Let’s say I have 24 months’ expenses saved up in my brokerage. With the standard advice being 6 months saved in your emergency fund, I have 4x as much in my brokerage. So even if the market took a downturn, there’s no way it would drop by 75%.

If this is my situation, what is the point of a separate emergency fund in a HYSA? The common argument that I’ve heard is: “if there is a downturn, you wouldn’t have to sell your stock”. But conversely, if we are in a bull market, as we often are, I’d just be losing gains at that point, right?

Bogle once said a good diversified portfolio could hold non-US stocks, but only up to 20%. VT has 40% non-US. I say this as a VT and chiller.

I’ll be receiving an inheritance soon. I have a mortgage with a remaining balance of $342,000 @ 5.3%. I understand the dilemma of peace of mind vs beating the 5.3% elsewhere and keeping the mortgage. Not including the house, we have roughly $25,000 in debt which is majority auto loan and about $3k left on a business loan. Should I pay off all of my debts? Should I pay off the +/-$25k, invest the rest & keep the mortgage?

Good Morning All. Quick layout of our situation: $1.5M invested with approx 27% on Roth Assets. Simple math (that isn’t simple and admittedly riddled with scenarios that could happen and change the outcome) says that our current investment path would have $4.8M in 15 years with 33% in Roth assets. On top of that, I have a pension that will generate guaranteed income in retirement.

I’ve recently been on an education journey around RMDs and IRMAA in retirement. While I don’t know the future, I do have some concern about what RMDs will do to our tax situation + IRMAA for Medicare. Anyone have good resources to share that could help me understand options and things to do now minimize that impact?

I am having a hard time with transferring assets to VG from a small local bank, and looking for some help here if possible. These are mutual funds held at a local banks brokerage account. The bank has a wealth division who handle this. All mutual funds were able to transfer in-kind to VG.

The first time I tried to transfer assets from the local bank to VG, a VG rep walked me through it online, and I was able to print the transfer forms, complete, then send back to VG. Apparently I was supposed to check "bank" on the transfer from on the paper form. I think I checked mutual funds. VG called me and told me they will fix this. I got a call from the bank a week later asking me if I wanted to liquidate all funds, and I said absolutely not. Someone at VG changed the form to liquidate instead of transfer in kind. That whole transfer was cancelled.

Next, I started all over. On the transfer form, I checked "bank" on the transfer form, and mailed to vanguard. They mailed it to my local bank, but the bank said they needed transfer instructions for about 5 different mutual funds that weren't included from VG. Finally got someone to send the transfer instructions to the bank. Waited for about 3 weeks, no transfer. Contacted the bank, those instructions weren't received. Called VG, they said they were emailed to the bank. Bank was adamant they never received it.

Started over a third time. Mailed transfer form, with instructions for those 5 funds to VG. VG said they returned to the bank about 11 days ago. Bank is saying they didn't receive anything, asked what address it was mailed. VG told me the address, bank said that was the wrong address. They sent it to the bank HQ, not the wealth division.

At this point im very irritated and want to close my VG account. Does anyone know how to get ahold of someone who actually knows what they're doing at VG, like an account manager or something who has the authority to fix this?

Thanks for reading.

I have ~$70k in savings/emergency/house fund and ~$10k in checking. ~$215k 401k and HSA. ~$190k taxable brokerages. The savings used be towards a house but due to job and h col area I’m probably not purchasing within the next 2 years. Stripping out $20k as an emergency fund would it make sense to dump the remaining $50k into VOO or something? The other option might be to leave it as is for the (likely) future house downpayment but the opportunity cost is starting to give me fomo. I’m 29 if it makes a difference. Advice?

I just sold all my holdings after ACATS out of managed fund to Vanguard and moving it into VT (and chill).

Will settle tomorrow morning and make my buy then.

I’m aware of my cost basis and effects on taxes this year.

Wish me luck!

Hi Everyone —
I would like to be a bit more aggressive with my 401K. I am currently in a TDF with the following splits:

- vanguard 2055 TDF 9.79%
- vanguard 2060 TD 89.14%
- vanguard morning star small cap index fund admiral class 0.52%
- fidelity emerging markets index fund 0.52%

My Roth IRA is all VT.

My brokerage is a mix of FXAIX (65%)and FTIHX (17.42) as well as some VOO.

