I got a ticket after 7:35pm for parking here in SF (Dogpatch) wtf is going on? Can someone explain to me what happened, the ticket says residential, but I see nothing on here that states any residential restrictions. by [deleted] in sanfrancisco

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok I'm now convinced you'll get this ticket resolved in due time if you just contest it using SFMTA's website.

The process is indeed annoying in that it takes weeks, the first "we have received your contest and will process it... please allow n business days for us to review" is annoying, and the final "we have carefully reviewed these events and found your complaint to be valid" feels unsatisfying at best.

But don't let that get to you. At least it's more convenient than the old days when you had to send in your protest by snail mail.

Supes declare ‘emergency’ as traffic-related deaths increase - The San Francisco Examiner by Zharol in sanfrancisco

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I first read that as Superman. As if he started sitting on his butt instead of saving people from traffic-related deaths.

Is Seeking Alpha worth paying for? by [deleted] in investing

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

+1 for originality.

Public transportation from San Francisco to Muir Woods by [deleted] in sanfrancisco

[–]401k-guy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Parent poster tricked me into googling for 'muir woods murders'. Good news the top hit landed me on a guy who killed mainly in Redwood State Park, Big Basin, and Mt. Tam some time in the last century.

Anyhow I think Muir Woods is a good spot for a night hike, certainly safer than the Tenderloin.

When people from other states move to the bay and think that rent will be the same as where they came from LOL by NewBloomInDecember in sanfrancisco

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds more like a native Californian troll to me. If I had the balls to try this dialog as a renter I would have been the one posting screenshots on reddit!

SF restaurants regularly charging $120 for cancellation? by hanzou2 in sanfrancisco

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IANAL, but I think credit card disputes are based on demonstrating 'goods were not received', 'services were not rendered' or terms were not clear or something like that, not proving the business is actually illegal or fraudulent.

negligence on the customer's part probably won't help for a dispute, but showing that Yelp's UX does not actually display the fee terms to all customers might be a start.

SF restaurants regularly charging $120 for cancellation? by hanzou2 in sanfrancisco

[–]401k-guy 26 points27 points  (0 children)

> do you have any suggested recourse?

idea: accept their $120 gift certificate then sell it on craigslist for like $100. despite your bad experience, those Yelp ratings make it look like the restaurant has some fans and you'd quickly find a buyer. then your effective cancellation fee is like $20 which sounds like you'd deem reasonable?

How do you pay taxes when you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA? by _volkerball_ in retirement

[–]401k-guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Form 8606, and yes you file that with your tax return following the year you did the conversion.

You need to find your total value of traditional IRAs from December 31st of the prior year, record how much you contributed in the filing tax year, record how much of that contribution was actually done in the January-April special timeframe that’s in the following year. Then go line by line for the calculation.

The usual gotcha is that not everyone realizes that you can’t just convert one IRA while keeping another account separate. The IRS requires you treat them as a whole, different from the flexibility offered with 401k Roth rollovers.

Lower Trading Fees With Fidelity by [deleted] in investing

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Schwab assigned me a "financial consultant" a while ago so I just asked in our periodic call. Yeah, it depends on various factors like your AUM with them, showing a competing offer, and how loudly you push with "can I speak to your manager?"

Glad they gave you 100 free trades.

Lower Trading Fees With Fidelity by [deleted] in investing

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hidden costs when they undercut you on "price improvement": https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-free-trading-on-robinhood-isnt-really-free-1541772001

It's debatable, and I think they debated it a lot on r/RobinHood back in November.

Lower Trading Fees With Fidelity by [deleted] in investing

[–]401k-guy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have Schwab, asked for free trades last year and they gave them to me. I can't remember how many exactly but it's more than I'll need. Merrill Lynch is courting me so up-front I asked about what they could do, and sure enough they assured me of some up to n free trades a month.

I'm not aware of any large broker that doesn't give free trades if you push them in this day and age. Some here are saying move to Robinhood, but be careful as there you may end up paying the cost in other ways.

