gpburdell
| Favorite team: | Georgia Tech  |
| Location: | ATL |
| Biography: | |
| Interests: | |
| Occupation: | |
| Number of Posts: | 1621 |
| Registered on: | 6/3/2015 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
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re: Avengers Doomsday Official Trailer
Posted by gpburdell on 7/20/26 at 8:19 am to NighthawkDawg
Fyi tickets went on sale this morning
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I've had a Senn HD6XX for a few year now and love them. If you don't have a good headphone DAC & Amp, I'd say upgrade that first.
When I bought the HD6XX, I bought a Schitt Audio DAC & Amp.
https://www.schiit.com/products
When I bought the HD6XX, I bought a Schitt Audio DAC & Amp.
https://www.schiit.com/products
re: Looks like I will hit Platinum Medallion this year (Delta)
Posted by gpburdell on 7/15/26 at 1:14 pm to weagle1999
I'm Delta Plat and fly out of ATL as well. Getting upgraded as a Plat is rare in any of the Delta hubs especially ATL. Way too many Diamond/360 medallions.
I've been Plat for a few years now and only have been upgraded a handful of times. What's funny is I've been upgraded more as a silver over the years, but that was mainly red eye flights which I don't do as much now.
Though as Platinum you get to choose a perk. One of those perks are 4 regional upgrade certs (RUC) which will upgrade a single flight to first class or premium select but not Delta One (unless you buy a PS seat).
Also RUCs now work for flights to Hawaii, Caribbean, Central & South America. I used them to go to Maui last year which was very nice especially since I got into the D1 lounge at LAX. D1 lounge is so nice. First time ever I wished my layover was longer.
I've been Plat for a few years now and only have been upgraded a handful of times. What's funny is I've been upgraded more as a silver over the years, but that was mainly red eye flights which I don't do as much now.
Though as Platinum you get to choose a perk. One of those perks are 4 regional upgrade certs (RUC) which will upgrade a single flight to first class or premium select but not Delta One (unless you buy a PS seat).
Also RUCs now work for flights to Hawaii, Caribbean, Central & South America. I used them to go to Maui last year which was very nice especially since I got into the D1 lounge at LAX. D1 lounge is so nice. First time ever I wished my layover was longer.
re: Contribute pretax or after tax 401k?
Posted by gpburdell on 7/14/26 at 11:00 am to CharlesUFarley
quote:
The Roth options give you flexibility. The traditional probably lets you save more money if you use it right. You need some of both.
Trad 401k gives you more flexibility than roth 401k. You can always convert trad 401k to roth. You can't do the reverse. Once you go roth 401k, you've locked taxes in.
I do agree that you want a mix of accounts. My portfolio is a mix of pre-tax (401k/ira), tax-free (ira/hsa) & taxable account allocated roughly 50%, 30% & 20% respectively.
I plan to convert some of my pre-tax assets each year to roth once I retire when my income is very low/zero & before I start taking social security.
Also with a trad 401k/ira, those roth conversions can give you enough income for ACA eligibility which is required in many states if you want to avoid Medicaid.
re: Contribute pretax or after tax 401k?
Posted by gpburdell on 7/13/26 at 9:42 pm to Redstickbaw
Pretax; take the tax deduction now.
You can always convert trad 401k to roth later in the future when your tax rate is lower.
You can always convert trad 401k to roth later in the future when your tax rate is lower.
re: Early retirement and Obamacare
Posted by gpburdell on 7/13/26 at 5:14 pm to Everyday Is Saturday
quote:
Have up to $98,900 AGI for 0% LTCG if MFJ in 2026.
Sure you'd pay 0% capital gains but from ACA perspective it doesn't matter.
ACA would see that as $99k for MAGI. For a couple age 55, the average ACA silver plan would cost ~$2200/month for that MAGI.
You have to control MAGI to get signifacnt premium subsidies. You could sell $100k from your taxable and lets say that only $50k is capital gains & the rest principal. In that scenario, the average silver plan is ~$330/month.
https://www.kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/
re: Best HYSA currently?
Posted by gpburdell on 7/9/26 at 10:35 am to HogPharmer
quote:
SPAXX
If in a taxable account, use FDLXX instead. Last year ~98% of FDLXX interest is exempt from state taxes. SPAXX is only ~50%.
quote:
So are they abandoning the live action show? They don't seem to care much about it even though it's a big hit.
Nope; season 3 is currently in production. I think they are remaking the anime to be a more streamlined version. The anime has over 1100 episodes and is still going.
I'm actually glad for this new adaptation as I want to watch the anime but it felt too daunting. While I enjoy the live action, I'm sure alot of things get left out. So this new show is hopefully a good middle ground.
quote:
quote:
You can withdraw ~$100K of growth annually without paying a dime of taxes FWIW
Explain please.