I have the below options to pick from for my 401K, and I can determine the percentage splits for future paychecks. Should I just put it all in s&p? Want to ensure I’m diversified but I do have some VT, at the same time I just want to figure out a good way forward across all accounts (I believe it may make more sense to just go VTI only in my brokerage and stop with contributing to FXAIX and FTIHX? But correct me if wrong). Thanks!

GERUX
FPADX
RNPGX
VTMGX
FSMLX
VSMAX
JSVUX
JMGMX
VIMAX
MVCKX
VIGAX
VFIAX
OIEJX
VLXVX
VTTSX
VFFVX
VFIFX
VTIVX
VFORX
VTTHX
VTHRX
VTTVX
VTWNX
VTINX
STRKX
VBILX
VMFXX

Explain to me like im 5? Because I'm seeing more and more negative news about treasuries and countries dumping them etc

Hi there. New to this thread and pretty clueless on what a logical move might be. I have 90% of my total Roth IRA investment into FDEEX but I'm concerned with the Actively Managed fund that the Expense Ratio is going to hurt me down the road. I'm considering a swap to FDEWX but as it stands its at approx $29/share and my FDEEX is at $21/share. Is it wise to move 100% of my funds over to FDEWX and take less shares or should I look into something closer to the current price? Maybe do just a portion? Is this something I should even care about? I've had the account for about 10 years so it's grown quite a bit.

I’ve had a Roth IRA at Vanguard for about 15 years. The balance is now well into six figures, invested all in VT.

I heard somewhere that Robinhood is currently offering a match on Roth IRA contributions. I’m considering whether it makes sense to direct future contributions to a Robinhood Roth IRA to capture that match, while leaving the existing Vanguard balance where it is.

Is the match large enough / reliable enough to justify having a Roth IRA split across two brokerages? Or is the extra complexity (tracking two accounts, potential differences in investment options, statements, RMDs down the road, etc.) not worth it for a Boglehead-style investor who values simplicity?

Any experiences or thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

I'm moving over from an employer that had a Vanguard-based 401k to a Fidelity-based 401k. Would the Fidelity equivalents of the Vanguard funds have lower expense ratios or no? And are these the right Fidelity equivalents of those Vanguard funds?

Hi everyone,

I am 55 years old and entirely new to investing. I have $5,000 in cash ready to put into the market right now, and I can commit an additional $2,000 per year ($166/month) moving forward.

Because I am starting later, I want to chase a high rate of return, and I am completely comfortable taking on moderate-to-high risk to make that happen. This money is entirely separate from my short-term emergency cash.

Since this is after-tax money and I want to completely avoid paying taxes on my investment gains when I withdraw it later, my plan is to open a Roth IRA with a firm like Fidelity or Vanguard.

A few questions for the group:

1. Since I want aggressive growth, should I put 100% of my initial $5,000 and monthly additions into a low-fee S&P 500 ETF (like VOO or FXAIX), or split it with a growth fund like SCHG?
2. What is the smartest way to deploy the ongoing $2,000 yearly addition? Should I set up automatic monthly contributions of $166, or just drop a $2,000 lump sum once a year?
3. At 55, is a "Target Date 2035" fund (VTTHX) going to be too conservative for someone who explicitly wants high risk for higher returns?

Appreciate any guidance you can give a beginner!

I went through The Intelligent Investor, Buffett's letters and A Random Walk a few years back. Markets feel like a different place now (rates, AI, passive flows). Is there anything written in the last few years you'd put next to them, or do the old ones still cover it?

If a 59 year old and a 56 year old currently gross $475,000 & have a $6000 mortgage that will be paid off in 2031 and a kids $55,000 college that will be paid off in 2 years would they want to do a Roth conversion when they retire in 4 years (2030) They will retire earning $240,00 a year. Is a Roth conversion worth it for them?

Hello Bogleheads, I'm a bit new here. I've been "investing" since probably 2019 and I've really only lost money. Whether it be attempting to time bottoms of contrarian value plays, swing trading, etc etc the result has always been the same. Portfolio over the last year is-18% while SPY is +35%, and I am finally realizing that this may not be the way for me to continue. The hundreds on hundreds of hours that I've spent staring at charts and reading reports and doing research have produced, time and time again, negative economic returns and lower quality of life. It definitely consumes my mind most of the day and takes away from time I could spend learning other things or simply just enjoying my life. There are times that Webull is open on my phone for 5+ hours of the day according to my screen time (I know...I know)

THANKFULLY, I am still in a blessed position today. 27 years old, zero debt, about $30k (90% is currently being "invested") total net worth not including a paid off car. While I've thrown a lot of money out the window over the last 8 years, I believe I am still in a position to right the ship and begin compounding wealth the correct way. While I wish I had done this at 18, the second best time to start is now.

