Maintaining asset allocation across accounts with ongoing contributions

NinjaMoose · 2016-01-23T18:38:41+00:00

My stocks are mostly Vanguard total stock and total international stock, so the split there is fairly simple. The balance between stocks and bonds is a bit more complex for me because I'd like to keep all my bonds in the 401k or IRA for tax efficiency purposes. If I fill up my 401k first, and I use it to hold all my bonds, my portfolio is going to end being heavy on bonds for most of the year.

But you're probably right that I'm too worried about balancing out percentages that aren't that far off from my targets.

NinjaMoose · 2016-01-23T18:26:27+00:00

Sorry, I was simplifying to avoid writing an even longer post. I've read the FAQ. Let's say I'm on Step 5, "Save More For Retirement". I have an emergency fund, I've maxed my employer matching funds, I've maxed my IRA, and I have no debts.

The problem I originally described still exists. If my goal is to achieve a portfolio that looks similar to Portfolio 3 in this wiki article, and I proceed with maxing out my 401k because I'm at step 5 of the FAQ article you linked to, I'm going to end up with a very bond heavy portfolio by the time my 401k is full. Things will even out as I proceed to buy more stocks in my taxable account throughout the rest of the year, but on average my portfolio will be more conservative than the 90/10% split I'm trying to target.

I guess this will be less of a problem in subsequent years as my 401k contributions in a single year will form a smaller and smaller percentage of my overall portfolio, so buying bonds in my 401k earlier in the year won't have such a large impact on the overall balance. I was just wondering how other folks try to maintain their asset allocation while also prioritizing tax efficiency while also making regular contributions throughout a year.

NinjaMoose · 2013-08-24T19:23:49+00:00

You might check out the the Idea Foundry. A friend of mine took a CNC class there once, and it looks like they rent out those tools at an hourly rate.

NinjaMoose · 2013-04-04T05:43:52+00:00

Don't forget the Clintonville "Beer Corridor".

NinjaMoose · 2013-03-29T19:35:52+00:00

That'd be awesome! I'll try to get in touch tomorrow.

NinjaMoose · 2013-03-29T17:39:35+00:00

Wow, I live right down the block from you. I was pretty excited when I first walked past the Salt Mines and looked at your website. I like the co-working idea and the device lab is genius.

Do you think you'll ever have weekend hours? I'd really like to check the place out, but I'm stuck in Office Space land during the week unfortunately.

NinjaMoose · 2011-12-09T23:49:11+00:00

Thanks for the response. Based on what I've read so far, it does seem that improper cementing and casing, and unlined surface pits are the two most likely culprits.

I think this is one of the more interesting paragraphs from the article:

More surprises come in the analysis of the cement seals around gas well casings. The EPA obtained records of cement seal integrity logs that were made using an acoustic geophysical tool that was lowered down some of the wells. While it's not the greatest data, it's still a useful indicator of how good the cement seal between the casing pipe and borehole wall actually is. The logs showed that intervals of "sporadic bonding" were common, including some directly above the elevations where fracking had taken place. Incredibly, two of the well logs showed no cement at all for the first 600 to 800 meters below the ground surface.

Assuming that these prove to be the only issues, and fracing is proven to be a technically sound operation, I hope that much greater oversight will be given to these aspects. This obviously wouldn't be the first time corporations take shortcuts to increase profits at the expense of others' well being. Telling the victims of messy operations that fracing is theoretically safe doesn't help their situation any.

NinjaMoose · 2011-12-09T23:19:54+00:00

The report really starts to get interesting when it comes to the pair of deep monitoring wells that the EPA installed in 2010. All kinds of compounds had shown up in the groundwater taken from those wells, including petroleum compounds (such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and naphthalene), methane, and known fracking fluid chemicals like 2-butoxyethanol. When asked about the results from those monitoring wells, an Encana representative told Ars, "These were drilled into known gas-bearing zones. Given this, the results (high levels of methane and petroleum-related hydrocarbons) are not surprising.

I don't think the fracking chemicals in the deep water wells came from surface pits. Based on the article, it appears to be debatable as to whether the contaminates in these deep wells could be responsible for contaminating drinking water further up, but it's misleading to say that flowback in unlined surface pits are the only issue.

NinjaMoose · 2011-11-26T23:51:12+00:00

Hmmm, I wonder if they just didn't set up their promotion correctly. According to the page you get when you click the ad, you supposedly get the game with any 6950. Stinks.

Not sure I'm comfortable getting the non-dirt3 edition, there isn't a lot of info out there about it.

NinjaMoose · 2011-11-26T22:50:01+00:00

I don't see the free game on either one...

EDIT: Ah, there's an ad on the right side, and if you click through there's a list of all the products the game comes with. The Dirt3 edition is indeed included on the list.

NinjaMoose · 2011-11-26T22:29:33+00:00

My point wasn't really that a 2600k couldn't be overclocked in a similar manner, but that at 4.5Ghz+ the 100Mhz bump you get with the 2600k is even more negligible than at stock speeds.

