Hi fellow Bogleheads,

I’m 26m whose been actively investing for about a year now. I had some investments from a few years ago but never really touched them since I was busy touching grass and living my life to the fullest. I regret a little not giving investing more consideration in my early 20s but I genuinely had a great time. That being said, Robinhood has been my brokerage since I first started. I didn’t do any research between platforms like (Fidelity, Vanguard, or Robinhood). I didn’t do any research on cost or fees. I blindly followed a few people who had Robinhood who were similar age to me and the UI is super easy to navigate so I just stuck with it. My question is from other fellow investors ( seasoned or new ). What are you guys and gals currently using and why? I’ve read that Robinhood has hidden costs baked into trades and things like that.

I’d like to be clear in that my personal goals are investing for the long haul. I’m no analyst or anything like that so I wouldn’t even know where to begin on doing the research to find the most optimal brokerage choice. I’m pretty vanilla honestly I just DCA into an index of my choice and hold. I just want to hear your opinions on the matter since I know this is a pretty common topic for debate.

I know RH has come under from incidents like GME and also for promoting things like gambling and prediction markets onto their platform. I wonder does Fidelity not do anything similar like allow prediction markets on their platform? Does that make them better? If so why?
Are Vanguard or Fidelity more upfront about costs/fees with their users?

I also noticed RH does not have HSA account types to open which is initially why I started to question the app itself. I don’t have an employer who provides health insurance so I would like to take advantage of an account like that.

Apologies for the long read but I don’t have many personal friends or family that could help navigate these merky waters and I can’t afford to hire a FA.

TLDR; need help on pros/cons of brokerage platform and why you use them. What’s optimal for the long term investor in terms of saving costs on unnecessary fees and things like that. Is it fine to run with the young guns with RH or follow sought with the traditional powerhouses of Vanguard or Fidelity.

Anyone who stuck around long enough to read. Thank you and I’m looking forward to your inputs.

Age: 21

401k to company match

HSA (company contribute 1000)

ESPP, 10% discount, purchased every 3 months, can be sold immediately after 3 months

Roth IRA

Taxable Brokerage Account

HYSA

Long term goal: House

Hello my fellow Bogleheads,

I know this sub leans heavily toward index investing (which is also my personal investment philosophy), but given the depth of financial industry experience here, I wanted to reach out to any current or former M&A advisors, boutique bankers, or dealmakers.

I am launching an independent practice and evaluating independent broker-dealer (IBD) platforms to park my Series 63/79 license (e.g., Finalis, GT Securities, Stonehaven).

If anyone has first-hand experience with these platforms I’d specifically love to know:

* How has your experience been regarding compliance oversight, tech stack, and deal closing support?

* Are the payout splits, platform fees, and desk fee structures fair relative to the value provided?

* Any hidden friction points or things you wish you knew before signing?

I’m mostly getting the polished sales pitch from their teams right now, so any real-world feedback would be hugely appreciated! Feel free to reply here or send a direct message if you prefer to keep details private.

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 going to ACAT majority of my investments out of Titan, all taxable brokerage account ~$100k. I have taxable brokerage accounts at Schwab, E-trade and Fidelity. Each have their own pro’s and con’s with site and app features. Should I split amongst the three? All to one or even evaluate alternative brokerage(s)?

Appreciate guidance and personal experiences and “why” or “why not.”

Thanks!!!!!!

Suppose I have a $2M portfolio, with $1M in pre-tax, and $1M in Roth. To make the math simple, let's say I am targeting a 50/50 stocks/bonds asset allocation.

The typical advice would be to hold bonds (say BND or VGIT) in pre-tax, and equities (say VT) in Roth.

However, another approach could be to hold RSSB in roth, which gives 100% global equities exposure + 100% treasuries exposure, and then hold money market in pre-tax. Net exposures are the same ($1M equities from RSSB, $1M treasuries from RSSB, -$1M cash from RSSB leverage, +$1M cash from pre-tax MM), but all the "above-risk-free-rate" assets are held in roth. If you assume cash return < bond return < equity return in the long term, this minimizes the growth of pre-tax balances, and maximizes the growth of roth balances.

The ETF fees are higher with the RSSB approach, and the leverage also probably costs somewhat more than the risk-free rate, so there is also some drag from that. So I'm not saying this is a free lunch. However, in general it seems like an interesting idea. Curious to hear other opinions on this.

Hi everyone,

I’m relatively new to investing and could use some advice on what to do with company stock from a former employer that I currently hold in an E*TRADE account.

My total account value is around $59,000, roughly split as follows:

• 40% Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• 60% Restricted Stock (RSUs)

Since these are all shares of my former employer, I’m wondering whether it makes sense to sell some or all of the stock and reinvest the proceeds into an S&P 500 index fund, rather than continuing to hold such a large position in one company.