There are different ways to do it as MFJ. I've seen it discussed on Bogleheads before. Usually takes a combination of strategies.
This is a recent video talks about ways to do it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qW6x5oePcc&
re: Vegas Hotel Recs for Sphere Concert
Posted by gpburdell on 6/22/26 at 6:55 pm to CapitalTiger
Using Uber/Lyft to get to & from Sphere is a breeze now. It wasn't though when it first opened; I've been to Sphere twice. So staying at a close hotel isn't needed unless you want to walk.
Fwiw, I will be there next week and will see Illenium at Sphere. Will be staying at Cosmo.
Fwiw, I will be there next week and will see Illenium at Sphere. Will be staying at Cosmo.
re: Retirement discussion that I never thought I’d have.
Posted by gpburdell on 6/22/26 at 1:36 pm to Everyday Is Saturday
quote:
Exactly how we planned it!
Nest egg cash flow well covers essential expenses (including housing), in addition to having funds available to pay mortgage off (even though that is highly unlikely).
And, not or, you always have the option to pay it off at will (if ‘peace of mind’ value from being debt free ever shifts to become THE most important).
Suspect you and I are not on the Dave Ramsey Christmas card list (re use of cheap mortgage debt).
I went one step further. I took about 30% of my portfolio and built a TIPS ladder which will cover my basic/essential expenses until I start SS.
With that TIPS ladder, no matter what happens with the stock market my ability to retire is no longer in question. This is my solution to SORR. I still remember the crash of 2008 and that so many people had to delay their retirements for years. I'm at the finish line and don't want to fall victim to SORR.
Yeah Ramsey is good for people who can't live below their means and get out of debt. From an investing perspective, he's a hack.
re: Retirement discussion that I never thought I’d have.
Posted by gpburdell on 6/22/26 at 12:25 pm to TorchtheFlyingTiger
quote:
"superhero account" that's a new term for me. Apparently just cheesy slang for taxable brokerage?
Yeah I've seen that term used by some of the financial bloggers I've watched on YT the past year.
I think it's because many people don't realize how powerful a taxable brokerage account can be (i.e. 0% LT capital gains rate) especially if retiring before 59.5.
The few friends that i discuss finances/investing with have sizable trad 401k/ira, roth ira and hsa. However I don't believe any of them have built up a sizable taxable account. About 20% my portfolio is in my taxable account.
re: Retirement discussion that I never thought I’d have.
Posted by gpburdell on 6/22/26 at 11:20 am to Everyday Is Saturday
quote:
I’m retired with a 2.8% mortgage. Have multiple funds that could pay it off tomorrow, but giving up 9-12% after tax returns and positive spread over mortgage rate goes against my financial DNA. I will have that mortgage until I am a ghost.
Using other people’s money for positive spread is a big reason why retiring early was possible.
Peace of mind of financial freedom >
Peace of mind of ‘no debt of any kind’.
This. Turned 50 this year and planning to retire in a few years. I've got 25 years left on a 400k mortgage at 2.25%. I could pay this off now as well but why would I. When I retire, I have already accounted for the mortgage payment as part of my basic expenses I will have.
I already consider the mortgage payment cheap and it's just getting relatively cheaper every year due to inflation. In 10+ years, I will be laughing at how crazy cheap that mortgage payment is.
quote:
It's live action for some reason. They could have animated it and saved money by letting Jeff Hays voice every character. Now we will get one season every five years before it is abruptly canceled for costing too much.
While I'd be fine with animation, it just doesn't get massive viewers usually excluding Disney/Pixar. Look at Arcane, probably the GOAT of animated series and never went mainstream.
Brandon Sanderson has discussed this on his podcast for his properties saying the above. Many people thought it would be a good idea for Stormlight Archive to be animated. However it will be a live action tv series as well on Apple TV.
Another vote for Aruba. Stayed there for a few days this past Memorial Day. It was great and would definitely go back. Very safe; it's part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
It's definitely not "exotic". However being only a 4 hr flight from ATL makes it a good option if you are on the east coast.
It's definitely not "exotic". However being only a 4 hr flight from ATL makes it a good option if you are on the east coast.
I did it once in a low income year when I took a year off when my dad got sick. I think I converted an amount into the 12% bracket or whatever that second bracket was at the time. Btw that conversion also allowed me to get ACA insurance as it counted as income for eligibility.
I plan to do roth conversions when I retire in a few years but I haven't done any modeling to figure out how much etc. Just like before, the side benefit of doing roth conversions will help me be eligible for ACA until I can get on Medicare. That could be 8-10 years depending on when I retire.
It will be a balancing act of roth conversions, dividends/interest & capital gains and keeping ACA premiums reasonable.
I plan to do roth conversions when I retire in a few years but I haven't done any modeling to figure out how much etc. Just like before, the side benefit of doing roth conversions will help me be eligible for ACA until I can get on Medicare. That could be 8-10 years depending on when I retire.
