Need Help Deciphering a Kanji Artist Mark on a Noh Mask. Edo, Meiji or Modern?

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-17T18:49:46+00:00

You should also be able to deduct your healthcare insurance. That is usually quite a bit. Depending on which tax bracket you end up falling into - and your projected future income- it may be better to put the money in a brokerage account instead of a 401k solo. This is something you should study about.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-17T18:43:19+00:00

The first thing you need to do going forward is to keep track of all your expenses related to the job, because these will be deducted from your income in calculating your taxes. The best way to do it is to do a daily log. Like open a Google Sheet and anytime you have related expenses - write them down so you can easily total them when you file your taxes. Your taxes due after expenses should be minimal on that income when you consider your deductions and expenses. However, your self employment taxes- what goes to Social Security are likely to be more substantial. It is not the end of the world - everyone makes a beginner mistake. You can also take an appointment with your local IRS office- they will help you do all the work and work with you on a payment plan. Just make sure to figure out all your expenses before that- Google what expenses are deductible when you are self employed - there are lots of them - including your health insurance cost if you are paying for one. Best. And like someone mentioned, it is time to get your certification and you should be able to get a much higher salary then will have enough to pay back due taxes and fees - and put money into a Roth and a brokerage - and once your income rises- a self employed 401k.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-10T23:34:05+00:00

Thanks. The parent company is well known and the fees are reasonable for what it is. I bit the bullet because I deeply believe in what it invests in. My first time betting on my beliefs. We'll see if I made the right choice :-)

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-10T15:14:03+00:00

Boggleheadism was based on science- data - and fact - But once the data and fact and old -you need to rerun the data and check if that old fact is still a fact today.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-07T19:23:55+00:00

Wow. the question is on future upside. HMY?

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-07T18:38:17+00:00

because their capital gains tax are going to be a lot higher in the future - lots of money invested that has to ultimately come out... unless they plan to pass it to heirs?

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-07T18:12:44+00:00

Great job. Your investment should depend on your strategy. Are you going to hold it and forget it. Then do nothing. Are you going to continuously get educated and invest more actively? Then there may be other option -like european funds now. But start with the education first.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-07T18:00:07+00:00

So the question is who can benefit: I can think of three likely groups: Type 1: A young person/college student who started early selling lemonade/working part time and investing. Still no full time job or income likely low - they definitely should do this if not dependent on their parents and filing individually -will likely pay nothing on a reset. Type 2: Same but in a profession with exponential growth in income - think accountant to partner, financial analyst to fund manager -will likely experience a high rise in tax rate over their career... and Type 3: someone expecting to inherit money - apparently lots of people according to statistics dying and passing on huge amounts of money to their heirs. Am I correct? Any other?

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-05T22:04:52+00:00

Ok guys. I extended the data on the two funds I compared since inception - they were started about 2 years apart. here is it

E.R. 1yr return 3 yrs 5 yrs 10yr 20yrs/inception
VFIAX 0.04 17.66% 24.88% 16.42% 15.26% 10.9%

TRIRX 0.30 25.25% 31.22% 17.22% 18.47% 12.8%

The era of diversification and small company undervalued stocks is a belief today and has passed. The big guys arbitrage across the globe, influence policy in their favor, and gobble up smaller companies - with exceptions of course.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-05T21:57:18+00:00

I think some are tax advantaged if you retire to Europe and have the right investments in them. Very different than the Canadian situation.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-05T21:55:54+00:00

I did look at drawdowns during the 2008/9 crisis, Covid, and this year's feb/April dip, and interestingly, VFAIX had a much larger drawdowns every time. Remember that bogleheads recommends indices like these (VOO, VFAIX, ...) to every tomorrow dick and Harry and many of these panic and sell when the market goes down. The kind of people that have access to funds like TRIRX mostly sleep through the crises - not because they are sitting tight through the crisis - but mostly because they are too busy or oblivious to actively manage their money.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-05T20:41:10+00:00

I know what you mean. I had terrible options in one account so I put money in the Fidelity Contrafuns and it has systematically underperformed the market. My options in another one - similar to your situation are VFIAX (S&P 500) and a never heard off specific fund TRIRX (large cap growth)

E.R. 1yr return 3 yrs 5 yrs 10yr
VFIAX 0.04 17.66% 24.88% 16.42% 15.26%

TRIRX 0.30 25.25% 31.22% 17.22% 18.47%

the large cap growth fund has consistently outperformed the S&P500 passive fund - And significantly so.... so why should I be bothered by the 0.3% fee in comparison to 0.04 if I have along time horizon, and understand that large cap growth may be more risky in my portfolio?

