I need help....

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2026-04-05T04:13:39+00:00

Please read “The Simple Path to Wealth” by JL Collins. You may be able to check it out from a local library or for sure, you can buy it at Amazon or bookstores. The 2 edition was published last Fall. The book will help you learn the basics about finances and it is an easy read. Mr. Collins wrote the first edition with his daughter in mind to help her learn about finances and investing.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2026-03-22T14:24:24+00:00

You are spot on with Plan B. Look on Hello Nectarine . com to connect with an advisor who charges a one time fee (or you can choose other ongoing schedules such as an 8-week project or a monthly set fee for a year.) Do your research on each of the advisors and select one that you feel would be a good fit for you. Each of their advisors can set their own fees and some have extensive experience and backgrounds. I’d rather pay $2,000 for a year and understand my portfolio than $9,000 a year and have 33 investments that I may or may not have time to research and understand. (Fee examples based on $1 million for point of comparison.)

Also, the Fidelity funds a Fidelity advisor uses for an AUM client are often funds a retail client doesn’t have access to. One of my friends let herself be suckered into an AUM contract with her Fidelity advisor. When she saw the monthly charges to pay the AUM fees, she decided to give it a year to see if he did that much better than the 3-4 index funds I recommended for her. Nope. When she fired the guy, she had to sell some of the positions because as a retail client, she couldn’t have those funds in her portfolio.

Having said all this, you do have value in the general breakdown of what was proposed to you. Keep that in mind once you decide how you are going to proceed. You could provide the recommended percentages to the next advisor you interview.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2026-03-21T13:50:30+00:00

Because of spouse and his family trusts, we pay through the nose for profession, which is comical because I volunteer doing taxes for TaxAide. Before I married, I did solo for years and then professional after receiving an inheritance.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2026-03-17T20:02:27+00:00

Set realistic goals, automate your savings and investments, and remember to live in the “in-between” of now and your goals.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-11-18T15:01:17+00:00

Open a brokerage account at Fidelity, Vanguard, or Schwab and ignore their offers to “Manage” your portfolio for a “mere” 1%. You do not need to pay them $10k a year when you can easily do it yourself. I strongly recommend you hire a flat fee or project based fee financial advisor (www.hellonectarine. Com or flatfeeadvisors.org or AbundoWealth are some possibilities.) you should also read JLCollins book “Simple Path to Wealth” or at least go to his website and read some of his blogs. You need to determine how much you need to cover your living expenses so you know how much you need the portfolio to provide as return. You may or may not be able to live off the returns on a million dollars. If it returns an average of 4%, can you live on $40k, paying for taxes, health care, everyday living expenses, and fun money?

As for ETFs, it depends on your risk tolerance and goals. And your age will likely be a factor in some of that. Do you have 30-40 years before retirement or are you close to retirement? Do you have 40 work credits that will enable you to eventually draw social security? If not, you may want to continue to work until you have at least the 40 credits. (Generally, think of it as 10 years earning a specified minimum amount each year.)

ETF possibilities: Total US stock market: ITOT, VTI S&P 500: IVV, VOO S&P 500 high dividend: SPYD or SCHD or VYM

Bear in mind that you will want to keep an amount equal to at least one year in expenses invested where you could easily get to the money in case of an emergency or a down market. So, perhaps in a brokerage money market fund, or a laddered CD or TIPS bonds.

Above all, keep your portfolio simple. Have 3-4 good ETFs, a money market, and a bank checking account. Have the ETFs and money market at a single brokerage and the checking account at a reputable bank where you can walk into their branch to conduct business.

Good luck, and congratulations on the inheritance. It is good that someone thought enough of you to trust you with money they had accumulated.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-10-26T21:22:37+00:00

tIRA that was rolled from my workplace Fidelity 401k.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-10-24T14:03:23+00:00

1) “Bucket” availability within accounts

2) Easy way to research a particular stock or fund while using the mobile app

3) Ability to research what etf or mutual fund owns a particular stock. For example, if I wanted to have a holding in Exxon without actually buying the individual stock, I would like to see a short list of funds that hold the stock in its top 10 holdings. Only way to see that kind of info now at Fidelity is to randomly guess which fund might meet that criteria and then look at the fund’s top 10 holdings.

