Why is there no discussion about inflation as a result of these policies? Give everyone $50k per year and soon the prices of goods will rise so that no one can live on that amount anymore. If we give everyone $1m per year, there would be no more poverty, right?

I read the article a while ago, so can't remember all the details, but my initial impression from the examples given was that this seems to disproportionately affect low income minorities, likely because they cannot afford adequate representation. You have to wonder what these prosecutors are thinki...

As 30 Rock has taught us...

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I'm curious how people decide how much to allocate to their VP vs. PP.  Since my 401k contributions are much larger than my Roth contributions, I basically need to count a bunch of extra money as my VP.  This will probably be all stocks, broken out as: 40% stocks, 20% LTT, 20%, Gold, 20% Cash.  I'm ...

I think of all my accounts as one portfolio, so I don't try to mimic my asset allocation in each of my 401k, IRA, taxable account, etc.  Why don't you just count the cash outside of your tax-deferred accounts as part of your PP?  That way you can fill up the tax-deferred space with stocks, LTTs, and...

I've seen it quoted in many places that the expected real return of gold is 0%.  Where does this come from exactly?  I looked at the actual data craigr posted in his blog here: https://web.archive.org/web/20160324133409/http://www.crawlingroad.com/blog/2008/12/22/permanent-portfolio-historical-retur...

I don't have any personal experience with Australian Shepherds, but I think they are highly energetic dogs that require a lot of exercise and structured mental stimulation to be happy.  It's not the kind of dog you can just let out in the back yard to run around.  Since you have a young child, I can...

I'd stick with the index fund.  It has lower expenses and does not change its holdings based on what the managers anticipate happening in the market.  It also looks like it has a higher credit quality.

Since most of my contributions go into my 401k, I just try to maintain a 50/50 split between S&P500 / US Bond Index there.  In my Roth and taxable accounts, I try to keep my LTT and gold holdings equal to each other.  I technically count the US Bond Index as my "cash."  It's not a perf...

Personally, I'm happy that gold and LLTs are down this year.  Since I'm in my early accumulating years, I'm glad I have the opportunity to buy at lower prices.

I will add that many of my friends that are into "riskier" investments are not truly rich!  Some have nice cars, nice houses, and a good income but also have a high debt balance (credit cards, double mortgages, etc) that comes along with chasing the American dream.  They also trend toward...

I'll say it's a good day!  According to Yahoo Finance, my holdings in VOO are up 100.46% on the day.  Should I be happy that my stock fund is beating its index, or unhappy that it's not tracking terribly well?  :-P I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but VOO had a share split today, so the shar...

Let me first clarify that I have no real knowledge of the US pension system. I understand that the 401K is a system by which you defer taxes on income to a later point in life. Correct? If so, there are at least 2 dangers to the 401K: a) It is possible that the govt "for the good of the people...

I understand the desire to hold physical gold outside of your 401k, but it wasn't clear to me whether or not you are sacrificing space in your 401k to do it.  In other words, are you giving up the tax-deferral benefits of the 401k (meaning you are contributing less than $17.5k and paying more taxes ...

401ks all have different rules depending on the employer's plan, so you will have to research what's available to you.  If you are only investing in a 401k and have access to the iShares products, you could invest in IAU, which is a gold ETF.  If you have a brokerage option, meaning you can buy what...

I'm really not trying to make this confusing for someone just starting out, so I will try to distill everything I've said into the simplest possible message. 1. Can you save $5.5k in an IRA and $17.5k in a 401k each year?  If the answer is no, then max our your Roth IRA and contribute at least 6% to...

1. Everything that goes into a 401k comes from a paycheck deduction.  However, I don't think Roth deferral is what I was referring to (I think it's the Roth 401k).  2. Under withdrawal options, I think it's "AFTER TAX WITHDRAWAL."  What do the plan rules say for that? 4. For my own purpose...

Why would it be beneficial to max the 401k then roll it into a trad ira then roth, instead of just going from a traditional to a roth? We are talking about two different things here. Total 401k contributions = $17.5k elective deferrals (Roth or Traditional) + employer match + after-tax employee con...

How do I find out if my employer will let me do this?  What is the right question to ask? Should I ask a benefits person at my company, or the 401k people (Fidelity for me)? I've found that the regular HR people at my company are pretty clueless about these sort of specifics.  I would check with Fi...

1. In 2013, the max contribution for a Roth (or traditional) IRA is $5.5k.  I suggest taking cash from your bank account and maxing out the Roth for 2013 as soon as possible. 2. I would increase your 401k paycheck deductions to whatever will allow you to hit $17.5k by the end of the year.  Sometimes...

I agree that Gus was the ultimate villain.  That's why I thought that season 5 would all be Hank vs Walt, because there was no one left who is a worthy opponent for Walt.  Todd and the neo-Nazis aren't quite on the same level.  What I'm trying to figure out is Walt's next move.  It has to be some ki...

There's no reason not to just move $2k in cash from your bank to your Roth tomorrow.  I usually just max it out all at once at the beginning of the year.  Remember also that you can always withdraw contributions from your Roth, but not your earnings (though this really should be a last resort becaus...

Yes, I was assuming that the entire $17.5k would be in the 25% bracket, but if contributing to a 401k drops you into the 15% bracket, then the tax savings wouldn't be as much.  I think in general, you need to be earning at least $75k as a single individual not to be dropped into the 15% bracket by m...

Is there a reason you are saving so much cash in taxable?  Do you want to buy a house or car?  Since you are able to, I'd max out your 401k at $17.5k per year.  Recognize that the $12.9k cash you save is after-tax, so at a 25% tax rate, it's really $17.2k pre-tax.  I'm suggesting you contribute $11....

I personally think of all my money as one big portfolio.  I don't try to create separate PPs within each type of account (although some do).  I'll try to describe my thought process, since I started working not too long ago and the size of my accounts relative to each other is probably similar to yo...