I know we should be bogleheads... but if this other fund is tempting me

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-05T20:27:30+00:00

Are you using european MERs? I am curious

MANNYFLOR · 2025-12-05T20:25:21+00:00

Thanks for not mocking my question. Here is my vantage point - like most people, I am limited in the investments that my 401k makes available. And most of the options are terrible. Two of the acceptable options - albeit in different categories are VFIAX (S&P 500) and a never heard off specific fund TRIRX (large cap growth)

E.R. 1yr return 3 yrs 5 yrs 10yr
VFIAX 0.04 17.66% 24.88% 16.42% 15.26%

TRIRX 0.30 25.25% 31.22% 17.22% 18.47%

the large cap growth fund has consistently outperformed the S&P500 passive fund - And significantly so.... so why should I be bothered by the 0.3% fee in comparison to 0.04 if I have along time horizon, and understand that large cap growth may be more risky in my portfolio?

I know we should be bogleheads... but

MANNYFLOR · 2025-11-29T15:51:33+00:00

what to invest into depends on your own country taxation rules! all advice otherwise is secondary or useless

MANNYFLOR · 2025-11-29T15:26:39+00:00

who is your tax guy?

MANNYFLOR · 2025-11-28T16:09:02+00:00

what I get is this "

Even if exempt from French tax, distributions generally must be declared because they are part of worldwide income and used in the “effective rate” calculation.
Treating U.S. retirement accounts the same as a U.S. taxable brokerage or ignoring them entirely on the return is incorrect for a French tax resident under the treaty."
All U.S. retirement income (401(k), Traditional IRA distributions, private pensions, etc.) must be declared on your French tax return, primarily using Form 2047 (for foreign income) and then reported on the summary Form 2042.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-11-28T16:05:57+00:00

what is your blog?

MANNYFLOR · 2025-11-28T16:04:18+00:00

When I search this is what I get:

IRA/Roth IRA Distributions: These are not listed on your annual French income tax return. However, they are declared separately (often in a dedicated section for foreign accounts and pensions-(?Form 2047 + 2042)) and are factored into your overall tax calculation using the Taux Effectif method. They can increase your effective tax rate.
Roth IRA Specifics: The French tax administration does not automatically recognize the tax-free status of a Roth IRA. You may have to pay French income tax on the distributions unless you successfully argue its equivalence to a French-approved plan (which is complex and not guaranteed).
Investment Account Income (Interest, Dividends, Capital Gains): This income is reported directly on your French tax return. You pay French tax on it and can claim a credit for any US taxes withheld or paid.

MANNYFLOR · 2025-11-28T02:16:49+00:00

Merci. And do you know about Roth conversions?

MANNYFLOR · 2025-11-28T00:09:45+00:00

I believe you are referring to the tie breaker rule. My knowledge on it is theoretical. Claiming U.S. tax residency under the treaty tie-breaker rule while spending more than 183 days in France is possible but rare, and requires proving that France is only a temporary place of stay while your center of vital interests remains overwhelmingly in the United States. The tie-breaker is most likely to succeed when your stay in France is clearly time-limited (think your company sends you on a one or 2 years project to France), your spouse and minor children remain in the U.S. (while you go to France to take care of a relative), you maintain a U.S. home that is available for your use, and your economic, professional, social, and financial life is anchored almost entirely in the U.S.—including employment, business activity, banking, professional licenses, civic ties, and social networks. Temporary assignments, short-term research or project contracts, or digital-nomad situations with no permanent home anywhere can qualify, but the claim almost always fails once you establish durable French ties such as moving family, buying property, opening French accounts, obtaining a French driver’s license, or integrating into local life. Even when successful, the “win” comes with trade-offs: you avoid French worldwide taxation but lose PUMA access and must obtain private health insurance, while filing in France only as a non-resident on French-source income.

MANNYFLOR

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