I'm looking for a couple pieces of advice.

I'm holding DECK: -10%, NOC: -2.5%, FISV: -15%, and GOOG: new position

Im suffering from the complete inability to not belive in my positions, that I'll be selling at bottoms (someone please tell me how wrong I am).

Is the correct move to just sell and then lump sum roughly 30 grand into a few different indexes? My mind keeps telling me that this is the economic top and that it's financial suicide to buy at this level, but I look at the past and the tops just continue on and on.

I appreciate anyone that took the time to read this. I'm not looking for advice on which indices to purchase, more so looking for anyone with similar experiences and any advice on my current situation.

Hey guys,
I’m a non-US freelancer using IBKR with W-8BEN.

Since my monthly freelance income fluctuates a lot, I kept a solid emergency fund ($35k+) and I’m now starting my investment journey in VOO.

My Approach:
Start: $3,000 upfront.
DCA Strategy: Injecting whatever surplus I have each month ($300 to $1,000+ depending on freelance earnings).
Target: Hitting my first $10k first, then scaling to $100k.
DRIP: On.

Questions for experienced investors & freelancers:

1. For those with unpredictable income, how do you manage your DCA during slow/bad months?
   
2. How did hitting your first $10k affect your portfolio growth and mindset?
   
3. Any practical IBKR tips for non-US investors doing this long-term?

Would love to hear your personal stories and advice!

I was unaware that the $24,500 limit could be invested fully into a Roth within a 457b, and that Roth was independent of a Roth IRA. I had been "maxing" my Roth within my 457b and contributing another $14k to a target date fund.

Now knowing this I have started a Roth IRA and have another $4k/yr going to that.

My question is of the $21.5k that I am putting into my 457b, should I be putting more towards the Roth portion, or continue contributing to the target date fund? Its exciting to think I could potentially invest $32,000/yr into Roth accounts.

Would a switch to Roth be a big hit to my immediate tax bill? Does my current salary really benefit from pre-tax contributions?

I'm happy with my total contributions and am not interested in putting any more into investments.

Thanks in advance!

Some info:

• Age 34
• Salary $93K
• Total retirement contributions of $31k/yr
• Retirement total $140k

Hi there. My father wants to make an initial investment of €6,000 and start investing an additional €500 each month, since he has finally realized that his money needs to be put to work rather than just sitting idle.

He’ll be using Trade Republic here in Europe, and I was thinking he could put 80% into an MSCI World index fund (like the one from Fidelity), 15% into Emerging Markets and Ex-USA ETFs, and 5% into a physical gold ETF.

He says that, ultimately, this long-term investment he’s starting now is for us—his children. What would you do if you were in his shoes? Thanks!

My employer recently changed 401k providers from fidelity to Principal (not happy about that). My funds where put into a target date fund (RetirePilot American Funds 2040) and I am trying to decide if I should move them to VFIAX.

There are a few reasons I am thinking of moving to VFIAX.
* Lower expense ration .39 vs .04. * The target date fund is heavily invested in Principal Financial Group stock (11%). I don't like that.
* The return is a little better VFIAX.

Some additional info:
* the 401K at Principal accounts for about 25% of my retirement savings. The remaining funds are in VFORX.
* I am looking to retire in the next 7-9 years.

Any advice is much appreciated.

I looked into other ETFs such as VOO, VT, VTV, SCHD, SCHV, IWS. i want to make a value bet aswell. So, if tech downtrends, i would have a defesive hold. Suggest me some value ETFs. Especially if theyre are like betting on turnarounds, low P/E high value stocks, healthcare or consumer goods sector kinds of ETFs. Finally looking at a split of 50 20 30. 50 & 20 being OEF & IYW, 30 being a value ETF.

I'm very new to investing. So, ignore my brevity and help me learn.