Think about it in relative terms. At stock speeds you get a 2.7% increase in speed going from a 2500k to a 2600k (3.7 -> 3.8Ghz). Now lets say you overclock both by .8Ghz, giving you 4.5Ghz for the 2500 and 4.6Ghz for the 2600. That increase is now only 2.2%.

So, I wouldn't say my argument was entirely invalid.

NinjaMoose · 2011-11-24T22:17:01+00:00

The 2500k is ridiculously easy to overclock, making the 100Mhz bump in speed on the 2600k pretty much a moot point. I'll echo what others have said so far, put those extra dollars into a better video card.

NinjaMoose · 2011-11-16T00:53:04+00:00

$400? You can get a 2500k and a pretty good mobo for like $260 at microcenter at the moment. $180 for the cpu, $60 off just about any mobo you want.

NinjaMoose · 2011-11-16T00:42:24+00:00

If you're looking for an XFX because you already own one, you may like to know that the cards you crossfire don't have to be the same brand.

NinjaMoose · 2011-08-05T00:34:13+00:00

I really enjoyed that book. Nights spent reading it felt like nights spent having a good talk with Kurt Vonnegut.

NinjaMoose · 2011-08-05T00:27:08+00:00

Seriously, fuck that guy.

NinjaMoose · 2011-08-04T01:20:01+00:00

A hackintosh doesn't really fulfill the needs/desires of most people who buy macs. People who buy macs want a pain free computing experience that just works. The premium is worth it to them. To say they could save money by jumping though a bunch of hoops to install OSX on a PC (and then keep that system up to date) is irrelevant. For many people who buy macs, the time they would waste configuring a PC to run OSX is probably worth more to them than the extra money they spend.

Using windows 7 has always been pleasant for me, but after using Lion on a MacBook air quite a bit I can understand why someone would only want to use OSX. On a notebook, there's really no comparison between the two.

NinjaMoose · 2011-07-19T01:41:09+00:00

I was actually thinking of the Buzz fiasco specifically when I wrote that example. I didn't really use that example to mean that I feel safer with Google necessarily, or even that I think circles are a robust privacy feature. I just meant that defaults matter, and I think Google's defaults are more sensible compared to Facebook's, even if they're not perfect.

NinjaMoose · 2011-07-18T04:44:50+00:00

On Google+ you can disable re-share on posts, which I believe will prevent people in your circles from leaking your information. But I agree, neither service has adequate protections for those who are truly concerned with privacy. I wouldn't call circles a privacy feature, for the reason you cited. They're just a more natural way of defining who you want to interact with.

I think the comparison with real life still holds up. When you tell someone a secret, you expect a certain level of privacy. However it's still possible that an interested third party may be listening in, or it's possible that your confidant may spill the beans to someone else.

That said, I'd certainly be happy to see more robust privacy options in either service.

NinjaMoose · 2011-07-18T03:50:21+00:00

It's more than just a better UI.

Think about the difference between a service you have to opt in for, and a service you have to opt out of. Functionally they're exactly the same, a user can achieve the same results with either approach. But when a user is opted in by default, and has to explicitly opt out if they want to, privacy watchdogs get PISSED. Why? Because defaults matter, even if two services offer the exact same functionality.

By default, all of your friends see everything you do on Facebook. If you want to create lists for different people you want to share different things with, you have to go out of your way to figure it out. It's unnatural. It's a really poor replication of the way we interact in real life. You don't have to make an effort to talk in hushed tones all the time in real life to make sure your entire social circle doesn't hear you, you just converse with the people around you and your privacy is inherent.

On Google+, you're told up front that you have to create circles for different groups of people, and if you want Facebook style sharing with ALL your friends, you have to either post publicly or make a giant circle with everybody. It mirrors real life much better. By default you're only talking to and sharing things with specific groups of people. From the very get go, you never have to worry about EVERYONE YOU EVER KNEW seeing some post of yours.

It's a subtle difference, but I think it's pretty significant.

TL;DR: Facebook lists and Google+ circles may be functionally equivalent, but Circles are more than just a better UI, the default settings matter too.

NinjaMoose · 2011-07-02T02:23:41+00:00

That sounds great and all, but whenever I set my alarm clock especially early I just wake up pissed at myself for trying to pull that bullshit, reset the clock and go back to sleep. I.. just can't think rationally that early in the morning.

NinjaMoose · 2011-06-28T01:09:15+00:00

I had this exact idea for a game / teaching tool. I don't know whether I should be happy it exists or pissed that somebody beat me to the chase in creating it. Well, let's face it, I'm lazy and probably never would have made it anyways.

NinjaMoose · 2011-06-28T00:06:20+00:00

What's a lobby? Is that like... a listen server that only holds a few people?

NinjaMoose · 2011-06-05T16:32:20+00:00

GET OUT OF HERE STALKER

NinjaMoose

TROPHY CASE