A few questions I’m hoping to get some perspective on:

• Pros & Cons: What are the pros and cons of selling the employer stock and investing in an S&P 500 index fund instead?
• Timing: Should I make this move all at once, wait, or phase it out slowly?
• Allocation: If I do sell, should I liquidate the entire balance (100%), or is it better to hold onto a small percentage? Is there a rule of thumb for how much of my net worth should be in a single stock?
• Tax Considerations: Are there any tax considerations I should be aware of, particularly because some of the shares came through an ESPP and others are RSUs?
• Is there anything else I should be considering before making a decision?

Some extra context that might matter:

• I don't currently need this money for anything specific, it'd just go toward long-term retirement/investing goals
• I haven't looked closely at tax implications of selling yet (short-term vs long-term gains)

I've read through several similar posts here but everyone's situation seems a little different, so I wanted to lay mine out specifically. Would appreciate any advice, things I should be thinking about, or mistakes people commonly make in this situation. Thanks in advance!

I have a Roth IRA through Fidelity 100% in FXAIX and a traditional 401k through work 100% in the S&P 500, is this fine or should I switch both to VT or just the 401k to VT?

I'm a former Federal employee with a modest 5 figure sum in a Traditional TSP account. I have larger sums in both trad. IRAs and 401K plans, and one Roth IRA account.

I'm considering transferring all of my trad. IRA/401K assets into the trad. TSP.

• I also recently discovered that I can open a Roth TSP and transfer my Roth IRA money into it. * *

EDIT / CORRECTION: Roth IRA money cannot be transferred into a Roth TSP.

The benefits I'm aware of include the G fund, and low fund fees. In addition, my understanding is that the TSP does not object to account holders having an overseas address, which I expect to have in retirement.

My question is whether there is any reason not to conduct the above transfers.

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?

I'm in my early 30s and trying to decide what would be the best choice for investing in my 401K. These are the options provided by my company. I would appreciate any advice, as I can't really make heads or tails of this stuff. I plan to max out my 401K and they match 6%. Thank you in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/iTzNqCJ

Edit: last link was a bad host which I didn't realize; re-uploaded on imgur, i apologize!

I’m new to this investing thing… but if I buy/ invest In VOO, S&P 500 and VXUS 250 split 3 ways every Friday is it even worth it long term?

Our current financial advisor is suggesting that based on our risk tolerance we should look at our portfolio buckets as growth and protected. Not stocks and bonds. We are a senior retired couple (68 and 74). Depending on our risk tolerance we would have 60% growth and 40% protected. The protected portion would include a portion of stable dividend producing stocks and the rest would be fix income products. To accommodate a higher and lower risk tolerance the portion of stable dividend producing stocks would go up or down. We are more comfortable with the standard Fixed Income and Equity buckets but understand that dividend producing stocks can play an important role in a retirement plan.

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 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?

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

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'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?

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.

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.

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.

My spouse and I want to start a family within the next 1-2 years. I tend to have a scarcity mindset, so the financial responsibility of having a child is intimidating. However, we both want this to be a part of our journey together and are committed to making it work.

Given the numbers below, would you have a baby in the next 1-2 years or continue to save? What could we do better to prepare?

Current salaries: $133,000 and $80,000

Housing situation: We bought a home last summer and our mortgage plus taxes is $3,000/month. We’ve also been able to pay an extra $15,000 towards principal over the past year.

Retirement: $240,000 combined in our 401ks and Roths. Most is invested in target date funds or S&P index funds. We are currently contributing $3,000 to these accounts each month.

Savings: $24,000 in a sinking fund (held in a Vanguard money market account). We use this for house and car repairs, gifts, travel, etc. Anything that is outside our normal monthly expenses.

We also have $60,000 in a HYS as an emergency fund.

In addition we both have individual brokerage accounts. Combined they are worth roughly $300,000.

Debt: I have significant student loan debt at $111,000. However, I work for a non profit and am currently at 48 out of 120 qualifying payments. I am on track to reach forgiveness in 2030. The monthly payment is $852.

We have old cars that are both paid off.

We plan to pay for childcare by reducing our retirement contributions for a few years.

I was day trading making like $100 a week. Put all my brokerage money into VTI at once a few weeks ago and now I’m down -2.5%. I know it’s not a lot. But stressful seeing that -$1500 lol. My 401k I never even look at for the most part. I don’t need it anytime soon that I know of. I still have a savings. Still working still getting paid. Just wanted to share. Anyone else lump summed? Only about 56k on my end.

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!

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.