jcussen
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Posts posted by jcussen
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According to the IRS, my $600 check was mailed 10 days ago? Seems the USPS is using a lot of contract labor. Last year, filled on line hold my mail and filled in two of the yellow forms for hold my mail, one to the local post office and one to my carrier. Guess what, had a big pile mail on my porch when I got back.
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40 minutes ago, NamMedevac 70 said:
Sad Facts. If the electric grid goes down for whatever reason not only will be no charging for EV vehicles but the gas pumps will not operate. Everyone will be in same pot of soup.
Too true. A good time to put some panels on the roof and buy some used Leaf batteries to store your solar power and power your fridge and freezer and charge your EV/hybrid.
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Modern plugin hybrids like the Honda Clarity offer the best of both worlds. Plug it in and drive around town for 48 miles on batteries alone, at about 1/4 the price of gasoline. For a long trip, fill the gas tank and drive 340 miles before refilling. $7500 federal tax credit, and possible state credits also make it pretty affordable. And you can use the HOV lanes with one person.
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The Honda Clarity has a 48 mile electric only range, and 360 total miles per tank.
If you are just driving locally you can do it on electricity, for longer trips, fill up your gas tank.Know a couple of people that travel coast to coast yearly in a hybrid.
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9 minutes ago, NamMedevac 70 said:
Has anyone owned and had good luck with a hybrid vehicle???
Not a hybrid, I have a full EV. Installed $7000 worth of solar panels, solar controllers, used leaf batteries and a 220 volt inverter. By gas saving alone, the $7000 will be paid off in 5 years. There are some good hybrid gas plugins though that combine the best of both worlds. The Honda Clarity is a good example.
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A lot of companies now have e-billing. They will send you an email with amount you owe, you can just send the amount owed by e-pay from your bank. Don't like automatic pay because one time wife got on a cleaning supply scam and they billed for the minimum amount even if she did not order anything, took a lot of phone calls to get that straightened out. When I am on a long trip, just have my bank pay a bit more that the anticipated bill, normally have a credit balance when I get home, then I cancel it and go back to normal pay by e-pay.
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5 minutes ago, SuiteSuccess said:
Thanks
I too am not to steady on ladders anymore, the simplisafe cameras are usb powered by a wall wart, so the power cable is small. I just ran the power cable through a window and it still closes tight. Or you use one of those USB rechargable phone chargers in an accessible location and they should last a pretty long time before recharging is necessary
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1 hour ago, bigjim said:
jcussen, Depending on your age you may not have had a option of a Roth. That was my case. If timing and finances worked out you may have had an option to convert with certain rules that affected your income tax. I looked at it but my situation made it not desirable to change so I am just biting the bullet.
Believe you must have had a Roth at least 5 years before you turn 59 1/2. I started my 401k in my twenties, if I had known the rules, would have put way more money in Roths.
https://www.investopedia.com/roth-ira-withdrawals-read-this-first-4584662
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37 minutes ago, Kirk W said:
Doesn't the county where you are have a website for sign up? That is what people here are using. It still depends upon your priority and it takes time based on the vaccine supply and the number of people who have signed up ahead of you.
Nothing in Galveston County, I was signed up at U of Texas Medical Branch, but appears their allotment is now going to Houston. Appears they are going to Vaccination Hubs, the closet one to me is in Houston, but still not easy to register. Lot of times just get voice mails and no place to put your name in.
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57 minutes ago, Chalkie said:
I went to the Texas State Health Department and it said that a pharmacy near us had 66 doses, I went to the website for the pharmacy and it said "Coming Soon". I guess this is what we may face, left hand not know what the right hand is doing, or vice versa.
Agree, did the same and found out the info was out of date in my area and all the ones I called within 20 miles had none available.
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Look at Simplisafe, cameras need power, but a good value for the money
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32 minutes ago, RV_ said:
None of my investments are in any form of retirement account or 401 etc. My stocks are separate from retirement accounts of any kind. I live on my military retirement and our SS we paid into.
Lynn has an IRA and she is 67 this year, I am 2 years older than she is so when we are a little closer we will comply.
Good decision on your part, wish I knew more about RMD's when I first started saving, would have put a lot more into Roth IRA's.
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Just read in the Galveston Daily News, that UTMB Galveston is cancelling scheduled vaccinations after next Tues because of a new state policy sending vaccines to distribution "centers". As mine was scheduled for next Thursday, guess I am back on the waiting list.
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1 hour ago, RV_ said:
Gary, my wife really stressed out over it. I am not happy about them adding insult AND injury to the tax bill. But what I told Lyn was simply, we got to keep 88% of that windfall. I am OK with paying taxes of 12% capital gains. Not more. Making significant gains and paying tax beats no gains and paying nothing.
Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer not to pay any. I certainly don't want to lose money to avoid taxes. But like our member who was smart enough to invest in NIO at under $10.00 which has skyrocketed in 2020, having gains to pay tax on beats no gains. Death and taxes, right?
As far as age trigger for withdrawals, i believe that has to do with 401s and other retirement funds. I believe I can keep my stocks which are not in any retirement funds until my son inherits. We are getting with our legal office and probably a Navy Federal investment advisor to make our final will and adjust our living wills for Colorado State law.
