I have read about how hackers could steal money from your brokerage account using ACATS transfer. Recently I created a new Fidelity brokerage account and transferred one of my Vanguard accounts to Fidelity. It was so easy. Too easy. I can see how ACATS theft can happen.

I created the Fidelity account completely online. They asked for the usual information: name, address, citizenship, birthday, SSN, email, and phone. All of them have been leaked dozens of times over the years. Fidelity did not ask me to upload any ID documents, such as driver's license or passport.

I have security freezes on all the credit bureaus and banking data brokers (Equifax, Experion, TransUnion, Innovis, ChexSystems, LexisNexus). They did nothing. Fidelity created my account without triggering any warnings.

Fidelity did not ask me to verify my email address. Usually companies send an email that says something like, "please click here to verify your email address". Fidelity sent nothing. I could have mistyped my email address, or a hacker could have use their own email address.

Fidelity did not verify my phone number. They just sent an SMS txt that said something like, "Your phone number has been added to your account. Call 800-xxx-xxxx if you did not do this." A hacker could have just used their own phone number.

Initiating an ACATS transfer from Vanguard to Fidelity was straightforward. I just provided Fidelity with my Vanguard account number. This might be hardest part for a hacker, obtaining the exact account number of the Vanguard account.

On the Vanguard side, I had already blocked ACATS transfers on all accounts. I logged into their website and temporarily disabled the lock on that one account. That took effect within a few minutes.

When I initiated the ACATS transfer, Vanguard emailed me a notification about that transfer within a few hours. Which is good. However, the account transfer from Vanguard to Fidelity completed in 2 days. If I had been traveling or busy, I could have missed that email notification from Vanguard.

With the funds now at Fidelity, I think a hacker could just wire those funds and run away.

My conclusion is that it is probably a good idea to enable ACATS locking on all brokerage accounts. At Vanguard it's called "Outgoing transfer lock". At Fidelity it is called "Money Transfer Lock". It's not clear if Schwab offers that feature. I will have to call them.

Not going to have time to help my mom with this for a couple of weeks. Soooo annoyed at this switch and it's going to take a lot to convince her to do this with access to her camera and submitting photo/ssn. What happens after 10/27? Will she lose access to her bonds?

Hi guys. I’m new to investing and wanted some outside opinions.

I have a Roth IRA with Fidelity. And I plan on maxing out this account every year for the next 32 years (till Jan 2059). And I plan on doing a 70 / 30 split. 70% of my contributions will go to FZROX and 30% will go to FTIHX. Or, assuming a $7500 limit. $5250 will go to FZROX and $2250 will go to FTIHX for the next 32ish years.

Do you guys think this is a decent strategy for long term retirement planning? I don’t plan on switching brokerages personally and I think this keeps my expense ratios low. But what do you guys think?

If most active managers cannot beat the market, why this job still exists? Why people still hand their hard earned money to them Instead of just getting the better, market return by themselves?

I have $15,300 in Series I savings bonds currently worth about $17,613, and I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to redeem my older bonds and buy new ones.

Here's my current Treasury portfolio

-> Dec. 2023: $3,000 original amount, currently worth $3,348 (displayed rate: 4.66%)
-> Dec. 2023: $7,000 original amount, currently worth $7,812 (displayed rate: 4.66%)
-> Apr. 2022: $200 original amount, currently worth $243.36 (displayed rate: 3.34%)
-> Apr. 2022: $4,800 original amount, currently worth $5,840.64 (displayed rate: 3.34%)
-> Dec. 2021: $300 original amount, currently worth $368.88 (displayed rate: 3.34%)

I'm considering redeeming just the three bonds currently displaying 3.34%, worth approximately $6,453 combined, and using the proceeds to purchase new I Bonds.

The current rate for new I Bonds is 4.26%, including a 0.90% fixed rate. The November 1, 2026, rate announcement is approaching, and I've seen estimates that the new fixed rate could be higher.

My questions:
Would it make sense to replace the older bonds if the November fixed rate is significantly higher than 0.90%?

How should I account for the three-month interest penalty on bonds held for less than five years?

Would it be better to wait until the bonds reach five years old, particularly the December 2021 bond, or is locking in a higher fixed rate now potentially worth the penalty?

Are there any tax or other considerations I'm overlooking?

I'm primarily interested in holding I Bonds for the long term, rather than trading them frequently. I'd appreciate any thoughts on how to evaluate the trade-off.
Thanks!

