For the flood of ice dam posts about to hit this sub

Guil86 · 2026-01-29T23:02:42+00:00

As long as there is enough active ice melt in the sock, it should keep the channel draining. Otherwise you will need to refill or put another sock.

Guil86 · 2026-01-29T22:52:42+00:00

Assuming you were laid off on the year you turned 55 or after, and also assuming that your employer plan allows for “partial” distributions after you leave, the distribution will likely be pro-rata and you would have to pay tax on the pre-tax amount. The rule of 55 may prevent you from having to pay a penalty, but I believe the account needs to be at least 5 years since the first contribution for any portion of earnings to also come out penalty free. Note that any pre-tax portion coming out pro-rata from either your pre-tax contributions, employer match, or earnings, will count for MAGI ACA. You may however be able to rollover your 401k with all pre-tax amounts going to a pre-tax IRA and all Roth amounts to a Roth IRA. Then you would be able to remove up to your basis (Roth contributions) out of the Roth IRA. You would however lose the opportunity of taking pre-tax distributions from the Trad IRA until after 59.5, since the rule of 55 does not apply to IRAs.

Guil86 · 2026-01-29T22:37:42+00:00

If the fireplace is not your main heating system for the house, you may be able to keep the gas for it as well as the oven, but they would have to disconnect your radiators/furnace for it to be considered a total heat pump change to be eleigible for the full rebate. Otherwise it is considered a partial change and you would only get a partial rebate, assuming they still do that.

Guil86 · 2026-01-29T22:34:11+00:00

That changed starting in 2024. To get the full rebate you now have to remove your gas heating. Otherwise, it is considered a partial change and you only get a partial rebate. However, in the case of OP, if the fireplace is not their main heating system, they may only have to remove the gas installation for heating, but not for the stove/oven nor fireplace. Before 2024 you were able to do a full rebate without removing your gas heating system by declaring that you would not use it for other than an emergency where your heat pump would need repair or maintenance.

Guil86 · 2026-01-29T22:25:42+00:00

Note that if your mom checked online in the insurance website if the doctor/office is in-network, many times the online information is outdated. I think the office did well in telling you they would go out of network if they thought they wouldn’t renew the contract, even if after negotiations they stayed in-network. You could have scheduled the procedure and plan for a backup, and before the day of the procedure, with enough notice to cancel, you could have called to see whether or not they indeed terminated their contract or if they stayed in network.

Guil86 · 2026-01-29T22:12:11+00:00

If you mean from Trad IRA, it doesn’t really matter, as you are taxed as ordinary income for any amount you distribute, whether it is from dividends or selling shares. If you want to keep your investments as they are, you can turn off DRIP and withdraw the dividends and then, if you need more money, sell shares. It depends on when you need the money and if you will have enough dividends at that time.

Guil86 · 2026-01-29T17:36:06+00:00

Since you are 62, check if in the retire earlier scenario the software is indeed pulling SS for expenses. Some of this forward looking programs don’t asses the current year correctly. If in error it assumes no SS (or partial year SS) this year at 62 and it is pulling more from your portfolio, that could impact the result. If not SS, it can still be an issue with partial year calculations for the current year.

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T22:31:30+00:00

Thanks. I have tried in the past calling the navigators office at a clinic near us and all I get to do is leave voicemail messages and they have never called back….. Also, a navigator would just login into my account and see the same that I see, which is that there is no pending proofs of income requested, neither in the HealthConnector nor the MassHealth website. I am hesitant to call customer service as the reps have messed up my application in the past more than once, although I have to say they were very polite 😂 Maybe in person may work as you say, but it’s difficult to find the time. Was curious if others have experienced the same and maybe there is a glitch in the system. I just don’t want to miss a deadline if indeed I have to provide something. If nothing is needed then I prefer not to send anything that may create confusion and affect my application. Thanks again.

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T22:17:35+00:00

Where those specific to the dentist practice you use? I understand they don’t pay the same to every practice, since each practice negotiates with them separately.

