After getting my email to subscribers about the 3% 7-year CD last week, a reader asked me how to decide whether it's worth breaking an existing 2% CD with 2 more years to go in order to get into a new 7-year CD at 3%. DepositAccounts.com offers a [...]
Mega Backdoor Roth Without a Big Paycheck
Life isn't fair. Some people want to do the mega backdoor Roth (see previous article The Elusive Mega Backdoor Roth), and they can afford it, but their 401k/403b plans don't let them. Some people are in a plan that allows it but if they go full tilt [...]
Mega Backdoor Roth Without In-Service Distribution
I'm encouraged by the result of my anonymous poll on the availability of non-Roth after-tax contributions in your 401k or 403b plans. Indeed a good 40% of respondents reported having it available. It's not that elusive after all. This is really good [...]
Social Security Claiming Strategy Calculators Compared
Financial Engines was founded by Nobel laureate William Sharpe. It offers investment advice primarily through workplace retirement plans. Recently Financial Engines launched a free Social Security planner. I test-drove it with some hypothetical [...]
When To Claim Social Security Calculators
Social Security is so complex that a cottage industry has emerged to help figure out when to claim Social Security. Software companies sell their Social Security optimization tools to financial advisors for several hundred dollars a year. Guess where [...]
Tax Cost Calculator
I usually include a spreadsheet when I post something about numbers and calculation. That way you can play with your own assumptions. I didn't do one in my post last week Dividend Tax Going Up, Moving to Munis. My bad. Reader Random Poster [...]
Mortgage Refinance and Option Pricing
Being a blogger with a contact form, I often receive PR outreach messages. They want me to write about what they are trying to promote. I ignore most of those. Once in a while, I get something worth reading. Andrew Kalotay Associates is a fixed [...]
0% APR, Same As Cash, and No Interest No Payments
Do you know the difference between "0% APR for 12 months" and "12 months same as cash"? What about "no interest, no payments for 12 months"? If you are offered all three payment plans, which one do you prefer? If you pay off the balance within 12 [...]
Solo 401k For Part-Time Self-Employment
I have a full time job and I have a side business. I established a self-employed 401(k) plan, also known as a solo 401k plan or an individual 401k plan, for my side business. This allows me to shelter a little bit more money for retirement from my [...]