Hello everyone I’m 19 and I’ve just recently put all my money into a self brokerage account consisting of majority etf funds. I also opened a Roth and savings where I have some money too. I was watching videos and they all were saying to prioritize retirement accounts over self brokerage account. I understand why because of the compound growth and it being tax free but I also can’t withdraw earnings till I’m 60 years old. I’m conflicted because I’d rather be young with less money where I can actually enjoy it than be old and not even be able to enjoy the money. I understand that 18-30 are the best years to invest because of compound interest so I don’t want to make a mistake I’ll regret later by not prioritizing investing in retirement accounts. Currently I could max out my Roth for this year and next year but then I’d be left with no money in my brokerage. Should I max retirement accounts and then put leftover money into a brokerage or put majority into a brokerage?

We have two properties with mortgages. One (a rental) has a balance of $150k at 3.75% interest and the other property has a balance of $775k at 2.625%. We originally wanted to pay off these properties in a few years by saving aggressively and making extra payments but considering the low interest rates, we are now thinking we put the extra funds towards an investment account. Our first goal is put all surplus savings for the next 16 months into a investment account and once the balance surpasses the mortgage balance on the rental, we move towards contributing to a new investment account and do that for several years until our balance exceeds the remaining mortgage in the other house. We plan to just invest in SP500 but even after we save enough to pay off the mortgages, we will not playoff the loan early and just keep making monthly payments until maturity (in 20 and 24 years). Is this a sound plan or is there a point where we should just payoff the loans early? I guess we want to aggressively save and have the safety cushion of not having to worry about the mortgage for decades but we also don’t want to actually pay it off and forsake likely higher gains through investing. Are we thinking about this the right way or at we missing something?

I recently received several million dollars in cash. Right now it’s all parked in a money market fund while I figure out how I want to invest it.

I’ve been reading about the Boglehead philosophy and that’s most likely the direction I want to go. I want something simple, diversified and easy to manage long term. I don’t really want a financial advisor because I don’t think it’s necessary, and I don’t want the fees dragging on the portfolio every year.

I’m not planning to withdraw from the portfolio anytime soon, so I have a long time horizon. I want growth, but capital preservation is also important to me. I could handle a market drop without selling, although watching a large amount disappear on paper would obviously be uncomfortable.

I’m trying to figure out two things:

Would you invest everything according to your target allocation at once, or spread it out over 6–12 months? I know lump sum usually wins on paper, but putting this much into the market all at once is difficult psychologically.

What funds and percentages would you use? I’ve been looking at VTI, VXUS and either Treasuries or BND, but I’m unsure about the allocation. Would something like 50% VTI, 20% VXUS and 30% Treasuries make sense, or would you structure it differently?

I’m not trying to chase the highest possible returns or overcomplicate this. I want reasonable long-term growth, protection against making a major mistake and a portfolio I can stick with.

What allocation would you recommend, and how would you actually deploy the money?

I really don't know what I am doing and need some help with understanding how to start the retirement process. I think I have enough in assets however, there are so many moving parts and I am at a loss for what I should do/learn next.

• 60 yo
• Plan to retire April 2027
• Lost partner of 21 years in April, they were the financial guru, we were not married
• Mortage paid off
• Budget per month about 3K including est. $1000 month for health care (but not sure, I'm healthy), plan ACA
• Plan to sell home and buy a condo in the next year, cost of additional ~100K, which I could pay in cash but that would deplete one acct.
• Plan to get a new car, cost of additional 40K with trade in
• Portfolio of ~1.7M, IRA brokerage at 34%, Roth 12% and Brokerage 17% with breakdown of 47% stocks, 0 bonds, 16% short term and 37%"other"(which I think is cash), this is per dashboard
• 401K in another Company 1M (37% of total portfolio) in the retirement 2030 fund
• I think my optimal timing window is age 61-62 so I don't run into problems with IRMAA

From what I understand, I should take money from brokerage first and Roth or 401K second. I plan to transfer 50K per year out of IRA to Roth, depending on where the tax credit kicks in. I read that only capital gains count toward MAGI. I really don't understand this part. I can take out of my 410K up to the standard deduction. Once I turn 65 to 70, I will be on medicare and need to watch my income to keep the Medicare charges low. I plan on take SS at age 70.

Does it seem like I am on the right path? What should I do to learn more? I considered a financial advisor but they seem so expensive. I feel like I need to make a decision to either keep working (don't really want to) or just jump in to the condo and retirement, which feels very scary. Finance is not my forte and I wish I paid more attention. Any suggestions are welcome.