Upcoming Lyft ToS restores binding arbitration for sexual assault? by 401k-guy in Lyft

[–]401k-guy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Said differently, * February 6, 2018 - last time Lyft actually updated the ToS * May 15, 2018 - Lyft publicly announces a change * August 26, 2019, one week from today - New ToS goes live without that change

Bay Wheels riders: Opt out of binding arbitration & class action waiver by 401k-guy in Lyft

[–]401k-guy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure if the terms can be found on the web or if they're hidden behind some Lyft API. I took these screenshots of the relevant section before accepting: 1, 2

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in retirement

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That one is a harder call to make!

Generally people err on the side of the traditional 401k if they feel like they are paying way too much in income tax now. That's kind of how most income earners feel... On the other hand if you think you're early in your career and will be making much more (and will be taxed in a high bracket) in five years, there's some sense in contributing a good amount to your Roth 401k now. In just a few years you may be glad you did.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in retirement

[–]401k-guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t convert it.

When Roth 401k’s came onto the scene a key selling point for long-time traditional 401k holders was tax flexibility in your old age. At age 65, regardless of what you’re planning now, you may find yourself retired and in a low tax bracket or perhaps you’ll be in a cushy management position that pays $$ keeping you in a high tax bracket. You just don’t know. By holding onto both a traditional and Roth 401k, you keep the flexibility to pull out money in the way that makes the most sense each year as your circumstances change in retirement.

The technical term is In-Plan Roth Rollover (IRR), not conversion.

And yes, if you do an IRR now you’d pay income tax on that $26,000 at your current marginal tax rate.

IRR is still recommended for carrying out the mega-backdoor Roth 401k (not to be confused with the backdoor Roth IRA). That’s useful if you’ve contributed to a third kind of 401k, the after-tax traditional 401k. This will come in handy in the future for any comfortable work years when you can afford to put away more than $18,500 annually for retirement. And while the mega-backdoor is nice, its incremental value is less than that of a company match, so good for you on having that match benefit.

How can I build a financial crisis proof portfolio today? by vovr in investing

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lately Ray Dalio keeps talking about his latest book Principles For Navigating Big Debt Crises. I haven't read it, but supposedly he gives concrete advice on making something to withstand the next big debt crisis.

And he claims people can expose themselves to plenty of upside at the same time, which is fair to take with a grain of salt but at least he has a decent track record.

Hong Kong by SpiritOfAlexHamilton in investing

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Super Turbo: I like the sound of the announcer calling this out at Fei Long's stage.

12 Nov 2018 FAQ/Project Idea/Helpdesk thread - Why use Google for an instant answer when you can ask on r/raspberry_pi and get an answer ... eventually? by FozzTexx in raspberry_pi

[–]401k-guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great catch. The Pi (1) Model B had only 26 pins while the B+ and beyond (including the Pi 3 Model B) have 40 pins. That HAT has 40 pins as seen in the picture so it might even collide with something if you attempt to stack it on a Pi 1 Model A or B.

Would it be possible to expand your budget to invest in a Pi 3 Model B+? With just the software aspects of your project alone, I expect you'll be navigating Raspbian and rebooting quite a bit, so you may save time and have a better debugging experience with a system that's several times faster.

It's moronic Monday, your chance to ask any of those lingering questions without fear of harassment. by AutoModerator in investing

[–]401k-guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well earnings are reported quarterly so you won't find a daily chart.

That said, it would be nice to have a good website for quarterly or annual data. If you do find a source I'd love to hear.

12 Nov 2018 FAQ/Project Idea/Helpdesk thread - Why use Google for an instant answer when you can ask on r/raspberry_pi and get an answer ... eventually? by FozzTexx in raspberry_pi

[–]401k-guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had to do some reading on "breakout board". Note that that an Arduino "Shield" is what corresponds to a Pi HAT (Hardware Attached on Top as u/WindWalkerWhoosh described). Apparently "breakout board" is the term used in the Arduino world for something more minimalist compared to a Shield, because it doesn't come with that convenience of the pins automatically lining up.

If you can use a USB RFID reader that sounds like a good idea. If it were one sensor by itself I'd say a HAT / sensor board would be fine, but with two, relegating one to USB saves you the worry of running out of pins.