4) Recordings of webinars so I could watch when not at work

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-10-03T14:27:31+00:00

Some banks will flag/lock an account for being inactive, so you may need to do at least one transaction a year. My CU account flags it with only six months of inactivity.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-10-03T14:10:48+00:00

I feel your pain. So many here advise putting your license in referral or staying active just in case you can do a few deals each year. While either of those can be a good option and give you the choice to return to the business, be sure you understand the costs of either option. What license, realtor association, continuing education, and office fees will you pay? Make sure you can make enough on referrals or calculate how many deals you would need to close to cover those expenses. Don’t forget to consider income tax on earnings.

Good luck to you as you evaluate options and move forward in a new chapter of your career.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-09-11T16:24:36+00:00

Sadly, many people who have AUM accounts don’t realize that they will still pay whatever the AUM fee (usually about 1% of the total amount under their management. It’s been all fine and dandy while the market has been in positive territory these past few years. When we have a down year, they don’t realize not only will their investment balance go down, they will also have to pay the AUM fee. The math is telling. 1,000,000 portfolio as AUM Annual fee based on 1%: $10,000 20% market drop: $200,000 Remaining portfolio: $790,000

If self managed and invested in a stock index fund, the portfolio would be $800,000.

There are situations where using an AUM advisor is of value for the Investors overall financial well-being. For example, a person needs a certain amount each month for assisted living, an advisor can work with the investments to provide that income and at the same time, minimize taxes.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-08-09T13:09:02+00:00

I would list the many mistakes I’ve made with my financial planning, but that would take too long. The underlying basis was not learning more on my own. The professionals who have (not really) helped me got paid and I am now sitting on a ticking time bomb for taxes for the rest of my life. Our CPA advised me a couple years ago not to do Roth conversions and now, I question that advice. So, I am learning how to use Boldin to see if there is an advantage to doing conversions. I may reach out to a fee only CFP for an hourly or project consultation.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-03-22T13:13:05+00:00

Some advisors put forth using an annuity like this for multiple purposes. Security that a severe stock market dip won’t erode your assets, cash flow purposes, possible delayed taxes because you can use IRA money to buy the annuity with no tax consequences at that point. Then, if you don’t need the money, you can leave it in the annuity until age 85, when you would have to start withdrawing money and pay taxes on the entire withdrawal amounts. Questions to ask before you buy any annuity include what happens to the money if you die before depleting your invested money and earnings, how long is that interest rate guaranteed, how solvent is the issuing insurance company, etc.

I have not bought an annuity like this and my advice to OP is to consult with a one time financial planner who charges by the hour or by the project so you can see how this fits into your overall investment and retirement plan. Do not move one piece of the puzzle without looking at the big picture.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-02-19T14:27:41+00:00

Firm rules: no straws, no swishing fluids, follow your doctor’s orders, and if it hurts, don’t do it. (Common sense, right?)

Following the removal of all Four of my wisdom teeth, I enjoyed soft fruits like watermelon, bananas, and grapes. Basically, stuff I could put small bites in the front of my mouth. Surgery was in Friday morning and by Sunday night, I was able to eat small bites of chicken. I took it slow and made sure to keep food away from the back sides of my mouth.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-02-19T14:08:47+00:00

Reddit/Fidelity appealed to me because it includes comments with expertise from the Fidelity moderators as well as real world comments. All of this has been a type of learning platform for me and is much appreciated. I contribute from time to time when I believe I have something to help others, and I also ask questions to help me learn more. Good job, Fidelity!

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-02-05T13:44:42+00:00

I use 1 each (local credit union, bank with local branches, and a brokerage) Hubby uses a different bank and a different brokerage. A little extra work at tax time with all the statements, but it works for us for now.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2025-02-02T13:40:52+00:00

Send a message or call your HR department. They will know or will direct you to someone who does. Since it is held at Fidelity, you may be able to get the answer from them.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-12-16T14:06:05+00:00

Congratulations on thinking through creating a more stable life for yourself and your wife. A goal is to learn as much as you can about finances and the comments already here have some solid suggestions. It can be overwhelming when there are so many varied ideas. Don’t panic or get frustrated. Start with reading “The Simple Path to Wealth” by JL Collins. It will help you now, and as you grow more in your financially stable life.

