Thank you so much OP for your update. This thread is very thought provoking to me. I've always been very leery of selling OR buying real estate. The risks and transaction costs, outright and subtle, seem to be very high. I've rented my whole life and I plan to continue. But if a home falls in my lap due to inheritance, I'll think long and hard before selling. Thanks for your reply. I'm glad my post was helpful. I'm the opposite of you...I've never been a renter before, and I've always had a strong aversion to renting. I bought my first house when I was in my mid 20's, and interest rates back ..read more

Since the breakdown (principal vs interest) of each payment differs (per the amortization schedule) [...] That's an irrelevant metric that does not feed into any rational decision-making process. [...] is it really as simple as comparing one’s mortgage rate to the alternative option after-tax yield? [...] Yes, it is. Plus whatever value you put on having extra liquidity. Statistics: Posted by Hyperchicken — Fri Sep 20, 2024 7:00 pm ..read more

I also signed up with Kroll and they seem to be doing a good job with the credit monitoring. Have others seen activity increase recently? I've had seven alerts sent by email in the last two weeks. Hopefully that is not unusual. I finally decided to freeze my Credit Reports with two now complete. Equifax for some reason needed to mail a verification code which should arrive soon. I also added an Initial Fraud Alert which is probably not necessary in combination with the Credit Freeze. Statistics: Posted by Electron — Fri Sep 20, 2024 6:58 pm ..read more

Thank you so much OP for your update. This thread is very thought provoking to me. I've always been very leery of selling OR buying real estate. The risks and transaction costs, outright and subtle, seem to be very high. I've rented my whole life and I plan to continue. But if a home falls in my lap due to inheritance, I'll think long and hard before selling. Thanks for your reply. I'm glad my post was helpful. I'm the opposite of you...I've never been a renter before, and I've always had a strong aversion to renting. I bought my first house when I was in my mid 20's, and interest rates ba ..read more

Since the breakdown (principal vs interest) of each payment differs (per the amortization schedule) [...] That's an irrelevant metric that does not feed into any rational decision-making process. Good grief, what a curt and cold response to someone who is simply asking questions to learn! My question gets to the heart of Admiral’s response a couple posts up, so it seems my question is a good one. I guess I am out of kisses and hugs, but here, have one. I’m sorry that being civil is so difficult for you. I hope things turn around for you soon. Statistics: Posted by Hot Sauce — Fri S ..read more

Since the breakdown (principal vs interest) of each payment differs (per the amortization schedule) [...] That's an irrelevant metric that does not feed into any rational decision-making process. Good grief, what a curt and cold response to someone who is simply asking questions to learn! My question gets to the heart of Admiral’s response a couple posts up, so it seems my question is a good one. I guess I am out of kisses and hugs, but here, have one. Statistics: Posted by Hyperchicken — Fri Sep 20, 2024 7:06 pm ..read more

Just started looking at this thread. For those of you with locked accounts, are you able to write paper checks or have your vendors pull their monthly bill pay (such as if you've given your ACH info to your utility for them to pull the payment every month)? Can you transfer cash from your CMA to your brokerage account? Is your entire account balance locked or just recent deposits? Very alarming. I can't quite take the view that this is OK because Fidelity is just looking out for client interests. Sorry. But I also think we need to realize it can happen anywhere including at Vanguard, Scwhab ..read more

Since the breakdown (principal vs interest) of each payment differs (per the amortization schedule) [...] That's an irrelevant metric that does not feed into any rational decision-making process. Good grief, what a curt and cold response to someone who is simply asking questions to learn! My question gets to the heart of Admiral’s response a couple posts up, so it seems my question is a good one. Statistics: Posted by Hot Sauce — Fri Sep 20, 2024 7:03 pm ..read more

I might have been mistaken in thinking Rocket was your current lender. In any event, I’d check the three noted if you’re considering a refi. It’s easy enough to see if it will benefit you looking at the rate sheet and discount points. If you can get a lower rate and pay nothing it clearly benefits you. No fancy math needed. I’d do it for 1/4 point - if free. My acutual out of pocket costs for application, appraisal and closing agent are a little more than $2k - so a lower rate and any more than that in negative points, I’m in. I’ve done upwards of 20 refi’s. I'm curious about why your costs ..read more

Hi all, My withholding from my W-2 from the past few years has been off significantly, with the margin of error increasing, and I am wondering why. Here is some info from Tax Year 2023, please let me know if more is needed to verify that the withholding is in the right ballpark. Box 1 (Income): 619.2k Box 2 (Fed Income Tax Withheld): 118.6k Box 4 (SS Tax Withheld): 9.9k Box 6 (Medicare Tax Withheld): 13.7k I also elected 10k in deferred comp and max pre-tax 401(k) at 22,500, which are reflected on my W-2. When I enter this into TurboTax, I owe about 35k in federal taxes. Is that withholdin ..read more