TorchtheFlyingTiger

[quote]Ive seen parents take out PLUS loans for the hell of it[/quote] I'm pretty sure my parents took one out and spent a portion of the distribution on a car downpayment. I had most if not all of my tuition and direct expenses through school covered by scholarships I earned. I was told about th...

You have no idea of OP's tax situation. Roth conversion may be a good strategy but not if OP is in a high bracket and probably not all at once unless it is a small balance. Often best to wait and do conversions in lower income years perhaps in retirement. ...

[quote]They could even say something like most of that money will be taxed at the 32% federal level and we have high state income taxes and he's like who cares you wont have a mortgage[/quote] I've even heard him blindly give that advice near the end of the year when caller could easily optimize ta...

What bracket are you projecting in retirement? I have a hard time believing An extra $61k into traditional 401ks each year for 10 years is going to make that much difference for RMDs especially if you have ~10 years to draw them down/convert to Roth before RMDs kick in. 37% differed tax rate would b...

[quote]I am worried about paying unnecessary fees and not taking advantage of compounding interest. [/quote] Compounding works the same whether you combine or keep separate accounts (assuming identical returns and fees) There is a very common misconception that one large sum compounds faster tha...

Some 401k plans allow additional post tax contributions. That and in service distributions are the essential tools to "mega backdoor Roth."...

This is probably what you're looking for [quote]The Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) program provides monthly benefits to surviving spouses and dependent children in recognition of the economic loss caused by a Servicemember’s death during military service, or by the death of a Veteran a...

Did he model Roth conversions after you retire in 10-12 yrs? Aggressive Roth conversions for 10 years could reduce RMDs. Another consideration, if one of you passes the tax burden on the remaining single filer might be even higher....

[quote]Buy your house with cash.[/quote] To be accurate he recommends a 15 yr fixed/20% down W/ payments no more than 25% of take home pay which is still pretty unattainable for most first time buyers. ...

What would be gained by telling in private? It would have - Drawn out notification - Allowed time for divisiveness and chatter to take hold between notification(s) and meeting w new boss - Risked creating false sense that you have a say then frustration when your opinion isnt heeded - Put old b...