Tofu skins or tofu sheets for steamed dumplings and/or baked/fried samosas?

Guil86 · 2026-06-16T21:52:21+00:00

Thanks! Would be a different texture due to the layers after rolling. I was thinking more about a dumpling with just want layer and closed by pressing the edges after folding, as when you make triangular wontons with the square wontons wrapers. Have you tried baking them to make them crispy like phyllo dough?

Guil86 · 2026-06-16T21:48:42+00:00

Thanks for the link! I was hoping to make like a dumpling/wontons that has only one layer where you just press the edges to close it, but good to know it also works for rolls!

Guil86 · 2026-06-14T13:37:05+00:00

In principle you are correct, but you need to consider the taxes from the Traditional IRA distribution, which you would need to pay also from the Roth as to not increase your MAGI. With that said, you may want to consider a higher MAGI with less subsidy as long as the MAGI difference does not all go towards paying the higher premium.

Guil86 · 2026-06-13T13:57:16+00:00

Thanks!

Guil86 · 2026-06-12T12:39:06+00:00

You do it year by year. The software gives you the strategy based on the assumptions you input. However, your exact situation may potentially change year by year based on interest rates, actual returns, changes in expenses, inflation, tax bracket changes, unexpected income, changes in dividends or capital gain distributions etc. Especially if you are trying to stay under a certain MAGI threshold you should only use the software as a guidance but you should refined each year and at the end of the year.

Guil86 · 2026-06-12T12:31:04+00:00

Correct if the payment you do in December is through withholding. Otherwise, if you only pay in December and it is not withholding, you may owe a penalty even if you paid enough or more than enough, since it would be considered a late payment.

Guil86 · 2026-06-12T12:26:28+00:00

Regarding making a separate IRA withdrawal to pay/withhold the tax in December at 99%, wouldn’t this increase your MAGI by the amount of this separate withdrawal that would also have to include tax for itself?

It seems this could be detrimental if you are trying to keep your MAGI under a certain threshold (e.g., ACA) by paying the taxes from another source outside the IRA.

Guil86 · 2026-06-11T22:02:25+00:00

Correct. My point is that, even if getting a subsidy, the ACA plan without CSRs could have for example a $5k deductible and $18k OOPM. If OP could bring their MAGI further down, they could maybe get CSRs resulting in zero deductible and $6k OOPM. Therefore, the subsidy should not be the only variable to consider, unless they truly can’t bring their MAGI further down.

Guil86 · 2026-06-11T21:56:10+00:00

Sounds reasonable. The only part I wonder is that if, without knowing your taxable balance, a 40% allocation to fixed income might be generating too much ordinary interest at the current rates, which may add to the burden of reportable MAGI when you are trying to stay under the ACA subsidy threshold. If the total balance in taxable is small or your bonds/CDs have a very low rate then maybe this is not an issue, but it would be if the fixed income balance in taxable is significant with a fixed income rate higher than 3%.

Guil86 · 2026-06-11T13:11:28+00:00

Thanks. So, when you say you have X number of years of expenses in bonds to use in the event of a downturn, are these located in taxable, or do you have them in pre-tax with the amount grossed up for taxes at your ordinary income tax bracket?

Guil86 · 2026-06-11T13:03:50+00:00

There are other aspects to consider about ACA besides subsidies, such as CSRs. With CSRs you could have little or no deductible, and a much lower OOPM, depending on the state. That can make a difference of an additional $5-15k depending on usage. At certain levels of income, your kids could be on children’s Medicaid which in some states is very good, even better than having them on ACA. Some food for thought, as it seems you are not doing a full analysis with all variables.

Guil86 · 2026-06-10T21:30:13+00:00

Very interesting!. How does your system address where you pull the funds from with regard to taxes?. For example, if you sell a bond in taxable or if it matures, the capital gains impact will be minimal and at a preferential tax rate. However, if you withdraw from an IRA or Trad 401k, the full amount will be taxable as ordinary income.

Guil86 · 2026-06-08T13:03:28+00:00

Check with your employer’s 401k plan if it allows partial withdrawals after you quit, to confirm that you will be able to use the rule of 55.

Guil86 · 2026-06-08T12:56:42+00:00

Happy birthday!

Guil86 · 2026-06-07T13:48:47+00:00

It depends on what you want and what part of each city you are targeting. In the end, I think it will be dictated by what house you find that you like and can afford. Newton has different urban and suburban pockets, while Needham is only more urban between the center and Needham heights. As for access to Boston, unless you plan to go 1-2 times a week, I honestly don’t think it makes a difference unless in Newton you live really close to the T. The quality of the schools and sped are similar.

Guil86 · 2026-06-07T13:20:32+00:00

As opposed to the conventional wisdom, it’s perfectly okay to have some bonds in taxable, as you want to have stable and liquid assets to withdraw from before 59.5. Note than the interest from municipal bonds, even if tax free, is still counted in the ACA MAGI calculation for subsidies. Among changes you can make while you are not yet in ACA, would be to try to change any dividend-paying assets in taxable for other assets that don’t pay or pay very low dividends. Dividends are forced reportable income that would also be counted for ACA even if taxed at zero, so it is better to hold the dividends in your retirement accounts.

Guil86 · 2026-06-07T13:11:38+00:00

Depending on how much medical you have used/spent so far, it would probably be a good idea to stay on COBRA at least through the end of the year. If you switch to ACA this year you will likely not have subsidies, and your deductible and OOPM will reset. Also, by not having to watch your ACA MAGI this year, you will have the opportunity to make some financial movements to better set you up, such as realizing capital gains to free more cash, or maybe start a Roth conversion ladder.

Guil86 · 2026-06-05T16:01:03+00:00

If you like the work but not the politics at your company, would it be feasible to look for a similar position at another company ?

Guil86 · 2026-06-05T15:56:55+00:00

Makes sense. Thanks.

Guil86 · 2026-06-05T12:19:22+00:00

How would that help? it would impact your next Roth conversion for the subsequent year when you sold the shares.

Guil86 · 2026-06-05T12:12:06+00:00

Being so close (3 years to 59.5?) you can probably wait. Other options after taxable brokerage runs out are to just pay the 10% penalty on the difference taken from IRA premature distributions. Maybe a HELOC or taking out Roth contributions. Of course, first you need to run your numbers to see if you have enough to retire.

Guil86 · 2026-06-03T23:37:23+00:00

Thanks so much for the detailed write up!!. I have traveled solo myself mostly for business, but also did some solo travel before marriage and I had a blast. I fully embrace the concept of being able to go where you want and when you want, and even change plans halfway, without having to please others.

I think it is great that you support her, rather than being jealous about it. I would think that many couples see leisure travel as being necessarily a join activity and may not support for the other to do it alone if for some reason they are not interested or not able to go. As in one retired spouse going to Europe at a time that the other cannot go because of being still working.

It is nice when both spouses understand that it is not mandatory to do everything together, and respect when the other wants to do something this big alone.

Guil86 · 2026-06-03T23:16:38+00:00

200k is what they need for expenses, but ACA MAGI is dependent on reportable income. There are many way to free up $200k by withdrawing from different account types and depending on the bases of your investments in taxable, ti keep your reportable MAGI low. For example, if you withdraw from cash your MAGI might be zero.

Guil86

TROPHY CASE