RMD's are mandentary at 72, although legiestation is changing on all IRA accounts, so if you invested while younger in tax free 401K's etc, you will be required to take some money out of your IRA and pay tax on it. If a Roth and you paid tax on it before putting it in your IRA, think you are okay with pulling that money out without paying income taxes on it. My Required Minimum disbursement this year plus my S.S. put me in a 24% tax bracket, and probably higher next year.
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15 minutes ago, RV_ said:
Here's a good article that may help. I recently paid a very large tax bill over $30k. We live on a fixed income and have a tax lady. This was after we were both on Social security and Medicare. Well, the SS and Medicare decided we made too much and decided they would pay less and charge us more per month respectively. So they reduced my SS by $400/mo and charged us $30 or $40.00 more per month for medicare. that was for a large capital gain selling my Tesla stock. The gains occurred in 2019 and so the did that for all of 2020 and 1 Jan 21 Ten days ago they raised my medicare charge and are again paying us our old SS amounts.
That hurt. Especially when I see the rich paying little to nothing. Had we not had retirements we would have had to go bankrupt. I have no deductions zip, nada.
I am holding off selling my ACB at a big loss until I need it.
The trouble is with RMD's [required minimum distribution} is that the more your stocks grow, the more you must take out as income, which is added to your S.S. and with the new tax laws, may put you in a higher tax bracket. It was waived in 2020, right after I took my RMD. This year you have to take it anyway. You can't win for losing.
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Appears the new government now wishes to distribute all available doses of the vaccine instead of holding 50% in reserve for the second shot. Hope we don't run into a situation like what we had with PPE's where the PPE manufacturers started selling to the highest bidder and perhaps the second shot is not going to be available to those that got the first shot. Looks like the US gov. contract with Modera is for 200 million and with Phizer, 200 million single doses. But 50% protection from one shot is better than 0% with no shots. As far as I know, both shots have to come from the same manufacturer.
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Just made an appointment at UTMB Galveston for next week. Can't do it by phone, must do it online through MyChart. I am 1B.
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Yes. a racket. several years ago, took $!20K out of my IRA, [I am retired]. My accountant does my taxes for me, and she did not receive notice from my financial consultant of that withdrawal, and I forgot about it and paid my usual taxes. Three years later, IRS informed my I owed $31K in taxes on that amount, which I paid immediately, Six months after that, got another bill for $8000 for not paying on time, paid that, last week got another bill for $75, for a miscalculation on that amount, wonder if it will ever end. I know it was my fault for not paying more attention, but have to wonder if they did not inform me for 3 years, just so they could collect that extra $8000.
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2 hours ago, durangodon said:
I don't do it, but it's not as risky as it sounds. Any time I buy or sell a stock I am gambling on the future of that stock. I believe either the stock is going up or going down. Short sellers are doing the same and I'm sure that many are successful at it. They've just missed the mark with Tesla at an alarming rate.
Agree, a lot of people make good money on short selling. In Tesla's case, see a lot of Tesla trash talk on many forums and news articles hoping to drive the stock price down. As you said, obviously that did not work well.
No gloating here, but Tesla bought a good portion of my Tesla.
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Yep, the Tesla short sellers got their just rewards. I too am only educated enough to buy stocks that I think will go up. But still not smart enough to hang on to the Tesla stocks I bought at $220 before the split. But that's the stock market, like RV said, somewhat like a casino.
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Pretty sure trucks with hydrogen fuel cells use electricity to power the electric drive motors. Don't think I have ever heard of a diesel engine that uses hydrogen for fuel.
https://www.fleetowner.com/running-green/article/21130119/putting-hydrogen-fuel-cell-trucks-to-work
If you read the entire article, it states "zero greenhouse gases", "no idling", low noise pollution". This certainly indicates electric drive.
Love to see some specs on a pure hydrogen powered diesel engine although this guy thinks it is in the future as a supplement to diesel.
https://newatlas.com/automotive/hydrogen-direct-injection-hy
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2 hours ago, GlennWest said:
But that's crazy california. Also don't they import all their electricity.
You are right. Texas is probably safe, but the future is uncertain.
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1 hour ago, GlennWest said:
20 years from I might not be around.
In some some states, you won't be able to buy a new gas car or pickup either.
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Tesla's megacharger for semi's can charge 400 miles in 30 minutes. Of course not many around now and only practical for a-b and b-a type routes, but who knows in 20 years.
But I can see truck stops with massive underground hydrogen tanks, but producing the hydrogen and transporting to the truck stops will still be a problem for a while.
https://electrek.co/2018/02/02/tesla-semi-electric-truck-customers-megacharger-charging-station/
Gasoline Car Sales to End by 2035 in Massachusetts
in Finances and Investing
Posted
Some newer hybrid models have a greater electric only range, in many cases enough for daily commutes. 48 miles for the Honda Clarity.
Drive to work and back, plug in when you get home and you are ready to go again the next morning, for longer trips, just fill up your gas tank.
https://automobiles.honda.com/clarity-plug-in-hybrid