want to look into Facet (www.facet.com). They offer three price levels for flat fee advising -- $2k, $3k, and $6k per year. You must commit to one level for a year, but can then change levels up or down. All 3 levels include investment management as well as personal financial advice. The $3k offers two meetings per year starting in year 2, and the $6k offer quarterly meetings. Only the $6k plan includes Roth conversion and estate planning -- the estate planning actually includes a will, trust, and the other necessary estate planning docs for your state-- including a review from an attorney licensed in your state, to my understanding. Facet partners with Wealth.com -- for estate planning services. That said, I am not signed up with Facet yet, but am seriously considering this service. For the past year, I have been using a highly qualified solo planner (CFP, CFA, Wharton MBA, industry experience at Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Schwab, etc.). I found him on the XY Planning Network, not a bad place to start looking for a flat fee advisor. My flat fee rate is $250/month based on retaining the responsibility to implement all investment advice I receive from my planner. The advice has been excellent generally, but I'm not sure about the fixed income allocations. What I've learned over the last year is that I have not taken the time to use the software he has made available to me, which is "best of class" IMO. I also have difficulty "pulling the trigger" to actually implement some of his recommendations. For instance, my large (34%) cash position served me well during the stock and bond declines in 2022 - 2023, but that's not where I need be invested as interest rates come down. So I may consider switching to Facet for these reasons.

  Post: Finding a flat-fee financial advisor

  Link to comment from October 19, 2024