I am a 29 year-old. I just opened a Roth IRA with Robinhood. I inserted $100 and put it into VOO to test it out. I’ve been recently reading about Bogleheads and want an automated strategy. As time goes by I want to be more comfortable adding money in automatically via Robinhood. But the question is what funds should I buy. I have heard the options of total index funds but from what I’m gathering, VOO is only the US. What are the other options people would recommend if I want a70(US)-20-10(bonds) split at this time. I plan to retire at 60. But may very well open a large business which may make it more of a transition vs an overall retirement 19 years in the future. I am definitely going to need additional investments such as a 401k after to set up my retirement properly.

In the future I may switch to fidelity roth but the 3% match on deposits looks to good to pass on with the credit card on the table.

If there are any holes in my plan or misunderstanding please let me know.

Just curious if anyone in this sub has actually met Jack Bogle. I worked at Vanguard for 24 years and talked to him in the lunch line for about a minute. That was it. One minute.

Anyone else? What did you think?

I know many on here are against it but I have certain reasons I am using it rather than utilizing a self directed account and rebalancing myself (work-related). That said, my current mix is 100% equities 60/40 US/INTL and the digital advisor only purchased VTI and VXUS. I discovered today that I can tweak that 60/40 split (against Vanguard’s rec) and also substitute investments instead of the current Active/ETF mix on VTI and VXUS. My question is: should I lean heavier on some of the sub funds and/or modify the US/INTL split…. anyone had experience using this feature and saw better yields than the standard Vanguard auto rec (I’m in the most aggressive profile setting btw)?

Hi all, just want to get some feedback on my portfolio based on some of the research I've done here to make sure I'm leaning in the right direction.

As a short background, I'm 33M and don't make a ton but I invest what I can in:

Company 401(k):
75% VLCAX
25% FSGGX

Roth IRA:
75% FZROX
25% FZILX

Individual Brokerage:
70% VTI
30% VXUS
(No idea why I decided to go with 70/30 here instead of 75/25)

Don't plan on retiring soon (I'd love to FIRE but completely unfeasible at this point) so just looking for some feedback!

This is a throwaway. Sorry if this post comes off as bragging, but I’m honestly looking for advice from the community that first set me on the path to investing.

I am a high earner and have followed boglehead principles for almost a decade. I am self-directed into VTI+VXUS across my funds (except my wife’s 401k which is in a TDF). It’s worked well for us; we have about $2M invested, $1.8M of which is in pretax retirement funds.

I recently was promoted at work, and my total comp will likely double to more than $1M per year depending a bit on performance — and keep going up. That’s obviously an enormous privilege and a huge stroke of luck. I will likely multiply my net worth in the span of just a few years.

Two sr execs at my work — who have nothing to gain or lose from how I manage my money — independently recommended getting a financial planner. One said he didn’t think he needed one when he was in my situation about a decade ago and wishes he’d gotten one sooner. I was surprised to hear that. I have always assumed that a financial planner is unnecessary for someone who is relatively money savvy. But these are very sophisticated folks with a LOT of money to invest and who are familiar with financial markets.

Have I just graduated to a level where a financial planner makes sense, notwithstanding my boglehead principles? What does a financial planner do for someone who doesn’t need help choosing which funds to invest in?

In case it matters, my income is on a K-1, my spouse’s income is W-2, and we have kids and own two properties.

Are they good?

I was hoping someone could explain how taxes on dividends work in a taxable brokerage. If I understand correctly; if I have $1000 position that pays $1 dividend every quarter the. I would owe taxes on those $4. But the dividend amount is treated as realized gains? Even if I never sold my position? Even if with DRIP enabled into the very same position?

Following up on my original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bogleheads/s/fP3VnSVhEp

After reviewing the tax implications, I decided against full liquidation. Roughly 75 individual stocks transferred into my taxable brokerage, many with significant gains.

My current plan:
-Use software to identify and then harvest available losses.
-Sell appreciated positions to offset those losses, along with losses harvested earlier this year.
-Aim for zero net realized capital gains, leaving roughly 10 highly appreciated stocks.

For those remaining, I’m considering 5% trailing stops, donating appreciated shares to our donor-advised fund, or holding 3–4 positions longer-term.

I’m sharing this for anyone facing a similar situation. One commenter called this a valuable lesson in direct indexing, and I agree. Rather than regret it, I’m treating it as a learning experience as I transition to Boglehead investing mid-career.

It’s a worthwhile transition, and I’m grateful for this community’s advice and support.

How would you handle the final 10 stocks?

Okay y'all already post some questions about this in a real estate forum and got some mixed answers. Here's my situation.

I've just inherited a home on the Gulf Coast four blocks from the water that was "purchased" by my father in a rent to own situation back in 2010 for $125,000. 25 Grand down 100,000 financed at 8% with mortgage payments at 733 a month. My father paid this minimum payment from the time he bought the home in 2010 so the time he passed.

