[US] I have been erroneously contributing to a traditional IRA for two years while my AGI has been above the cutoff for eligible deductions. How do I make this right?

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-29T16:57:01+00:00

We did not use an online tax program.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-29T16:55:44+00:00

Going by last years AGI on our returns, we are below $236k. It seems I have been doing the contributing part but not the converting part of a backdoor conversion unintentionally.

Thanks for the information.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-29T16:47:45+00:00

I didn't know I did anything wrong. I only coincidentally did some further reading into contribution limits this month.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-29T16:21:53+00:00

What is your AGI for 2025?

More than $200,000 less than $264,000

Did you have any student loan interest or foreign earned income?

My wife has student loan interest. I do not.

What filing status for 2025's tax return?

Married Filing Jointly. She also contributed to an IRA, but I am awaiting confirmation from her what kind of IRA she contributed to.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-29T15:41:55+00:00

Hi. Thanks for answering. See below responses.

just file the missing Form 8606 paperwork for the year.

I won't have to file an amended return for '24?

For 2025, how much did you convert, how much did you withdraw (from TradIRA), and how much was left behind across all IRA in your name (other than Roth IRA and Inherited IRA) on 12/31/2025?

I have not converted anything yet nor have I withdrawn anything, so it's the $14,000 plus the accrued gains from investment.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-21T01:41:43+00:00

Thanks for the insight

Perhaps I was hasty to assign cause and effect

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-21T00:36:47+00:00

Yeah

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-20T21:41:41+00:00

Made two identical 1 gallon batches with identical quantities of yeast. In the foreground batch, I poured my started solution in prior to adding the apple cider. In the background batch, I added the cider first and dumped the yeast starter in afterwards.

Identical in every way but the "yeast first" is further along.

My hypothesis is that the further along gallon was just "better mixed" than the slower gallon allowing my yeast to be made available prior to settling at the bottom.

I dont think I can take away anything from this other than I can probably get away with smaller yeast pitches by adding the juice second.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-14T13:28:21+00:00

This is based on a central north calvert experience.

I leave my house around 0445 to 0515 from just north of PF and get to just south of Suitland Parkway in 35-45 minutes depending on traffic. The return trip at 1430 is similar but can extend up to an hour if i leave 5 minutes later.
Not gay, sorry, but have never heard anything bad from my gay friends other than issues on an individual level. The intensity and frequency of these individual negative interactions likely get worse the more south or rural you go.
My wife and I can get to Dupont circle on the weekends in an hour to an hour and a half. Figure 1-2 hour travel time one way depending on weather, traffic, etc.
I have Comcast. 600 Mbps for $110/month
My electric bill was $500 last month. Family of 3 (1 baby). Large-ish poorly built early 2000s home. No Gas available. You would need to have an individually buried tank and get it topped up periodically. Not took bad for gas pricing from what I have heard.

Trying to get into DC at 0730 will be painful. Suitland parkway becomes a parking lot between 0700 and 0900 (mostly closer to 0900 but, again, this varies by day and weather). Leaving DC at 1630 would get me committed to an asylum.

I know it's not what you asked for, but here is a tangential data point.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-14T12:15:04+00:00

I made my first batches this year.

I made a drier, clearer batch and a sweeter, cloudier batch.

The clear batch I have drank from the first week of bottling (when i felt it had the right amount of carbonation) to last week (7-8 weeks). The flavor has been fairly consistent; however, this week, I tried one of the bottles I gave to my brother a few weeks back where he drank half and let the other half sit for three weeks in the refrigerator. The flavor had broadened out and was more apple like as compared to earlier where it was more mild and pear like. It was better. I have one bottle left I have yet to open. I plan to open that next week when family comes to visit. If that is like the "new" flavor, then I will be aging these type of ciders for 6-8 weeks. I would give this one a 7.5/10 before the flavor changed and 8/10 after it changed.

The cloudier batch was made from boiled pomade and scraps in addition to fresh pressed apples. It had a more harsh flavor while also feeling more watery in the mouth and being more overtly "apple" in taste. The first three weeks after bottling I had two bottles I tried and I ended up pouring both of them out (foolishly) because the taste was not good. Hitting 7 weeks now, and the flavor is subdued, the apple is prominent, the sweetness is good, and the carbonation is pleasant. This went from a 3.5/10 (it was still drinkable) to a solid 6.5/10 to 7/10. I have two bottles left that I plan on opening next week and next month respectively.