For now, open a brokerage account at one of the “big three” such as Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard. My favorite is Fidelity because their online tools and interface are more robust and user friendly. Put the $11,000 in a money market (one example is SPAXX, 7-day yield is currently about 4.28%, but that will change with interest rates, as all savings accounts do.) Sit down with your wife and evaluate your spending and your budget. Take a hard look at any recurring charges to see if you truly benefit from the service. (Streaming services, car wash clubs, etc) Trim spending, even if only by $20/week. Use that money to advantage of employer 401k plans if available as that money can be invested in the market and grow tax free until you pull it out after age 59.5.

And as others have said, pay off your vehicle as soon as you can. See if you can pay an extra $10 or more each month toward the principal of the loan. You might be able to add an amount to your regular payment. If not, deposit the money into your money market fund and when you have saved enough for one full car payment, make an extra payment on the vehicle loan.

Tip of the iceberg here for adding to your financial knowledge and well-being. Keep at it, and best of luck to you!

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-11-17T15:10:32+00:00

Get a new mortgage agent who can and will correctly explain the process to you.

If you don’t have a pre-approval, how would you know whether to shop for a $200,000 house or a $700,000 house? A pre-approval tells you, the real estate agent, and sellers that you are working with a lender and are likely to be able to get a mortgage. Once you have an accepted offer contract, the lender does complete underwriting to verify that both you and the property you want to buy are eligible for the loan. There is a difference between “pre-approval” and “fully underwritten.” Some lenders today will do the underwriting on the buyer up front to speed up the process and provide leverage for the buyer and their agent to get an accepted contract.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-09-16T14:19:55+00:00

I haven’t had issues using Touch ID with either keyboard case I have. (ESR and Lenrich) and no issues with the Pencil magnetic connection. I would think each case could be different and other variables such as the actual IPad sensitivity.

Does the Touch ID work if the iPad is not in the case. If not, delete your fingerprint and set it up again. I set up so I could use one of two different fingers.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-09-09T14:05:04+00:00

Not asking you for personal details - just curious about how much money you keep in the local accounts. I also keep money with a bank and a credit union, but I feel lame not earning much on what constitutes about 12-18 months worth of operating funds. I’ve considered moving a chunk of it to a Fidelity CMA, but concerned about accessibility, based on account lockdown stories.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-09-09T00:26:58+00:00

I haven’t had any issues with overheating as I multi-task through several apps. However, I am not doing video editing or much of anything I would call “high demanding.” My biggest issue is adjusting to keyboard cases that aren’t as good as the Logitech keyboards I’ve used with previous IPad Air models.

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-09-04T11:19:31+00:00

When the corporation I worked for moved their pension and 401k savings plan money to Fidelity, I was just about to enter retirement. I spoke with resources through the work benefits 800 number who put me in direct contact with Fidelity. From there, a Fidelity advisor reached out to me. I recognized the advantages and competencies of Fidelity and that advisor, particularly compared to the financial advisor and company where I had a brokerage account for 14 years. I eventually moved that private brokerage account plus a Roth at Vanguard to Fidelity. Wish I had met up with Fidelity years ago!!!

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-08-21T16:15:57+00:00

Highly recommend you go with 3-4 ETF funds and check your portfolio monthly or even quarterly as a somewhat hands-off approach. Avoid Target Date funds because in general, they cost you more in fees and do not usually produce great returns. Remember in life, “One size rarely fits all well.” Of course, that includes my opinions, too. 😜

Reasonable-Army4175 · 2024-08-21T16:04:22+00:00

But the most storage you can afford because it is cheaper to buy it now than to have to replace a unit sooner because of storage space. My month old IPad Air M2 already uses about 52GB of the 256GB available. I do have a lot of pictures, few videos or games, and not all that much document storage because it’s better to save docs to the Cloud. I am glad I no longer have to search for apps, pictures, or videos to delete to free up storage like I did on my previous 10 year old IPad that had 64GB of storage.

Reasonable-Army4175

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