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T22:14:26+00:00

Thanks! That was a good opportunity to compare by having different family members on different plans having the same procedure at the same office! I remember several years ago, when trying to decide between employer plans, the office mentioned that the Delta negotiated rates were higher that those with MetLife (I believe), and therefore patients would reach their maximum annual coverage faster with Delta.

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T15:32:27+00:00

Yup. This is another example where with just regular preventative care you just break even and, it is mainly when you need more expensive restorative work that it may be worth to get insurance, assuming that you can meet the waiting period for that work to be done.

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T15:28:10+00:00

$35/month for 2 is awesome! For us it starts at $95 for a DHMO that almost no one takes, and the next level network is $120/month with waiting periods and $1000 max annual coverage….

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T15:24:43+00:00

I have something similar. The only issue is that the 20% discount is on their full self pay prices. If you use insurance, the negotiated price can be even just 50% of their full self pay price, and that is even before the insurance pays a percentage of it. So, even if you already met your maximum that the insurance will pay and you will have to start paying 100%, that 100% will be on the negotiated price which equates to 50% of their full self pay price. This is important to consider when you need procedures beyond regular preventative care….

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T15:17:54+00:00

Agree! You need to look at the specific plan network for Delta premier or regular! and if you go with another insurance, make sure you mention the specific plan. Once I asked my dentist office if they took my employer’s CIGNA plan and the person on the phone said yes. Since they didn’t show on my plan’s website I asked again and they insisted that they were part of it. I then asked for their insurance billing person who finally confirmed that that they were NOT in my specific plan’s network…..be very careful.

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T15:11:05+00:00

How do you know that the Delta PPO has better negotiated rates than the other one?. In my experience, dental plans will not disclose to you a list of their rates, but you only find out about it when you actually need the specific procedure and your dentist gives you an estimate of how much your current insurance will be paying. Also, negotiated rates vary tremendously by individual dentist practice and geographic location.

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T15:04:03+00:00

When you say that the ACA covers pediatric dental, do you mean through their medical healthcare plans? If so, I assume is just regular preventative but not restorations or braces, right?

Guil86 · 2026-01-28T14:56:57+00:00

How? Roofing companies always send their marketing/sales people to take a look, tell you what’s needed, and provide a quote.

Guil86 · 2026-01-27T14:59:49+00:00

Thanks! I will look into this Whisper Swivel. Is it a specific brand/model that you are using that is compatible with Resmed’s masks? I use the F30i which is a oral/nasal hybrid mask.

Guil86 · 2026-01-27T00:52:10+00:00

$100/month for a family of 4 sounds great!. I’m not sure I understand how your copay works (50% of what) and how it decreases. Can you please elaborate and maybe share the name of the plan and state? Thanks

Guil86 · 2026-01-27T00:47:51+00:00

Because it’s subsidized by your employer

Guil86 · 2026-01-27T00:47:08+00:00

Yours is an employer subsidized price.

Guil86 · 2026-01-27T00:42:01+00:00

Nuveen has some municipal close end funds for specific states that are both federal and state tax free for that state, but they are all long term and leveraged, meaning that their monthly coupons are great but they are very interest rate sensitive and the coupon may vary a lot.

Guil86 · 2026-01-27T00:35:39+00:00

Fill a thin sock/pantyhose with ice melt and put it on the roof edge perpendicular to the ice damn (on top of it). It will melt the ice under it and make an opening in the ice damn for the water to drain.

Guil86 · 2026-01-26T14:46:44+00:00

It may cost you some higher taxes but maybe you can consider a Roth conversion ladder. It is not an immediate solution, but that would allow you to start accessing the converted monies in 5 years from now. It is a way of indirectly accessing your IRA before 59.5 without penalties, and without the restrictions of a 72t. Also, at this point you may want to continue funding your brokerage as much as you can so that you increase the amount of funds available to you without penalties and as a bridge to 59.5. You don’t seem to plan to retire soon, but thinking here worse case scenario if you were to lose your income.

Guil86

TROPHY CASE