It will be a balancing act of roth conversions, dividends/interest & capital gains and keeping ACA premiums reasonable.
quote:
E.g., Juxtapose the 4.7% contention with that which, according to the Federal Reserve's 2022 survey, insists nearly 20% of US households are worth at least $1 Million.
Many of those millionaires are due to house equity. If we're talking "liquid millionaires" (stocks/bonds/cash) then there is only 1-2% of individuals who meet that criteria in the US.
re: Basic math of Roth vs Traditional many get wrong
Posted by gpburdell on 5/22/26 at 10:47 am to TorchtheFlyingTiger
quote:
Assuming exact same contribution is cheating. To be accurate, you start both scenarios with an equal amount of $ available to invest. Then account for up front taxes on Roth (lower net contribution) versus 100% going into traditional but account for taxes on back end.
I agree with you. You have to account for the upfront taxes paid which decrease your total amount of $ you can invest. Now the other way to look at it is have both 401ks types invest the the same amount. However, you take the income tax savings from the trad 401k & invest that in a taxable account.
Imo that combination of trad 401k & taxable account is a better way to go (along with roth ira & hsa). Then you still have the option to do Roth conversions with the trad 401k at a low tax rate in the future to further optimize.
re: Retirement at 55 questions
Posted by gpburdell on 5/18/26 at 1:11 pm to TorchtheFlyingTiger
quote:
Up side for those of us carrying mortgage into retirement is P&I is a fixed expense not requiring inflation adjustments so housing becomes a diminishing portion of inflation adjusted expenses over the years. So, withdrawals may not need to be increased quite as much as inflation annually.
Agreed. When I start retirement, all of my basic expenses will be covered by a TIPS ladder. This includes my mortgage payment which is a fixed & nominal expense as you mentioned. Since TIPS provide a real (inflation adjusted) income each year, that diminishing becomes more significant each year.
re: Retirement at 55 questions
Posted by gpburdell on 5/18/26 at 12:15 pm to deuceiswild
Some comments:
-$140k would be a 6% withdraw rate which is pretty aggressive imo. Though if you're planning for less than 30 yr retirement then maybe it's fine. I personally would go with a variable strategy like VPW which is what I will do. https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Variable_percentage_withdrawal
-There are ways to access 401k before 59.5: https://www.madfientist.com/how-to-access-retirement-funds-early/
-Fyi rule of 55 applies to all 401k plans as it's an IRS rule. Just be aware that not all 401k plans allow partial distributions which is what you want. Verify that's allowed under your 401k plan.
-For health insurance, many early retirees go with ACA. Though it can be expensive if you aren't able to control your taxable income. If your taxable income is too high then you get no premium subsidy. You can check what an ACA plan would cost you here: https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/health-insurance-plans-estimator-overview/
-I assume that you can get private health insurance still that isn't ACA. However ACA plans guarantee that pre-existing conditions are covered and have out of pocket limits. Non ACA plans may or may not offer that.
-I would not pay off a 3.75% mortgage. Just include the mortgage payment as part of your monthly retirement expenses. I have a 2.25% mortgage for another 25 years and I'm looking to retire in 5 years. No way I'm paying that off early. That payment just gets relatively cheaper with inflation each year.
-$140k would be a 6% withdraw rate which is pretty aggressive imo. Though if you're planning for less than 30 yr retirement then maybe it's fine. I personally would go with a variable strategy like VPW which is what I will do. https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Variable_percentage_withdrawal
-There are ways to access 401k before 59.5: https://www.madfientist.com/how-to-access-retirement-funds-early/
-Fyi rule of 55 applies to all 401k plans as it's an IRS rule. Just be aware that not all 401k plans allow partial distributions which is what you want. Verify that's allowed under your 401k plan.
-For health insurance, many early retirees go with ACA. Though it can be expensive if you aren't able to control your taxable income. If your taxable income is too high then you get no premium subsidy. You can check what an ACA plan would cost you here: https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/health-insurance-plans-estimator-overview/
-I assume that you can get private health insurance still that isn't ACA. However ACA plans guarantee that pre-existing conditions are covered and have out of pocket limits. Non ACA plans may or may not offer that.
-I would not pay off a 3.75% mortgage. Just include the mortgage payment as part of your monthly retirement expenses. I have a 2.25% mortgage for another 25 years and I'm looking to retire in 5 years. No way I'm paying that off early. That payment just gets relatively cheaper with inflation each year.
re: Basic math of Roth vs Traditional many get wrong
Posted by gpburdell on 5/17/26 at 8:24 pm to TorchtheFlyingTiger
quote:
Thanks for sharing, this visualizer is great.
Yeah I bookmarked it the first time I saw it as it's really useful.
Fyi if you didn't notice, there are two chart options. It defaults to the block one but I much prefer the flow one; just click on the Flows tab to switch.
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