The principal (which the seller has added things like legal fees and taxes due that my father hasn't paid) sits it around 83,000.

The home is somewhat dated interior needs some work and the home needs a new roof. I haven't priced insurance but being that it's on the Gulf Coast I expect it to be somewhat high.

I spoken to the owner who said if I wanted we could write up a contract in which I sell the home using my realtor under his name he pockets the principal amount and I get everything above it. Is this a bad move?

I'm hesitant to enter into this contract with him at 8% perhaps we could work something else out. My father has started getting into the principal amount as per the amortization chart. I work a job that keeps me away from home for 6 months at a time when I'm off I have 6 months free I've always planned on using that time to travel the world out of a backpack (very experienced doing this) living very very frugally and maxing out liquid investments. I'm seeing the house as a burden on my lifestyle and my finances.

Yes I could start to rent it out now but it seems like I'll just barely break even, granted the mortgage payments will be being paid. Similar homes in the area right now seem to be selling for around $130 $180,000 most of them looking to be in better condition.

What do y'all recommend? Do I sell now and walk away with something? Do I hunker down try to get some renters in here and pay off the mortgage that way? Do I take the income that I was going to use for my job to invest liquid and instead dump it into this home to pay it off quickly? I worry about nightmare renters I worry about being a landlord in general. I worry about a hurricane coming by and making a mess of the house (it survived Katrina with no flooding though coming somewhat close from what I understand. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

My old 401k from a previous company just started charging me with a $17.95 record-keeping fee. So I think it’s time for me to either roll over to the 401K with my current company.

Both are with fidelity.

I believe I used the mega backdoor at my old job as well as my current job. so the account has a mix of pre-tax and Roth money. I also do a regular backdoor Roth IRA every year — this year haven’t done it yet. As per my understanding, I need to keep my personal Traditional IRA balance at $0 to avoid getting hit by the pro-rata rule. Not that certain about this.

I think there are 3 options here in general:
1. Roll over everything from my previous company to a current company 401k
2. Roll over everything to my personal IRA and personal Roth IRA
3. Roll over pretax to current employer 401k and post tax to my personal Roth IRA

What would be the best option here? Not really familiar much with roll over. Any advice, appreciated.

Thanks

I have about 150,000 in company stock that I would like to sell and diversify into an ETF most likely. What kind of tax bill am I looking at????

iShares Core 80/20 Aggressive Allocation ETF

AOA

Hey all,

Hoping to get some advice from people who've been through something similar. Quick background - I'm a non-US citizen living in a country with no capital gains tax, I have some savings and employer stock that I am considering to diversify out of. I am planning to withdraw at a 4% on a yearly basis for the next 2 years as I am not working at the moment due to health problems.

If you were/are in a similar situation what worked for you. Based on research I did, I understand the minimum recommended percent to invest is at 60% in order to be able to sustain capital long term.

A few things I am looking for:

• Anyone following a basic boglehead-type setup (Irish domiciled equities + some short duration bonds) that's worked well for them long term.
• What platforms do people actually use/like for buying UCITS ETFs as a non-US investor? (Interactive Brokers keeps coming up) why is it better than using the bank investment platforms if/when the fees are the same?
• Open to getting some advisor help just for the implementation piece if it's actually worth paying for vs doing it solo - anyone used someone for just that and felt it was worth it?

Appreciate any thoughts, specially from someone in a similar situation.

I have a new account I'd like to rebalance. Taxable with recently reset cost basis. Plan is to draw down fairly aggressively as part of retirement income beginning next year (and staying under ACA limits). It currently looks like this: VIGAX 20% VSMAX 6% VTIAX 8% VTSAX 44% VVIAX 10% VWALX 12%

Any suggestions for rebalancing would be appreciated. I do know I can exchange some of these for the complementary ETF without triggering any taxable event (vti, vxus, etc). I definitely want to lower the risk in this account as well.

I’ve started my investment portfolio this year at what feels like too late of an age of 35.

For context, I’ve made under 100k a year for 12 years living in a very expensive place and found myself in some pretty serious credit debt (I have paid off finally, thank god).This year my career had a break and I’m on track to earn 350k or so, and I feel absolutely consumed by pressure to do the right thing as I’ve been financially illiterate for my entire adult life.

So far I’ve deployed about 15k into a mixture of VOO, VXUS, and QQM as well as individual stocks in Google, Amazon, Intel, and Nvidia.