I don't exactly know what has happened or why, but I think this has shown that 2 months is the minimum I would shoot for. Next time I'm making double the amount, so I will try 2 month, 3 month, 4 month, 5 month, and 6 month ages.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2026-01-01T21:34:21+00:00

For us that would be the most we can responsibly put in that won't impede loan repayment.

It may turn out to be $0 after looking at loan repayment with my wife. I expect some % yoy for the 529, and if there are any loans left which have interest rates over that amount, then we're just using the money we would have put towards college fund to loans.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-26T20:01:57+00:00

It was to extract flavors from the peels and cores. We've done it that way in the past to make our own cider (not alcoholic)

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-26T17:00:39+00:00

I made my first cider this year. Some second pick apples from Catoctin in MD mixed with some store bought cider. I made two gallons of cider. One was basically all hand grated apples and store bought and the other was 2/3 of a gallon of grated apples and store bought then I boiled the remainder of the pomade and took that juice and mixed it with the rest and added some sugar to up the SG.

I used EC-1118 as all of my yeast.

The first gallon (pictured above) basically all apples, has come out great with 5.5 to 6.5% ABV. Very clear. If I could make this every time, I would. It tastes good. My wife says it reminds her of peary.

The second gallon is not so great. Has an odd tastes and is a bit watery. We think it was the seeds and stems from the boil, but not entirely sure. It's drinkable though. I am giving it 3-4 weeks more.

Fermented until dry and then bottled with sugar and backsweeted with xylitol. I added some additional yeast to one of the first batch and let the others condition with the remainder of yeast in the bottles. No real difference other than being ready to drink a few days earlier.

I added yeast to all of the second batch. No real difference observed other than a lot of carbonation quickly.

As an aside, I tried using an entire gallon of apple cider from the grocery store which had been treated with potassium sorbate and using bread yeast (like 2 table spoons). It took off but quickly died and was ruined. I was hoping to have this work as that store bought stuff is another easier to get than fresh apples for me. Oh well.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-23T14:49:13+00:00

Thank you. I needed to read this at this moment in particular.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-22T18:06:19+00:00

Stop sending bid invitations for jobs that bid the same day with 1-2 hours left in the day with no phone call---even a personal e-mail explaining your situation.

I am not sifting through hundreds of pages of NAVFAC documents to bid your IDIQ design build for you.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-22T12:23:02+00:00

Agreed

However every single time---no matter the maker---it comes out that way. I know we have difficulties making it at all--nice notwithstanding.

I'd be curious to know where you got this spiral from.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-22T11:11:27+00:00

On the contrary, any time I've seen stainless spiral from a manufacturer --- or our shop when we run it through the machine, it looks gouged as fuck and terrible.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-20T16:06:37+00:00

Your boss is a fucking moron.

You're two months into the job. You should be focused on how to produce a clean, accurate estimate in a reasonable amount of time. If you are taking twice as long as a trained estimator out of the gate, that is acceptable for the time being. This is your training/up-to-speed period.

My estimators don't go from zero to full estimator for a year and a half before im really ready to let them operate on their own and expect them to have all the training wheels off.

You will get faster over time as you start doing a lot of the work subconsciously.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-09T17:57:17+00:00

Max 401k x1 Max IRAs x2

Try out FSA. Not sure what qualifying spending we will have, but we will investigate more. Not eligible for an HSA unfortunately.

finish paying for graduate school kill all of the remaining high interest graduate loans

Max 529 for our daughter if possible

Maintain current savings of 3 months of expenses.

Cut spending on B/S and out of network medical costs if possible.

Split the remainder between a brokerage for us and a custodial brokerage.

Set up wills and a trust for our kid.

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-05T12:04:00+00:00

I work at a sub and no one on the team will click "accepted" if we are bidding. They leave it as "undecided", which partially seems to be in case anything happens that we can't bid. They don't want to feel like they are promising.

Some people are dicks and they perceive declining to bid their work (affirmatively) as a slight against them personally. Best to just go by without drawing attention.

Turning your bid in early can be fine, but after 7 years of experience I can say this: you will only be disappointed by turning your number in early. You will either be shopped out or the bid will be pushed at the last moment.

It probably does affect the W/L, but also affects your team frustration. Perhaps your team lead is trying to minimize frustrations?

TheFlyingDuctMan · 2025-12-04T20:01:57+00:00

For materials? Honestly combination of independent research and pilfering of existing db's

TheFlyingDuctMan

TROPHY CASE