Category Archives: Money

To GET or not to GET

This post is an analysis of the Washington State GET (Guaranteed Education Tuition) program. The main question we want to answer is whether to invest in GET or Vanguard 529 or both. GET Resources: https://www.get.wa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017-18-GET-Enrollment-Guide.pdf https://www.get.wa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Program%20Details.pdf Click to access Tuition-Payout-Over-Time-Chart-2018.pdf … Continue reading

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Buying Vanguard funds in Fidelity

https://assetbuilder.com/knowledge-center/articles/three-ways-to-have-vanguard-at-fidelity https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Fidelity Q. Does Fidelity have a fund that compares to the Vanguard Balanced Index (ticker: VBINX)? I like the performance and the low expense fees the Vanguard fund has. I also like the ratio of 60 percent stocks, 40 … Continue reading

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Vanguard: an overrated company

I have been a Vanguard customer for almost 10 years. I opened an account with them after getting glowing recommendations from a trusted friend many years ago. In the past 10 years there have been several instances when I needed … Continue reading

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Using XIRR function in Excel to calculate rate of return for Fidelity 401k

Not deleting this post but below steps will not give you the correct rate of return. Excel merely hides the cells that are not marked as CONTRIBUTION. It doesn’t exclude them from the XIRR computation. Download your transaction history as … Continue reading

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Tax Consequences of Selling Your Home

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p523/ar02.html#en_US_2013_publink1000200711 Maximum Exclusion You can exclude up to $250,000 of the gain (other than gain allocated to periods of nonqualified use) on the sale of your main home if all of the following are true. •You meet the ownership test. … Continue reading

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Mutual Fund Expense Calculator

http://apps.finra.org/fundanalyzer/1/fa.aspx http://www.finra.org/Investors/ToolsCalculators/index.htm http://www.sec.gov/answers/mffees.htm Mutual Fund Fees and Expenses As with any business, running a mutual fund involves costs. For example, there are costs incurred in connection with particular investor transactions, such as investor purchases, exchanges, and redemptions. There are also … Continue reading

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Why we still don’t favor commodities

http://www.fundadvice.com/articles/investing-basics/why-we-still-dont-favor-commodities.html By Dennis Tilley Director of Alternative Investments Do commodities have a rightful place in a broadly diversified portfolio? The obvious answer seems to be yes, they do. However, after a lot of careful study and thought we have concluded … Continue reading

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The Tax Consequences of a Money Market Fund Sale

http://www.ehow.com/list_7342384_tax-money-market-fund-sale.html A money market fund sale has no tax consequences. A money market fund is a special breed of mutual fund. Due to its special structure, purchases and sales of money market fund shares generate no tax liability. However, you … Continue reading

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If I Exchange Mutual Funds Do I Still Have to Pay Taxes?

http://www.ehow.com/about_7529089_exchange-do-still-pay-taxes.html Exchanges between mutual funds can have significant tax ramifications in some cases. Failure to take the rules for how these transactions are taxed into account can lead to a nasty surprise come tax time. Knowing which funds you can … Continue reading

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Tax Rules for Selling Mutual Funds

http://www.mint.com/blog/investing/tax-rules-for-selling-mutual-funds/ Tax Rules for Selling Mutual Funds You might be wondering, “Goodness — mutual funds buy and sell shares of stock each day. Do I have to account for each of these transactions?” The answer is no, you don’t. But … Continue reading

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