I guess my question would be what a realistic investment per month at this level of earnings looks like? I’m interested in starting an IRA but I’ve also been told I would have to do something slightly different for earning over a certain amount. A friend told me I have to do a “backdoor IRA” and it’s has some sort of different tax implications. Im still very unsure how that all works.

I’ve been tempted at times to deploy larger chunks but often get cool feet and ignore the money all together as it feels a bit frightening. Is it typically better to buy smaller amounts every week or month, or is a bigger chunk every quarter or so also normal? My plan as of now was going to be focusing on expanding all of my positions but I’ve also wondered if I’m spread out into too many things, or too much of one part of the market.

For further context this is all pre tax and I’m a freelance worker so my tax situation will be a creative one. I do have a meeting with a new accountant on the books, and I know there will be good advice there but I was also recommended to this sub for solid advice. Any direction or advice for a new investor would be brilliant.

Now I’m off to learn about Mr. Bogle. Thanks in advance.

Hi! I am wondering if someone can help give me insight on asset allocation for my 457b. My employer already has a pension through CalPers, but I do want to save extra through the 457b. We get to choose between Voya or Empower, and can only have one account.

The options are here below…currently I have the Voya one set at State Street Russell All Cap Index (70%) and State Street Global Equity ex US index (30%), but I am wondering if there could be better options? Im especially debating between the TDF funds. I also didn’t choose Empower the first time around because the fees were higher.

Also, for context, I am 23 years old! Thank you, and I appreciate your input!

https://imgur.com/a/kK32rJD

*the first two images are Voya, and the last one is Empower!

I'm helping family, who just retired recently, with some of their retirement money. They already have a decent amount of liquid cash that they'll use for the next 3-5 years, or however long it lasts. I'm helping with another reserve and was planning on guiding them to do a 50/50 split between an S&P 500 index fund and some bond fund. None of us want to actively manage it and just want to leave the investments alone until it needs to be withdrawn.

With all that said, are bond funds the ideal choice here? I've been reading up on bond ladders and individual bonds, but it seems like those require more active management. If we need to pull some money, would it be ideal to have a small amount in a money market fund as well?

As someone about to enter 30 who’s just getting started in this journey. I have been consulting from the medias into saving some grands in gold for a good defense position, and now some stocks for a growing position. Been bothering myself too much at spending too much times looking at different company’s for minor changes, picking up entry points for any low amount of money that doesnt makes much different until i realize it’s not my style at all, i’d prefer just a regular dca plan and then turn off my phone, back to doing my stuffs - That’s when i found out abt this community and currently want to hear you opinions about VOOG or VOO as the only one to stop digging any further into this game.
Any thoughts appreciated 🫶

So basically, my high school is doing a competition through Wharton. The competition is you get 450k to invest for an alum for her writing agency. She needs $500k and would like the money left over to fund the building. Now Wharton does not care as much about making the money as about what your plan was to buy/sell the stocks you picked and why you made those decisions. Right now this is my summary of my idea: I think we should get steady growth over high risk because we are in a shorter amount of time frame and cannot risk losing too much money on individual stocks. If we buy ETFs, we will spread out the risk and diversify the portfolio across different sectors. This will help us maintain our value while also giving us a safe growth rate while still generating good returns. SGOV should be the other 50% because it gives us a safe cushion for maintaining our money. SGOV would also be great if we want to exchange the money in here into other stocks in the feature

2.  For my 2 stock picks, I think we should put 40% of our money into the VOO ETF because it gives us broad exposure to the U.S. markets. 10% in VEA because that will give us international exposure, which studies and research show reduces your overall risk.

Now, technically, this is my submission, but I am still allowed to trade stocks later on after the first submission.(Also, this is team-based, and my team is voting on everyone's ideas to see which to submit) ANY ADVICE WOULD HELP!!!

Im from Switzerland and 21 Years of age. I don't need the invested money for the next 30 years, so im open to every investing strategy. In this post I want to focus on the stocks (ETF's) I invest:

My factor portfolio (Swiss investor, 30-year horizon, 100% equities)

The 40% World is the neutral anchor — no house recipe, no bets, just the market. The 20% EM is half market completion (EM is ~10% of global market cap) and half a deliberate, declared overweight — a conviction bet, not a factor premium, and I know the difference. 

What I’d really appreciate input on is two things. First, does the overall factor approach make sense — the 60/40 split between a neutral core and four equal-weighted tilts? Second, are these the right products? There’s a confusing number of options out there, including single ETFs that bundle all the factors into one package, and I’m not sure whether I’m better off with separate building blocks like this or with an integrated multifactor fund. If anyone with actual expertise has a short comment, that would be hugely helpful.